‘Top Gear’ Recap: ‘Season 27, Episode 5’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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While not all of us share a genuine love of cars in the same manner as the hosts of Top Gear, I think we can all agree upon the fact that we’ve all experienced some kind of emotion when it comes to automobiles. Because they really do offer up a special experience from time to time, and there’s something to be said about how the open road brings joy to our souls when we’re on a road trip or how slamming the gas pedal brings about a rush of adrenaline as we feel our ride haul across the asphalt. The bottom line is that cars are fun and the emotions they engender from us is precisely what the producers of the show wanted to focus upon for the Season 27 Finale, in the most fascinating ways possible of course.
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Because Fred and Chris made a trip to Iceland in this finale, to take part in something I didn’t know existed; Formula Off-road Racing. Which is an event that entails a multi-stage race wherein vehicles designed for bumps and crashes take part in some incredible challenges, the kind that send them into the air and through massive amounts of mud, all in the name of racing. And the idea behind participating in this was to see if by chance Fred would show a little fear for a change since nothing rattles the man and well, this challenge did indeed bring out some emotions in Fred and definitely Chris as well. For both men enjoyed the thrills and chills that come with this kind of race, and it even brought out some competitive fire as both men worked to be number one, and while they didn’t exactly achieve that, since Chris went sixth and Fred went seventh, this was still a blast to watch and it was neat to see a different side of Fred in this segment of the show.

But the series wasn’t quite done with exploring the emotions that cars can bring out of us, and for Paddy’s segment, it was all about the wonder and joy they fill our hearts with, since Paddy was able to take part in the opportunity of a lifetime. Because growing up, he wanted nothing more than to drive the 1993 Toyota Supra A80, since it was the hottest car in the U.K. back in the day and at long last, he finally got behind the wheel of one, and loved every single second of it. For this little ride was a supercar killer and it was supremely cool to see it beat a Ferrari 521 Testarossa, an Aston Martin DB7 and a Porsche 911 Turbo on the open road and it was equally as awesome to see Paddy’s sheer joy while he drove this bad boy through the countryside and that joy only increased once he fired up the brand new Toyota Supra, a car that just so happens to be a product of BMW engineering. That was something that irked Chris when he got a chance to drive it as well, but even he had to admit that it was great ride and really, this segment was just a true delight through and through.  

Yet, I made mention a moment ago, that cars also elicit a sense of wonder in us and the show found a way to explore that as well, by looking to the past for a brief moment. Because Chris took the time to educate us on the wonder of the Formula F-1 racing car, and how Lotus engineering changed the vehicle for the better back in 1979. For the Lotus team finally figured out how to get more out of their cars, and that’s how Mario Andretti won so many races back then. And while a history lesson was pretty awesome to sit through since this was something I knew nothing about, the wonder in question came about from the fact that the Lotus team let Chris drive the very car that won title after title and the look on his face, when he hopped in that ride said it all. Because this was his opportunity to sit in a car that straight up made history and take it out on the track and see what it could do, and being able to experience something such as that definitely engenders that sense of wonder and honestly, this really was the coolest segment of the night because how often does someone get the opportunity to immerse themselves in history, in this manner?

So, when we take all of those elements, and Will Young’s supremely competitive celebrity segment, we are left with one uplifting and fun finale, one that quite frankly reminded us why we love cars in some form or fashion. Because when they’re not slogging us to and from work, they know how to bring out the kid in us and generate a sense of freedom in our hearts and this was truly a perfect end to a perfect season. Because Top Gear was simply firing on all cylinders this year with its new hosts and unique ideas designed to make the supercar relatable to the audience for a change and while this season has come to a close, the future of this series is a bright one indeed since it is telling some magnificent stories involving devices we somewhat take for granted these days and I cannot wait to see how this series grows in seasons to come as this wonderful group of hosts continue to explore the magic of the automobile and the open road. Until next time. 

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