The first episode of the second series of Top Gear aired on the 11th of May, 2003. It is most noted for featuring the first appearance of James May since his brief showing back in 1999 for the original incarnation of the show. Vinnie Jones was the guest star. Former English motorsport commentator Murray Walker OBE presented the week's "Greatest Car" segment, later omitted from future broadcasts. It was the 11th episode overall.
A list of cars featured in this episode is available here.
Synopsis[]
Being the first episode in the series, it began with a montage of clips from Series 2, set to "Push The Tempo" by Fatboy Slim in its original airing.
Tonight...[]
- Richard Hammond in a V8 tumble-dryer...
- Two F1 legends, one inside the other...
- And we turn up the heat on the world's dullest car.
Alternate version:[]
- Richard Hammond in a V8 tumble-dryer...
- The classiest way to bankrupt yourself...
- And we turn up the heat on the world's dullest car.
This alternative intro was used for later airings of the episode, which omitted the "Greatest Car Ever" segment. The footage was changed to the Bentley T2 review, though some audio from the Greatest Car Ever segment was still left.
Segments[]
Smart Roadster Review[]
Jeremy begins the series by reviewing the Smart Roadster, referring to it as a 'pop' car and seeming initially pleased with the car. But he goes on to state that 'pop' cars like that need a real world application, else there would be no point in buying them, and with a 3-cylinder engine, that seems unlikely. Clarkson does point out a small pro in the form of the Roadster's convertible roof, but that it's a shame that it can hardly be used due to typical British weather. Jeremy also states that the Smart feels 'alive', which makes it put an enormous smile on your face. He walks away enjoying the car, and likes the fact it's techincally an (albeit cheap), rear-wheel drive and rear-engined Mercedes-Benz. Back at the studio, he says that he wouldn't buy it because an extra £5000 is added on to the Smart's cost after it has been converted from left hand drive. However, he compares it positively to the Volkswagen Beetle and Ford StreetKa, due to the distance of the dash in the case of the former and the latter's apparent lack of masculine appeal.
Cool Wall[]
They continue by seeing where the cars would go on the Cool Wall. Firstly comes the VW Beetle, whereupon Richard wants it in Cool but Jeremy in Uncool. Eventually Richard gets his way. Next comes the SportKa, where they unanimously deem it Cool. And finally came the Smart Roadster, where Jeremy puts it in Sub-Zero but Richard states that he could be wrong because the Renault Avantime, which Jeremy recently put in Sub-Zero, only sold 263.
Cool Wall for Series 2, Episode 1:
| Car | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Volkswagen Beetle Cabrio | C |
| Ford Ka Cabrio | C |
| Smart Roadster | SZ |
| Renault Avantime | TOB |
Love/Hate Wall[]
Jeremy introduces the Love/Hate Wall, a collage of things he loves and hates. The Hate section includes things like stereos with a 'hello' message when they come on, paddleshift gearboxes and personalized registration plates. Richard then reveals that he made a list of his 5 worst cars ever:
- Nissan Sunny
- Suzuki X90
- Vauxhall Vectra
- Peel P50
- AMC Gremlin
These were read in descending order, before linking on to the next segment.
Destroying a Sunny[]
With the Nissan Sunny at #1, Richard states that the reason it was so bad is because of its blandness. Richard then moves on to a Pontiac drag car, saying that it is difficult to get in to and that it has no reverse gear, but that it does have one redeeming feature, which is the fact that the fire coming out of the rear can destroy cars. The Pontiac then proceeds to turn the Sunny into nothing more than a smouldering wreck.
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car[]
Actor and footballer Vinnie Jones is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, posting a time of 1:53 in dry weather.
| Time | Name |
|---|---|
| 1:53 | Vinnie Jones |
James May Review[]
Jeremy started off by introducing James May, who he called a 'blithering idiot'. James started off by saying that for the price of a Mondeo, you could purchase a Bentley (namely the Bentley T2). But he also says that you would have to be an idiot to do so because the cheaper ones are a 'bag of bowls'. James then says that the top dollar ones are much better and they are still the price of a Mondeo. He then says that he likes it due to the fact that it's daft and has lots of chrome and polished wood. However, he says that it's rubbish to drive and is monstrously heavy. He says it ruined his life because it costs 80 pounds to fill up and can't fit in his garage. It was 'bloody rubbish'. His conclusion was 'For the price of a Mondeo you can buy a Bentley. Don't'. Jeremy says that it wasn't his sort of car, but respectively it was James'. He says it was the coolest car he'd ever seen.
