- [engines roaring]
- [upbeat rock music]
[tires screeching]
[music ends]
- [classic Hollywood score]
- [revving]
[Tom] Hello and welcome.
This is my Alfa Romeo.
It's a 1970 GT 1300 Junior
and I'm driving it because, well,
it's good to air out the mustiness,
but also because I want
to talk about restomods.
Restomods are a big thing right now.
They're classic cars
that have been expertly restored
and then modified to be better
than they were the first time around.
But that term, restomods,
is kind of broad, you see?
Technically,
this unreliable heap of treachery
is a restomod
because I restored it
to fix all of the rust--
okay, some of the rust,
and I modified it
by adding a bit more power
and some new suspension.
But I did it on a budget of...
almost nothing.
- [intriguing music]
- So, that begs the question,
what would this car look like
if you restomodded it
on a limitless budget?
[engine revving]
[intriguing music continues]
And in the misty mountains of Italy,
I might have just found the answer.
From Italian restomodders
Totem Automobili
comes their latest creation,
the GT Super.
And it's been restomodded to the tune
of £565,000.
- [music fades]
- So, it'd better be good.
The GT Super is less restoration,
more recomposition.
You see,
they've actually rebuilt the car
from the ground up
out of carbon fibre,
and the craftsmanship is astonishing.
Take this door, for example.
I know it looks like it has
three different materials on it,
but everything,
including the window trim,
is actually one continual piece
of carbon fibre from bottom to top.
But what else do you get for your money?
[whoosh]
Well, I think it has the nicest interior
I've ever seen.
You see, the original Giulia GT interior
was pretty, but, uh, crap.
This has all the same beats
as that interior,
but instead of being made
out of sweaty vinyl and Bakelite,
it's made out of sumptuous leathers,
houndstooth upholstery,
milled aluminum parts.
- [momentous music]
- It's absolutely exquisite.
[engine revs]
And it's just as beautiful
under the hood,
right down
to the leather-lined strut brace.
Most importantly though,
the old 100-horsepower four cylinder
is gone,
replaced by an all-new,
all-Italian engine
- packing a lot more punch.
- [music builds]
[revving]
- [throbbing techno]
- [tires screech]
This one has a 2.8-litre,
twin-turbo V6...
making 631 brake horsepower.
It'll do zero to 60
in just over three seconds.
My car won't do zero to 60
without breaking down.
- [tires screeching]
- Oh, Jesus Christ almighty!
Oh h* h*!
It-- it feels like my car,
but it's just like every knob
has been turned to 11.
It's good.
It's really good.
But it's not without its drawbacks.
Even though
they rebuilt the original car
out of carbon fibre,
it somehow weighs more
than the original.
I think it has something to do
with the fact
that this car was originally designed
to be an EV
and it shares a chassis
with the EV version,
so there's extra bulk there.
- [engine purring]
- And the other thing is the sound.
A turbo-charged engine for me
is not what a car like this should have,
but I think
they needed to turbocharge it
because it weighs so much,
but I want a car like this to bark,
to snarl, to scream!
And the sound just isn't there.
But you know what?
The more I drive it...
[revving]
[tires screeching]
...the less I care.
[music ends]
[intriguing piano score]
For me, the original GT is one
of the prettiest cars ever made.
It's why I bought one.
It's impossible to improve on it,
insulting even.
But somehow, Totem have pulled it off.
- [music fades]
- This is a cover song
that's better than the original.
This is "All Along the Watchtower"
by Jimi Hendrix.
Honestly, if you want
to treat yourself to a restomod,
I'm not sure
you can do better than this.
[distant tires screeching]
["Song 2" by Blur playing]
You absolutely can!
[laughing]
[revving]
This is the Prodrive P25,
a ferocious gargoyle
of a restomod!
Four-hundred-and-fifty brake horsepower
of 1990s-rally raucousness
brought through into the present day.
It's got me by my underwear
and it's giving me a brutal wedgie!
Back in the day,
British race outfit Prodrive
ran Subaru's World Rally team,
powering drivers like my childhood hero,
Colin McRae,
to victory after victory.
[revving]
And this car is Prodrive's homage
to its very own
1997 championship-winning
Subaru Impreza.
Prodrive have taken
the unfiltered spirit
of that race-winning machine
and they've funnelled it
into a road car.
[music continues]
It feels totally analogue.
No ABS.
No traction control.
Just me and the machine.
[tires screeching]
[Francis laughing]
[music ends]
[pulsing electronic music]
And what makes this machine so unique?
Well, Prodrive took
the standard Impreza,
stripped it to its bare bones
and rebuilt it from the ground up
with a new carbon-fibre body.
But that's not all.
The snarling flat-four engine
has been uprated
with beefier internals
and a large turbo.
Rally-grade four-wheel drive
has been fitted,
and to top it off...
