Derek Smith
Director
Top Gear (1978)
Season 30
Motoring programme featuring reviews of and reports about cars of all types.
Released July 13, 1978
Episode 28 min
12+
Genres: Documentary, Talk Show
Keywords: imdb.motor, imdb.road, imdb.motor-vehicle, imdb.vehicle, imdb.car, imdb.driving-a-car, imdb.bbc
Production Companies: BBC
Network: BBC Two
Country: United Kingdom
Languages:
English
S30E1 - Episode 1
The motoring series with a report on the best small car in Britain today — with Jeremy Clarkson and Michele Newman sifting through the ten leading contenders. And Kristian Schmid (who played Todd Landers in Neighbours) gets advice on good second-hand cars that teenage drivers like him can afford to insure. Plus a report on the new semiautomatic Ferrari Mondial.
Sept. 9, 1993, midnight
S30E2 - Episode 2
The new 900 is the first car Saab has produced since General Motors took a controlling interest in the company. Jeremy Clarkson discovers whether the traditional Saab virtues of solidity, safety and individuality have survived the American influence. Tiff Needell reports on the Blackpool-made TVR Griffith. And Tony Mason reports on the Ulster Rally.
Sept. 16, 1993, midnight
S30E3 - Episode 3
Chris Goffey, a long-time MG enthusiast, tests the new RV8 sports car, and Jeremy Clarkson compares the legendary Cadillacs of the 1950s with the latest models from Detroit.
Sept. 23, 1993, midnight
S30E4 - Episode 4
If the 80s was the decade of the hot hatch, the 90s looks like being the decade of the four-wheel-drive leisure vehicle. Chris Goffey tests two new 4x4s, the Nissan Terrano and Ford Maverick. And Tony Mason reports from the Manx Rally, the latest round of the British Rally Championship.
Sept. 30, 1993, midnight
S30E5 - Episode 5
Statistics show a drop in road deaths, but are our roads really safer? Top Gear looks at the plight of the pedestrian. There is also a road-test of the Toyota Supra a celebration of Goodwood racing circuit.
Oct. 7, 1993, midnight
S30E6 - Episode 6
Sales of Mercedes-Benz cars are falling. This week Jeremy Clarkson sees if the new C-class Mercedes has got what it takes to reverse the trend. Plus, optional extras such as leather upholstery can add thousands of pounds to the cost of a new car. But how much do they fetch when the car’s second hand? Quentin Willson investigates.
Oct. 14, 1993, midnight
S30E7 - Episode 7
On the day the London Motor Show opens Jeremy Clarkson, Michele Newman and Chris Goffey seek out the new models and ideas. Quentin Willson assesses the new smaller Lexus; Tiff Needell tests the spartan Westfield Cosworth and the latest Porshe 911.
Oct. 21, 1993, midnight
S30E8 - Episode 8
An opportunity for car enthusiasts, without minimum £67,000 to spare, to fantasise about owning and driving a Ferrari. In this programme devoted to the car more deeply immersed in motoring mystique than any other marque, presenter Jeremy Clarkson, a self-confessed addict, visits the factory, interviews owners and test drives the new 456GT, the world’s fastest four-seater car. “This is classical elegance,” says Clarkson. “And it’s four times more powerful than your Golf GTi.” For those still dreaming, a top of the range Ferrari — the 512TR — costs almost £125,000 and has a top speed of 195mph.
Oct. 28, 1993, midnight
S30E9 - Episode 9
Including a look at some adventurous car designs from the next generation of stylists at the Royal College of Art, a report on Damon Hill’s momentous year, a road-test of the latest Daihatsu Charade, and advice on second-hand Vauxhall Senators.
Nov. 4, 1993, midnight
S30E10 - Episode 10
This week featuring a test drive of Britain’s new £47,000 Lotus Esprit S4 — is it really such a big improvement? There’s also a visit to Silverstone to discover quarter-scale racing cars, and a report on the Honda Pacific Coast motorcycle, a bike that in the USA seems to have won the hearts of a few car drivers.
Nov. 11, 1993, midnight
S30E11 - Episode 11
A look at how the latest diesel cars from Ford, Citroën and BMW match their petrol cousins and reports from Germany and the Czech Republic on the preparation of two contrasting teams — Toyota and Škoda — for next week’s RAC Rally in Birmingham. Plus the exotic automobiles that cruise over Albert Bridge in London every Saturday night.
Nov. 18, 1993, midnight
S30E12 - Episode 12
There’s a test of the latest Lada Riva and Škoda Favorit in search of real value for money, and a report from the tough 200-mile Welsh Hill Rally.
Nov. 25, 1993, midnight
S30E13 - Episode 13
Jeremy Clarkson goes to one of the world’s highest motor shows, in the Alps, to test Land Rover’s latest V8 Defender, and asks why it’s not on sale in Britain. Chris Goffey visits a project in Oxford designed to prevent teenagers drifting into car crime. Tiff Needell takes road and race versions of the Jaguar XJ220 and Lotus Sport 300 to Silverstone to assess their performance.
Dec. 2, 1993, midnight
S30E14 - Episode 14
Entries in the British Touring Car Championship tend to look like the cars we drive ourselves, though they’re very different beneath the bonnet. Jeremy Clarkson puts top drivers to the test in the production-line versions of their racing machines. And Tony Mason reports on 45 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghosts, re-creating an event last held before the First World War. Can the “best car in the world” still tackle 1,700 miles of Europe’s toughest alpine roads at more than 80 years of age?
Dec. 9, 1993, midnight
S30E15 - Episode 15
In the last programme of the series, Chris Goffey tests Mazda’s new sports saloon, the Xedos 9, and assesses how much of a threat it may be to the BMW 3 series. The Middle East is an expanding market for expensive and specialist cars. Jeremy Clarkson reports from the Dubai motor show, and tests the sort of vehicle designed to replace the camel as a means of transport in the national sport of falconry. And Tiff Needell looks at American-style midget racing.
Dec. 16, 1993, midnight
S30E16 - Episode 16
Overweight, overblown and over-decorated, the 1970s Pontiac TransAm summed up everything that was wrong with American cars at the time. But it’s still a classic. Steve Berry drives the latest model. And Jeremy Clarkson looks at Top Gear’s highlights of 1993.
Dec. 30, 1993, midnight
Network: BBC Two
Episode Runtime: 28 min.
Season Runtime: 14504 min.
Released: July 13, 1978
Last Air Date: Aug. 2, 2009, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: TV-PG
Common sense age: 12+
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