News[]
Richard begins by talking about the new 206 GT and the 206 GT Estate, saying that the Estate is 'pointless' and James says it is 'idiotique'. But Jeremy surprisingly likes it because it can fit a dog inside. He then moves on to the new cars, including the Renault Kangoo of which he likes, the Saab 9-3 which he says is a rebadged Vauxhall and finally the new Lamborghini Gallardo which has a 5 liter V10. James says it might have a problem, which is the fact that Lotus wants to copyright the shape of the Esprit, which is a problem because the Gallardo looks awfully similar. But James thinks the solution is to ring up Lotus and say that 'it's a piece of Double Gloucester'. Richard moves on to talk about a man who styled a Toyota MR2 to look like a Ferrari F355 to escape insurance costs and then ran away because Ferrari could catch on to him. Richard labels him as a British hero.
Greatest Car Ever[]
Jeremy introduces the new segment. For 9 episodes of the series, 6 guest stars as well as the 3 presenters would advocate for a car that they imagine is the "Greatest Ever". The viewers would then call a number to vote for one of these cars. For the first week, Murray Walker advocates the McLaren F1 is The Greatest Car Ever.
Bowler Wildcat Review[]
Richard says that for the program he was tasked to find a cheap thrill, but failed and instead opted for the Bowler Wildcat, based on a Land Rover and with a 0-62mph time of 4.8 seconds. He says it was the 'best off roader in the world', comparing it to a Ferrari. He begins driving it on an off-road track an says that even though its price is around that of the M3, it has true racing pedigree. Richard says 'its fast in a whole new way'. He then goes on to quote 'I am a driving god!', which becomes one of the most famous quotes in Top Gear. Richard then takes a ride with Bowler racer Jim Wheeler, who is an expert in the Wildcat. Richard was amazed how it could survive such rough territory. According to him, it's a true supercar. Jeremy later mocks Richard for saying that he was a god. The Wildcat later posts a time of 1:39.4, which is rather slow. Richard defends it by saying that it's still an impressive time.
| Time | Name |
|---|---|
| 1:39.4 | Bowler Wildcat |
Destroying a Caravan[]
We return to the Top Gear Track, where Richard is again using the dragster from earlier on to scorch a caravan. The dragster burns it to shreds, where it is met with a round of applause.
Airing History[]
Series 2, Episode 1 originally aired on the 11th of May, 2003, on BBC 2. It was aired nationally in all regions, unlike its predecessor, which did not air in the East Midlands. It was then regularly reshown on channels such as BBC Prime and UKTV People throughout the mid '00s, along with the rest of Series 2, before indefinitely ending up as a permanent fixture on Dave from the channel's 2007 debut onwards, albeit in a cut 45-minute version. It would have its Australian premiere in August 2008, and later appear on streaming services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime as the earliest available episode of the show. Full version ultimately added to iPlayer in 2021.
Episode Names[]
Though never given a name upon its original airing, much like every other episode of Top Gear, two slightly different names were retrospectively applied to the episode by the BBC years later:
- Top Gear's section on BBC's website calls it "Richard Becomes a Driving God".
- Top Gear's own website calls it "The one with the 'Driving God'".
Trivia[]
- This is the first appearance of James May on Top Gear since 1999, and his first appearance on the reboot.
- The Cool Wall was made larger and out of more resilient materials than the original.
Thumbnail[]
| Series 2 (2002 format) | |
|---|---|
| Presenters | Jeremy Clarkson | Richard Hammond | James May | The Stig (Perry McCarthy) |
| Episodes | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 Episode 9 | Episode 10 |