- [engine juddering]
- ...a little party trick
from its rallying roots.
[intense sting]
Just like the proper rally car,
the P25 is fitted with anti-lag.
- I hold this button down...
- [rapid juddering]
[intense music]
This gives me instant boost!
And as if it didn't go like sh*t
off a shovel at the beginning...
[revving intensifies]
Woah!
Christ almighty!
Anti-lag spits fuel into the exhaust
to keep the turbos
spinning off throttle,
ensuring its ready to go
as soon as you're back on the power.
It's anti-social,
but it's absolutely brilliant!
[music fades]
[intense sting]
[Tom] Okay...
[laughing]
Oh, you can just tell
that he loves this thing.
- [Tom clears throat]
- [engine shuts off]
Is it Colin McRae?
Is it Richard Burns?
- No, it's Francis Bourgeois.
- [Francis laughs]
What is this?
[Francis] The Prodrive P25.
It looks like a '90s Subaru.
- This is a restomod.
- Uh, it is.
A restomod through and through.
All right, how much does it cost?
Uh, £550,000.
£550,000?
Think of the R&D, right?
Horsepower?
Uh, 450 brake horsepower.
Six hundred and thirty-one.
Okay, uh, how much?
£565,000.
Okay, so, it's the going rate
for restomods.
- So...
- Look at this thing! Look at it!
- It's beautiful!
- So, where's the--
Where's the Giulia GT? Like, wh--
- Where's the original car?
- It's the essences.
It's the essence that's there, you know?
This-- and that little bit right there,
that's from the original car. See that?
[Francis] That's the only thing
from the original car?
- Yes.
- Everything else has been fabricated?
Yes.
So, it's a new car.
- Yeah.
- It's not a restomod.
Only literally.
Francis, look at how pretty it is.
Look at it.
- [Francis] Right, Thomas.
- Yeah?
- Just to demonstrate, right?
- Yeah.
- Where all of this money has gone...
- Yeah.
I think the best way is...
- ...catch me.
- [upbeat rock music]
Okay.
[revving]
[tires screech]
All right, here we go!
[Francis] Anti-lag is activated!
I can see him in my mirrors!
He doesn't have the same traction I do.
[laughing]
[Tom] Come on!
Come on, little Totem!
[groan]
I have a bit of a problem here.
There's engine modes,
and I've got it
in the most aggressive mode,
but when you have it in that mode,
there's no traction control.
[engines revving]
I just can't get the power down!
[laugh]
Dammit!
[laughing]
[Francis] I'm losing Thomas
in the corners, that's for sure!
Coming onto the straight,
I think his 630 brake horsepower
might end up catching me.
[grunting]
[Tom groans]
[Tom] Stupid, little Subaru, Francis!
[Francis] Right, I feel like
I'm ruining Thomas's fun a little bit.
I'm quite keen
to see that Totem from behind.
[Tom] I'm catching him!
That felt like he's let me pass.
Yeah!
[laughter]
[Tom] Oh, he's being too nice.
All right, buddy.
Watch this.
- [music continues]
- [tires screeching]
[Francis] Oh, yes, Thomas!
[laughing]
Yes, Thomas!
- [music fades]
- [laughing]
That's what happens
when you let Thomas in front.
- [laughter]
- [engine shuts off]
Perhaps chasing each other
in £1 million-worth of machinery
wasn't the smartest way
to find out who had the best car.
- [tense music]
- [engines idling]
So, we decided to settle this
the old-fashioned way.
Okay, so, a quarter-mile drag race
between the ultimate 1990s restomod
and, uh...
...a new car
pretending to be a '70s Alfa.
Francis, you see that flag
that guy's holding right there?
Remember where you are, son.
[laughing]
Okay, here we go.
[engine roaring]
Okay.
Launch-control, activated.
[juddering]
Oh, my God!
[music cuts]
[tense sting]
- [engines revving]
- [garage-rock music]
Woah!
[engine juddering]
[Tom] Aw, I'm losing!
I'm spittin' flames!
[Francis] I've left him!
[laughing]
Unbelievable!
I just got... destroyed.
[Francis radio] Sorry, Thomas,
I didn't see you. At all.
- [music ends]
- So, what's your excuse, Thomas?
Not enough power? Not enough traction?
Too much flamboyance.
Too much passion, too much soul.
[laughter]
My Lord, this thing is quick,
really, really quick.
That thing left it for dead.
What a car.
[momentous score]
Thankfully for me,
restomods are about more
than just quarter-mile times.
Both of these cars
show what's possible
when restomodding is done
with limitless funds.
But no matter what end
of the restomodding budget
you find yourself on,
I think they're actually less
about what you put into them...
...and they're more about
what you get out of them.
- [intense revving]
- Oh h* h*! Yeah!
[music fades]
[click]
[sounds of distant traffic]
[Francis] After we returned
from our Italian adventure,
the three of us regrouped
at a local cinema...
