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On today's show, James samples 270 supercars, Richard thrashes some spicier minis, and I get sideways in the latest Lamborghini. Hello. Now, don't worry, we have got some minis in the program as well, but it is Lamborghini's 40th anniversary this year. So, we thought it would be a good idea to have a look at some of the cars they made over the years and do a bit of a tribute to the maddest car company of them all. This is the origin of Lamborghini. as we know it today. More than that, it's where the modern supercar begins. It's the first, the daddy, the mura.
13th of June, 1967. That was the day the first bureau arrived in Britain. And just imagine that body shape coming down your high street in 1967. Only the sight of Harold Wilson on LSD could have caused more of a stir. And as beits the decade that celebrated being young and groovy, youth created the mur. The man who designed its gorgeous body was just 22. Think about that. What were you doing at 22? At that age, the cars I was drawing still had guns on them. The engineers behind me were in their 20s, too. And the mural wasn't even an official project. Just seven lads working after hours for the fun of it.
They didn't realize it at the time, but those seven impetuous young engineers were about to spark a revolution. Until then, all seriously fast cars had their big, heavy engines here at the front, but the Mura had its V12 here in the middle, setting the template for all future supercars. They also mounted the engine sideways rather than lengthwise to keep the car compact. Mind you, they nicked that idea from the Mini, but we'll let them have that one. There was other radical stuff that didn't see the light of day. The first design had a three-seater layout like a McLaren F1, and it had a glass engine cover like a Ferrari 360. This did make it, though, the shape of the doors. See,
they're supposed to look like the horns of a bull. Nice. So beautiful and ingenious it may have been, but in terms of driving, you were still at the wheel of a bit of a dog's breakfast. The fuel tank was over the front wheels, so as it ran low on fuel, it went light at the front end, which meant you couldn't steer. Nice touch. That keeps you on your toes. The interior is well tiny and every now and again the carburetors would spit petrol onto the hot engine and the whole thing would go up in flames. Good. It is not an easy car hard to drive, but it sounds Lamborghini knew their masterpiece wasn't perfect, and they steadily improved it throughout its life, culminating in this. The SV of 1971.
It had a better gearbox, better differential, better tires, better rear suspension, and these better gold wheels. Do you know what it was? It was better. And like all Mirrors, it was the car of choice for a better sort of person. People like Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, and this bloke. That's such a glorious noise. Jiraqu frontman JK is a huge Mura fan. This car was so ahead of his time. You know, you can imagine sitting there in a Wy 1800 or a TR6 in 1972 and this turns up with the lights, you know, hopefully with Twiggy in it, which would have been delightful. I mean, can you imagine? Oh, I think I'd have
fainted. Get your motor running and head out on the highway. Take whatever comes my way. It's a wonderful, wonderful thing. And I don't buy cars to speculate. I don't buy cars like these fools and they hide them away. The kids today don't see them. They'll never know what it's like to see a Lamborghini mirror busting past you at 130 40 mph. This to me shouts out Matchbox car 1972. There I am on the car. You remember it, you know? I mean, that's what it shouts out to me. And there it is. Now I've got a big one.
Um Jay, I did notice there's uh there's no window in Well, I'll tell you what I did with the window. Reenact it for us. Oh, we'll reenact it. Go on then. Oh, you closed the door. You mad impetuous rockstar fool. You're just rock and roll. The Mura lived a short life, just 6 years in production, during which time 761 were made. That's all. But it established Lamborghini in massive style. My journey in the Mura has brought me from Sha JK to Duxford Air Base in Cambridge because the car has a kindred spirit living here.
There are certain machines that are so radical that make such an impact when you see them that you know things will never be the same again. machines like this. It's the prototype Concord. Imagine how people felt the first time this flew overhead. It looked so different, so breathtaking, and the thinking behind it was so fresh that it changed the world. Concord did it for planes. The Mura did it for supercars. As a car, it was flawed, but as a concept, it was truly a masterpiece. So, is JK still smarting about his humiliating defeat on our track?
