Your close but wrong it actually just inside Bentley , Crewe main gate in a large see through display ,as it was a prototype and not registered jezza couldn’t keep it they let him use it on an episode of his farm then took it to Crewe where they make them.can see it from Pam’s lane entrance.
@@bantabury The Doctor Who tapes were more likely overwritten than binned, videotape was expensive in the early days so they would re-use it where they could. You could still argue that they don't care much about preservation!
If it wasn’t them it probably would have been mistreated and scrapped screw his “sentimental value” no one was buying that thing and keeping it as a classic car when it was just an old car
@@silvy3047 How on earth was that destroying it thats mods destroying it would be treating it like a cheap old car and thats what everyone would do with it
I know where the R35 GTR from the outback special ended up. Story below: A friend of my dad purchased an R35 GTR black edition in navy blue wth blue factory Rays wheels and orange brake calipers. He took part in the Adelaide tarmac rally that year and I co-drove for him. A couple years later he was doing some work on it which necessitated lifting a portion of the footwell carpet out of the way. When he did that he noticed a surprising amount of red dirt under the carpet. Curious, he contacted the guy he bought it from who also had no idea. The seller then contacted who he had bought it from and that guy confirmed that he had bought the car after it was used in the Australian outback special. I have sat where James May has sat. I’ll change my display picture to a photo of the car for proof 😁
glad they destroyed iconic cars driven by the trio loved by millions of people worldwide so they can replace them with cars driven by literal nobodies great move BBC
BBC doesn't see the value. It's just old cars for them. They could've auctioned them and fans would pay big money to own cars featured in the best automotive show ever made. But nah.
the BBC destroying famous things to replace them with literally nothing of value is a tale as old as time just ask anyone who's a big fan of the old doctor who episodes and they'll probably tell you every episode the BBC scrubbed clean because they needed the tape for something else
@@DARKredDOLLAR It's funny people feel sad when cars get scrapped as if they think they're the last cars in the world. Plus most of them are pre-production cars.
@@automation7295they might not be the last but they still were the cars driven by Clarkson, May and Hammond in the show, Wich made them special. Plus some of them were already cool cars from the beginning and some others were old cars that are not produced anymore, so destroying them (sometimes for no reason when they could've been sold) kinda hurts.
Some info on cars not mentioned in this video (which is still very good btw) The 3 100 pound car challenge cars a Volvo, Audi and Rover were crashed during the episode and later donated to the local fire station who used them for training purposes. The Triumph Dolomite Hammond used in the British Leyland Challenge was sold to race team who turned it into a historic racer. The Lamborghni Urraco that May used in the Budget Supercar Challenge now lives in Australia and it's owner has since repainted it orange. Jeremy's Alfa 75 from Series 11's Alfa Romeo Challenge now lives in private hand and was up for sale in 2015 with the paint peeling off. James' Citroen Ami8 from the classic car rally is in a museum and was recently in a Drivetribe video with Tiff Needell And the Datsun 120Y was actually sold to a member of the production crew
May's 944 and Hammonds 924 from the £1500 quid porsche's survived, but I think the 944 died after the show. JC'S starion from the £1500 sports coupes that aren't Porsche's survived. RH's Dino from the supercar challenge survived, with it at least been partially restored under his ownership. All of the British sports cars from the last episode of series 15 were sold on. The three £5000 supersaloons they took to Germany survived, albeit with 190e been treated badly, and resprayed around that time. The three sports cars from the last episode of TG all survived, with RH keeping his MG. The most interesting survivors are the India special cars. The Jag's Gone, but JM's Rolls survived, it was meant to be scrapped, but the company tasked with it found a loophole and sold it on, and RH's Mini was set to be scrapped, but the BBC was bombarded by Mini enthusiasts to the point that it was sold to an enthusiast. Apart from the ones you mention, these are the one's that come to mind, but I think there are a couple more.
After the cheap supercar episode, Hammond had someone restore (slightly repair) his Ferrari Dino which he kept for around 2 years, appearing outside of Top Gear a couple of times with the reg plate "A11 RFT" (which turned out to be a false reg). He sold it sometime in 08/09 and someone managed to get a picture of it sitting on a used car yard in 2010, with the reg "FRX 931T"
At least the little red Astra is still living its life. But that Suzuki and Chevrolet are legendary considering how many famous people drove and thrashed that car
Nigel Mansell, SebestainVettel Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber amongst others drove that car. Lewis going onto to win 5/6 more Titles, Vettel had 2 or 3 titles in him, that Car should be put in a F1 Muesum or just stored forever maybe even let people drive it.
A couple more that I know of: - One of the Car Football Aygos was up for sale on eBay recently, it was being kept by someone in Worthing, UK - James' black Urraco from the Budget Supercars challenge ended up being imported to Australia after being restored and resprayed orange
I can't remember the number, but I think that Aygo had been on Facebook marketplace and then sold to whoever sold it on ebay. If not then there where 2 for sale within a month and a half of another.
I've actually seen the red Kia C'eed Reasonably priced car at Goodwood a couple years ago, tucked away at the side of the supercar carpark. Recognised the numberplate straight away as LC10PHF.
Fun story from the Netherlands: Back in 2004 Richard Hammond reviewed a silver-gray Cadillac CTS in The Netherlands, provincie Flevoland. This very Cadillac with license plate 18-NR-DS, eventually ended up in the hands of an older couple. Until, someone from Top Gear Magazine Nederland found it after searching some Cadillac CTS’s on Marktplaats (basically Dutch eBay), back in 2018, (there’s an article online on Top Gear Magazine Nederland). When he saw the car had done only 99.000km in 14 years time and almost no signs of wear. Now, 6 years later, (there hasn’t been an update), but I think it’s still owned by him, still has a valid APK (MOT), and it seems like it’s still being taken care off. (Ruben, by any chance, if you’re reading this please give an update 😜).
The cars from the India Special were actually meant to be left over in India, but locals protested and so they were brought back to beaulieu museum. The Rolls Royce was sold to a scrapper but was secretly sold. both the Mini and The Rolls are now privately owned
I want to make one thing known. In the 2008 American Roadtrip, Richard Hammond said that Dodge wouldn't lend them a Challenger because they were too harsh when reviewing their cars, so the production actually bought the Challenger he drove for that special. It would be interesting to know what happened to that car, obviously it was sold to someone, but to see that it has been 16 years since that road trip, who knows where or what happened to it!!
