Top Gear: Extra Gear (2016) s01e02 Episode Script
Episode 2
1 Hi, I'm Rory Reid, welcome to Extra Gear.
Each week we're serving up exclusive access to all things Top Gear.
Tonight, our very own Eddie Jordan talks about the epic South African adventure.
I'll be giving my thoughts on the thinking man's SUV, the Volvo XC90 T8.
Comedian and Porsche fan boy Stephen K Amos! He's with us tonight.
And we'll show you how McLaren F1 brought a grown man to tears.
Cars will do that to you.
This is Extra Gear! Before we do anything else, though, you will have spotted we're not a full team this week.
Someone's missing.
Usually about now, my co-pilot Chris Harris would be ranting and raving about one of the cars in the studio.
Like this one.
Not only is he a very angry, car-obsessed man, he's a seriously good racing driver.
And this week, he's off to race.
But don't get too sad, because he sent us a film about what makes his Glickenhaus P4/5C incredible on the grid.
Hello, Rory, I'm sorry I can't be with you, but I had a prior engagement with this.
It's called the Glickenhaus P4/5C Competizione, and it is the most stunning race car her at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
I want to tell you five things about what I love about that racing car.
First, the way it looks.
I'll give you an overall shot in a minute.
It is the most beautiful car here at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
It is stunning.
Another thing I love -- the componentry.
It is just beautiful inside.
This is a carbon fibre masterpiece.
And underneath, look at this, the other thing I love, it's a Ferrari.
That in there is a 450hp Ferrari V8 engine.
And on top of that, it has a KERS system.
Inside here, there's a KERS motor that acts on the crankshaft and gives us another 50hp when we pull a paddle.
The other thing I love is the wing.
Look at the carbon wing on this.
Isn't it the most fantastic looking car? It's just gorgeous.
And then come round here.
The piece de resistance.
This is the Nurburgring, there's no order, you understand.
That is a New York licence plate, and it's a real licence plate, because this car is, would you believe it, road legal.
And the last thing, look at those white exhaust pipes.
Is there anything more staggering? Perfectly covered and coated.
So there you go.
I'm sorry I can't be with you, but if you offered me the chance to race this car on the greatest circuit in the world, or sit on a sofa with you, much as I love you, Rory, I'm going to race the car.
Don't worry, guys.
Chris Harris will be back next week.
Now, earlier on Top Gear, we saw Chris take on the McLaren 675LT.
I've got to pat this thing.
I don't know if I'm insured to even touch it.
It's phenomenal.
Now, we know these cars can really stir up the emotions.
Well, we got an exclusive from that film this week which really proves my point.
Here he is in the McLaren F1.
Take a look.
This might be the worst idea I've ever had when it comes to cars.
What if it's like snogging Taylor Swift and finding out she's got fag breath? Ugh! Wow! Oh-ho-ho-ho! They were £540,000, brand-new.
Everybody said that if you bought one, you were bonkers.
Well, they're not bonkers now, because this one is insured for 9.
1 million quid.
The guy who owns this car has said I can drive it today.
Which is very nice of him, but our insurance limits us to 70mph.
This is properly exciting.
Oh, my goodness me.
Oh! That sound! Absolutely gorgeous.
Being in the middle of the car is brilliant.
They do say, don't they, the most beautiful people in the world have symmetrical faces, and I'm now seeing the world from behind the steering wheel in perfect symmetry.
She's got no ABS, no traction control, no power steering, but heaps, gallons of magic.
Do you remember that worry I had about Taylor Swift and her fag breath? She hasn't got fag breath.
She's got breath that smells of .
.
angels' laundry.
Not so silly, are they, F1 cars? Unbelievable stuff.
And just after Top Gear finished, I caught up with Chris and we had a chat.
Chris, what an incredible reaction.
What was going through your mind? God knows.
I mean, the whole thing about, you know, I suppose, therapy, really, isn't it? You get to a moment in your life, you hear a song, in a certain place, or you have a certain conversation with a pal or with a loved one, or you watch a certain scene from a movie, I mean, that scene in Toy Story where Andy is leaving to go to college and he's trying to figure out what toys to keep and what not to keep, maybe that was my sort of Toy Story moment.
It's a car I've always dreamt about.
It's a car I've come across before, you know, in my car history.
And cars mean so much to me and have done for a I mean No, no, no, listen.
A lot of people might not understand how a car can make you feel that way, how it can stir up those emotions, but just for the benefit of those people, how can a hunk of metal convey those kind of emotions? Because it's not about a hunk of metal, is it? It's about a memory trigger point.