I can't say for sure, but he went very, very fast in his mirror. So, but you see, that's the thing. I went even faster with Jody the other day. Jody Kidden made 2,000 mph on Concord, in fact. Yeah. All right. So, managed to win that one, too. Which actually brings me on to a good point. What is the best looking machine ever made by man? Spitfire. Beautiful looking. Anyone else got any thoughts? Hold on a minute. Say that again.
The Black71. The SR71. The spy plane. You familiar with that? Yes. It is an immensely good-look thing. What about cars? Come on. Best looking cars then? TVR. Who said TVR? Oh, Ray Charles has joined us this week. We think we've worked this one out. Three best looking cars ever. Ford GT40. I do agree with that. Yes. All nod. Yes. Aston Martin DB7. Yeah. Again, you're right. What do you mean? Who said no? Who you said? Why?
Well, because you're always on about it. You like it too much. You know, it's an Aston and it's Ford. You know, it's this is a man with a two-tone beard who's come along here to TELL US ABOUT STYLE. UM, ANYWAY, let's get back to it. My point is DB7 Ford GT40 and this I think you're right. Reluctively, I Thank you. this. And the reason why it's so graceful, if you look at it in profile, is because it's the exact same shape as an airplane's wing, which is another reason why it tends to take off once you get to like 80 mph. It generates its own lift. In fact, remember the Italian job at the beginning of it, the bloke bulldozer. In real life, the car would probably have
just flown straight over the bulldozer and missed him completely. Probably even right over the mountain. Another outp. So, if you were to buy one of these and you buy one now for how much? Good SV, the better one would cost you about £100,000. Something like that. Okay. If you were to spend £100,000 on a car like this, you wouldn't really drive it anywhere. Oh, heavens. No. What I would do? Put it in the garden. Good idea. An ornament. Oh, nice. Yeah. Cuz you What's that program? Gardening Force.
Gravel everywhere. Yeah. They put ground What's it called? Ground force. That with Charlie Demick's features. What? Anyway, forget the gravel, forget the fountains. Get one of these, put it in your garden, look at it. It's even better to look at in the bushes than a lightning jet fighter. Now, back in 1980, I was a mere lad with a bedroom to decorate. Now, of course, in those days, there was no changing rooms and no Mediterranean hues. All you could really do was slap a poster on the wall. And what's more, there were only two to choose from. The first one was this one of a lady playing tennis. And the other one was this, the Lamborghini Countach.
The early 80s were a troubled time. The minor strike, John Lennon shot, and the Faulland's war. But that was just the stuff on the news. The really important issue of the day was which was cooler, the Ferrari boxer or the Lamborghini Countach? Lamborghini had succeeded in dividing the loyalties of pubescent British school boys. Bikes were breaking out behind bike sheds. People were defacing one another's posters. That was the impact this thing had. Here's how they squared up. Ferrari had absolutely nothing to prove. It had a long history, the race breeding, the pedigree, and it was run by Enzo, a godfather figure with purple ink in his
fountain pen. The boxer had a flat 12 engine and styling by pin and firina. It was a true thoroughbred. And now the countach. Oh, by the way, I've never actually driven one of these before. I've been waiting 20 years to pop the Countach cherry. Where the Ferrari was an aristocrat, the Countach was an upstart. Lambo may have done the Mura, but they still weren't quite pucker. So to make up for that, it had to be flashy. Quite simply, it had to be the world's most outrageous supercar. And it was. This wasn't just a car. It was a pinup. And you might like to know that Countach is a bit of Italian slang. It translates roughly as f This is Lechworth. It was the first garden city in the world and the site of
the world's first roundabout. A model of English middle-class suburbia. For a long time, it didn't even have a pub. The Countach fits in with all this like a youth with a bad haircut and a can of spray paint. But even here, there was a time in the early 80s when every boy's bedroom would have had a piece of pornography on the wall, a Countach poster. In the Countach boxer battle, places like Lechworth were a landslide victory for the Lambo. It just looked so much cooler. Oh, sure. More and more cosmetic bits were added during its 18-year life. But so what? This was the 80s. We thought Kevin Keegan's Perm was cool.
