Stuntmen take centre stage at MPH '08
31 October 2008 Adrian Hearn went along to the first night of MPH ’08 featuring Top Gear Live to give his verdict on the motoring spectacle. Donutting taxis, a stack of supercars, explosions and some world class acrobatics with an amazing soundtrack. MPH ’08 featuring Top Gear Live has so much to offer. And hosted by Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond it doesn’t disappoint. The Top Gear trio appear on stage at Earl’s Court with Clarkson in the BMW touring car they used in the Britcar 24 hour race last year, May in hisLexus police car and Hammond – who arrives late – in an MG limo used to transport Jamelia to the Brit Awards. But the true stars are the brilliant stunt drivers who hurtle round the slippery surface donutting and power-sliding everything from a London taxi to a load of modified Ford Fiestas. MPH slide show 1
The Top Gear TV show has been described as a mixture of petrol and poetry. For Top Gear Live they’ve added pyrotechnics. It’s everything you’d expect – Clarkson shouting louder than everyone else to force a point down, May driving slowly and Hammond being the little one doing the challenges. He dresses up as Evel Knievel but looks less like the legendary stuntman and more like Elvis Pressley. And Jeremy Clarkson swears, a lot. And makes outrageous comments, a lot. This year’s event is different with spectators given the opportunity to overrule Clarkson’s views on The Cool Wall and drive the Chevrolet Lacetti round the Top Gear track. There’s also an appearance from The Stig. The 90 minute show is just one part of MPH ’08 with the other being the huge selection of supercars worth well in excess of £50 million on display. This includes the world’s three fastest cars – the 257mph SSC Ultimate Aero TT which is in matte black, the 254mph+ Koenigsegg CCX-R featured on Auto Trader a couple of months back and the 253mph Bugatti Veyron. MPH slide show 2
Other cars on display include the new Kahn Cosworth 300 – and a range of Ferraris, Lamborghinis and Hummers customised by the London Motor Museum. In fact, MPH’s range of supercars emphatically embarrasses those shown at July’s British Motor Show. Should you go? At £38, you’ll be paying no more than a ticket price for a good Premiership game or Oasis gig – and in MPH ’08 featuring Top Gear Live you’ll be watching the motoring equivalent. It’s a fun-filled theatrical spectacle mixing one of Britain’s top TV programmes with a decent motor show – and the world’s sexiest cars are all on display. MPH ’08 featuring Top Gear Live runs until November 2 at Earl’s Court and from November 13 – 16 at the Birmingham NEC. After this Jeremy and co are taking Top Gear Live round the world, performing at the RDS Simmonscourt in Dublin (Nov 27 - Nov 30), the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg (Jan 29 - Feb 1), the Acer Arena in Sydney (Feb 5 - Feb 8), the ASB Showground in Auckland (Feb 12 - Feb 15) before rounding off the tour at the HKCEC in Hong Kong from Feb 20 - Feb 22. Video: Watch the Top Gear guys cross Tower Bridge in a tank. You need Flash Player 8 or higher to view video content with the ROO Flash Player. Click here to download and install it.
Top Gear - back on your screens this weekend “Oh God – there are going to be some great challenges between the three of us…” Speaking exclusively to Auto Trader, Richard Hammond, Top Gear presenter and co-host of this year’s Top Gear Live, spilled some details on the new series of the hit BBC2 show which returns on Sunday 4 November. The trio recently switched on the Blackpool lights – and managed to turn the event into a Top Gear race. “Because of what we were driving, the race was really, really tense”, Richard explains. “I can’t give away what the cars were because it would give too much away, but it wasn’t what you’d expect”, he said. Sunday’s show – which kicks off at 8pm following the nail-biting climax of the 2008 Formula One season – will feature chat show extraordinaire Michael Parkinson as the ‘Star in a Reasonably Priced Car’. Jeremy will test out a ‘scary’ new Porsche 911 and a ‘tame’ Lamborghini Gallardo, while there will also be a ‘surprisingly talented Labrador’. But be prepared for the main event – Jeremy, Richard and James will find out how hard it is to become a truck driver. According to the Top Gear website, “the boys wonder how hard it is to be a truck driver – and ponder this for long enough to buy three lorries and take on a series of challenges.” The trio also take on a different kind of supercar challenge – they had to modify an existing motor which would lap the Top Gear track as fast as a ‘specific’ benchmark on the power board – but when they found out what their second-hand motors-to-modify where, they weren’t happy… And the team have cooked up an hour-long special in Vietnam, which includes ‘buying some transport’ and a road trip. The new series of Top Gear kicks off on Sunday at 8pm on BBC2. |
Page 1
ESSENTIAL AUTO TRADER LINKS
RSS FEEDS 
Receive the latest news and features directly to your internet browser or RSS reader.
Find out more and how to subscribe
Bookmark this page with: