Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Series 5/Episode 6

Episode 6
Thumb 1Thumb 2Thumb 3Thumb 4 Jeremy Clarkson reviews some classic Golfs. Cheap Porsche Challenge board. Clarkson behind the wheel of a VW Golf. Paul Anderson's Porsche 928 prior to filming.
Prod. code	GFGA690F
No.	45 (since 2002), 607 (since 1977)
Runtime	59:36
Viewers	4.87 million
Prev ep.	Series 5, Episode 5
Next ep.	Series 5, Episode 7
Airdate	5th December, 2004 30th August, 2010
International Airdates 19th January, 2005 22nd January, 2005 22nd April, 2005 1st May, 2005 4th December, 2005 16th January, 2006 26th March, 2006 7th October, 2006 10th June, 2007 17th August, 2009 26th August, 2009 12th September, 2009 5th July, 2010 8th May, 2011 4th February, 2013 27th January, 2014 Dates may not be 100% accurate.

Series 5, Episode 6 of Top Gear aired on the 5th December, 2004. It was the sixth episode of [[Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Series 5|Series 5]]; the 45th episode of Top Gear since the show's 2002 reboot and the 607th episode overall, including compilations. It was the 598th episode since Top Gear entered national broadcasting in 1978, and was the 21st programme to air in 2004 out of a total 24. Series 5, Episode 6 was originally broadcast in 576i at a 16:9 Widescreen aspect ratio on British television channel BBC Two. The episode was presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, alongside The Stig. Cliff Richard was the Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car, in addition to blind army veteran and land speed record holder Billy Baxter also taking the Suzuki Liana around the track, with Clarkson as co-driver.

This episode is perhaps best-known for featuring Top Gear's second Cheap Car Challenge, the £1500 Porsche Challenge, where the three presenters were tasked with finding a used rear-wheel drive Porsche for £1,500 or less and completing a series of challenges with them.

Synopsis

As narrated by Jeremy Clarkson:

• How fast can a blind man get round our track?
• How much Porsche can you buy for 1500 quid?
• And Britain's most successful recording artist ever is in our Reasonably-Priced Car.

Series 5, Episode 6 begins with an unusually low, panning shot which switches from a floor-mounted TV displaying the Top Gear logo to a clearing in the audience, before stopping in front of a silver Volkswagen Golf GTI. Jeremy Clarkson then states how the car revolutionised the hot hatchback and how he voted for the Golf GTI in the Car of the Century poll held in 1999, before cutting to the episode's first film.

Volkswagen Golf GTI

^{Unabridged article: Volkswagen Golf GTI Film}
Clarkson briefly overviews the history of the GTI marque up to 2004, evaluating how the car's performance deteriorated to the point it was outmatched by a diesel saloon from the same automotive conglomerate. He then decides to drive the new model, to see if anything has changed. Much to Clarkson's delight, he is impressed by the new car's increased performance and claims that the car has regained the "puppy dog enthusiasm" that was missing in the previous model. He also complements the car's practicality and its unassuming appearance, meaning that it can serve equally well as a family runabout in addition to its hot hatch credentials. Jeremy recommends the car over 4x4s, which at this point were the dominant choice for family transport.

Back in the studio, Richard Hammond gives a brief overview of the Golf's rivals. Each of them were driven around the Top Gear Test Track by The Stig, and their lap times placed on a special, smaller lap time board for hot hatchbacks. The Golf GTI was then taken for a lap.

Position	Car	Time	Track Conditions
1	Honda Civic Type-R	1:32.8	Dry
2	SEAT Léon Cupra	1:32.9	Dry
3	Volkswagen Golf GTI	1:33.7	Dry
4	Renault Mégane Sport 225	1:34.0	Dry
5	MINI Cooper S Works	1:34.2	Dry

To the surprise of both hosts, the car fails to beat its older, rebadged brother (the SEAT Léon Cupra) and the aging Honda Civic Type-R. Hammond also notes that the Type-R is cheaper than the Golf, but Clarkson then remarks that Honda's brand image is not as highly regarded as that as Volkswagen's, and that on the whole, the Golf is the better package, deeming the car a "sensation". The camera then switches to James May, who begins reading out The News for that week.

