Renault Espace Convertible Challenge - Top Gear - BBC

behind these doors we had created a masterpiece [Music] as you can see Hammond has done a very thorough job along here of anchoring the roof at the front we've we've replaced the glass that was broken and that obviously does tuck under there this this that's not a safety feature there's James's folding arrangement that gets it all down but it's the back where we're really pleased because what we've done is we've cut the tailgate in half so you come back with heavy shopping you undo all these takes no more than five or ten minutes and then we've hinged it here so you can pull the whole thing open and load up the boot I mean yes there are one or two rough edges here for example but on the whole we are very proud of it to see how good our roof would be in real-world conditions the production team came up with a number of tests their first challenge yes indeed let's have it professor right no idea what this is challenge one you must drive the car with the roof up at a speed of 100 miles per hour without anything breaking or falling off well it won't obviously we couldn't do this on the road so we went to the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire where there's a two-mile banked circuit it's been nice chirps you ready boys yeah braced and ready here we go 35 36 miles an hour there's a bit of a draft here from these windows things were going well until we blasted past the 50 mile an hour barrier it's fine keep going heads home - yeah that's why I'll stay with 6566 I am part of it I'm structurally integral to the room really no goodbye here so we'd survive that just and Richard and I decided to get the roof down James said this would take but a moment Julia Pete where does that go [Music] latest we can work see from a distance she looks watch out next challenge you must now go to Woburn Abbey Safari Park and drive your convertible through the wild animal enclosures Lions you don't won't worry about the lines anyways the monkeys you've got to worry about are you seeing the lion monkeys cause they're Barbary ape monkeys and they're really really vicious vicious teeth put it this way if you were to be locked in a phone box for half an hour with a monkey or be alive the lion no because monkeys in confined spaces those Barbary makers they panic and they get really incredibly violent I just love the way that James thinks that monkeys are in some way the greatest peril were facing in the next hour of our lives normally Woburn does not allow convertibles into it's dangerous animal enclosures but they were so impressed with the structural integrity of ours they made an exception the African lion six tons of muscle and teeth anyone from Woburn have these lines been fed excuse me it's Jeremy again did you say they were on a starve day so when did they last eat yeah but if you mention monkeys to him we look like a sort of sandwich box with the lid half off fortunately the Lions had other things on their minds with my point made we left the Lions and headed for the peril of the monkeys but then a really big one rocked up yeah you gotta stay there after you [Music] we had to leave with our roof mascot still in place because it was time for our final challenge modern convertibles are capable of driving through automated carwash machines you must now do the same with your car the car was selected for the test was brand new it had cost the owner a million pounds and featured the latest technology to deliver the cleaning power of a category 5 hurricane [Music] has anyone else suddenly become slightly yes I'm terrified dogs get it is quite cold this evening as well isn't it yeah ready freezing except the heats are all a bit you know [Music] I'm not nervous no it's fine it'll be good it'll just you know flap around a bit my confidence is waning there's a light mist coming into the car no that's just condensation though it's a bit of mist through the gather that's fine I'm dry still right now they've got a bad bad bad feeling about this there's a big roller coming up the windows [Music] [Music] that was bad some flower it's on fire it's on fire [Music] you

Channel: Top Gear

Views: 7,227,958

Rating: 4.9171386 out of 5

Keywords: BBC, BBC Worldwide, Motoring, Hammond, Clarkson, May, Challenges, Renault Espace, Cars, Top Gear Challenges, Top Gear (TV Program), Jeremy Clarkson, James May, Richard Hammond, Safari Park, Lions, Monkey, Car Wash, Fire

Id: 6eoUutOsZoQ

Length: 9min 47sec (587 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 09 2009

Reddit Comments

[u/P8ntBal1551]

James was right about the monkeys. Lions, especially zoo lions are pretty tame, they tend to have their "kick" taken out of them. Monkeys are fucking vicious, they will climb in your car and bite your face off.

[u/outtsider]

It's on fire... It's on fire.

[u/LkCa15]

series 8, episode 1

[u/[deleted]]

The best challenge has to be the Camper or RV challenge. I was crying almost the whole time.

Cant find the whole thing but here is a clip of it - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJGrnX9r8S0

[u/JuanJuanLeprechaun]

I love the Jurassic Park score during the monkey part.

[u/cyborgsanonymous]

MY favourite bit in the whole challenge is where Clarkson literally collapses laughing when he sees it with the roof down for the first time. First time I saw it, I joined him.

Absolute hysterics.

[u/montanasucks]

Obligatory /r/topgear plug

[u/MrDastardly]

I'm sorry but if we're talking about the best, then I think this sums up everything that British Top Gear is about

Top Gear in Alabama:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8St7jj1iFw

[u/TobiasKM]

It's fun, just as all Too Gear is, but the best? Not close.

The best Top Gear is easily the big challenges, drive across Vietnam on motorbikes, get to the north pole, the Africa episode.

This is an average Top Gear challenge, with an ending that was slightly over the top.