[Tom] Absolute moron.
[Francis] ...for a special viewing
of an all-time classic.
[Jeremy] This, as you know,
is built for strength,
so we've got to find out
how tough it is.
[tense music]
There it is.
[music ends]
It should not have survived that.
That's crazy.
So, here's what--
here's what I'm thinking.
What's the toughest car ever made?
It is still working!
- It's Toyota Hilux.
- Yeah.
Jeremy Clarkson just showed you that.
It's a pick-up.
I'm talking about a normal-shaped car.
- [James] Right.
- [Francis] Like a saloon or estate.
[Tom] I see. I mean, it makes sense
because if somebody wants
to buy a car that lasts forever
and never die,
they don't want to drive around
in a pick-up truck every day.
- They probably just want a normal car.
- [James] Yep.
But would it be a modern car?
- No.
- It wouldn't, would it?
- No, it just wouldn't be modern.
- They're built to cost.
They also have way too many electronics
and screens.
Yeah, not a chance.
So, you've got to go back in time.
Yeah.
- But how far?
- Nineties.
- Yeah, it's gonna be the '90s.
- Nineties?
Before the electronics
became too complicated.
- And the accountants got involved.
- Yes.
[Tom] All right, listen.
We'll each go away.
We'll pick a contender.
Battle to the death.
Cars only.
- I'm in.
- All right.
Fine.
Game on.
I think the tracking's out.
- [Rich] Yeah.
- [studio audience laughs]
[intriguing music]
[James] After a week
of scouring the classifieds,
we each purchased what we believed
to be the toughest car in the world.
And met here,
the harshest testing facility
known to man...
[hawk cries]
[music cuts]
- Wales.
- [sheep bleating]
[tense electronic music]
[Francis] Here we are.
[laughs]
- [Tom] I'm excited.
- [James] Ooh!
All right, shall I go first?
- [Tom and James] Yes, please.
- Right.
- Ready?
- [Tom] Yeah.
- [music cuts]
- [laughter]
Hang on.
[James] That is a brown car.
- Let me help you here.
- Yeah.
Look at this!
[Francis] The Lexus LS400,
the car that established
Lexus's luxurious,
durable prestige.
Oh, wow, it's really brown!
[Tom] Oh, my God!
Francis, why is it so brown?
Brown on brown.
- On brown.
- On brown.
[Tom laughing]
You matched your car!
I'm-- I'm embodying
the average Lexus LS400 owner.
You know they spent $1 billion
on the development of this car?
And look, I mean, it's not a looker,
but then when you look
at the shut lines of the car,
the panel gaps
are exactly the same width.
No, this is a famously well-built Lexus.
The thing about your car, Francis,
is that it's a little...
...I mean, complex.
Can I present to you...
[clears throat]
...a brick with three moving parts?
- [laughter]
- Oh, my God!
Why is it so blue?
I think it was repainted at one point.
This is a 1993 Volvo 240,
the original, invincible brick.
This car literally changed the game
for the whole world.
This was the car they actually used
for 1970s US crash regulations,
as like, "This is how good
the cars should be made"
because it was safe
and strong and well built.
[Francis]
The one car I would like to be hit by
is probably one of these.
- [laughter]
- That makes it sound gentle.
[Tom] It is gentle. It's only got,
like, a 120-something horsepower,
naturally aspirated four cylinder.
Oh, that's weak.
No, no, it's...
incredible understressed.
They thought of everything to make sure
that this was not
a disposable commodity.
This is a car
that's just gonna work forever.
[Francis] They've designed it
so if a belt were to break,
you wouldn't have any interference
between the valve and the piston.
- It's a non-interference engine.
- [Francis] Exactly.
[James] Let me show you something that
has absolutely no problem interfering.
Okay, what does that mean?
- [Francis] Am I seeing a bull bar?
- [Tom] Yeah, you are.
It's not. It's more of a nudge bar.
- But yes.
- [Tom] Wait a second.
Okay, this is a Ford Crown Victoria.
- Hang on.
- [James] One second!
[Tom] This is a Ford Crown Victoria,
but this, James--
this is the Police Interceptor spec.
You bet it is.
This has been reinforced.
[James] It has some suspension upgrades.
It can withstand a 75-mph crash.
The panels, galvanized steel
to prevent corrosion.
You could buy these used. The p--
The Interceptor thing
does not disqualify it.
All you've done is advertise
how much of a brilliant choice it is.
[siren blaring]
- [siren off]
- Sorry.
[James] You know what?
If you even begin to suggest
that this is an incorrect choice,
you are also suggesting
that the US police are capable of error.
[laughing]
Okay!
- [bleating]
- [upbeat rock music]
[James] Introductions over,
we headed towards the first
of many indestructibility tests,
each of us convinced
our cars had what it took to survive.