I was always in the Countach cam and I can tell you off the top of my head that this one's an LP400S. It does 180 mph and naugh to 60 in 4.6 seconds. It also has some of the fattest rear tires ever fitted to a production car at mm. Listen to that. I absolutely knew it would sound like that just by looking at the pictures. So, it looks fantastic and it sounds fantastic, and that's what matters when you're 15 and dreaming. But I'm not 15 anymore. And after an hour at the wheel in 2003, my dream car turns out to be a bit of a nightmare.
It never occurred to me, for example, that I'd need a hammer to change gear. Although depressing the clutch would be a lot easier if I got a friend to help me. It's absolutely baking hot in here. Look, I've got the window fully open. And there's also a really alarming smell of petrol. And here's another thing. We're here driving through Leafy Arthur, and I'm told it's very pretty. And it looks very pretty through the windscreen, but can't be quite so sure out of the side. And there is a rear view mirror up there. And there is in fact a rear window, but it's very small. It's sort of like watching your television through your letter box.
Golly in heaven, this is hard work. I'm going to stop for a cup of tea. Right, let's have a quick recap on my dream car. The seat is crippling. The controls are murderous. I'm too hot. I'm deaf. I've been poisoned. I can't see. And I can't park. This is what going to hell in a hand cart probably feels like. And it looks so good on the poster. In fact, I wish it had stayed there. I'm absolutely gutted. But you know what? It's not the car's fault. It's mine. I've broken a golden rule. You never ever meet your childhood heroes. Roger Moore, Lamborghini Countach, Brian K.
Stick with the memories. They're just better. So, you're a shattered man. That's my youth gone. And I've got even worse news for you. Oh, no. Do not tell me that's a lady boy. Her name is Steven. Actually, it's even worse than that because until now, I've had a Nobel Peace Prize for parallel parking. And obviously, I made a complete hash of it in that. But we have put a camera where the mirror is and I just want you to be sure that you understand see just how difficult that was. Steve or whatever her name is could actually be sunbathing naked on here and you know I wouldn't have seen that either.
You wouldn't have a clue. Well the thing is James I can park a can you? And I've got a couple of cones here and I'm going to prove it. We're going to put one there. Okay. And I'm going to put the other one over here. And I will be able to get that car into this space. No problem at all. Right. You don't think so? I This could be a bit of a laugh. Right. I'm in. And you can see the problem. You certainly can't see out of the back. But the extraordinary thing about a countage is that.
Oh, that's a good sound. You can actually drive it while not being in it. And we're off. How about that? This was a technique developed at the Lamborghini factory which I've modified slightly for use here. I'm not wearing sunglasses. That's the difference. And that is how YOU PARK A CONT. NOW, time for a confession. Because when we first started Top Gear, we thought it would be a really good idea, in the interest of fairness, to make sure our test track was always wet. So, it was the same for all the cars we tested. Thing is, good idea, but we made a complete hash of it. All we were left with is a really big bill for a water tanker that wasn't big enough to soak the whole track.
Seriously, it was just like all dry with some strategically placed deep puddles at odd corners. And that is why in the first program, the Lamborghini Merchilago with Dead Stig at the wheel set a time of 1 minute 29. Now, we always knew it could do better than that. So, we sent Fresh Stig out onto a dry track to see what the Merchilago can really do. So, we're off the line. It's four-wheel drive, remember? So, not much wheel spin. But once it's moving, look at it go up to the first corner. Look how flat it corners down towards Chicago. That's practically level. Hard on the brakes down here. Listen. Go down through the gears. That is looking fast and smooth and stable. That's lovely bit of B. The stick of course and it's the music from a cigar
advert. Now down towards a hammerhead. Will it under steer? Will it heck? Absolutely. Listen to that. Oh, that's magnificent. Heading towards a follow- through course now. Will he lift? Will he take it? I think slight dab on the brakes maybe. Already well upon its previous time. Will Fresh Dig keep the pace up into the penultimate corner. Absolutely flat level. That grip's astonishing. Through Gambon and across the line in Well, now this is important because the Zonda, which is our fastest car ever, is a 123.8, which is a fantastic is 123.9. So it's close to the top. 1 minute 20 3 three seven.