And it's about You know, my mum bought me my first-ever car.
And she couldn't afford it.
And so, er It was about It was about that.
It was about being overwhelmed by such an amazing car.
And I suppose what I'm saying is that the only other car that has ever made me feel like that car did, and actually more so, was the Mini.
So that's what my tears were for.
My first car, not that car.
Well, look, man, I appreciate it.
I know it's a very personal moment.
And it's not in the main cut of the film, but I appreciate the fact that you allowed us to share that, because a lot of us here can relate to those feelings sometimes and, yeah, I've been there myself.
So, thank you.
Appreciate that.
Thanks, Chris.
Oh, that was a surprise.
Guys, that was properly emotional.
Earlier, I had the good fortune of catching up with a man called Eddie Jordan.
And here he is.
- Thank you.
- Get with the programme.
How you doing? Listen, we saw your film in South Africa earlier.
You're building up quite the reputation as a bit of a cheat, aren't you? - Cheat?! - Yeah! - I've never cheated in my life! The problem is that a lot of these guys, and particularly Matt, and he's probably used to a set of rules.
Well, the set of rules in Formula One goes like this.
You print them and then you see how you can circumvent them.
And you find a different way around the rules to make the car go quicker, hopefully, than somebody else.
But always just about inside the rules and the law.
So you're saying they didn't clearly define the rules and you played around them.
What happened on the drink was perfect.
That was Charlene, so we must give her credit for it, because she was fantastic.
She was the girl who ripped off the clingfilm off the top of the car and put it over the glass, and that was magic.
Yes, it was me who topped it up with water, - but please be sure - You played your part.
.
.
at no stage in the rule book did it say you couldn't put anything over the top.
And the other thing, it didn't say you couldn't top it up.
Those idiots just didn't read the rules properly.
What about the spirit of the competition? The spirit? The spirit was to win, man! First, you have to win.
That's the rules.
Formula One is an amazing business.
It's an amazing sport.
And it gets you to see things differently.
That, if you have a parameter, Formula One will always try and look outside the parameter to see how they can stay within the rules and regulations but actually maximise the performance of the car, of the team and get the best result you can.
Speaking of the car, you drove the Mercedes GLC.
What do you generally think of these cars? There is no substitute in life for power.
And I mean horsepower.
And their engine wasn't as powerful as the three-litre, if you like, the Jaguar, or indeed the Porsche.
So I think they had a disadvantage.
Yes, you will say it was lighter.
It was lighter.
But there is never a substitute for horsepower.
Maybe there was an element of the driver not being skilful enough, maybe? What is he saying? Eh? What is he saying? I'm your guest on this show! You're supposed to be nice to me! Because I did wreck that car, didn't I? I absolutely killed it.
But, you know, it was a fantastic event, and for all of the street cars that were there, they were all, in their own way, outstanding.
And it would be hard to pick a real winner because all of them had different areas to fulfil, and from that point of view, I think they were brilliant.
The cars there were the star of the show.
Ladies and gentlemen, Eddie Jordan! Right, let's bring out our guest.
He's a Porsche fanatic and a very funny man.
Here he is, doing what he does best.
And I also went to Nigeria.
My parents are from Nigeria.
That was quite an experience.
I arrived at immigration with my two earrings, right? The immigration officer took one look at me and went, "Ah! Are you a man or a woman?" I said, "I'm quite clearly a man!" And he said, "Shame.
"With your powerful legs and your broad shoulders, "you make a beautiful lady.
" The things I've done for a visa.
Give it up for Stephen K Amos! - Hi.
- Mr Amos.
- Yes.
- Welcome to Extra Gear.
Thank you very much.
Good to be here.
Yeah, I mean, I want to talk cars with you.
A lot of people might not imagine comedians have nice cars.
- Yeah.
- But what do you drive? Times have improved for me, so I drive a Porsche 911 Turbo.
Turbo? Are we talking Turbo S, or? Not an S.
I haven't got that kind of money! - Times aren't that good.
- No, no, it's just a Turbo.
It does me well.
Yeah, that's her.
Tinted windows.
I can't see out of it! Listen, we know you've got a radio sitcom, it might be in its second or third series now.
- Third series.
- It's called What Does The K Stand For? - Yes, it is.
- What does the K stand for? Well, I couldn't possibly tell you, because you have to listen to the sitcom.
But it scans, like the Hollywood stars -- Cecil B DeMille, Samuel L Jackson, Stephen K Amos.
- OK.