[Tom] The Volvo 240
is a very important car to me
- because I grew up in Volvos.
- [music fades]
My grandparents drove Volvos.
My parents drove Volvos.
I was brought home from the hospital
in a Volvo 240.
The engine in this car
is incredibly well engineered,
but the Volvo engineers
weren't satisfied
that they made it well enough,
so to test it,
they put a whole bunch of them
on engine dynos
and ran them at full throttle
for 500 hours.
That's the equivalent
of driving around the Equator
at 100 miles an hour.
Twice.
[upbeat rock music]
[James] The Crown Vic is a strong b*stard
that was built to last.
There's plenty of examples
that have reached
over a million miles.
This is a car built
on a ladder-frame chassis.
They don't make cars
on ladder-frame chassis anymore.
They only make trucks
and SUVs and lorries
because it's not really
efficient anymore.
It's too heavy,
but what it is is incredibly strong.
I and you have probably spent more time
exposed to Crown Vics
than any other car
through the medium of film and TV.
I googled how many movies
the Crown Vic's been in,
and the answer was all of them,
including Moana.
[grungy rock music]
[Francis] So, why did I pick this car?
One thousand four hundred engineers
were tasked
with creating the best car possible.
They needed to establish Lexus
as a new brand
for luxury, durability and...
a bit of fun?
My engineering inspiration
drove one of these cars.
It was my great-great-uncle Alex.
He was a suspension designer
and his designs found themselves
in over 10 million vehicles,
and when he drove this car,
- he said these exact words...
- [music cuts]
"It's a very fine car."
[grungy rock continues]
[Tom] I don't like damaging cars,
but there's a purpose to this.
There's a reason we're doing this
and I hope what it does
is inspire manufacturers
to make cars really well once more
because it's better
when they last forever.
It's better for the consumer.
It's better for the environment.
[siren chirping]
[Francis] It seems
like James is actually embodying
an American police officer.
- [smack]
- [Tom groans]
Oh, whoops.
[intriguing music]
[James] The first survival test
for our cars
would be to find out
how tough their suspension is,
and Thomas and I
had taken charge of devising it,
convinced our thinking
would impress the engineer in Francis.
[music stops]
[Francis] Why is there a container
hanging in the air?
[chuckle]
Oh, yes!
[Francis] Thomas and James, what's this?
[tense music]
[chuckle]
[James] That is
our imaginations manifested in real life
and it is glorious.
That is better
than I even thought it was gonna be.
[Tom] Dude, I'm very excited.
You know, this is great.
Just trust me. Listen,
we're gonna put our cars on the edge
of that giant orange blob-thing,
drop the shipping container
on one end of the blob,
cars go way up in the air,
land on their wheels,
test suspension.
[Francis] How do you expect our cars
to even be driveable after that?
Have you done any CFD modelling
on the inflation of the bag
as the container drops?
Have you considered
how high the container is?
- How heavy the container is?
- Don't know what the CFD is.
Have you done any SUVAT equations
on the trajectory...
[James] To prove to Francis
that our test was scientifically valid,
we decided to show him a demonstration
with a lab rat.
[tense music continues]
- [Tom] It's a Tesla.
- [James] Yeah!
[Tom]
Yeah, they're super cheap these days.
I wonder why that is.
[James] Yeah, they are quite available,
aren't they?
[Tom] Yeah, all of the sudden.
Up in the air, on its suspension.
Perfect test.
- [music cuts]
- Three, two...
one... release!
[click]
[all shout]
[clattering]
[whoosh]
[thud, smack]
What did I say?
[tense music continues]
[Francis] At this point, I took charge
and, using actual logic,
set up a slightly
more considered experiment.
So, Francis, what are we looking at?
[Francis] This is the suspension test.
It's massive!
[dark sting]
[Francis]
This course of juddering punishment
was a British B road from hell,
including a pothole simulator,
misplaced kerb stones,
dodgy central-reservation barriers
and the log road.
And to ensure
we didn't just tiptoe
through the course,
we would be against the clock
with our cars having
to complete five miles
in 15 minutes.
- [dark sting]
- [music stops]
[radio]
Right, guys. I'm going to go first.
- [dark rock music]
- We just have to survive.
Let's do it.
This is where the Interceptor part
of the Crown Vic
should do well for me.
I've got 20-mm-higher ride height,
I've got heavy-duty springs.
Here we go!
[music builds]
[starter horn blares]
Right!
Oh!
[laughter]
- [thud]
- Oh, God!
- [starter horn blares]
- [engine revs]
[Tom]
Come on, Volvo. You can do it.
[grunt]
- [starter horn blares]
- [James] I'm gonna protect
and serve my way through this!
This is an off-road police chase here.
Woah!
[grunt]
[Francis] The first obstacle,
some kerb stones.
[groaning]
Oh! Goodness me!
[Francis] That did not sound nice.
