Top 10 Top Gear Moments

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Unknown to many, Top Gear achieved a Guinness World Record in 2013 for being the world’s most watched factual TV programme. Over 350 million people in more than 200 countries watch the series, making it a truly global phenomenon.

During the classic era with Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond, there were almost too many hilarious scenes to count, but as a tribute to everyone’s favourite automotive show, we’re going to try and whittle them down to 10. Here goes.

10. Peugeot Meeting

Stereotypes aside, the Peugeot meeting was so funny because it came out of nowhere. Whether it was the sheer amount of wine at the breakfast meeting or Clarkson putting on his best French accent to say “uncomfortable” and “unreliable”, this truly was one of Top Gear’s funniest moments.

9. The Reliant Robin

Clarkson testing the Reliant Robin pans out exactly how you would expect it to. He zooms around in the three-wheeler flipping it over at every opportunity, much to the dismay of passersby. Our favourite bit is when he has a mild existential crisis after rolling the car for the umpteenth time: “I’m 50 years old. I’m on my side on a street in Sheffield.”

Video Credit: Rolling a Reliant Robin | Top Gear

8. 17-year-old Car Challenge

We think what makes this section so good is that the Top Gear trio are just big kids themselves, so there was something inherently satisfying about watching them pretend to sneak into a driveway at 3AM.

Of course, there was nothing sneaky about the way Clarkson made his way up the driveway. He made a loud bang and ended up rolling around on the floor laughing maniacally.

7. The Ariel Atom

We think this section has to belong in the top 10 because it’s just classic Top Gear. It’s great to see Clarkson find a car that he’s truly impressed by because his passion is infectious. It’s also great to see cars from more leftfield companies like Ariel get the spotlight.

Video Credit: Ariel Atom – The Amazingly Fast Solution To Your Mid-Life Crisis | Car Review | Top Gear

6. The Smallest Car In the World

The recipe for this was simple: get Jeremy Clarkson – one of the tallest people around – find the smallest car in the world to put him in, and hilarity is bound to ensue. Like all of the best Top Gear segments, the funniest thing about watching Jeremy squashed into this tiny vehicle trundling around town is the bewildered faces of the people who stumble across him.

Video Credit: The Smallest Car in the World | Top Gear

5. The Caravan Train

Usually, the best Top Gear content can be broken down into three distinct categories. There’s the serious, heartfelt stuff, the genuinely impressive stuff, and of course there’s the downright silly stuff. The caravan train certainly falls into the third category, and involves the trio creating a “train” out of a car pulling along a series of caravans on a railway track. Our favourite is Hammond and May’s train – an Audi saloon car that’s hauling no less than four caravans behind it. They even created a pretty plush 1st class suite.

Video Credit: Caravan Train Part 1 | Top Gear | BBC

4. The Campervan Challenge

Here’s a format you’ll be familiar with: build X vehicle, drive Y amount of miles to some remote location and see what happens on the way. Our favourite iteration of this is the campervan challenge, which sees the boys all attempt to build their own campervans and drive them down to Cornwall. A particularly great and disarmingly wholesome moment is when Hammond cuts his finger and quietly says “I’m brave”.

Video Credit: Campervan Challenge | Top Gear | BBC

Ah, the Stig, one of Top Gear’s great mysteries – until it wasn’t! There was something exciting about not knowing who the Stig was, but when it was revealed to be Michael Schumacher in that famous episode, it was undeniably fitting. Although it would have been funny if it was indeed a photocopier salesman from Bolton.

Video Credit: The Stig is REVEALED! | Top Gear – BBC

Fun fact: Top Gear supposedly decided to go with this segment because Ferrari would only allow Schumacher to drive the vehicle he’d just done a lap in.

2. The Return of the Hamster

When news broke about Richard Hammond’s coma-inducing crash, it shook Top Gear fans the world over. His return, then, had to be handled properly.

In true Top Gear fashion, they got the balance of humour and sentimentality just right, which made his return to the show truly special. It’s definitely something that big fans of the show won’t be forgetting for a long time!

Video Credit: Top Gear – Return of the Hamster

1. The Indestructible Toyota

After much deliberation, we decided that the number one Top Gear segment had to be the attempted destruction of the Toyota Hilux. It was truly astonishing what that vehicle went through and still managed to come out the other end of, and there was a drama to the whole thing that just made it so special. Classic Top Gear.

Video Credit: Killing a Toyota Part 1 | Top Gear | BBC

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