‘Top Gear’ Recap: ‘Season 30, Episode 2’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 3002 of ‘Top Gear’.

​If you ask any fan of the James Bond franchise, what helped them to fall in love with 007’s adventures, you’ll get a bevy of unique answers. Such as how they enjoy it, because of the man himself, since his suave and cool nature under pressure is unparalleled in storytelling. As for others, their desire to check out a new Bond movie relates to the incredible sense of adventure the saga provides them with. And for some, it’s all about the cool gadgets and seeing what Bond will do with them in the field and of course… there are some people who love this franchise, because of the cars that 007 drives. Because the man simply gets behind the wheel of some gorgeous rides and well, with a new Bond movie on the way, the producers at Top Gear thought now would be the perfect time to spotlight some of those vehicles in a fun manner. 
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Specifically, by exploring whether or not affordable Bond cars were a thing for the average consumer and believe it or not, they most certainly are. Because Paddy and Chris were able to get their hands on a pair of famous Bond rides for a reasonable price, meaning that we too could drive the Sunbeam Alpine from Dr. No or the Alfa Romeo GTV6 from Octopussy. But if those cars still seem to be a little too steep for one’s financial tastes, since they each go for five digits, then they could go the route that Freddie offered up. For he drove Renault 11 from A View to a Kill, specifically… the half that Bond skidded about in after crashing it, and believe it or not, the Renault .5 was actually quite the versatile ride, one that all of the lads were able to drive about in a unique manner. Since Freddie set up a special Parisian course for them to navigate, and well… if you’d like to drive home half a car, going the Flintoff route will only set you back about a grand.

But while we could have watched an hour of that, as cool as it sounds to own a Bond car… the fantasy of going all out and enjoying something screen accurate is something that every fan wants to explore. And thankfully the lads were able to help us with that, by showing us how much it would cost to get something a little more screen accurate. Since Freddie and Chris were able to procure the Lotus Esprit from The Spy Who Loved Me and the Toyota 2000GT from You Only Live Twice, respectively, and well, it didn’t take long for this reviewer to completely and utterly forget about the cost of those unique models since Paddy was able to outdo them both… by bringing a true gem to the racetrack. Because it turns out that if you really want a true Bond experience, you can go out and buy a screen accurate, Aston Martin DB5 from Goldfinger. One that features all the bells and whistles that were used on screen for a mere three-million pounds.

Which is quite the price for a replica that unfortunately, one cannot drive on the streets and there is simply no way that you can top a segment that has led flashing machine guns and Freddie dressed like Jaws. Which is why the show provided us with a couple of bonus segments. One of which, took the time to explore the wonder of the electric SUV and how they perform on rough terrain and in a race against revolutionary technology. The kind that lets men fly through the skies by way of a jetpack and believe it or not, the SUV held its own since the jetpack only beat it by a flying nose. As for Chris and Paddy's segment, well it involved a quest for both gentlemen to find slick Italian rides that run about two-hundred thousand and of course, Chris found the perfect ride for this segment, since the Aflaholics GTA-R won over Paddy with its fun handling, and it even caught Freddie’s eye as well.

If anything, this was just a genuinely delightful episode when all is said and done. Simply because every single segment in this adventure, was designed to put a smile on our faces and it definitely succeeded in doing so. Since every moment of this episode was filled with humor and silliness and laughter, especially when Freddie tried to talk as Jaws and to top it all off, it really featured some awesome cars. Because every single Bond car was simply gorgeous and amazing and the electric SUV was slick as were the Italian rides and really, all of this just serves to remind us that this series that series truly knows how to celebrate the wonder of the automobile. Because this one was dedicated to the magical feeling that cars elicit in our souls and in the end, all this episode did was leave us hungry for more. So we can see what kinds of entertaining twists and turns the lads have waiting for us, come next week. Until then.

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