It's done it. It's the fastest car ever down the top gear test track. That is amazingly fast. WE ALWAYS knew it would be and I was really looking forward to the moment because of course you now can't put that on there. You'd love to think so, BIG FELLA, BUT YOU'RE WRONG because look, I wondered why we were doing it in this corner today. I had a word. There you go. Look at that. The only thing faster than the Merch Lago 123.7 is a jet fighter. That's a quick thing. Absolutely. Now, it's time to meet our guest. He's a comedian. He's an actor. And he made his name over here uh by pretending to be a sort of American country boy from the Deep South. So, please feel free to whoop and fire your
guns in the air and develop an unnatural attraction toward your sister. Ladies and gentlemen, Rich Hall, how are you? Have a seat. Ah, now before we get cracking on the whole car business, I don't think anybody here could guess if we gave them a million years what your first job was. I was uh I worked for the United States Meteorological Service as a hurricane name. So your job was to wait for a hurricane to come and then give it a name.
Very high stress job. Uh, I held the position for two years. We really wouldn't get busy until about September. The reason I was fired was for giving them names. Jugs. I called one Jugs. I was really trying to I was trying to give the hurricane names, you know, something moment. Well, it's not as easy as it sounds because uh you've got to study the hurricane and um each one has its own personality and then you have to attach a name to it that seems to fit the personality. So, the people run. They have to fear these things because they're dangerous. So, um it's a fierce name then. Thor.
Yeah. Thor or killer Bush. Yeah. Anyway, last week we had Rob Brighten on. Mhm. who I thought would had the worst car history ever. He just owned the worst selection of cars you can imagine. Yeah. Lo and behold, this week you've come along and it looks like you've beaten him. Your first car was um a Corv. This was the car that was described in America as unsafe at any speed or provoked that inspired a book. Yeah, it inspired a book due to its danger. And your uncle sold it to you? My uncle sold it to me. There were beer cans in the back seat empty, which he called floor chimes. And uh and it's completely asymmetrical, the Corvair, so you never really knew if it was coming or going.
Fortunately, mine had bad suspension, would come up the road sideways like a crab, so you could see it coming. And uh I had a Vega for a while, which is another car which was it had some design problems. Um the bumper was actually beneath the tail lights. So the tail lights extended over the bumper and the uh the fuel tank was in the back. So basically you could reverse and explode or someone could hit you again. So how long did it take you to have a pickup truck? Uh two weeks ago I purchased a pickup truck for your first one. My first new car ever. Yeah. UJ Rock once described the pickup truck as the world's first beer guided vehicle.
Yeah. And that's pretty much true. I mean everybody at the wheel of one is drunk once you get out of the cities. Well, yeah, that's mandatory. Uh cuz I live in Montana where um literally uh it's not illegal to drive and drink. You can't be drunk, but you can drink and drive. You can also shoot off a pistol while driving. While driving as long as it's not aimed at anyone, but you have to wear a seat belt. Montana dropped the speed. They had a they dropped speed. At one point they had no speed limit and now they do have a speed limit again. Uh cuz somebody moved there and uh it's astounding. I've been pulled over in Montana cuz the policemen were lonely.