- Yeah, I'm getting there.
- It does make you look cooler.
- It does.
Stephen Amos, quite boring.
Stephen K Amos, boom! OK.
Look, let's go back in time, yeah? - OK.
- What was your first car? My first car was an Austin 1100.
Yeah! Remember those? In turquoise.
Mmm! Yeah.
I used to have a Ford Fiesta in the same colour.
The paint must have been going cheap.
Or the manufacturer was colour-blind.
Because it wasn't a magnet for anything.
And it was a two-door one.
Sporty! Boom! Hatchback, yeah? And when I got that car, all my friends would say, "Oh, Steve, give us a lift.
" And we would drive round everywhere.
But the handbrake didn't work.
And I remember once, we were stopped by the police.
Imagine! And, er I don't know what you're talking about! Stopped by the police, and I was with my mate in the car, and back then, I wasn't a very good driver.
I didn't realise, if you just put it in gear, it won't move.
So it was in neutral.
Sat in the car, the officer knocks on the window and goes, "Will you step out the car, please?" I look at my friend, he looks at me.
We both step out of the car.
But, then, he leans on the car, holding it, making sure it doesn't roll back and forward Were there little beads of sweat running down the side of his head as he's trying to hold it up? The officer was like, "You can take a seat.
" He's going, "No! I'm fine here!" What was the best car you've ever driven? A Lamborghini Diablo.
And that was on a race day.
- On a track? - Yeah.
- How did that go? - Well, can I say it on TV? A little bit of something came out.
- I was Yeah.
- Movement down there.
Very much.
Honestly! The first time I'd ever gone that fast on a track.
Basically, I didn't realise, when you go on a track, there are other cars on the track.
My first time, I thought - it was just you on the track.
- That's kind of how it works.
Well, I didn't know that -- I thought you got the track to yourself.
So I'm literally waiting to pull out, like an old man coming out of a side road onto the high street.
I was there for, like, ten minutes.
And the guy was like, "Mate, just pull out"! "No, they're going too fast!" Waiting for some room.
And I pulled out, and I was, like, trying to build up speed.
Of course, the car can do it, but I was really bricking it.
OK, let's talk about the fact that you drive a Porsche, day to day.
- Right.
- What do you drive on tour? We tend to hire a car for the tour.
We tour in the autumn and then through to the New Year.
So, we go for a Range Rover, but diesel, because, you know, we look for economy.
Ching-ching! Got to save some money.
If you had a choice of a dream tour car, - what would it be? - I would have a Bentley with a diesel engine.
That is, that is a spit in the face to anyone who loves decent cars.
Why would you take such a beautiful vehicle and then dump a diesel engine in it? - Mm-mm! - Money? - Yeah! You can go further! Can you imagine it? With my kind of budget, if I got a regular Bentley, I wouldn't make it to the theatre.
- I'd run out of fuel.
- I've got good news for you.
Bentley are actually about to make a diesel car.
They're going to release a series of diesel engines, - like their new Bentayga SUV.
- Did you not hear what he just said? - What? Really?! - They're not like you.
They like nice cars! I like nice cars.
I think it's amazing.
- Shall we talk news? - Let's talk news.
- All right, cool.
It's SUV Week and SUVs are pretty much the biggest market out there.
They're outselling every single other car market, and it looks like everyone's getting in on the act, including Peugeot, with this thing, the 3008.
- What do you think of it? - Do you know what? I don't know about the guys here, but I don't get the SUV.
SUV, MSG, whatever.
I don't understand why you have to go down this route.
If you've lived in a big city, anywhere People like the raised height.
They feel they're in command and lording it over everyone else.
Get on the top deck of a bus! You don't need This is not for urban driving.
- It's just ridiculous.
- What do you think about the Cayenne? It's a monstrosity.
I think it's hideous.
- You don't like it? - Just because it's got a Porsche badge, you know, it doesn't, it doesn't embody the spirit of the Porsche.
As much as I like Peugeot, and they make great cars, it feels as if they're just trying to cash in on the market right now.
Yeah, but to be honest, Peugeot, historically, have always been trying to cash in on stuff.
You know, they brought out the 504 Estate with, like, rows of 25 seats! Who needs that? It was the ugliest thing in the world! Well, there's one company that have made a great SUV.
It's Volvo.
And I had a chance to drive their XC90 T8 twin engine around the Top Gear racetrack.
- You want to see my lap? - Yeah! - Yeah? All right, let's watch this.
Volvo XC90 T8 twin engine.