08:43 The Liana is owned by a private owner, DRIVETRIBE did make a video about it titled "We Bought a Top Gear Reasonably Priced Car!" The original plates are in the boot of the car, and the DVLA just said it's not on the road anymore. The car just changed its plates
Another notable example of a car that managed to survive is the Alfa Romeo 75 from the cheap Alfas challenge. The car was sold back to the dealership they got it from after filming and thankfully went to a private owner. It still exists today, shitty green Skoda Fabia paint and all, while the other two are no longer on this earth.
I worked at a scrap yard a few years ago and we actually picked up the Fiat Multipla and the stretch MG from the museum. Both cars were unfortunately scrapped though.
As for the grand tour a lot of the cars have been saved. Richard in particular managed to keep most of his. Drivetribe made videos on them and some like the SSR and off-road aston has ended up in the Haynes Motor Museum.
As is the topic of the video, I remember stumbling upon James' TVR from the classic British sports cars episode up for sale on Car & Classic back in April 2023 for £11k (I still have a screenshot of the listing saved). It is in near enough the exact same state as it was last seen on the show. Don't know much apart from that but I presume it is now in the hands of a private buyer
And as for the other cars from Lochdown, Lisa (Jeremy's partner) has said that Jeremy still has his Lincoln Continental with him, though I don't believe it has been publicly shown since. James' Cadillac though I have no info on, so at least 2 of the 3 cars have their whereabouts known
Did you see when the grand tour was formed all 3 of them and the producer bought a reliant robin each for themselves as "company cars"? Been so old they were exempt from the driving charges in London, when the 3rd series ended and they just went onto do specials they sold the cars along with the production office, I know two of these Reliants have now been shipped to a car collector in the USA
Are you sure that wasn't Top Gear because Chris and Matt used Reliant Robins in the opening of that, I've Never watched that series just seen clips of it on RUclips
@@lorddarlo6194 no it was the grand tour when they first started up with it, they were used in London as their own transport and were never in the show itself Top gear coming back with Evans with the two convertible Rialtos was completely different
@@3.0TMKreaZcars cant be copyright claimed like that 5:49 Personal photos they cant copyright strike From the episode if he screenshot them Maybe but not personal photos
I know it was a car used on the test track. But the orange TVR Sagaris from Series 6 Episode 7, is now owned by a guy down the street from my work. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. He drives it regularly and also owns multiple other TVRs
This is becoming my favourite car channel real quick. Straight to the point, simple, informative and interesting videos. Don't stop uploading man, can't wait another 9 years for next videos.
Beulieu Motor Museum has a vault of cars which are not on public display, you can arrange to see a vehicle if they still have it. I also know that certain vehicles from various TV productions have been hidden away in the back of the scrapyards as such, so not all is lost. A number of vehicles from The Grand Tour where also used in Banger Racing before being crushed, for example those featured in the China special, surprisingly they where shipped back to the UK after filming just to be destroyed. A number of minor vehicles used in the modern Top Gear without the trio also came to the same fate.
@@ZachAscot If you want to see a specific vehicle that you know is hidden away then sometimes you can arrange access to the vault but it's not 100% a given. I believe they have started to do some guided tours of the archives by special request however I don't know if that involves the vehicles aswell.
Richard Hammonds "Bug Out/ Survival VW Camper" was found by us on Salisbury Plains some years ago now. It was of course burnt out but we salvaged from the inside some bean cans with bullet holes in them from where James and Jeremy shot it up, and they are still on my sons bedroom shelf and the thread from Hammonds jumper as it unwound itself as he was talking about it.
My neighbor has the VelociRaptor Jeremy Drove in the snow. Its been repainted and modified only yellow left is in the doorseal, and tailgate lining. Because he likes privacy i won't say where exactly but you may see it cruising around lawrenceville and winder georgia.
If I remember correctly, Richard Hammond’s E36 M3 from the cheap sports saloons challenge had its two-tone interior swapped out with a white interior. Last I’ve heard it was going in auction in 2015, and was last registered in 2017.
When I was 15 I decided to do my mandatory school programme work experience at Vauxhall's HQ in Luton. At the time, Top Gear was filming and two of the reasonably priced Astras were there. Every week, they would get sent back to Luton from Dunsfold for a full service and spruce up (and the technicians couldn't believe how abused the poor cars were from just a few dozen miles). There was also an Ampera there signed by the crew of The World's End, if anyone remembers that movie!
Back in March whilst at the NEC Classic restoration show I was pleasantly surprised to see Jeremy's Mitsuoka LaSeyde from Eurocrash, it sold at auction for £9000
2:06 interestingly my friend also had THE EXACT SAME happen to him, he bought a BMW M5 from a dealer, had issues with the engine breaking down on the motorway and then i happened to watch the top gear DVD "the worst car in the history of the world" at the same time the stig was drifting around a BMW which had the same reg. Turns out he actually got refunded (not from the dealer but from the finance company) as it was sold to him as not been used for track purposes and because i was watching top gear it voided the finance agreement :)
This reminds me, the Dacia Sandero driven by James May in Ukraine turned up for sale at a backstreet used car dealer in Chorley a couple of years ago. I recognised the reg (NG62HFV) and it looked in remarkably good condition, the only change it had undergone since the show being someone putting chrome wrap on the door handles
you actually forgot about that orange zenvo st1 that cought on fire,zenvo got it back to the factory and now it belongs in a private collection in Sweden among a 250 gto and a lot of other cool cars
I saw you put the Polar Hilux in the montage of cars that were removed from the exhibition. Just wanted to add that, luckily, the truck is still around. It was bought back by Toyota and is now displayed in the Toyota Great Britain Academy in the Toyota factory in Burnaston
At least one of the Suzuki Lianas still exist (featured on Ben Collins’ channel a few monthd ago at Dunsfold). Another was burned on TV by the last iteration of Top Gear
this channel feels like its been around for years, even though it only has 10 videos and was only really properly started 2 months ago. (not counting the random mac sounds video from 9 years ago)
The Liana was crushed by one of the chimneys they demolished in Gravesend (or dartford, i cant recall). I was there when they demolished it, but i was not aware top gear were around, didnt even see the car but tbf I was nowhere near it, about a mile away
I actually own the Red Corvette from the second time that the trio went to the U.S., the only thing I changed were the wheels and the supercharger. The dash is signed by Jeremy Clarkson, and when I bought the car in 2016 the Chevy Dealer, Felix Chevrolet the dealer had the car in the showroom with a cutout of Jerermy Clarkson next to it saying Hammond!!!!.
i can say first hand that one of the reasonably priced lacettis still exists, in decayed but working order. this is the same for a few other vehicles from the show, primarily from the post-clarkson/hammond/may. sadly i cant really say much more than that
After the cheap supercar episode, Hammond had someone restore (slightly repair) his Ferrari Dino which he kept for around 2 years, appearing outside of Top Gear a couple of times with the reg plate "A11 RFT" (which turned out to be a fake reg for privacy purposes iirc). He sold it sometime in 08/09 and someone managed to get a picture of it sitting on a used car yard in 2010 while bearing the reg "FRX 931T", its currently untaxed.