I thought you crashed one of your old cars. Um Oh, I've crashed a number of cars. Yeah. Well, who took your door mirror off? That was my fault. Well, that was back when I was about 20 and I was in college at the University of Washington in Seattle and I had no money and I clipped the wing m there of another pickup truck driven by this guy and uh he turned out to be a bit of a con artist and I didn't have any insurance of course and I was working for a student newspaper and so um the guy kept sending me bills for about $800 or $900 clearly trying to screw me you know and uh and I didn't have any money so I went up to the liner type machine and I printed up a fake news story saying I died in a horrible car crash. And I forged a letter from my
parents saying, "Please stop torturing us. We lost our son in a car crash uh several months ago. We don't know who you are, but uh he's gone and we'd just like a little piece." And you faked your own death. I faked my own death. And about a month later, um my parents got a sympathy card from the guy. You do have good names over there though for cars. Yeah. Oh yeah. Oh, fantastic. Fantastic. Thunderbird. Yeah. Mustang. And this does, I think, help rock and roll guys over there. It does make writing about songs cuz when you've got cars like Maestro, right, and Metro Well, Daddy took the T-Ird away. It's Daddy took the TR7 away
is it's not going to work, is it? Little Red Chevet. No, I suppose not. But could you get British car names? Because you do songs, don't you? Would you? Yes. I've tried to romanticize British cars before. It just didn't work. Could you try and get the Rover 25 into a song, the 1.4? Don't want to get the GTR. Oh, that's important to know. Yeah. A 1.4 from about 19, say, let's say 92, something like that. To write a Yeah. to the basis of any romantic car song is the first verse describes the car. Second verse puts it into some kind of dangerous situation.
Yeah, it's a Ro. What is it? Rover. Rover 25. 1990. Well, say 92. Something like that. All right. It's a Rover. Yeah, it's a Rover. It's got a healthyote. It's a rover. It's driven by an OAP. It's a rover. Two-wheel drive. Guy behind it is barely alive. And it rolled off the production line in 1992. It was a monster of design. You could hear the pistons throbbing. I mean, the company had some kind of internal management problem and they rolled it off the track and it came out a hatchback.
It's a Rover. The engine won't turn over. It's a Rover driven by someone slightly older. It's got a single paint coat. It's been towed so many times it thinks it's a boat. How do you do that? It's just uh all country song. That was a country song by the way in my head. No, but it had all the relevant bits about Roverar driven by people older than perhaps than anyone else you've ever seen. Anyway, of course he came down here to drive our Suzuki Lana, our reasonably priced car around the track. Shall we see how it went on? All right. Can I just say in defense?
No, I haven't seen it yet. the windshield wiper the windscreen wipers kept coming on and you'll see me swerve a lot and that's because of the windcreen wipers moving back and forth and creating some lateral thrust. This is a remark. You should get a job in Formula 1 with excuses like this. And I only hope I did better than the other American David Soul. Yes. 1 minute 54. He broke two gearboxes when he came cuz the stick shift confused him. Yeah. Uh you were okay. You're used to the stick shift. Yeah. You can drive a stick shift car. Uh, I can. Now, let's have a look at your lesson.
Wheel spin start. Nice big sky here as well. Oh, yeah. That's about 50 mph over the American speed limit. Too fast. Room service. Now, I bet you the stick told me not to go around. They're too fast again. Look how you're miles away from the king of third gear. They get through here. Very brave. Oh, look. There they go. That's a pretty dead pace of a terrifying soul. Oh, that's so brave cuz you're going far too fast again through that corner and slowly around that one actually. And there we are.