[Tom] Modern cars,
the suspension in them
is designed... Oh, sh*t!
Oh!
...by computers.
Ugh, good Lord!
Back when this was made,
they didn't have that.
They had to overbuild everything,
which is why these cars
are able to do this.
- [smack]
- Oh!
These poor cars!
What they're gonna have
to go through here...
[James] Oh, these look scary.
[grunt]
Oh, yeah...
That 20-mm-higher ride height
is paying dividends.
[Francis]
Oh!
Now onto some upturned wheels.
Ugh! Goodness me!
Ooh...
[rubber screeching]
Rubber-on-rubber action.
Come on!
[rock music continues]
[Tom] By the midway point,
our suspension
- was taking a beating.
- [clattering]
[Francis] Crikey!
[Tom] And whether we'd make it
to the end
remained to be seen.
Ooh...
[groaning]
[James groaning]
[Francis] The double-wishbone suspension
has dealt with this amazingly well.
Oh, crikey!
[screeching]
Come on, Lexus!
Ooh! Haha!
Come on, Lexus!
- Oh!
- [music ends]
I've crashed off the edge.
- [tires whirring]
- [radio] I'm gonna need a hand here.
[Tom] I'm coming, Francis!
[Francis] Ooh! This is very daunting!
This is extremely daunting!
- [smack]
- [Francis laughs]
[radio] For that, Thomas, I must say
well played.
[rock music continues]
[voiceover]
Falling behind after my log saga,
I needed to speed up
to hit the target of five miles
in 15 minutes,
so I encouraged James
to hurry up.
- [smack]
- Ooh!
[radio] Take it with a bit more speed,
James, come on.
You're a criminal!
[Tom laughing]
What is happening over there?
And with that, the mighty Swedish brick
was the first to complete the course.
[music fades]
I tried to do a handbrake turn
to a stop there, but, uh...
that-- that didn't work.
[James] The Crown Victoria Interceptor
what a car!
[Tom] Oh! Oh!
[laughing]
[James] I don't like
that Thomas is laughing.
[Tom] You have de-beaded a tire.
- [James] No!
- [Tom] Yeah, you have!
[James]
I thought that was a smooth drift
- at the end.
- Nope!
- [James] That's an easy fix.
- [Tom] Is it?
- [James] Your indicator's hanging down.
- That's cosmetic.
Oh, my God!
[James] Oh, my.
[Tom] It's a suspension test!
[James] He went rogue.
[James] Francis, don't say a word.
[Francis] James, I'm really sorry.
- I got really excited and...
- [laughter]
You clearly saw red.
[James] Have you noticed
how little damage
your impact did to the rear of my car?
- What?
- [all laugh]
What I'm seeing across all three
of our cars
is that the suspension,
- before measuring...
- Yes.
...has performed incredibly well
- all things considered.
- 100%.
I don't think we even need to measure.
They're tough cookies here.
- [Tom] Yeah.
- [ethereal music]
[Francis]
With our cars still operational,
we moved
onto the interior-durability test...
- [music cuts]
- [tense sting]
...a washing machine for cars.
[tense music]
Strapped to a rotating rig...
[Tom]
Bowling ball with spikes in it.
[grunt]
[Francis]
...our cars would now be filled
with everyday, heavy,
abrasive and serrated items.
You know the Lexus LS400
went through 500 different
interior-quality tests.
- [Tom] Golf ba*ls.
- Before it even left
the production line.
[Tom] With the cars loaded up
with essentially a lifetime
of family holidays...
Couple of bricks.
[Francis] C-- careful.
[dark sting]
[Tom]
...it was time to test the durability
of our dashboards, seats and switches.
[music builds]
- Ready?
- I am.
- [click]
- [whirring]
[groans]
Oh...
- [smack]
- That was a big pickaxe drop.
- [siren blares]
- [all shout]
Yeah, you tell 'em, Crown Vic!
[loud smack]
- Oh!
- That was a big impact.
- [music fades]
- [Francis] Let's have a look.
[clattering]
[Francis laughs]
- Did the brick break the bricks?
- [intriguing music]
[Tom]
With all three cars emptied,
the question was,
how had they held up to the as*ault?
[ignition fires]
- On the button. On the button.
- Look at that.
[James] This whole centre console
looks good.
Let's just see the radio.
[whirring]
[laughing]
- [James] That's still good.
- [Francis] Still good.
The aerial coming up is very sad.
[laughter]
A little bit of plastic
that's come off here,
but really you've done well here,
Francis.
[Tom] Yeah, honestly,
I'm seriously impressed.
- Should we have a look at the Volvo?
- [Tom] Yes.
[Francis] Yeah.
[James] Okay, first impressions.
Upholstery, totally intact.
[James] Some holes in the roof liner.
- [Tom] Holes in the roof liner.
- [James] This is gone, whatever it was.
- Indicators?
