Top Gear series 4

The fourth series of Top Gear began on 9 May 2004, and concluded on 1 August 2004. The series contained 10 episodes. The series was subsequently followed by one "Best Of Top Gear" special, charting the best moments from the series, and "Stars In Fast Cars", a Sport Relief charity special, which later spawned its own series.

#	Episode	Airdate	Guest
30	Series 4 Episode 1	9 May 2004	Fay Ripley
Challenge: In a race to Monte Carlo Hammond and May take the Eurostar and TGV, while Clarkson drove the Aston Martin DB9. Clarkson wins. After being miles behind, Clarkson somehow manages to win but only just, he arrived to the cafe about 2 minutes before the others. He calls the DB9 "motoring perfection" and consistently praises it over all of its competitors and its big brother the Vanquish. The News: French Police are cracking down on speeders and the majority of those cited happen to be British. Remote-controlled robotic traffic cones are now available in America. James wants to buy a dozen of them so that he can send them out at night to reserve a parking space. New cars include BMW’s 1 series, the Ford Fiesta RS and Fiesta ST, and the Mini Cabriolet. Review: James goes undercover to test drive a Rover CityRover from a Rover dealer after Rover refuse to lend one to the show. With cameras in his tie, fake girlfriend's mobile and almost everywhere else in the streets of Kingston in southwest London, he had to test drive it without raising the suspicions of the dealer in the back seat. May later says it is the worst car he has driven for Top Gear and prefers the Fiat Panda in every respect. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Fay Ripley manages a time of 1:53.3 secs on a mildly moist track. The Cool Wall: The CityRover is seriously uncool. The Ford Fiesta ST is uncool. The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti is uncool because it was styled by a guy named Ken. The Aston Martin DB9 is so cool that it falls into its own category: The DB9 Section (actually a mini-fridge). Challenge: Clarkson undertook a challenge to see if he could evade being caught in missile lock-on from an WAH-64D Apache attack helicopter whilst acrobatically driving a super-lightweight Lotus Exige. The helicopter failed to lock in on the Exige when remaining within the confines of the test track. However, when allowed to move further away, the helicopter acquired lock within seconds.
31	Series 4 Episode 2	16 May 2004	Paul McKenna
Review Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Alfa Romeo 166 V6 Selespeed, which he unashamedly loves and praises, and then takes it to Hemsworth, a town in West Yorkshire which was at one time a coal mining village. He recommends that a true car nut should buy a shabby, broken-down miner's house and use the money saved to afford an Alfa with its high depreciation and repair costs. Challenge: Richard Hammond finds out if a nun can drive a monster truck. News: Jeremy compares the Volvo XC90 with the new Land Rover Discovery and claims the XC90 is better because it has more boot space, Richard and James disagree. A new Golf GTI is coming out, but it has less power than already existing Fords and Renaults. Review Richard Hammond reviews the Cadillac Escalade in an orthodox way, finding it to be of terrible quality and too expensive. Then, looking beyond the mere material, he gets into the spirit of the car, and sees it as a show-offish bling statement that is very in line with what Top Gear loves. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Paul McKenna hypnotises Hammond into forgetting how to drive a car, and thinking a pedal car is his new 911. Paul achieves a lap time of 1:48. Review James May reviews FAB 1 (Lady Penelope's pink Rolls Royce custom, which Ford re-created as a latest generation Thunderbird for the recent Thunderbirds movie). Main review: Jeremy looks at the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. Both in the bends and on the straights, the handling and performance is refined from German brute strength using McLaren's British ingenuity. It is garnished with comfortable features from the SL, making it an interesting fusion of supercar and grand tourer. Jeremy is much kinder to the SLR than Hammond was in last series. When taken by the Stig around the track, the German Silver Arrow ends up with the fastest time at 1:20.9 and also the fastest automatic ever. It seems to reverse Clarkson's earlier view that the Porsche Carrera GT is better.
