Top Gear Magazine #16 was the issue of the magazine cover-dated January 1995. Published by BBC Worldwide, it contained 236 pages and was edited by the magazine's first editor-in-chief, Kevin Blick.
Cover[]
Though plain backgrounds with smaller photographs superimposed on them had been done in the past, Issue #16 was the first issue of the magazine to feature cars on a hand-drawn background The cars featured were a V10-powered Dodge Ram and the equivalent Viper RT-10.
Contents[]
- First Steers - Honda Civic five-door, Mercedes AMG C36, Nissan Primera, Skoda Felicia, BMW 318 tds and Toyota Megacruiser make their four-wheeled marks; Aprilia RS250 and Honda CBR600 do it on two.
- Floyd on fast cars - Hitching a ride with TV's fearsome foodster turns out to be slightly less daunting than expected. An E-Type Jag gets him talking quite merrily, and watch out for the culinary equivalent of a Mini.
- Ferrari 512M - We take the new Testarossa incarnation for a spin, then visit the Mugello track near Florence for a festival of fun, Ferrari-style.
- In with the old crowd - The Daihatsu Charade, Kia Mentor and Hyundai Accent turn heads on the prom.
- Crankcase of the Year - Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the crankiest of them all? Find out which of our candidates takes the title and goes forward for a TV weird-off with Clarkson.
- Watching brief - Two tasty motors for pumped-up people with wagonloads of cash, the Audi A6 and BMW 520i, come face to face in front of the camera and turn it on for the neighbours.
- Rear View VW Polo - Quentin Willson bids a fond farewell to Volkswagen's popular little sweetie.
- On top of the world - The Himalayas used to be a place where Europeans only went with hobnail boots, a yak and several lengths of rope. Now they're riding motorbikes up there and we've got some stunning pictures to prove it.
- 10 Things - Spare a thought for 10 people who'll be missing their turkey on Christmas Day. They include a policeman, a vicar, a very nice AA man and a bloke who clears the ice off the wings at Stansted Airport.
- That was the year that was - 1994 has been a fine year for all those discerning readers who joined the Top Gear Club. If you didn't here's a taste of the wonderful things you missed out on.
Crackers[]
- Chrysler country - One is a huge pick-up type thing, not designed for British car parks. The other is a huge sporty thing, not designed for British speed limits. Both have V10 power.
- Snakes alive! - The Chrysler Viper is more or less without peers, but we found two Germans that can give it a run for its money: Mercedes' 320 SL and Porsche's 911 Cabrio.
Stocking Fillers[]
- Gazelle Trophy - Teams of Women in Ford Mavericks take to the deserts of Mauritania in a bid to prove they're just as hard as any geezer.
- Hella Challenge - Our lookouts for the new Louise Aitken-Walker find the solution lies in Solihull.
- Hella head to head - Not to be outdone, 10 girls who already hold rally licences do battle without mercy to see who is the best in Britain.
Trimmings[]
- First Gear - Musical car parts plus next year's top cars.
- Crank case - The alarming case of Phil Boyden: security nut.
- Mouthing off - Alain de Cadenet rants along with our regulars.
- Write Turns - Schuey sniping, green gripes and a little story.
- Drivers' Club - Don't miss out this year, go off-roading in a Vitara, plus the usual savings.
- Left-overs - Scrapings from the pan made into a tasty broth.
Wrapping Up[]
- Used car buyers' guide - A pony? Don't insult me, old son, it's worth a monkey if it's worth a bob. Quentin talks.
- New car buyers' guide - Comprehensive data on all the shiny stuff.
- Manufacturers' directory - Who to call to find the places to go to buy the cars that you want.
Trivia[]
Issue #16 with the half-cover opened.
- This is the third issue to feature an edit to the "Magazine" tagline beneath the Top Gear logo, reading "M★G★ZINE" instead, as the issue is centred around cars from the United States of America.
- Due to being Christmas-themed, likely released in mid-December of 1994, the normal sections are replaced with Christmas-themed alternatives; the "Regulars" section is renamed to "Talking Turkey".
- The Dodge Ram on the cover appeared in Series 33, Episode 12 of the Original format of the show, which aired on the 15th of December, 1994.