The News

^{Unabridged article: The News (1st December, 2004)}
Continuing on from the theme of hot hatches, May opens The News by unveiling the upcoming hot hatch version of the then-new Vauxhall Astra, the VXR. Though initially impressed by the sub-£20,000 price tag and the promised output of 240 brake horsepower, Clarkson derides the interior's appearance as resembling the "inside of a man's wash bag". Richard Hammond then talks about how DaimlerChrysler CEO Jürgen E. Schrempp had his armour-plated Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousine worth £500,000 stolen in 20 minutes during a meeting in Stuttgart, before Jeremy Clarkson follows this up by mentioning that ex-KGB operatives have apparently been stealing German car industry secrets during constant system breaches that they have been powerless to stop. Clarkson then proceeds to praise Vauxhall's announcement of a new Tigra powered by a 1.3 litre diesel engine, much to the bemusement of his co-hosts, before May diverts the conversation that the New Economics Foundation wishes to impose health warnings on 4x4s, similar to cigarettes. This, along with the prediction that by 2020 the 4x4 will become the world's third biggest killer, greatly annoys Clarkson. Lastly, Hammond shows the audience the Lada Kalina, the company's first true attempt at competing with contemporary brands, albeit against the Fiat Brava and Toyota Starlet, two cars which were out of production by 2004.

£1,500 Porsche Challenge, Part 1

^{Unabridged article: £1,500 Porsche Challenge}
Recently, the producers gave the three hosts £1,500. They were then instructed to purchase a Porsche with the money that they were given. Once they had done this, they were to meet up in London's Exchange Square to see which of the trio had got the best deal. Hammond was the first to arrive, paying just £750 for his 1981 Porsche 924. May was next, with his 944, before Clarkson arrived in a V8-powered 928. Each of the trio complement and disparage each other's choices, before being handed a challenge envelope; veteran cars can go from London to Brighton, but can they? The distance is 70 miles, and predictably, it isn't long before Clarkson's 928 overheats for the first time. Springing various leaks, the car has 15 litres of water dumped into the engine bay before it sets off again, with James having to pull over after just 2 more miles due to a puncture. As May's tyre is repaired, Clarkson's 928 begins to leak fuel. After six hours, the cars are still in South London, and as May's windscreen trim peels off, Clarkson's coolant warning light comes on, forcing the trio to stop again. Another hour later, they are finally on the motorway, where the cars begin to find their feet. The only car which has yet to have a fault at this point is Hammond's 924, and after another hour, the pair of Hammond and May make it to Brighton Pier, where they are handed the second challenge.

This subsequent envelope stipulates that the trio are to modify their cars using the money left over from their initial purchase. Clarkson eventually arrives at sundown on the back of an AA lorry, where he is briefed on the task at hand only to be dismayed once he realises he's spent his entire budget on his car. Back in the studio, Hammond allocates points based on their performance thus far, before Clarkson introduces the episode's guest star.

Reception

FinalGear

On FinalGear, Series 5, Episode 6 was critically acclaimed, placing sixth in the FinalGear Best Episode Poll held from 2004 - 2006 to determine the best episodes of Top Gear at the time. The episode received 8 of the 231 votes cast.

Topgearbox Poll

In September 2015, Series 5, Episode 6 would be voted as the 94th greatest Top Gear episode of all time. According to Sean McKellar, the episode features "the ultimate cheap car challenge" and is a must-see episode.

Further reading

This article is intended serve as a basic summation of all the content depicted within Series 5, Episode 6, and deliberately omits or abridges certain details in order to ease reading comprehension and reduce overall page length.
For a fully detailed, in-depth analysis of this episode, please visit Top Gear (2002 TV series)/Series 5/Episode 6/Unabridged.