NOW, I think I was slowed down by the child safety lock. No, you've had your excuses and now we're going to tell you how fast you went. You wanted to beat David Soul at 1 minute 54 seconds. All right. So, who where do you think you came? If you could turn all those upside down, I'd be ahead of David Soul. Yep. You did it in 1 minute seconds. Exactly the same as David Soul. Ladies and gentlemen, RICH HALL Right now, everyone knows that the Mini is cool. More than that, the Kooper S, the hot version of it, is right up here in that clear air of subzero. It is a
phenomenon. Everyone wants one. But that's a bit of a problem because it's so popular. What can you do to make your Koopa S stand out from the crowd? This should do it. It's the Works Mini Cooper S, the latest hot Mini. And with close to 200 brake horsepower, about time, too. Because up until now, the most powerful Mini, the standard Kooper S, only had 163 brake horsepower. And with the current crop of hot hatches around, that frankly is a bit lightweight. The extra power comes from a swishier supercharger, a new cylinder head, and a tweaked engine management system. And for that, you get naugh to 60 in 6.7 seconds. A top speed of £140 mph. Oh,
and a bill for £18,000, which makes it £35,000 more than the previous most powerful Mini. That's not cheap, but it's a full-on in-house BMW conversion with input from Mike Cooper, whose dad John invented the original. This gives the car something very cool. Pedigree. All that sounds fantastic. Then a complete no-brainer except for one small thing. If the S Works thought it was safe to settle back and read the paper, wrong because there's a whole load of hot tune minis banging on the laboratory door like this. The Hardga Kooper S. Hardgar are German tuners. They beefed up the supercharger and fiddled with the engine management to give almost the same 200 brake horsepower boot up the
backside as the works. Total cost of the car 16,370. Then there's this, the Digitech Kooper S. Again, Digitech have fiddled with the engine management and the plumbing to give you 210 brake horsepower. Total cost £16,000. and the works Mini Cooper S. And that leaves one question. Which is best, one of the cheaper German jobs or the BMW approved works? But since all these cars have exactly the same chassis, when it comes to handling, I'm looking for differences between the same car. And there's not much between the engines either. The Hava feels much like the works, and the extra 10 or so horsepower of the Digitech isn't enough to take it to a different planet. But sitting on this fence is really starting to hurt my bottom. So, I'm
going to plump for the one that feels like the best allrounder, the Works Mini Kooper S. It's still got all the usual Mini Kooper S attributes, so it's quick to turn in. It's feels quite solid and chunky. It doesn't feel at all flimsy, and you can chuck it in. Lovely. What a fun toy. I've not forgotten that a Cooper S works is at least two grand more than the others. But besides that better drive, it's also the only one to keep that blast proof BMW warranty. So for me, the Kooper's the best. And I'm also in no doubt that the Mini can handle 200 brake horsepower. But some people's faith runs even deeper.
Yes, I'm afraid it's another silver one. So, let's get rid of the others and concentrate on this one. This is the BBR Kooper S. Not 200 brake horsepower, not 220, but a massive 275 horsepower. This feels very different. Immediately it feels rougher. It feels harder. It's quite slow to respond at first. There's not a lot happening. And then there's a It actually sounds more like an old rally car. It feels a bit more weightward. Suddenly, I'm actually starting to feel the limits of what the suspension can cope with.
I'm wondering if we're asking about as much of this as it's going to give us. 275 brake horsepower. This is a mini. Richard, uh, forgive me for bringing this up, but that looks suspiciously like a crash there. No, no. Just parking vigorously at the end of the tape there. You see, the problem is, ladies and gentlemen, uh he's not really tall enough to see over the dashboard in most cars, large ones like the Mini. I don't even want to go there. Okay. The point is we established the Mini really can actually handle 275 brake horsepower. And you reckon the Works one is the best.
Well, it's really, really difficult. I've got to say that BBR, the last one I drove, was a full five or six seconds faster round the track than the others. And the Heart was the next quickest. That was a good couple of seconds quicker than the worst. So, you've gone for the most expensive, third slowest. Yeah. Well, it's the best compromise. It's the one made by BMW. And for me, I've just got that little bit of peace of mind. They're all great fun, to be honest. Was it worth an extra £35,000? Well, I mean, if you gave me £35,000 and said you can spend it on making your Mini go faster or 350,000 penny tues, I'd pick the faster car. Put it that way.
Right. So, in other words, the Works Cooper S is better for you than sweets. Well, better for your teeth. dentists would recommend it. That's the Top Gear conclusion. Yes, exactly. While we're on the subject of modified cars, before we move on, we asked you to send in pictures of cars that you or people you know have had a go at modifying. We've got some more. Does anybody want to see them? Okay. Um, this first one is a Curado. A VW Curado. There it is. Have a look at that. What I Where was he going? Well, he can't see, I suppose. I mean, he doesn't know where he's going with that. Clearly not.
