‘Top Gear’ Recap: ‘Season 27, Episode 3’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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Over the course of its illustrious and storied run, Top Gear has taken us on quite the fascinating ride, one that’s allowed for car enthusiasts and casual fans alike to get up close and personal with supercars that would normally remain out of reach. But this season, I’m noticing a fascinating theme emerging from the show, in that, while the series continues to celebrate the supercar, it’s now pondering as to whether or not the benefits of supercars can find their way into the garage of the average person. And while so far, the answer to that question has been a resounding no, that certainly hasn’t stopped the show from continuing to try and see if such a feat can be done, and it fell to one-man last night to try and make some magic happen when it comes to this particular idea.

Because Paddy has won most of the challenges this season and his choices for average car turned supercar have fared the best, meaning that it was up to him to create the ultimate family car on a budget, and his choice for this particular journey, allowed for one delightful episode to unfold. Because Paddy decided that a Daimler hearse (yes, that’s right, a freakin’ hearse) would be the perfect vehicle for any family out there looking for performance and efficiency and wouldn’t you know it? His wild idea had some serious merit to it. Because this monstrous vehicle actually managed to hang in a race, and it did such a fine job with a weight test (one complete with grandmas), that Freddie and Chris came to realize that Paddy was indeed onto something and well, they helped out in making this ride something truly special.

Which means the Daimler got quite the overhaul, complete with a slick paint job, a hatch for snacks, and a ball pit to entertain the kiddies and a new nickname, the Overtaker, all in the hopes of helping the car fit the bill as the ultimate family car. And as it turns out, the old girl continued to live up to expectations, since a beach test against the Stig family’s Mercedes-Benz SUV went extremely well. But alas, despite the changes made to this vehicle, its limitations were eventually exposed when she rolled over on an off-road test, putting an end to the Overtaker’s reign as the greatest family car in all the land. So, the lads sent her off in style, by entering her in a bumper derby, truly allowing for the old girl to go out with a bang before losing to Sabine. 

But while this was quite the treat to watch, at no point did the series step away from its roots, because what is Top Gear without a supercar review? Which means the show took a few minutes to explore the wonder of Dallara Stradale, a car forged from a company that has spent most of its time doing designs behind the scenes. But now, they feel the need to build cars and man, what a ride they’ve put together. Because this car was lightweight and designed to hug the track to provide the driver with an utterly incredible experience and it definitely delivered on that, which is quite the feat considering that this is a supercar that just so happens to feature a Ford engine. But, it’s an engine that’s perfect for this particular car and while she isn’t much to look at it, the results speak for themselves since it finished 2nd time wise on the track, all time.

Plus, the celebrity segment, featuring Mike and Zara Tindall was entertaining as well since a little husband and wife competition kept things interesting and when all is said and done, I think it’s best to declare this episode to be the best that Season 27 has offered to date. Because this one, was just fun through and through and not having to compete in different vehicles allowed for the lads to let loose and be silly around one another, and the pranks present here left me in stitches, and let’s be honest, the idea of turning a hearse into a family car is about as wild as it gets. If anything, this episode only reaffirms that the addition of Paddy and Fred was a wonderful idea since it really does feel like you’re reuniting with old friends when they’re on screen with Chris and I truly cannot wait to see what other wild adventures await us in the weeks to come. Until next time. 

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