The twin engine is very apt, because it's got two motors powering this thing.
First of all, there's the two-litre, four-cylinder, supercharged and turbo-charged petrol engine powering the front wheels, and an electric motor round the back powering the rear.
Do I take the rallycross track? Nah, no-one who buys this is going to go off-road.
Yeah, they're not going to go around a track either, but you wouldn't be human if you didn't want to find out how a 400hp SUV handled around our track.
Whoo! Ha-ha! Fun! So far.
How fast is it? Well, 0-60, 5.
6 seconds.
That's about as quick as a Honda Civic Type R.
As for the handling itself, it's not too bad.
It's surprisingly agile for something that weighs 2.
5 tonnes.
Is it sporty? I don't know -- maybe if the sport is sumo wrestling.
But it's hugely enjoyable.
Right, quick dab of the brakes to find out how those work.
They scrub off speed really well initially.
Tyres complaining.
Love that sound.
This is great fun.
And the interior of this guy is something else.
It's so well-designed.
It's beautiful inside here.
You've got to give credit to Volvo.
They could have gone down the whole V8 route, but instead, they've chosen to go the hybrid avenue and it's fast and it's efficient.
You get 135 miles to the gallon and you can have fun and bring your family along for the ride.
Twin-engine power for the win! Just remember to take the dog out of the boot before you do that! XC90.
I loved that thing.
Totally unsuitable for the track, but come on, 400hp.
- What do you think? - I mean, it looks fun, but who is it aimed at? - Who's going to buy that? - Yummy mummies in Chelsea.
They're not going to do that! They're going to go for something else.
I mean, if you saw that in the street in front of you, you could just imagine who was driving it -- somebody of a certain age who perhaps forgot where they were going.
OK, all right.
Well, look The sat nav was actually quite good! Right, anyway, David Cameron, our Prime Minister, he has an incredible set of wheels.
He's got this thing.
It's basically an XJ Supersport with a 5L V8 in it, 500hp, top speed of 121mph, eight-speed automatic.
Really heavy, though, because it's got bulletproof surroundings, it's bombproof, runflat tyres, a self-contained oxygen system.
This car is big pimping.
Now, what kind of a car do you think he bought his wife? Micra! You've been following the news! Yes, he did.
I can reveal it's a 2004 Nissan Micra 1.
2, with 94,000 miles on the clock.
- Is that the actual car? - That's the car.
- Wow! In that colour? - Yeah.
- 90,000-odd miles? There's a man who doesn't care about resale value.
A man that doesn't care about his wife! Not many people know, but Samantha Cameron is actually a descendant of King Charles II.
He probably asked her what she wanted and she said, "Oh, something to run around in.
" And he probably said, "What, an estate?" And she went, "I've got one!" Genuine, or stunt? It's a stunt, of course it is.
Yeah.
Man of the people! Well, his wife is.
"Have that, love.
" Let's move on.
Google have basically come up with an ingenious way to protect pedestrians if they get hit by an autonomous car.
And it's this thing.
Essentially, it's a piece of sticky material on the front of the car that pedestrians get stuck to if they're run over by the car.
No, I'm serious, I'm serious.
If the car hits you, you get stuck to the car.
And obviously kidnapped, as well, because Yeah! Not only do you have to sort of put up with the injuries that you sustained during the crash, you also have to put up with the indignity of being dragged around.
The only time I think that would ever work is if a traffic warden comes near your car and leans on the bonnet to put the thing on, and you catch him at it.
Going, "Mate, what you doing?" Earlier, we saw the new McLaren 675 LT.
And like all McLarens, it's a car that can stir the emotions.
Particularly for the owner of this car.
Ouch! Oh! He's got He had, I should say, a brand-new 650S Spider and crashed it into a tree, ten minutes after getting it.
Ohh! Sympathy for this guy? Feel sorry for him? - No! - Oh, you evil people! - I feel genuinely sorry for this guy.
- Really? - Oh, my goodness, yeah! We don't know his back story.
He might have saved up for ever to get this car and then, you know, not had the track day to kind of get used to it, so excited, and then, whoa! He hasn't done it on purpose.
He didn't go, "Look, there's a tree, I'd better wrap myself around that!" Stephen, mate, you've been as entertaining as I expected.
Give it up for him, please.
Oh, yeah! Thank you, Rory.
Thank you, sir.
All right, that's it from us this week.
Chris Harris will be back here next week with comedian Zoe Lyons and I'll be showing you behind the scenes of my Tesla Model X film.
- Thank you to Stephen K Amos - Thank you.