James' Urraco was restored, and shipped to Australia where it was painted orange. According to the current owner, they're planning to restore it again this time back to its original specifications.
Jeremy's Merak was such in a bad state not only mechanically but also structurally (one example is rust under the paint on the A-pillar) It was scrapped sometime in 07/08. There's pictures of it sitting on a junkyard in flickr.
I can actually comment on this! During one of the TG episodes from a long time ago there was a red Audi TT on their set as they were discussing Audi TTs, it has the license plate OE03 XHG. I was at a garage one day with someone who owned an Audi TT and this was an Audi TT specific breakers yard (essentially a junkyard just for TTs). And there was parked up that exact Red TT from the episode, and I actually had no idea until it was pointed out by the garage owner that that was the specific car that TG used. I personally don’t like the TT but it was cool to see a tiny piece of the shows history. The car was also in pristine condition which is also nice considering how long ago that episode must’ve been filmed, judging by the very mid 2000s camera quality
I know a bit more about the cars at the world of Top Gear, most have been scrapped thats true but some were apparently set for storage. These were the Jeep Cherokee, the hover van, the defender motorhome, the lotus submarine, the BMW race car and the suzuki swift football car. If this is true idk i found it online and it was from when the museum was updated. The Mini and Roller used in the India special were sold off and are in private ownership. They tried to buy the Jag but its been scrapped
2:27, what do you mean? Of course the press cars will eventually get sold, they're basically no different to BMW company scheme cars, which my dad used to have when he worked for BMW (all registered in Thorne, Yorkshire, so they always have a 'Y' reg), this is the same with BMW / MINI press cars, if you have a look you'll notice their plates always start with 'Y'
The Kia Ceed featured at 9:02 has been spotted recently! I saw it at the Drivetribe at Haynes event in October 2023, it was in the parking lot with a livery that had the top gear logo on it, pretty sure it featured a Tom cruise signature on the dashboard but i may be misremembering. I’m certain it was the same Kia due to the license plate matching (LC10 PHF)
1:13 I still doubt that this is James' Merc. They smashed the rear window and I simply cannot believe that somebody bothered to put the glas back in. Plus Richard removed all the knobs. I don't know...
Two of the cars from the budget supercars challenge are still around. Hammond kept the Dino for a bit and it even appeared on another show a couple years after the challenge, it was eventually sold off according to him. The Lambo changed hands a few times and was painted orange and I think its now in Brisbane where it was painted black again
It's really interesting to learn what exactly happened to these iconic things, proper nostalgic to look back. On a slightly less impressive note, my current car (A 2013 KIA ProCeed GT) was actually a press car given to Top Gear at one point to be reviewed, and images of James May absolutely sending it against a Golf GTI do exist on the internet haha. Anyways, great video man!
2:32 People: Man i really want that car on my screen, it should NOT been sent to be scraped Also people: these press car shouldn't been sold to the public 😂
Mg bt from Hammond last episode of top gear is still with him and he now races it around. The Subaru from the Scandinavian special is now officially owned by drive tribe and Hammonds daughter drives it around some times. The aston villa and the ford Capri is awaiting repairs in his barn.
I’m sorry but the dude who sold Hammond the riviera and then complained pisses me off. You sold the car, it’s not yours anymore, you have no right to judge. Do I always agree with the choices others have made when modifying my past vehicles? No. Do I complain? No. Bc it’s not my car anymore.
@@Denkmaldrubernacht facts. If dude wanted to keep it in factory condition maybe he shouldn’t have sold it to Hammond of all people OR just not sell it at all
@@hemichanga8939 you can have an opinion, but not publicly try make outrage over a "sentimental" vehicle you willingly sold. Sure maybe it was sold due to financial difficulty, but that'd be on you for buying a car that you have to spend as much on fuel as my yearly food budget
The BBC removed all the top gear cars at Beaulieu museum last year so there is no longer a Top Gear attraction there but the BBC have recently said most of them have been moved to a new location and will be available for public viewing again in the future however some have not survived transportation like Jeremy’s Fiat Panda limo
Thought you were joking but it's actually true... Thankfully though multiple Lianas were used for the segment. GX52 HFN (the original Liana), is still around today and was most recently seen in some of Ben Collins' videos at the Top Gear Test Track. The other notably used Liana, GU03 WLC (backup Liana and used for the later CHM-era series' for the F1 drivers), was the one that was burned for an episode of Top Gear sometime around early 2020 | Update: GU03 WLC actually also appeared in the same set of Ben Collins videos as the original Liana (I must have forgotten), and looks to be completely fine, so I'm guessing any damage it sustained from its last appearance on Top Gear has been fixed since then
@@TheHonoraryBrit Yes, literally. I remember not watching any of the new top gear but for some reason watching that one episode and getting so angry! I also believe they ruined one of the Kia Ceed’s in a top gear video named ‘360 DISASTROUS Car Park Race!’
@@A1C6 Having checked the Cee'd used in that video, it doesn't seem to be one of the three used for the show, and appears to be a lower trim model guessing from the steel wheels (with hubcaps on)
Sometimes while rewatching old TG episodes, I look up the reg to see if the cars featured are still on the road. Found Jeremys Ford Sierra Cosworth from the 5k sport saloon challenge is still on the road, with a fresh MOT. And is probably worth A LOT more than 5k now. The other cars in the episode however seem to be long gone.