- [ignition fires]
- [revving]
- [James] Where's your volume knob?
Volume knob's gone,
but hey, it still works!
Volume knob still works.
[James] Glove box doesn't close,
Francis.
[Tom] Head liner,
glove box, volume knob. Okay.
Is...
is that an old Volvo sweet
that's been unearthed?
[James] Wanna see
some Crown Vic goodness?
- [door alarm dings]
- [ignition fires]
That sounds good.
[clicking]
[Francis] Do your sirens not work?
[James]
I have currently lost my sirens.
What about my police lights?
Are they working?
[Francis]
I think it's just disconnected.
[Tom] I truly would never
have believed this.
- Yeah, that's...
- Like, after seeing the stuff
that was in the cars,
they're not damaged.
They're just dirty.
[Francis] If we had done this
to a modern 7 Series...
Well, the whole car would be inoperable.
It would be a write-off.
A hundred percent,
it would be a write-off.
You wouldn't be able to do anything.
That's why physical toggle switches
are the way to go.
If you put everything
in a stupid screen,
one brick, you never know...
Car's just totally useless.
I'm really impressed.
- Onto the next?
- [Tom] Let's go.
[upbeat rock music]
[James]
As we drove to our next test,
we marvelled
at just how well
our cars were coping.
[Francis] This, from the get-go,
has maintained its Japanese loveliness.
The wood trim made
by Yamaha's piano department
has just taken very slight grazes
from the pickaxes on its varnish.
It looks like a b*mb's gone off in here,
but that's just loosened
a few things up.
That's superficial damage.
The car itself, it's working just fine.
[Tom] You've always heard
of the 240 as well made,
- but it's kinda hard to believe...
- [revving]
...until you see it with your own eyes.
[tense music]
[Francis] Next up,
it was time to put our bodywork
to the test.
Our battle-hardened cars
would face a firing squad
of cricket-ball bowling machines...
[machine reeling]
...whose 95-mph arsenal
would simulate
a biblical-level hailstorm.
And to show we had courage
in our convictions,
we put ourselves
- in the firing line too.
- [music fades]
[airhorn blares]
- [blast]
- Oh, sh*t!
[blasts]
[grunt]
Ooh!
Jesus Christ!
- [laughing]
- [machine reeling]
- [groans]
- [reeling]
I'm getting out of here!
Yeah, no, screw that.
Yeah, me too.
[crunching]
[grunts]
Stupid...
- [suspenseful music]
- [blasts]
Getting behind these guys.
They use you as a shield.
[blasts]
- [smack]
- sh*t!
- [crunch]
- [grunt]
[James] Okay, I'm safer here.
I'm gonna duck down
and pretend nothing's wrong.
You're supposed to protect!
- No!
- [smack]
- Oh!
- [airhorn blares]
[music fades]
[Francis] Many dented panels
and smashed windows later,
it was time to review the aftermath.
[dark sting]
[Tom] Back-left body panel.
A little... That's fine.
Don't need to count that.
I'm gonna count this wing though,
here, as...
[Tom] Hold on, that looks fixable to me.
That's just gone the wrong way.
- Lexus?
- [Francis] Yes.
[Tom]
It actually doesn't look much different.
[Francis] The good thing
is I didn't receive any cricket ba*ls
- through here.
- [Tom laughing] Yeah!
[Francis]
Wing mirror's gone on the left.
[James]
There does seem to be a wing mirror...
- [Tom laughs]
- ...in jeopardy there.
- [Tom] Should we look at James's car?
- [Francis] Yep.
Even the spotlight stayed intact,
dodging b*ll*ts.
Yeah, a couple of lights out,
the windscreen took a few hits,
we're good.
I will say all three of these cars
are turning out to be as durable
as we thought.
- They're all still in the game.
- [James] Mhm.
- Just cosmetically challenged.
- [intriguing music]
[Tom] With the suspension, interior
and exterior on all the cars
having survived immense punishment
with ease,
it was now time to test our engines.
[engine revving]
With throttles pinned,
our cars would sit on the red line
until the first engine blew up.
Our engines were legendary
for reliability,
so we settled in for the long haul.
- [music fades]
- [engines revving]
[revving fades]
[revving continues]
[revving fades]
[engine throbbing]
[revolutions decelerate]
Uh-oh! Uh-oh!
- Oh, f*ck!
- [Tom] sh*t!
[engine shuts off]
[revving stops]
- You've blown a head gasket.
- [Tom] I may have blown a head gasket.
It's a Volvo though.
Just give it a few minutes. Cool down.
Then it'll run again.
[clears throat]
It was just a little bit of oil.
It's fine.
[engine turns over]
[ignition fires]
Oh!
[laughing]
[Tom coughs]
Yeah, that-- that still counts
as running, I'm sorry.
[engine revving]
That does count.
- No problem.
- [intriguing music]
- Good to go!