.
.
and Mr Eddie Jordan.
Goodnight, everyone!
Each week we're serving up exclusive access to all things Top Gear.
Tonight, our very own Eddie Jordan talks about the epic South African adventure.
I'll be giving my thoughts on the thinking man's SUV, the Volvo XC90 T8.
Comedian and Porsche fan boy Stephen K Amos! He's with us tonight.
And we'll show you how McLaren F1 brought a grown man to tears.
Cars will do that to you.
This is Extra Gear! Before we do anything else, though, you will have spotted we're not a full team this week.
Someone's missing.
Usually about now, my co-pilot Chris Harris would be ranting and raving about one of the cars in the studio.
Like this one.
Not only is he a very angry, car-obsessed man, he's a seriously good racing driver.
And this week, he's off to race.
But don't get too sad, because he sent us a film about what makes his Glickenhaus P4/5C incredible on the grid.
Hello, Rory, I'm sorry I can't be with you, but I had a prior engagement with this.
It's called the Glickenhaus P4/5C Competizione, and it is the most stunning race car her at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
I want to tell you five things about what I love about that racing car.
First, the way it looks.
I'll give you an overall shot in a minute.
It is the most beautiful car here at the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
It is stunning.
Another thing I love -- the componentry.
It is just beautiful inside.
This is a carbon fibre masterpiece.
And underneath, look at this, the other thing I love, it's a Ferrari.
That in there is a 450hp Ferrari V8 engine.
And on top of that, it has a KERS system.
Inside here, there's a KERS motor that acts on the crankshaft and gives us another 50hp when we pull a paddle.
The other thing I love is the wing.
Look at the carbon wing on this.
Isn't it the most fantastic looking car? It's just gorgeous.
And then come round here.
The piece de resistance.
This is the Nurburgring, there's no order, you understand.
That is a New York licence plate, and it's a real licence plate, because this car is, would you believe it, road legal.
And the last thing, look at those white exhaust pipes.
Is there anything more staggering? Perfectly covered and coated.
So there you go.
I'm sorry I can't be with you, but if you offered me the chance to race this car on the greatest circuit in the world, or sit on a sofa with you, much as I love you, Rory, I'm going to race the car.
Don't worry, guys.
Chris Harris will be back next week.
Now, earlier on Top Gear, we saw Chris take on the McLaren 675LT.
I've got to pat this thing.
I don't know if I'm insured to even touch it.
It's phenomenal.
Now, we know these cars can really stir up the emotions.
Well, we got an exclusive from that film this week which really proves my point.
Here he is in the McLaren F1.
Take a look.
This might be the worst idea I've ever had when it comes to cars.
What if it's like snogging Taylor Swift and finding out she's got fag breath? Ugh! Wow! Oh-ho-ho-ho! They were £540,000, brand-new.
Everybody said that if you bought one, you were bonkers.
Well, they're not bonkers now, because this one is insured for 9.
1 million quid.
The guy who owns this car has said I can drive it today.
Which is very nice of him, but our insurance limits us to 70mph.
This is properly exciting.
Oh, my goodness me.
Oh! That sound! Absolutely gorgeous.
Being in the middle of the car is brilliant.
They do say, don't they, the most beautiful people in the world have symmetrical faces, and I'm now seeing the world from behind the steering wheel in perfect symmetry.
She's got no ABS, no traction control, no power steering, but heaps, gallons of magic.
Do you remember that worry I had about Taylor Swift and her fag breath? She hasn't got fag breath.
She's got breath that smells of .
.
angels' laundry.
Not so silly, are they, F1 cars? Unbelievable stuff.
And just after Top Gear finished, I caught up with Chris and we had a chat.
Chris, what an incredible reaction.
What was going through your mind? God knows.
I mean, the whole thing about, you know, I suppose, therapy, really, isn't it? You get to a moment in your life, you hear a song, in a certain place, or you have a certain conversation with a pal or with a loved one, or you watch a certain scene from a movie, I mean, that scene in Toy Story where Andy is leaving to go to college and he's trying to figure out what toys to keep and what not to keep, maybe that was my sort of Toy Story moment.
It's a car I've always dreamt about.
It's a car I've come across before, you know, in my car history.
And cars mean so much to me and have done for a I mean No, no, no, listen.
A lot of people might not understand how a car can make you feel that way, how it can stir up those emotions, but just for the benefit of those people, how can a hunk of metal convey those kind of emotions? Because it's not about a hunk of metal, is it? It's about a memory trigger point.