One of the Vw Lupos used in the M25 challenge (Tdi) i can confirm still survives. Its mentioned on the Clublupo press car thread. To further add the Porsche 924 from the £1500 Porsche challenge is still around. As is the mitsubishi starion from the £1500 coupes that are not porsches challenge.
The rolling cottache. Too bad about the S-Class from 1996. They ripped out the interior and added two tons of cement and it still drove. The license plate is P597 YGJ I hope someone saved the car It would be a shame if it was just sealed off like that
i went to bealiueu motor museum years ago, i didnt even know they had top gear cars till i got there and it was so cool seeing the car they turned into a rocket ship, the indestrucable hilux and other wacky cars i think the electric car they made was there too.
at least one of the football Aygo's made it out, i saw one for sale on facebook marketplace a little while ago with i think only a few hundred miles on it, still with the rollcage and livery.
The 24hr BMW was actually at the exhibition at one stage. I went 10 years ago in 2014. They had a mock up of the studio and the car was on one of those angled plinths that they used in the studio. I touched it as it was one of my favourite cars from the show. The selling to locals bit also isn't entirely true as I saw both the Iraq cars and the India cars.
3:27 theres a really sad image i remember seeing which had the top gear police challenge all in a scrapyard, such a shame that this happened to all of the others too
The mini, silver shadow and jaguar xjs from the India special were at Beaulieu museum and also the barchetta, mx-5 and the z3 from the Middle East special were there too, so they must have shipped them back for some reason
The story of that blue Aston really hurts... that's the car that got me to like Astons as a kid, if only it would've been kept in a museum or something😢
Pretty sure the liana was featured in a Ben Collins video recently with Mat Armstrong. The original car has the reg GX52 HFN, the dvla check says it’s been off the road since at least 2013, so either it’s stored nearby in the dunsfold aerodrome or it was transported their from somewhere else. The F1 drivers Liana is also in a video on Ben Collins’ channel with Tavarish, reg GU03 WLC.
Quick correction on Jezza’s Bentley, it was _not_ scrapped, it was taken back by Bentley and is at one of their museums. It’s thankfully okay
Your close but wrong it actually just inside Bentley , Crewe main gate in a large see through display ,as it was a prototype and not registered jezza couldn’t keep it they let him use it on an episode of his farm then took it to Crewe where they make them.can see it from Pam’s lane entrance.
If you've watched clarkson's farm, you'd know that it together with his Jeep from Colombia and the GTV6 from Inverness are all stored in his shed.
@@huntinghistoryI believe he raffled off the jeep for charity since then
@@huntinghistoryit isn't in the box anymore, it's sat around the back of one of the buildings under a tarp
You almost gave me a heart attack... -_-
It’s so disappointing that BBC scrapped 90% of TG cars and that some of them were demolished only because of 2016 reboot which nobody likes
BBC has a habit of binning or destroying things. Amount of old Doctor Who tapes they chucked for example.
@@bantabury The Doctor Who tapes were more likely overwritten than binned, videotape was expensive in the early days so they would re-use it where they could.
You could still argue that they don't care much about preservation!
They could've auctioned them off but noooo
That one time when the new Top Gear ruined a extremely rare Matra Bagheera for "Le woke stuff" oof...
@@petrolweeb Yea I remember that…
"The car has a lot of sentimental value".
Dude you sold it.
Exactly what I thought, knew who he was selling it to also.
If it wasn’t them it probably would have been mistreated and scrapped screw his “sentimental value” no one was buying that thing and keeping it as a classic car when it was just an old car
@@cynUKI wonder if it was purchased through a third party, so they didn’t know it was getting sold to top gear?
Yes but you don't expect who bought the car from you to destroy it
@@silvy3047 How on earth was that destroying it thats mods destroying it would be treating it like a cheap old car and thats what everyone would do with it
It is often forgotten there's nothing the British enjoy more then crushing cars
@@TheRealEmile literally. I HATE that crushing scheme
Tbf the show itself was known for crushing cars
@@ETYPEJaguar38 but they don’t need to crush cars part of the shows history, and not even get content out of it
so much so that their cars disentigrate from rust the longer you use them
@TheRealEmile than
I know where the R35 GTR from the outback special ended up. Story below:
A friend of my dad purchased an R35 GTR black edition in navy blue wth blue factory Rays wheels and orange brake calipers. He took part in the Adelaide tarmac rally that year and I co-drove for him. A couple years later he was doing some work on it which necessitated lifting a portion of the footwell carpet out of the way. When he did that he noticed a surprising amount of red dirt under the carpet. Curious, he contacted the guy he bought it from who also had no idea. The seller then contacted who he had bought it from and that guy confirmed that he had bought the car after it was used in the Australian outback special. I have sat where James May has sat. I’ll change my display picture to a photo of the car for proof 😁
That’s unbelievably cool!
Thats crazy
Niceeee
Thats sick!
I wonder what happened to the Bentley and Beemer
Another reason to hate the new Top Gear.
Honestly, new Top Gear is just okay. Sure, it may not be as fun as old TG, but it's still relatively entertaining.
As if they’re the ones deciding to scrap the older cars?
I want the old times
Like, of the entire world, not just of a show...
It's not their fault, it's the bbc's
glad they destroyed iconic cars driven by the trio loved by millions of people worldwide so they can replace them with cars driven by literal nobodies
great move BBC
BBC doesn't see the value. It's just old cars for them. They could've auctioned them and fans would pay big money to own cars featured in the best automotive show ever made. But nah.
the BBC destroying famous things to replace them with literally nothing of value is a tale as old as time
just ask anyone who's a big fan of the old doctor who episodes and they'll probably tell you every episode the BBC scrubbed clean because they needed the tape for something else
The BBC executives are so out of touch with the rest of the people that they might as well live in another goddamn galaxy.
@@DARKredDOLLAR It's funny people feel sad when cars get scrapped as if they think they're the last cars in the world.
Plus most of them are pre-production cars.
@@automation7295they might not be the last but they still were the cars driven by Clarkson, May and Hammond in the show, Wich made them special. Plus some of them were already cool cars from the beginning and some others were old cars that are not produced anymore, so destroying them (sometimes for no reason when they could've been sold) kinda hurts.
Jeremys acres instead of Clarkson's farm is just bloody good sense of humor
Some info on cars not mentioned in this video (which is still very good btw)
The 3 100 pound car challenge cars a Volvo, Audi and Rover were crashed during the episode and later donated to the local fire station who used them for training purposes.