- [intense revving]
[James] With the Volvo's head gasket
seemingly intact,
all three cars were still in the game.
So I thought I'd up the ante
to find ourselves a champion.
Welcome to the ultimate...
durability test.
- [tense sting]
- [music fades]
One rule:
as long as it can start at the bottom,
it's still alive.
- Okay.
- Okay.
[suspenseful music]
[James] Three...
two, one...
- [music builds]
- Go!
[grunt]
There goes the Volvo!
[smack]
[shouts]
[Francis] Lexus!
[Tom] Oh, my Lord!
[Francis] Volvo's going dead straight.
Ah!
No!
- [James] No way!
- [Tom] Oh, my God!
[crunch]
- [groans]
- [music fades]
[sheep bleating]
[wiper squeaks]
- [James sighs]
- Ooh, James.
It's not looking good.
- That's not looking good.
- [James] Oh, no.
Look how it's deformed on the roof line.
[James] Yeah.
- Should we try and start it?
- [Tom] Yeah.
It's a weird angle. Ready?
- Yep.
- Yeah.
[engine turns over]
[ignition slowly catching]
Come on! Ignite!
- Give it some throttle.
- No!
- [ignition fires]
- [Francis] Oh, my God!
- [laughter]
- That is a running Crown Vic!
Oh, my God!
- Victory!
- [laughter]
[Tom] Wow!
- [Francis] That's incredible!
- I would never have believed that.
Okay, one out of three.
- [tense music]
- [Francis] Next up, the Volvo.
[Tom] It's not looking good.
I'm pretty sure
it just did a front-end impact
from the air on that road.
[music fades]
[crunch]
That engine is no longer in the position
it used to be in.
- [Francis] Has it been pushed way back?
- Yeah.
[grunting]
How does it feel in there
compared to before?
Well,
- the clutch is in a different spot.
- [Francis laughs]
Okay, ready?
- [Francis] Hang on.
- [Tom sharp exhale]
- Neutral still exists.
- [engine turns over]
- [ignition fires]
- No!
- [James] Oh, my God!
- [laughter]
- Oh, my God!
- No way!
Holy sh*t!
- How!
- [Francis] No!
The-- the engine isn't even
in the same spot!
- [James] I can't believe that.
- [engine revving]
- [Tom] Yes!
- Two for two.
[James] Okay, we have to know
about this Lexus now.
As I saw it,
the Lexus hit that bump up there...
- [tense music]
- ...carried some air,
- and immediately...
- [James groans]
[crunch]
[music fades]
[Tom] It took a really big hit
on the front, Francis.
[James grunt]
I would say that this
is almost worse than the Volvo.
Yeah, that-- Now that I'm standing here,
that engine is, like...
...higher and further back.
Let's do it.
[James] I can't even see him anymore.
It's just brown on brown
on brown on brown.
[sharp exhale]
Come on, Lexus.
I believe in you.
- [ignition clicks]
- [gasp]
We have dash lights.
I just had a palpitation.
[Tom laughs]
[engine turning over]
- [sputtering]
- Come on!
Come on, Lexus!
- [sputtering]
- Come on!
- Come on!
- Come on!
Come on!
Come on, Lexus!
[Tom] Come on!
[engine turning over]
[ignition fires]
- Is it running?
- That's on!
- That's a running engine!
- That's on.
- Oh! That's running!
- That's a running engine!
- [laughter]
- We did it.
It's smoking, but it's running!
It's idling!
[snap]
Oh, the-- the fan's trying to spin.
[inspiring music]
Can we agree that all of our cars
have started and are working?
- Yes.
- All of our cars
are absolute legends.
[Tom]
Even though all three cars had started,
we had no expectation
that any of them
would actually ever move.
- [music continues]
- [engines revving]
[laughing]
How?
It refuses to die!
It's got such a heart, this car.
[chuckling]
It really does!
[James] It's a miracle.
This car had the right to remain silent.
And it decided not to.
This is a good day for the Crown Vic.
[Francis] As for the Lexus,
- that was still going too.
- [music fades]
Sort of.
The Lexus, unfortunately,
- hasn't fared so well.
- [momentous music]
As soon as the LS400
hit that mound of dirt,
the engine and the transmission
where it connects with the prop shaft
just went...
[blows raspberry]
[James] But with two of our machines
refusing to die,
we still needed
to find an outright winner.
So, we went to a specialist workshop
run by a man with extensive knowledge...
Oh, hey, Francis!
[music fades]
...of crashing cars.
You all right, lads?
- Good to see you.
- Nice to see you.
- [James] How you doing, Rich?
- Nice to see you.
- How's it going?
- Well, it's going better than that.
- Um...
- [Tom] We need your help.
- [Rich] Right.
- [Tom] Okay.
We're trying to figure out
what the most durable car ever made is.
- The Lexus LS400 is out.