It would get you home faster, but I suspect you wouldn't know that you were at home. No, you're sitting in there going, I can only see the uh the dipstick. Did he fix the engine to the car or the car to the engine? Uh, now our search also goes on for the most ludicrous exhaust pipes in Britain. And we've been sent this week a photograph of a Renault Cleo. Uh, check that out. So, if you've had your dust been stolen in the last couple of weeks, green Cleo, check it out. There's your culprit. Back to Lamborghini. And believe it or not, this is one. It's an LM2 from the 1980s. It's a sort of military Jeep thing, but it has the V12 engine from
the Countach. Now, these days, you could get one of these for about £35,000, which sounds like a bargain, and it does look like fun. However, we would urge caution. Absolutely. When I started in this business writing about cars, I was earning about 40 quid a week. Okay. I borrowed one of these, took it into a petrol station to fill it up £147 and you had to reset the pump halfway through. So you go like pump stop. You have to go in and pay then come out and recommence the filling process. And actually it's no better today. In fact, it's worse cuz the tires are how much are they? £550 each.
Yeah. Each. And if you were to fill this up now, 6364 gallon tank, £220 in petrol. Look at that for a face. Unbelievable. And let me ask you a quick question. Have you ever seen a cathedral go round our test track? No. Would you like TO SEE IT? YES. Show it. Here we come. up to Chicago. Look at that, Feline. Look, he's going to roll it. It looks so comical, in fact, that when he's going around the Hammerhead, which is coming up now, you can actually hear the cameraman burst out laughing at it. LISTEN. And now you're probably dying to know what his lap time was. Sorry, it ran out of petrol. Um, and we certainly can't afford to refill it due to the
unique way the BBC is funded. Um, which is very badly. Now, um, the problem with this is that it's like the Countach and the Mora. It's yet another car for a 12year-old bedroom wall. This then is the 117,000lb Gallardo. Lamborghini's idea of being sensible. The wild wings and flared wheel arches of yestery year are gone. So too have the protruding buttresses. And the complex V12 has been replaced by a 5 L V10, which is almost economical. And look at this door. Look at that. See, unlike the doors on previous Lamborghinis, it doesn't open outwards and upwards in a scissor docahedron fashion like a gull's wing. It's just a doll.
Inside, things get even more normal. I've got headroom. I've got leg room. I've got air conditioning that actually works. You have to search very hard to find any evidence of lambowness. But don't worry because I've found some. The ashtray lead is broken. And although this car has only done 5,000 miles, look at the gear lever. It's been given a certain pattern by all those bejeweled Italian fingers. though, the Gallardo does seem to have cleaned up Lambo's act. They should have called it the Priaryy. It's easier to drive as well when you thumped around the track in an old Diablo. It was like bull running in Pamplona. Whereas this is more like walking through a field of cows.
It's not even slightly scary. Steering's light. When you press the clutch pedal, it's like stepping in sublimage. And what's more, for the first time ever in a Lamborghini, I can see where I've been. And no prizes for guessing who's garnished it with such a thick veneer of common sense. It was, of course, the Germans. Yep. Shock, horror, skid, slide, smoke. Lamborghinis are now made by Audi. Now, I've searched the history books for examples of these two great nations working together in the past, and there really aren't that many. Putting them together is a bit like blending sausages with ice cream, I suppose. In fact, the only time the two nations did work together was in the 1930s, and things didn't turn out well. So, how's it worked this time round?
Well, let's see first of all how it compares to the other Ferrari wannabes. There's the Porsche 911 Turbo, the endless thorn in Ferrari's side, and the Aston Martin DB7 Zagato. Basically, a restyled power crazed last harrah before the DD9 comes along. These cars are very fast, but the Lambo, despite the new one cow styling, looks like it's going even faster, even when it's standing still. It's no illusion either. With a naught to 60 time of 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 192, the Gallardo blitzes the Porsche and the Aston. And with a 100 brake horsepower more than you get in the Ferrari 360, it nukes that, too.