And it's about You know, my mum bought me my first-ever car.
And she couldn't afford it.
And so, er It was about It was about that.
It was about being overwhelmed by such an amazing car.
And I suppose what I'm saying is that the only other car that has ever made me feel like that car did, and actually more so, was the Mini.
So that's what my tears were for.
My first car, not that car.
Well, look, man, I appreciate it.
I know it's a very personal moment.
And it's not in the main cut of the film, but I appreciate the fact that you allowed us to share that, because a lot of us here can relate to those feelings sometimes and, yeah, I've been there myself.
So, thank you.
Appreciate that.
Thanks, Chris.
Oh, that was a surprise.
Guys, that was properly emotional.
Earlier, I had the good fortune of catching up with a man called Eddie Jordan.
And here he is.
- Thank you.
- Get with the programme.
How you doing? Listen, we saw your film in South Africa earlier.
You're building up quite the reputation as a bit of a cheat, aren't you? - Cheat?! - Yeah! - I've never cheated in my life! The problem is that a lot of these guys, and particularly Matt, and he's probably used to a set of rules.
Well, the set of rules in Formula One goes like this.
You print them and then you see how you can circumvent them.
And you find a different way around the rules to make the car go quicker, hopefully, than somebody else.
But always just about inside the rules and the law.
So you're saying they didn't clearly define the rules and you played around them.
What happened on the drink was perfect.
That was Charlene, so we must give her credit for it, because she was fantastic.
She was the girl who ripped off the clingfilm off the top of the car and put it over the glass, and that was magic.
Yes, it was me who topped it up with water, - but please be sure - You played your part.
.
.
at no stage in the rule book did it say you couldn't put anything over the top.
And the other thing, it didn't say you couldn't top it up.
Those idiots just didn't read the rules properly.
What about the spirit of the competition? The spirit? The spirit was to win, man! First, you have to win.
That's the rules.
Formula One is an amazing business.
It's an amazing sport.
And it gets you to see things differently.
That, if you have a parameter, Formula One will always try and look outside the parameter to see how they can stay within the rules and regulations but actually maximise the performance of the car, of the team and get the best result you can.
Speaking of the car, you drove the Mercedes GLC.
What do you generally think of these cars? There is no substitute in life for power.
And I mean horsepower.
And their engine wasn't as powerful as the three-litre, if you like, the Jaguar, or indeed the Porsche.
So I think they had a disadvantage.
Yes, you will say it was lighter.
It was lighter.
But there is never a substitute for horsepower.
Maybe there was an element of the driver not being skilful enough, maybe? What is he saying? Eh? What is he saying? I'm your guest on this show! You're supposed to be nice to me! Because I did wreck that car, didn't I? I absolutely killed it.
But, you know, it was a fantastic event, and for all of the street cars that were there, they were all, in their own way, outstanding.
And it would be hard to pick a real winner because all of them had different areas to fulfil, and from that point of view, I think they were brilliant.
The cars there were the star of the show.
Ladies and gentlemen, Eddie Jordan! Right, let's bring out our guest.
He's a Porsche fanatic and a very funny man.
Here he is, doing what he does best.
And I also went to Nigeria.
My parents are from Nigeria.
That was quite an experience.
I arrived at immigration with my two earrings, right? The immigration officer took one look at me and went, "Ah! Are you a man or a woman?" I said, "I'm quite clearly a man!" And he said, "Shame.
"With your powerful legs and your broad shoulders, "you make a beautiful lady.
" The things I've done for a visa.
Give it up for Stephen K Amos! - Hi.
- Mr Amos.
- Yes.
- Welcome to Extra Gear.
Thank you very much.
Good to be here.
Yeah, I mean, I want to talk cars with you.
A lot of people might not imagine comedians have nice cars.
- Yeah.
- But what do you drive? Times have improved for me, so I drive a Porsche 911 Turbo.
Turbo? Are we talking Turbo S, or? Not an S.
I haven't got that kind of money! - Times aren't that good.
- No, no, it's just a Turbo.
It does me well.
Yeah, that's her.
Tinted windows.
I can't see out of it! Listen, we know you've got a radio sitcom, it might be in its second or third series now.
- Third series.
- It's called What Does The K Stand For? - Yes, it is.
- What does the K stand for? Well, I couldn't possibly tell you, because you have to listen to the sitcom.
But it scans, like the Hollywood stars -- Cecil B DeMille, Samuel L Jackson, Stephen K Amos.
- OK.
- Yeah, I'm getting there.
- It does make you look cooler.
- It does.