- Bent prop shaft.
- It's worse than these?
- It's-- yes, somehow.
So, these two are the two
- you need to decide between?
- [Tom] Yep.
Okay, well, let's-- let's get them
on the ramp and have a look
and see if we can visually judge
which of these...
It seems odd saying "winner"
looking at either of them, doesn't it?
No, it's the least loser.
[Rich] It doesn't--
that doesn't scream "winner",
but neither does that.
[Tom grunting]
Have you seen some
of the stuff we've done?
Um, yeah, I saw the thing
you did in America.
- I liked it.
- Thank you.
- Did you see the bit where the...
- No.
- [imitates whooshing]
- I didn't see that.
- It-- you didn't? Not that bit.
- No, sorry.
[James]
With the Crown Vic up on the lift...
Oh, it's brand new!
...Richard went to work.
Right, let's be sensible about this
- and start at this end of it.
- Ah!
[Tom] He's got a whole thing.
- How are you rating it?
- With pen.
But by what metric?
[tense music]
[James] Having thoroughly inspected
the Crown Vic and the Volvo,
Richard then gave his verdict
on both cars.
[music fades]
Yeah.
- I agree. I agree.
- [James] Hm.
There is a stage
worse than that, isn't there?
- We've left room?
- Yeah, yeah. A "totally".
- "Totally".
- F'ing f'ed.
- [James] Yes.
- Thank you, well done.
The top is completely...
- That.
- Yes.
- But it's reasonable underneath.
- [Francis] Mhm.
[Rich] So, in terms of functionality,
durability,
that's actually quite good.
- Right.
- [Rich] That's like...
a really knackered little, old man
running a marathon really fast.
- Right.
- D'you know what I mean?
On the surface...
[blows raspberry]
Underneath, yeah!
It can still get an erection.
- I'm gonna look at the other cars.
- Yeah.
We need to have another look.
[James]
Still unable to pick a winner,
Richard then changed tack
and called on his vast past experience
to suggest another way.
[stirring music]
I've faced pretty much
this exact situation many times,
two remaining... contenders.
- Yes.
- And you can't...
The only alternative
to resolve this deadlock
is we and these cars must return
to the crucible of motorsport,
use motorsport as science
to resolve this
absolutely and empirically
once and for all.
[music continues]
[Tom] At a nearby airfield,
Richard then set up
an incredibly sophisticated
motorsport test.
- [Rich] So, here's how it goes.
- [Tom] Yeah.
You race down there,
round those cones,
back here.
- That's it?
- It's more than enough.
You two, get in your cars.
You and me will be officiating.
- We stand over here.
- All right.
Okay, good luck, gentlemen.
[music ends]
[Francis sighs]
I don't know
if you've tried the Transport for Wales
- first-class service?
- No.
[tense music]
Okay, Crown Vic.
You've been good to me,
I haven't been good to you,
but this is for the title.
- [ignitions fire]
- Okay!
In three...
[revving]
- Two!
- Two!
- One!
- [wiper squeaking]
- Go!
- [music builds]
Oh, yeah!
Come on!
[screech]
[Rich] The Volvo failed to stop.
The Vic is round the post first.
[James] No, no, no!
Come on, Crown Vic!
Ooh!
Oh, these boys have got a lot to learn.
Come on, engine! Stay with me!
[Tom shouts]
[Francis] Oh, no!
[laughing]
Oh, that's-- that is a problem.
That is motorsport.
[music building]
- [revving]
- Ah!
There is only one winner.
[music fades]
Haha!
I think he won.
[inspiring music]
[Rich] Well, my friend,
you have yourselves a winner.
- We've got it.
- My job's done.
Richard, it's been a pleasure.
- Thank you so much.
- Go and enjoy the moment.
- Thank you.
- Any time, any time.
[Francis] Well done!
- Well done.
- Yes!
Go, Crown Vic!
[Tom] I don't believe it.
- Well done, team.
- [Tom] Well done, guys.
We have a scientific result
to an age-old question,
what is the toughest car in the world?
- [siren chirps]
- It's the Ford Crown Victoria.
[siren blaring]
Where'd Richard go, by the way?
Well, there's a rainbow over there.
[music builds]
Was he ever really here?
[music fades]
- [pulsing music]
- [Francis] Spa is 400 miles away.
Qualifying starts in 13 hours,
and the finish line
is Alex Albon's head.
- [whoosh]
- The race begins.
- [revving]
- [James] Wooh!
Listen to this symphony. Oh!
[laughing]
[James] Thomas is in
a bajillion-horsepower hypercar
and we're on bloody bicycles.
- [crunch]
- [sigh]
- [click]
- [Tom] Here we go!
[Francis] Enter via 1D.
This is not a simple system.
F1 Belgian Grand Prix, that's a sign!
Wooh!
[upbeat rock music]
[music fades]
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