The Triumph Dolomite Hammond used in the British Leyland Challenge was sold to race team who turned it into a historic racer.
The Lamborghni Urraco that May used in the Budget Supercar Challenge now lives in Australia and it's owner has since repainted it orange.
Jeremy's Alfa 75 from Series 11's Alfa Romeo Challenge now lives in private hand and was up for sale in 2015 with the paint peeling off.
James' Citroen Ami8 from the classic car rally is in a museum and was recently in a Drivetribe video with Tiff Needell
And the Datsun 120Y was actually sold to a member of the production crew
And Jeremy's Maserati Merak (fake) SS is for sale online for parts
@@kidnamedfingerrealis it included with the bits of engine ?
@@prajwaldsouza4559 I'm not sure but it probably is
May's 944 and Hammonds 924 from the £1500 quid porsche's survived, but I think the 944 died after the show. JC'S starion from the £1500 sports coupes that aren't Porsche's survived. RH's Dino from the supercar challenge survived, with it at least been partially restored under his ownership. All of the British sports cars from the last episode of series 15 were sold on. The three £5000 supersaloons they took to Germany survived, albeit with 190e been treated badly, and resprayed around that time. The three sports cars from the last episode of TG all survived, with RH keeping his MG. The most interesting survivors are the India special cars. The Jag's Gone, but JM's Rolls survived, it was meant to be scrapped, but the company tasked with it found a loophole and sold it on, and RH's Mini was set to be scrapped, but the BBC was bombarded by Mini enthusiasts to the point that it was sold to an enthusiast.
Apart from the ones you mention, these are the one's that come to mind, but I think there are a couple more.
After the cheap supercar episode, Hammond had someone restore (slightly repair) his Ferrari Dino which he kept for around 2 years, appearing outside of Top Gear a couple of times with the reg plate "A11 RFT" (which turned out to be a false reg). He sold it sometime in 08/09 and someone managed to get a picture of it sitting on a used car yard in 2010, with the reg "FRX 931T"
At least the little red Astra is still living its life. But that Suzuki and Chevrolet are legendary considering how many famous people drove and thrashed that car
Especially the Suzuki since it's what the F1 drivers drove around TG's test track
@@fadhilramadhan6765 yeah I remember. Good times…I wish BBC hadn’t been foolish and scrapped both of them
Nigel Mansell, SebestainVettel Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber amongst others drove that car. Lewis going onto to win 5/6 more Titles, Vettel had 2 or 3 titles in him, that Car should be put in a F1 Muesum or just stored forever maybe even let people drive it.
The Vauxhall always felt like product placement to me
@@fadhilramadhan6765 isn't the Suzuki now in Ben Collins' hands?
A friend of mine actually brought one of the old topgear football aygo’s ( no 5 white)
Still ran but was a state
brought it where?
I can’t believe they resold those. I thought for sure they were pre-production cars bound to be crushed anyway
@@NickM-qi4sqThere was one listed on ebay actually not that long ago
A couple more that I know of:
- One of the Car Football Aygos was up for sale on eBay recently, it was being kept by someone in Worthing, UK
- James' black Urraco from the Budget Supercars challenge ended up being imported to Australia after being restored and resprayed orange
I think some of the Aygos may of been used on 5th Gear. I seem to recall (edit confirmed on a few places)
I can't remember the number, but I think that Aygo had been on Facebook marketplace and then sold to whoever sold it on ebay. If not then there where 2 for sale within a month and a half of another.
@@hurstinator IIRC they were press cars still owned by the manufactured and lent to the show. It is not unlikely that they show up in other media.
I've actually seen the red Kia C'eed Reasonably priced car at Goodwood a couple years ago, tucked away at the side of the supercar carpark. Recognised the numberplate straight away as LC10PHF.
It has a insta gram i think
Probably means it's owned by an enthusiast if its the privately owned one, good to know
The owner works for McLaren and daily’s it to the MTC in Woking!
@@TheSparkyboi14 yeah he works for racing i see it there every now and then , still has its bucket seat in
Fun story from the Netherlands: Back in 2004 Richard Hammond reviewed a silver-gray Cadillac CTS in The Netherlands, provincie Flevoland. This very Cadillac with license plate 18-NR-DS, eventually ended up in the hands of an older couple.
Until, someone from Top Gear Magazine Nederland found it after searching some Cadillac CTS’s on Marktplaats (basically Dutch eBay), back in 2018, (there’s an article online on Top Gear Magazine Nederland).
When he saw the car had done only 99.000km in 14 years time and almost no signs of wear.
Now, 6 years later, (there hasn’t been an update), but I think it’s still owned by him, still has a valid APK (MOT), and it seems like it’s still being taken care off.
(Ruben, by any chance, if you’re reading this please give an update 😜).
The cars from the India Special were actually meant to be left over in India, but locals protested and so they were brought back to beaulieu museum. The Rolls Royce was sold to a scrapper but was secretly sold. both the Mini and The Rolls are now privately owned
You mean the Jag was secretly sold right? No idea where it went after the musem.
Another "Madagascar Special" car, the Caterham driven by James may, actually keep at the "same" state by Caterham themselves (minus the mud and turd)
Do you have any idea what happened to the Ford?
It was totaled I believe, probs scrapped
Thank goodness we still have all the old episodes to rewatch to see these cars in their prime
Where can I watch it because I really want to watch some episodes.
But I live in south Africa and I can't find any episodes
I want to make one thing known. In the 2008 American Roadtrip, Richard Hammond said that Dodge wouldn't lend them a Challenger because they were too harsh when reviewing their cars, so the production actually bought the Challenger he drove for that special. It would be interesting to know what happened to that car, obviously it was sold to someone, but to see that it has been 16 years since that road trip, who knows where or what happened to it!!
Given how many Mopars are theft magnets, Id venture its either cryshed ir a parts car.
08:43 The Liana is owned by a private owner, DRIVETRIBE did make a video about it titled "We Bought a Top Gear Reasonably Priced Car!" The original plates are in the boot of the car, and the DVLA just said it's not on the road anymore. The car just changed its plates
@bencollinsdrives the Stig had it in a video racing at Dunsfold this year
Another notable example of a car that managed to survive is the Alfa Romeo 75 from the cheap Alfas challenge. The car was sold back to the dealership they got it from after filming and thankfully went to a private owner. It still exists today, shitty green Skoda Fabia paint and all, while the other two are no longer on this earth.