Stephen Amos, quite boring.
Stephen K Amos, boom! OK.
Look, let's go back in time, yeah? - OK.
- What was your first car? My first car was an Austin 1100.
Yeah! Remember those? In turquoise.
Mmm! Yeah.
I used to have a Ford Fiesta in the same colour.
The paint must have been going cheap.
Or the manufacturer was colour-blind.
Because it wasn't a magnet for anything.
And it was a two-door one.
Sporty! Boom! Hatchback, yeah? And when I got that car, all my friends would say, "Oh, Steve, give us a lift.
" And we would drive round everywhere.
But the handbrake didn't work.
And I remember once, we were stopped by the police.
Imagine! And, er I don't know what you're talking about! Stopped by the police, and I was with my mate in the car, and back then, I wasn't a very good driver.
I didn't realise, if you just put it in gear, it won't move.
So it was in neutral.
Sat in the car, the officer knocks on the window and goes, "Will you step out the car, please?" I look at my friend, he looks at me.
We both step out of the car.
But, then, he leans on the car, holding it, making sure it doesn't roll back and forward Were there little beads of sweat running down the side of his head as he's trying to hold it up? The officer was like, "You can take a seat.
" He's going, "No! I'm fine here!" What was the best car you've ever driven? A Lamborghini Diablo.
And that was on a race day.
- On a track? - Yeah.
- How did that go? - Well, can I say it on TV? A little bit of something came out.
- I was Yeah.
- Movement down there.
Very much.
Honestly! The first time I'd ever gone that fast on a track.
Basically, I didn't realise, when you go on a track, there are other cars on the track.
My first time, I thought - it was just you on the track.
- That's kind of how it works.
Well, I didn't know that -- I thought you got the track to yourself.
So I'm literally waiting to pull out, like an old man coming out of a side road onto the high street.
I was there for, like, ten minutes.
And the guy was like, "Mate, just pull out"! "No, they're going too fast!" Waiting for some room.
And I pulled out, and I was, like, trying to build up speed.
Of course, the car can do it, but I was really bricking it.
OK, let's talk about the fact that you drive a Porsche, day to day.
- Right.
- What do you drive on tour? We tend to hire a car for the tour.
We tour in the autumn and then through to the New Year.
So, we go for a Range Rover, but diesel, because, you know, we look for economy.
Ching-ching! Got to save some money.
If you had a choice of a dream tour car, - what would it be? - I would have a Bentley with a diesel engine.
That is, that is a spit in the face to anyone who loves decent cars.
Why would you take such a beautiful vehicle and then dump a diesel engine in it? - Mm-mm! - Money? - Yeah! You can go further! Can you imagine it? With my kind of budget, if I got a regular Bentley, I wouldn't make it to the theatre.
- I'd run out of fuel.
- I've got good news for you.
Bentley are actually about to make a diesel car.
They're going to release a series of diesel engines, - like their new Bentayga SUV.
- Did you not hear what he just said? - What? Really?! - They're not like you.
They like nice cars! I like nice cars.
I think it's amazing.
- Shall we talk news? - Let's talk news.
- All right, cool.
It's SUV Week and SUVs are pretty much the biggest market out there.
They're outselling every single other car market, and it looks like everyone's getting in on the act, including Peugeot, with this thing, the 3008.
- What do you think of it? - Do you know what? I don't know about the guys here, but I don't get the SUV.
SUV, MSG, whatever.
I don't understand why you have to go down this route.
If you've lived in a big city, anywhere People like the raised height.
They feel they're in command and lording it over everyone else.
Get on the top deck of a bus! You don't need This is not for urban driving.
- It's just ridiculous.
- What do you think about the Cayenne? It's a monstrosity.
I think it's hideous.
- You don't like it? - Just because it's got a Porsche badge, you know, it doesn't, it doesn't embody the spirit of the Porsche.
As much as I like Peugeot, and they make great cars, it feels as if they're just trying to cash in on the market right now.
Yeah, but to be honest, Peugeot, historically, have always been trying to cash in on stuff.
You know, they brought out the 504 Estate with, like, rows of 25 seats! Who needs that? It was the ugliest thing in the world! Well, there's one company that have made a great SUV.
It's Volvo.
And I had a chance to drive their XC90 T8 twin engine around the Top Gear racetrack.
- You want to see my lap? - Yeah! - Yeah? All right, let's watch this.
Volvo XC90 T8 twin engine.
The twin engine is very apt, because it's got two motors powering this thing.