It seems then that the German Italian alliance has been a success with this car, and we haven't even got to the best bit yet, the handling. This is where a Ferrari 360 gets tricky. Drive too fast round a bend in it and it turns into a small dog spinning round your legs and wagging its tail. This is in a different class. This is epic. It's like a big Lotus Elise. This is the first four-wheel drive car I've ever driven that has no under steer at all.
It is fantastic. Turn in. Oh, that is lightning reactions. It changes direction like a fly. I wanted to hate the Gallardo. I wanted to say that Lambo had sold its soul to the devil and ended up with a glorified Audi TT, but it's wonderful except for exactly the same thing that nailed the Bentley Continental in last week's program. The problem is they've got rid of the Lamborghini idiocy, but some of the magic has gone as well. Some of the X factor that makes a car special. Let me put it this way. There are many children's stories. Mog, Kipper, Spot, The Famous Seven, The Secret Five, Paddington the Pooh, Bob the Tank Engine, Thomas the Builder, but there's only one Harry Potter.
There's only one Ferrari, too. And this isn't it. Um, having thought about this, not much of a tribute to Lamborghini, really, is it? This show. Why? Well, if you think about it, um, I demonstrated that the mirror was deeply flawed. Yeah. You hated the Countach and now you don't like their new car. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. The thing about this is that I do truly believe it's a better car than a Ferrari 360. But when you buy a Ferrari, you're getting so much more than just a car.
You're getting that whole kind of golden glow of 50 years of Ferrari ownership. That's exactly what I was trying to say in that context piece. Because a Lamborghini isn't a Ferrari, it has to be ridiculous. Exactly. What does everybody think? What's the best Lamborghini of them all? Hands up. You got any thoughts? What do you reckon? Diablo. The Diablo is the best of them all. That was pre-German. Yep. Right. Anyone over here got any thoughts on what they think? The what? Mura. The Mura. Yeah. Mura. And do you know something quite interesting here, guys?
They're all wrong. I thought that might be coming. Jeremy, we're back in Jeremy's democracy. This is the best Lamborghini of them all because what you've got here is you've got the kind of Germans building it, making sure that it actually comes out of the factory on time, but you've got Italian engine, Italian four-wheel drive, Italian styling, sprouty things coming out of the back. That for me is the perfect Lamborghini. It's the peak. And now sliding down a bit, let me put it this way. A picnic. Okay. If you went, you'd want the Germans to make the hamper so the handles don't fall off, but you'd want the Italians to make the food. Yes, that's what you get with that. It's a German Italian picnic where the Italians
have done what they're good at and the Germans have done what they're good at. With this, the Germans have done the food. All of that aside, the fact remains, how does the Gallardo do on the track? Now the Stig has already been out in the Merchant Lago, so he should have absolutely no trouble with its baby brother. Okay, Stig's ready and away he goes. Now Trent does look pretty wet, but of course the Gallardo has four-wheel drive, so it should be a match for the conditions. Let's see.
First corner coming up, slithering just a little bit. Oh, he has got some under steer actually there, but he's held it beautifully. Ah, inspired by what he knows as the music from the Cadbury's fruit and nut advert and round Chicago. Little wobble there. Yes, he's got the power down beautifully now. And he's coming into the hammerhead. Will this catch it out? Yes, it has caught it out, but he's held it well. Good job, Fresh Sting. And here we go. Gallardo has the optional flappy paddle gear shift, which is claimed to be faster on a track. The manual gearbox I drove earlier certainly
looks quick down there. Oh, and very quick through there. Now, amazingly over the first half of the lap, the Gallardo was quicker than the Porsche GT3's time. Also in the wet. Can it beat a 911 to the end? Can it? Oh, he's coming around. Gamborne absolutely beautifully online. You want to know how fast that was? Oh, yes. Go on. This is the GT3. Similar conditions. 1 minute 27.2. Now, we thought that was quick. It's a fabulous car. Yeah, very 127.2. This has just done it in 125.8.
EIGHT Now, next week, next week we have another two-seater four-wheel drive car. It is in fact a Toyota pickup truck, and what we do to it defies belief. Do please tune in. See you then. Good night.