This is true, but it's been sold on to somebody who has deleted the facebook page and obviously is antisocial
I worked at a scrap yard a few years ago and we actually picked up the Fiat Multipla and the stretch MG from the museum. Both cars were unfortunately scrapped though.
What scrap yard may I ask? Thanks
Those were quite crap after the show tbh. There was no life left for them.
@@liamwestlake3071 hi Liam super important, please get back to me. Thanks
As for the grand tour a lot of the cars have been saved. Richard in particular managed to keep most of his. Drivetribe made videos on them and some like the SSR and off-road aston has ended up in the Haynes Motor Museum.
Yep, and I've got the Le Seyde
@@ZachAscot i would love that to be true
@@rockingrugger it is true! It's on my drive as we speak
The fact that these iconic vehicles were destroyed actually made my blood boil. They truly DO belong in a museum!
7:43 THE BENTLEY WAS NOT DESTROYED! It is currently on display in England in a glass box at Bentley HQ!
To be fair Hammond has since said that the Grand Tour Mods are going to be binned and the car will be restored to its former glory.
As is the topic of the video, I remember stumbling upon James' TVR from the classic British sports cars episode up for sale on Car & Classic back in April 2023 for £11k (I still have a screenshot of the listing saved). It is in near enough the exact same state as it was last seen on the show. Don't know much apart from that but I presume it is now in the hands of a private buyer
And as for the other cars from Lochdown, Lisa (Jeremy's partner) has said that Jeremy still has his Lincoln Continental with him, though I don't believe it has been publicly shown since. James' Cadillac though I have no info on, so at least 2 of the 3 cars have their whereabouts known
Existing in Waterlooville may be the worst fate of the lot tbh, poor Astra.
Haha, Leigh Park Le-Mans would be an amazing episode. All the crackle mapped Focus's and Golfs!
Wasn't the bentley shipped back to the factory and put in a glass display or something instead of being crushed?
Update: you can still see it in Bentley HQ in Crewe Chesire England
Yes, Bentley saved it
Did you see when the grand tour was formed all 3 of them and the producer bought a reliant robin each for themselves as "company cars"?
Been so old they were exempt from the driving charges in London, when the 3rd series ended and they just went onto do specials they sold the cars along with the production office, I know two of these Reliants have now been shipped to a car collector in the USA
Are you sure that wasn't Top Gear because Chris and Matt used Reliant Robins in the opening of that, I've Never watched that series just seen clips of it on RUclips
@@lorddarlo6194 no it was the grand tour when they first started up with it, they were used in London as their own transport and were never in the show itself
Top gear coming back with Evans with the two convertible Rialtos was completely different
The hatching on the images looks awful
Maybe if it were just a touuuuch finer hatching, it'd be better.
I'm guessing it's like that for copyright reasons
Skill issue
It's to avoid copyright
@@3.0TMKreaZcars cant be copyright claimed like that 5:49
Personal photos they cant copyright strike
From the episode if he screenshot them
Maybe but not personal photos
I know it was a car used on the test track. But the orange TVR Sagaris from Series 6 Episode 7, is now owned by a guy down the street from my work. Cobourg, Ontario, Canada. He drives it regularly and also owns multiple other TVRs
Oh that's very cool!
This is becoming my favourite car channel real quick. Straight to the point, simple, informative and interesting videos. Don't stop uploading man, can't wait another 9 years for next videos.
Beulieu Motor Museum has a vault of cars which are not on public display, you can arrange to see a vehicle if they still have it. I also know that certain vehicles from various TV productions have been hidden away in the back of the scrapyards as such, so not all is lost. A number of vehicles from The Grand Tour where also used in Banger Racing before being crushed, for example those featured in the China special, surprisingly they where shipped back to the UK after filming just to be destroyed. A number of minor vehicles used in the modern Top Gear without the trio also came to the same fate.
How can you arrange to see them?
I imagine the cars were shipped back to the UK after filming due to China's extremely strict laws on vehicles entering and exiting the country.
@@ZachAscot If you want to see a specific vehicle that you know is hidden away then sometimes you can arrange access to the vault but it's not 100% a given. I believe they have started to do some guided tours of the archives by special request however I don't know if that involves the vehicles aswell.
Richard Hammonds "Bug Out/ Survival VW Camper" was found by us on Salisbury Plains some years ago now. It was of course burnt out but we salvaged from the inside some bean cans with bullet holes in them from where James and Jeremy shot it up, and they are still on my sons bedroom shelf and the thread from Hammonds jumper as it unwound itself as he was talking about it.
My neighbor has the VelociRaptor Jeremy Drove in the snow. Its been repainted and modified only yellow left is in the doorseal, and tailgate lining. Because he likes privacy i won't say where exactly but you may see it cruising around lawrenceville and winder georgia.
If I remember correctly, Richard Hammond’s E36 M3 from the cheap sports saloons challenge had its two-tone interior swapped out with a white interior. Last I’ve heard it was going in auction in 2015, and was last registered in 2017.
When I was 15 I decided to do my mandatory school programme work experience at Vauxhall's HQ in Luton. At the time, Top Gear was filming and two of the reasonably priced Astras were there. Every week, they would get sent back to Luton from Dunsfold for a full service and spruce up (and the technicians couldn't believe how abused the poor cars were from just a few dozen miles). There was also an Ampera there signed by the crew of The World's End, if anyone remembers that movie!
Back in March whilst at the NEC Classic restoration show I was pleasantly surprised to see Jeremy's Mitsuoka LaSeyde from Eurocrash, it sold at auction for £9000
2:06 interestingly my friend also had THE EXACT SAME happen to him, he bought a BMW M5 from a dealer, had issues with the engine breaking down on the motorway and then i happened to watch the top gear DVD "the worst car in the history of the world" at the same time the stig was drifting around a BMW which had the same reg. Turns out he actually got refunded (not from the dealer but from the finance company) as it was sold to him as not been used for track purposes and because i was watching top gear it voided the finance agreement :)
This reminds me, the Dacia Sandero driven by James May in Ukraine turned up for sale at a backstreet used car dealer in Chorley a couple of years ago. I recognised the reg (NG62HFV) and it looked in remarkably good condition, the only change it had undergone since the show being someone putting chrome wrap on the door handles
you actually forgot about that orange zenvo st1 that cought on fire,zenvo got it back to the factory and now it belongs in a private collection in Sweden among a 250 gto and a lot of other cool cars
imagine the joy you'd feel watching an episode and realising
"hey, that's my car"
I saw you put the Polar Hilux in the montage of cars that were removed from the exhibition. Just wanted to add that, luckily, the truck is still around. It was bought back by Toyota and is now displayed in the Toyota Great Britain Academy in the Toyota factory in Burnaston
At least one of the Suzuki Lianas still exist (featured on Ben Collins’ channel a few monthd ago at Dunsfold). Another was burned on TV by the last iteration of Top Gear
Your videos cover such unique and interesting topics that other car youtubers don't bother with. This channel is such a gem!