First of all, there's the two-litre, four-cylinder, supercharged and turbo-charged petrol engine powering the front wheels, and an electric motor round the back powering the rear.
Do I take the rallycross track? Nah, no-one who buys this is going to go off-road.
Yeah, they're not going to go around a track either, but you wouldn't be human if you didn't want to find out how a 400hp SUV handled around our track.
Whoo! Ha-ha! Fun! So far.
How fast is it? Well, 0-60, 5.
6 seconds.
That's about as quick as a Honda Civic Type R.
As for the handling itself, it's not too bad.
It's surprisingly agile for something that weighs 2.
5 tonnes.
Is it sporty? I don't know -- maybe if the sport is sumo wrestling.
But it's hugely enjoyable.
Right, quick dab of the brakes to find out how those work.
They scrub off speed really well initially.
Tyres complaining.
Love that sound.
This is great fun.
And the interior of this guy is something else.
It's so well-designed.
It's beautiful inside here.
You've got to give credit to Volvo.
They could have gone down the whole V8 route, but instead, they've chosen to go the hybrid avenue and it's fast and it's efficient.
You get 135 miles to the gallon and you can have fun and bring your family along for the ride.
Twin-engine power for the win! Just remember to take the dog out of the boot before you do that! XC90.
I loved that thing.
Totally unsuitable for the track, but come on, 400hp.
- What do you think? - I mean, it looks fun, but who is it aimed at? - Who's going to buy that? - Yummy mummies in Chelsea.
They're not going to do that! They're going to go for something else.
I mean, if you saw that in the street in front of you, you could just imagine who was driving it -- somebody of a certain age who perhaps forgot where they were going.
OK, all right.
Well, look The sat nav was actually quite good! Right, anyway, David Cameron, our Prime Minister, he has an incredible set of wheels.
He's got this thing.
It's basically an XJ Supersport with a 5L V8 in it, 500hp, top speed of 121mph, eight-speed automatic.
Really heavy, though, because it's got bulletproof surroundings, it's bombproof, runflat tyres, a self-contained oxygen system.
This car is big pimping.
Now, what kind of a car do you think he bought his wife? Micra! You've been following the news! Yes, he did.
I can reveal it's a 2004 Nissan Micra 1.
2, with 94,000 miles on the clock.
- Is that the actual car? - That's the car.
- Wow! In that colour? - Yeah.
- 90,000-odd miles? There's a man who doesn't care about resale value.
A man that doesn't care about his wife! Not many people know, but Samantha Cameron is actually a descendant of King Charles II.
He probably asked her what she wanted and she said, "Oh, something to run around in.
" And he probably said, "What, an estate?" And she went, "I've got one!" Genuine, or stunt? It's a stunt, of course it is.
Yeah.
Man of the people! Well, his wife is.
"Have that, love.
" Let's move on.
Google have basically come up with an ingenious way to protect pedestrians if they get hit by an autonomous car.
And it's this thing.
Essentially, it's a piece of sticky material on the front of the car that pedestrians get stuck to if they're run over by the car.
No, I'm serious, I'm serious.
If the car hits you, you get stuck to the car.
And obviously kidnapped, as well, because Yeah! Not only do you have to sort of put up with the injuries that you sustained during the crash, you also have to put up with the indignity of being dragged around.
The only time I think that would ever work is if a traffic warden comes near your car and leans on the bonnet to put the thing on, and you catch him at it.
Going, "Mate, what you doing?" Earlier, we saw the new McLaren 675 LT.
And like all McLarens, it's a car that can stir the emotions.
Particularly for the owner of this car.
Ouch! Oh! He's got He had, I should say, a brand-new 650S Spider and crashed it into a tree, ten minutes after getting it.
Ohh! Sympathy for this guy? Feel sorry for him? - No! - Oh, you evil people! - I feel genuinely sorry for this guy.
- Really? - Oh, my goodness, yeah! We don't know his back story.
He might have saved up for ever to get this car and then, you know, not had the track day to kind of get used to it, so excited, and then, whoa! He hasn't done it on purpose.
He didn't go, "Look, there's a tree, I'd better wrap myself around that!" Stephen, mate, you've been as entertaining as I expected.
Give it up for him, please.
Oh, yeah! Thank you, Rory.
Thank you, sir.
All right, that's it from us this week.
Chris Harris will be back here next week with comedian Zoe Lyons and I'll be showing you behind the scenes of my Tesla Model X film.
- Thank you to Stephen K Amos - Thank you.
.
.
and Mr Eddie Jordan.
Goodnight, everyone!