Top Gear is the reference for anything car-related. Originally produced and aired in the United Kingdom, the TV program gained traction thanks to its very British style. Top Gear became one of the fifteen greatest car shows to binge on. Over the years, the show evolved and took a very different turn.
The original cast featured the Stig, a character so mysterious, even the most informed Top Gear fans did not know all the Stig facts. As it has been previously implied, the British hosts had a very eccentric way of presenting facts which often led to some very awkward, yet funny moments.
9 Campervan Challenge
Top Gear was known for coming up with some of the weirdest ideas ever. The show did feature a plethora of supercars and other flashy vehicles. However, there were definitely times when the weird aspect of the show took the spotlight. Ferraris are cool. Top Gear's original hosts being themselves is cooler.
The campervan challenge is not exactly what one would expect - there were no luxurious campers. Instead, the production came up with the idea of turning cheap European cars into some kind of campers. From the one-person, rocket-like Japanese capsule to the early 2000s looking designer loft, the Top Gear production put some effort into turning something normal into something weird and entertaining.
8 Ariel Atom Aero-P
The Ariel Atom is the best compromise between a sports car and a motorcycle. Since its introduction in the British market in the early 2000s, the Atom evolved to become even faster and sportier. The Ariel brand is now available in several countries including the US.
Instead of recording a boring and uneventful test drive, the Top Gear team apparently followed Clarkson's lead and the result was hilarious. That touch of British weirdness made the Ariel Atom segment one memorable Top Gear moment.
7 Smallest Car In The World
Jeremy Clarkson is well-known for his taste in sports cars. During his tenure as a Top Gear host, he tested some of the most impressive vehicles ever made, and he's very vocal about which vehicles he loves or hates. If there is something Clarkson is a huge fan of, it is trying out weird vehicles.
The Peel P50 was manufactured in the United Kingdom during the 1960s. The three-wheeled microcar was listed in World Guinness Records as the smallest commercialized car ever made. In this episode of Top Gear, Clarkson drives around inside the BBC HQ and even gets into an elevator to prove how tiny the car is.
6 Caravan Train
British eccentricity seems to have no limits, and it's certainly not exclusive to food. The most mundane things can be turned into something highly questionable - in a good way.
Taking the train from London to Nottingham is not the worst thing to do. The seats are somewhat comfortable. The overpriced peanuts are actually cheaper than the ones found on a Southwest flight. Top Gear, however, saw it differently and decided the entire concept of trains was in desperate need of a change.
5 Amphibious Cars Challenge
Amphibious vehicles are nothing new. They have been perfected over the past couple of wars, and are now more accessible than ever. Even civilians have the ability to acquire some of those amazing vehicles, though it may require a driver's license for both land and water vehicles, it sure is a fun thing to do.
Top Gear decided to follow Richard Branson's footsteps by attempting to cross the Channel in an amphibious vehicle. Using some dilapidated vehicle, namely a Nissan pickup and a Triumph Herald, the hosts seemed to be more inclined to entertain the viewers rather than actually cross the Channel.
4 Off-Road Campers
Top Gear is known for going way over its budget. In fact, there are several things that happened being the scene of Top Gear. It is unsure whether the production agreed on purchasing several vehicles and completely destroy them or not. All in all, Top Gear was extremely entertaining simply because they knew how to diversify their content.
In this episode of Top Gear, production figured that taking some crossovers with campers attached to them on unpaved trails sounded like a great idea. Well, it sure was a great idea. The hosts ended up destroying the campers, but they did show the real capacity of the crossovers featured on the show.
3 Pensioners' Ride
Some cars are notorious for their beautiful design and outstanding performance. They usually remind in gearheads minds for decades. There are, however, cars that are infamous for their ugliness. The Fiat Multipla is one of those cars that should have never left the assembly line.
In their usual style, the two main Top Gear knuckleheads transformed the worst car ever produced into the worst thing they could have thought of - a vehicle especially made for the elderly. Needless to say, this episode was absolutely hilarious and shed some more positive light on a vehicle that has been denigrated ever since it was released.
2 Top Gear: Africa
The Grand Tour was by far the biggest slap in the face BBC every received. Qualified as one of the 100% real car TV show, The Grand Tour satisfied the most hardcore Top Gear fans. Despite Jeremy Clarkson's controversies and unflattering things he would rather keep on the down-low, the show distributed by Amazon was a tremendous success.
In this episode of The World Tour, the former hosts of Top Gear are going through the craziest paths of some African countries. Clarkson's sarcasm mixed with Hammond's craziness and May's relaxed attitude made for an amazing series of episodes. Did anything weird happen during the show? The real question should be "did anything normal happen during the show"?
1 Weirdos
All in all, Top Gear was an amazing show until Jeremy Clarkson was told his contract wouldn't be renewed. Despite some of his antics, he made the show come alive and much more interesting to watch. It is safe to say that Clarkson is nothing without Hammond and May, and vice versa. Their eccentricity and absolutely weirdness have gotten viewers addicted to Top Gear.
Hammond, though calmer than Clarkson, has got his fair share of loose screws. He had viewers wondering if everything was actually alright or if he had forgotten to take his meds. Being just as weird as Clarkson, but in a different way, Hammond and May did the right thing by joining forces with Clarkson and setting up The Grand Tour.