Vijay Pattni went to meet the men behind this feat of automotive excellence to get some insider gossip.

As I pull up to Toyota’s Epsom headquarters, something in my peripheral vision strikes me as other-worldly.

It’s big, it’s red and it’s been to the North Pole.

The crazy Toyota Hilux Clarkson and co raced to the magnetic North Pole in the special one-off Top Gear is sitting in the Toyota car park like a waiting lion – its presence forces office workers to stop and stare.

But however menacing it may look, the team behind the Hilux – Arctic Trucks – were adamant the modifications be as simple as possible.

“The subframe had to be renovated slightly to accommodate the massive 38-inch tyres,” explains Emil Grimsson, Manager of Arctic Trucks.

It was still a painstaking and difficult operation though. “Around 240 hours were spent prepping and finishing each of the three cars.

“We needed bigger batteries and a better electrical system – it was needed to run all the extra equipment we had.”

So what changes were made to the engine to allow it cope with the freezing temperatures, hazardous conditions – and Jezza’s driving?

“We changed the air intake. That’s it.

“You have to keep the whole car as simple as possible. When you’re in a place like the North Pole you don’t want anything to go wrong.

And what dangers confronted the team as they made their epic journey in the renovated Toyota Hilux?

“One difficulty on the trip was trying to spot hidden ice because of the contrast,” explains Emil. “It was all white so you couldn’t tell if there was something right in front of you or a mile away.

“Luckily we had very good contrast most of the time.”

When undertaking a trip of this magnitude, help is essential. And who better to whip the team into shape than an ex Special Boat Services (SBS) soldier?

“He certainly kept us all in check,” said Emil said. “Jeremy joked on the trip by asking ‘Do you think he could kill us with his little finger?’

“James simply replied ‘Yes!’”.

And the former member of part of the UK’s most elite fighting force also had another duty – bear watching.

Hjalti Hjaltason, service manager for Arctic Trucks, said: “He was constantly on the lookout for bears. He had lots of energy and never seemed to falter.”

So how exactly did the team avoid being mauled by rampaging polar bears?

“When a bear comes, the whole group huddles together to become as big as possible and yells to try and scare it away,” Hjalti explains.

“If that fails, someone pulls out the rifle and shoots either side of it to try and scare it again.

“And if that fails – you have to shoot it dead.”

Away from battling polar bears and avoiding deadly ice, what concerned the duo most about the trip?

“After Richard Hammond’s accident, the BBC was very wary of injuring any of its presenters. One lingering question was how to recover if the ice shattered and the car went under into the water,” Emil said.

“You have to have to skill to drive a car in the snow - it is not just the car.”

As for Clarkson’s driving skills, Hjalti was complementary. “He was good.”

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