‘Top Gear’ Recap: ‘Season 29, Episode 5’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season 29 finale of ‘Top Gear’.
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When we think of ingenuity in regard to the automobile, we immediately think of the future. Because as we speak, new designs and new features are in development at the headquarters of every car manufacturer on the planet. The kind that will eventually make it to the market, and we are always eager to see how these future innovations will make our driving experience all the more comfortable and how they help improve our carbon footprint as well, since innovation does make new cars more environmentally sound. But while car manufacturers and consumers are eager to see what tomorrow will bring for the industry, there are some people out there who wonder… whether or not innovation can be applied to vehicles that haven't seen a design upgrade in ages or are currently on the road. 

Because doing so, could in fact improve our carbon footprint immediately if the car was properly retrofitted with stunning new technology, and new comforts could be placed within the older vehicle as well, making it quite the slick ride and it just so happens that this is a notion that Paddy McGuinness took the time to explore on this week’s episode of Top Gear. Because the season 29 finale saw Paddy retrofit a true classic ride: the ice cream truck. All in the hopes of building the ice cream truck of the future, and well, what he did to said truck, one he named Mr. Nippy, was pretty darn impressive to say the least. For he was able to retrofit this vehicle to handle just about any terrain, since it was raised high and designed to handle the stresses of driving off-road.

Plus, it was outfitted with a new sound system that could broadcast further than the older trucks, allowing for more people to be drawn to its delicious offerings and in the event that this ice cream dream machine was at the beach, it also came equipped with a boat named Mr. Shippy. All so the ice cream jockey could bring cool confections to the surfers in the water, that were waiting for the perfect wave. To top it all off, Paddy even made the darn thing electric. Making this particular ride about as environmentally sound as it can get and well… truth be told, this was quite the invention to say the least, one that Paddy flat out went above and beyond to create. But sadly, the producers weren’t one-hundred-percent certain that this particular ride was indeed the ice cream truck of tomorrow. Which meant that Mr. Nippy had to be put to the test in order to prove its worth.

Which is something that didn’t quite go all that well at first. Since a timed race between Mr. Nippy and a classic ice cream truck ended in a disappointing manner. But in reality, this was a test that didn’t really put this truck through a proper set of circumstances. For in the real world, Mr. Nippy would be facing off against other trucks in suburban areas and that gave rise to a unique competition. One where Chris and Paddy would quite literally take out the competition by way of a winner take all, paintball death match. Wherein Freddie, in a cleverly retrofitted food truck, would attack a newly armed Mr. Nippy and wouldn’t you know it? Harris and Paddy held their own in battle, and even defeated (or rather evaded) a Fish n’ Chips themed tank to win the day, making Mr. Nippy a truly amazing ice cream truck.

If anything, this was one heck of a way to end season 29. In large part because Mr. Nippy elevated the fun factor on this series to an outright eleven. Because everything involving this dynamic truck put a smile upon our faces or left us in stitches since it produced a ton of comedic moments. Such as when Mr. Shippy sank into the sea and took Captain Paddy into the brink with it, and you can’t go wrong with Paddy’s winter ideas for a truck like this. Since it also features a lovely mashed potato and gravy dispenser, complete with a sausage and pea garnish station. But what matters most, is that this ingenuity at its finest, because Paddy really did find a way to catapult the ice cream truck into the 21st Century and hopefully the producers continue to let Paddy invent in season 30 and beyond. Because everything he’s come up with so far, has been downright genius. Until next year.

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