Favourite Top Gear (when it was Jeremy, James, and Richard) & The Grand Tour challenges or episodes?

[OnTheBranchline]

The sight of James May driving around a 1978 Princess full of water and somehow winning will always be one of my favourite challenges.

 

How about you guys?

[Rich Uncle Skeleton]

Any episode featuring Jeremy wheezing uncontrollably with laughter was always a favourite in our house. My personal favourite was the first America special.

[Dick Turpin]

I always liked the opened door jokes:

 

COQ JOLI YOGURT AUX FRUITS - COQ YOGURT

RESTAURANT PETIT ENTREE - ANT TIT TREE

AMERDEA DU FROMAGE - MERDE DU FROMAGE

SOPHARTEL INDUSTRIE - PHART INDUSTRIE

C'EST LES BIEN CHAT - LES BIEN HAT

All very infantile, but made us all laugh. There were others I recall.

[Edge]

Far too many to mention, but ill try:

 

-Lorry challenge

-build a stretch limousine 

-Anne Hathaways cottage

-build an ambulance 

-Vietnam on bikes

-journey across Madagascar (GT)

-mid engined supercar for £10k

-space shuttle robin reliant

 

there are probably more, but those are the ones that spring to mind immediately 

[33C]

"The Interceptors", Jensen tribute. 

[Hroth]

 

The episode featuring the Skoda Yeti and the Arial Atom is a good 'un too.

[The Lurker]

The 1948 challenge with Tornado

The one where they try to cross the channel to beat Beardy Branson

the motorhome one where Jeremy has a grand designs type car

 

on the GT front, the very latest episode "Eurocrash" made me laugh a lot, as did the Colombia specials - and many others

[Dick Turpin]

You are all forgetting the Caravan Train one, filmed on the Great Central if I remember right! Hilarious.

Edited September 14, 2023 by Dick Turpin

[KeithMacdonald]

Nurburgring with Sabine Schmitz and a Transit van

The Polar Special challenge

Top Gear Ground Force

Burma Special

Australia Special

Botswana Special

Caravan Airship

 

+1 for

1948 challenge with Tornado (London-to-Edinburgh race)

Reliant Robin space shuttle

Vietnam on bikes

[KeithMacdonald]

Also

Winter Olympics Special

Africa Special (looking for the source of the Nile)

Middle East Special (with the Baby Stig in Jerusalem)

Patagonia Special (which might be the one when they got attacked in Argentina)

The Cross-London Race (with Stig on a tube train)

[Rich_F]

The motorhome challenge where they go to Cornwall is my favourite ever Top Gear. It wasn't a big budget episode but there's something about it that's iconic.

 

Most memorable car - "block of flats on top of an old Citroen"

Most iconic laugh - "I asked James to assess the situation but he wasn't much help"

Ultimate troll of BBC brand rules - "I can't tell you, but you know of course they're Jaffa Cakes".

 

Other notable ones are the Nile in estate cars, Burma lorries, Oslo race, amphibious cars across the Channel, teenager cars.

 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by Rich_F

[OnTheBranchline]

Also trying to kill the Hilux repeatedly.

 

and Clarkson driving that smallest car driving in London.

Edited September 14, 2023 by OnTheBranchline

[KeithMacdonald]

Clarkson's face while driving an Arial Atom at speed.

[Steamport Southport]

Caravan Conkers!

 

 

[Coldgunner]

4 hours ago, The Lurker said:

The 1948 challenge with Tornado

The one where they try to cross the channel to beat Beardy Branson

the motorhome one where Jeremy has a grand designs type car

 

on the GT front, the very latest episode "Eurocrash" made me laugh a lot, as did the Colombia specials - and many others

 

I think the trio (apart from Hammond I suppose) enjoyed the race to Edinburgh. Clarkson is a bit of a closet gricer from what I hear.

[Invicta Informant]

Trying to demolish houses using ex-military vehicles. And countless others. The chemistry between the three was just brilliant.

 

[MJI]

I liked the 4x4s in South America where they had to escape a jungle first.

[57xx]

6 hours ago, KeithMacdonald said:

Nurburgring with Sabine Schmitz and a Transit van

 

This one ^

[Tony_S]

When it was first broadcast, it was a regional BBC programme and Angela Rippon was the main presenter. 

[KeithMacdonald]

1 hour ago, Tony_S said:

When it was first broadcast, it was a regional BBC programme and Angela Rippon was the main presenter. 

 

I liked Angela Rippon, but would have to admit it wasn't her best role or performance.

[The Lurker]

I never watched it when it was a “serious” car show - I’m not much into cars - but somewhere along the line I got into it and both Lurker boys have had their moments enjoying it too

[Steamport Southport]

But it was more like Watchdog rather than a programme about cars. Things like wearing seat belts and how to cut down your petrol consumption.

 

Most of the early "regional" bits used to be shown on the Nationwide programme after the news before it became a proper programme.

 

ISTR it was when Noel Edmunds got involved that it went decent and started having interesting things in it like sportscars and racing.

 

[didcot]

Didn't Noel Edmonds present it as well.

 

I liked the chemistry between the three of them. 

 

But Clarkson needs to sort his units out. Used to drive me made when he would say a car had 50 torques more than the other one!

[PaulRhB]

Are we there yet?

 

 

Fiesta review . . .

[KeithMacdonald]

3 minutes ago, didcot said:

But Clarkson needs to sort his units out.

 

Some say  it was an affectation for comedic effect. Like the golf bats, and on Clarkson's Farm the "cow juice".