The Cadillac CTS which Hammond tested in Holland also turned up at car meet. Ed's Auto Reviews mentioned it in his video.
Seeing that 850r breaks my heart so much. It's dream car apart from some 90s Japanese cars.
Hey my dad used to own the Astra! Sold it years back but it was a fun car to cruise around in!
this channel feels like its been around for years, even though it only has 10 videos and was only really properly started 2 months ago. (not counting the random mac sounds video from 9 years ago)
A few years ago Harry Metcalfe test drove an Alfetta GTV6 that belonged to "a farmer down the road".
The farmer's name? Jeremy Clarkson
The Liana was crushed by one of the chimneys they demolished in Gravesend (or dartford, i cant recall). I was there when they demolished it, but i was not aware top gear were around, didnt even see the car but tbf I was nowhere near it, about a mile away
I actually own the Red Corvette from the second time that the trio went to the U.S., the only thing I changed were the wheels and the supercharger. The dash is signed by Jeremy Clarkson, and when I bought the car in 2016 the Chevy Dealer, Felix Chevrolet the dealer had the car in the showroom with a cutout of Jerermy Clarkson next to it saying Hammond!!!!.
i can say first hand that one of the reasonably priced lacettis still exists, in decayed but working order. this is the same for a few other vehicles from the show, primarily from the post-clarkson/hammond/may. sadly i cant really say much more than that
Holy shit, I live in Waterlooville! I'm going to have to keep an eye out for that Astra.
After the cheap supercar episode, Hammond had someone restore (slightly repair) his Ferrari Dino which he kept for around 2 years, appearing outside of Top Gear a couple of times with the reg plate "A11 RFT" (which turned out to be a fake reg for privacy purposes iirc). He sold it sometime in 08/09 and someone managed to get a picture of it sitting on a used car yard in 2010 while bearing the reg "FRX 931T", its currently untaxed.
James' Urraco was restored, and shipped to Australia where it was painted orange. According to the current owner, they're planning to restore it again this time back to its original specifications.
Jeremy's Merak was such in a bad state not only mechanically but also structurally (one example is rust under the paint on the A-pillar) It was scrapped sometime in 07/08. There's pictures of it sitting on a junkyard in flickr.
I can actually comment on this! During one of the TG episodes from a long time ago there was a red Audi TT on their set as they were discussing Audi TTs, it has the license plate OE03 XHG. I was at a garage one day with someone who owned an Audi TT and this was an Audi TT specific breakers yard (essentially a junkyard just for TTs). And there was parked up that exact Red TT from the episode, and I actually had no idea until it was pointed out by the garage owner that that was the specific car that TG used. I personally don’t like the TT but it was cool to see a tiny piece of the shows history. The car was also in pristine condition which is also nice considering how long ago that episode must’ve been filmed, judging by the very mid 2000s camera quality
I've seen Hammonds car from the Argentina special driving around near where I live. It has the same plates and stickers and looks exactly the same.
I know a bit more about the cars at the world of Top Gear, most have been scrapped thats true but some were apparently set for storage. These were the Jeep Cherokee, the hover van, the defender motorhome, the lotus submarine, the BMW race car and the suzuki swift football car. If this is true idk i found it online and it was from when the museum was updated. The Mini and Roller used in the India special were sold off and are in private ownership. They tried to buy the Jag but its been scrapped
2:27, what do you mean? Of course the press cars will eventually get sold, they're basically no different to BMW company scheme cars, which my dad used to have when he worked for BMW (all registered in Thorne, Yorkshire, so they always have a 'Y' reg), this is the same with BMW / MINI press cars, if you have a look you'll notice their plates always start with 'Y'
This video might as well be summarized with footages of a car crusher
The yellow raptor from the american pickup test was on marketplace in winder, GA a few months ago
That checks out, someone in the comments above claims that his neighbour owns it and it has been since modified and repainted. Same area.
@@Cyzoc if I remember right from the listing, original paint was still there the yellow wrap is just gone
Jeremy kept his Jeep from Colombia, it can be seen in the back of shot during a scene in his barn on Jeremys Acres
The Kia Ceed featured at 9:02 has been spotted recently! I saw it at the Drivetribe at Haynes event in October 2023, it was in the parking lot with a livery that had the top gear logo on it, pretty sure it featured a Tom cruise signature on the dashboard but i may be misremembering. I’m certain it was the same Kia due to the license plate matching (LC10 PHF)
And still with Rowan Atkinson Record of the fastest celebrity in RPC
1:42, 2
Have seen two of the reasonably priced cars in person, the Cee apostrophe Dee and the Astra. Both were at the DriveTribe meet at Haynes!
Why do you destroy the picture quality when you show the pictures?
My guess would be for copyright purposes.
Copyright would be the obvious answer
Also hello fellow small beamng RUclipsr lmao
why does it matter lmfao
1:13 I still doubt that this is James' Merc. They smashed the rear window and I simply cannot believe that somebody bothered to put the glas back in. Plus Richard removed all the knobs. I don't know...
Two of the cars from the budget supercars challenge are still around. Hammond kept the Dino for a bit and it even appeared on another show a couple years after the challenge, it was eventually sold off according to him. The Lambo changed hands a few times and was painted orange and I think its now in Brisbane where it was painted black again
Marek was scrapped & broken publicly
It's really interesting to learn what exactly happened to these iconic things, proper nostalgic to look back. On a slightly less impressive note, my current car (A 2013 KIA ProCeed GT) was actually a press car given to Top Gear at one point to be reviewed, and images of James May absolutely sending it against a Golf GTI do exist on the internet haha. Anyways, great video man!
I was wondering this exact thing my entire life since I started watching them
2:32
People: Man i really want that car on my screen, it should NOT been sent to be scraped
Also people: these press car shouldn't been sold to the public
😂
he is sayng that those cars are ilegal
Theres a huge difference between (press cars/Pre-Production) and loaning a production car to be shown in the media
I think I saw one of the videos on Ben Collins channel and the Lianas are still going around Dunsfold from time to time.
5:22 thank god 😂
Mg bt from Hammond last episode of top gear is still with him and he now races it around.
The Subaru from the Scandinavian special is now officially owned by drive tribe and Hammonds daughter drives it around some times.
The aston villa and the ford Capri is awaiting repairs in his barn.
I’m sorry but the dude who sold Hammond the riviera and then complained pisses me off. You sold the car, it’s not yours anymore, you have no right to judge.
Do I always agree with the choices others have made when modifying my past vehicles? No. Do I complain? No. Bc it’s not my car anymore.
Literally it's like getting mad when someone paints the walls when you sell your house
@@Denkmaldrubernacht facts. If dude wanted to keep it in factory condition maybe he shouldn’t have sold it to Hammond of all people OR just not sell it at all
To be fair, it's my right to complain about whatever I want.
@@hemichanga8939 you can have an opinion, but not publicly try make outrage over a "sentimental" vehicle you willingly sold. Sure maybe it was sold due to financial difficulty, but that'd be on you for buying a car that you have to spend as much on fuel as my yearly food budget
@anrw886 Actually I can do that if I want to as well. There's no law against it, and my rights still apply.
I visited the exhibition back in dec 2015. Have many photos.
3:27 that is actually stupid
The owner of the 1953 Lanchester LJ200 Richard drove in the classic car rally challenge has put up a few videos of it on RUclips
Why would the BBC scrap good-ish cars. I want them NAU!!!
This channel just keeps getting better
The BBC removed all the top gear cars at Beaulieu museum last year so there is no longer a Top Gear attraction there but the BBC have recently said most of them have been moved to a new location and will be available for public viewing again in the future however some have not survived transportation like Jeremy’s Fiat Panda limo
An errors here. The liana was destroyed on an episode of New Top gear (they lit it on fire)
Thought you were joking but it's actually true...
Thankfully though multiple Lianas were used for the segment. GX52 HFN (the original Liana), is still around today and was most recently seen in some of Ben Collins' videos at the Top Gear Test Track. The other notably used Liana, GU03 WLC (backup Liana and used for the later CHM-era series' for the F1 drivers), was the one that was burned for an episode of Top Gear sometime around early 2020 | Update: GU03 WLC actually also appeared in the same set of Ben Collins videos as the original Liana (I must have forgotten), and looks to be completely fine, so I'm guessing any damage it sustained from its last appearance on Top Gear has been fixed since then
@@TheHonoraryBrit Yes, literally. I remember not watching any of the new top gear but for some reason watching that one episode and getting so angry! I also believe they ruined one of the Kia Ceed’s in a top gear video named ‘360 DISASTROUS Car Park Race!’
@@A1C6 Having checked the Cee'd used in that video, it doesn't seem to be one of the three used for the show, and appears to be a lower trim model guessing from the steel wheels (with hubcaps on)
@@TheHonoraryBrit Oh I see. That’s good news
I feel like I’m watching the next big thing in automotive RUclips, great channel
Sometimes while rewatching old TG episodes, I look up the reg to see if the cars featured are still on the road. Found Jeremys Ford Sierra Cosworth from the 5k sport saloon challenge is still on the road, with a fresh MOT. And is probably worth A LOT more than 5k now. The other cars in the episode however seem to be long gone.
6:54 That car looks like Hotwheels would sold it as toy.
I remember getting to sit in the Toyota from the arctic special when I was a kid, hope it's still around
One of the Vw Lupos used in the M25 challenge (Tdi) i can confirm still survives. Its mentioned on the Clublupo press car thread. To further add the Porsche 924 from the £1500 Porsche challenge is still around. As is the mitsubishi starion from the £1500 coupes that are not porsches challenge.
The first vehicle I ever drove is now in a heritage museum. Only been to visit it once .
Man how I love this freaking channel
The one car i want tracked down is Clarkson's Merc from the Quaint My Ride episode. It's been my favorite segment for years. I hope the car is fine
The rolling cottache. Too bad about the S-Class from 1996. They ripped out the interior and added two tons of cement and it still drove.
The license plate is P597 YGJ
I hope someone saved the car
It would be a shame if it was just sealed off like that
i went to bealiueu motor museum years ago, i didnt even know they had top gear cars till i got there and it was so cool seeing the car they turned into a rocket ship, the indestrucable hilux and other wacky cars i think the electric car they made was there too.
at least one of the football Aygo's made it out, i saw one for sale on facebook marketplace a little while ago with i think only a few hundred miles on it, still with the rollcage and livery.
The 24hr BMW was actually at the exhibition at one stage. I went 10 years ago in 2014. They had a mock up of the studio and the car was on one of those angled plinths that they used in the studio. I touched it as it was one of my favourite cars from the show.
The selling to locals bit also isn't entirely true as I saw both the Iraq cars and the India cars.
I kinda wished that most of the top gear cars were made into production cars and sold on rather than being scrapped
3:27 theres a really sad image i remember seeing which had the top gear police challenge all in a scrapyard, such a shame that this happened to all of the others too
The mini, silver shadow and jaguar xjs from the India special were at Beaulieu museum and also the barchetta, mx-5 and the z3 from the Middle East special were there too, so they must have shipped them back for some reason
bro i was searching about this last week rlly happy you made a video abt it
The story of that blue Aston really hurts... that's the car that got me to like Astons as a kid, if only it would've been kept in a museum or something😢
the checker board filter on photos hurts my eyes
Pretty sure the liana was featured in a Ben Collins video recently with Mat Armstrong. The original car has the reg GX52 HFN, the dvla check says it’s been off the road since at least 2013, so either it’s stored nearby in the dunsfold aerodrome or it was transported their from somewhere else. The F1 drivers Liana is also in a video on Ben Collins’ channel with Tavarish, reg GU03 WLC.
quality eastern european man content, happy to be subbed from 1st vid ( not counting the macintoshes ) on my main, keep going on bro !