32	Series 4 Episode 3	23 May 2004	Jordan
Challenge: The presenters are asked to buy road-legal cars for less than £100 and see how much car they could get. Clarkson buys a Volvo 760 (with 141,000 miles on the clock), which proved solid and mostly reliable, but did have problems with some of the electrical items, May an Audi 80 1.8E which was technically competent but did have suspected crash history, and Hammond a quick, but otherwise derided Rover 416GTi. Despite achieving the lowest score and a broken thumb after the suite of challenges, Jeremy still wins overall on revealing his Volvo only cost £1, as a token contract payment to take the vehicle off a dealer's hands. Also Jeremy's car was the only one still driving after the other 2 cars was destroyed doing the drive into a wall at 30 mph challenge. News: Speed cameras and Alistair Darling's new points plan are discussed. Italian police have a new police car, the Lamborghini Gallardo. The new Volkswagen Corrado, with a metal folding roof is coming on sale next year for about £20,000. A new Cadillac 300C is coming out based on the Mercedes E-class, price £29,995 the same as a BMW 5-series. James May tells of an experiment he's done for the same journey, for the first week he drove like Clarkson and Hammond and for the second week he drove like a Christian motorist and he discovered that driving like a Christian motorist got him to destination at the same or sometimes quicker than if he drove like Clarkson and Hammond. Review: Richard Hammond reviews a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 R/T and was tempted to buy one, but found out it won't fit in his garage. Jeremy promptly tells Hammond that the Charger is rubbish and the Dodge Challenger is the right Dodge muscle car to buy. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Celebrity supermodel Jordan, lapping at 1:52 Main review: Cars for track days, Porsche 996 GT3 RS versus Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale. Both cars are heavily stripped down with minimal amenities. Clarkson remarks that the Porsche is very plain, while the Ferrari is very complex, and finds the Ferrari is the more astonishing track car. But because the performance is so similar, and the Porsche is so much cheaper, he recommends the Porsche if track times are the only concern. Both cars scored a Power Lap time of 1:22.3 in the hands of the Stig.
33	Series 4 Episode 4	30 May 2004	Ronnie O'Sullivan
Main challenge: Clarkson finds out if he can drive a V8 TDi Audi A8 from London to Edinburgh and back on one ~20 gallon tank of fuel (a round-trip distance of 800 miles, requiring an average of 40 MPG), destruct-testing Audi's claims of good overall economy in their large, powerful executive car. He tries to drive the car uncharacteristically economically, removing unnecessary weight, not running anything but essential electrical equipment, and never once exceeding 1200 rpm in the 4.2 litre, twin-turbo super-saloon. Though he seemed to have finally run out of fuel 35 miles short, the trip computer (and Audi themselves) underestimated the efficiency potential of its diesel engine and Clarkson's fastidious driving, and he eventually made it to the same filling station he started from on a single tank of fuel. Jeremy completed the challenge after two whole days on the road (with an overnight stop), using plenty of dramatic music and lines from 24 and Apollo 13. News: Over the next 2 weeks the NSC motorshow is on, Jeremy is going and he'll be taking the new Noble M14, it costs £75,000 and its top speed is 190mph, it also has a colour changing rev counter. The results of the "I'm Ken and I'm cool" challenge is revealed and there are no cool Kens. Jeremy shows a video from an e-mail of a pigeon flying into a Ford Ka and the bonnet sending it flying. Time Challenge: Can a Ford SportKa, equipped with the world's most advanced (and expensive, at £2500) satellite navigation system beat a flock of racing pigeons? May forgot to use the postcode search and wasted 25 minutes to reach the right address, having originally arrived at an identically named road in the wrong suburb. Regardless, the fastest pigeon won with 30 minutes to spare even after discounting May's mistake, with thirteen others arriving in-between. Clarkson called the SportKa way, way better than a Citroën C2, and ridicules May for losing. Track: Revised versions of the Impreza vs. Evo battle, with increasingly unwieldy names: Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII MR FQ320 and Subaru Impreza STI WRX WR1. The Impreza does slightly better than its old version 1:29.4 and still slower than the old Evo FQ300. However, the new Evo does 1:26.0, nearly as quick as a Lamborghini Gallardo and significantly better than the new Subaru. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Snooker player Ronnie O'Sullivan comes in at 1:47.3. He also proves he can play a reduced frame of snooker (with four reds instead of fifteen) faster than the Stig can drive Ronnie's own car (a Mercedes-Benz SL500) around the track. Versus Challenge: Hammond and May play a simplified, giant-size round of darts, by firing scrap cars from a cliff edge towards a large target painted on a quarry floor. After two shots each, May decides to place a caravan over the bulls-eye as an "added bonus". Hammond destroys the caravan on his final attempt (with, fittingly, a Volvo) and in doing so comes from behind to win the match. Main review: Clarkson looks at the Porsche Carrera GT from a "German point of view", explaining its mechanics and silicon carbide with fascination and quiet innuendo, and then gives it a second look from a British standpoint, allowing himself to be overwhelmed by its sheer power. When run around the track (against the (automatic) Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren time of 1:20.9 from episode 2), it beats the SLR by 1.1 seconds with a lap time of 1:19.8. Clarkson is taken by surprise by the car's qualities while comparing it to other German fast cars. It is unforgiving and high-strung, unlike the GT-like SLR, and although normally Jeremy doesn't like the cold, clinical German supercar, he concludes that this one breaks through the stereotype to gain his full respect. However, as compared to the SLR, it is less powerful, much more difficult to drive, has no luggage space to speak of, and costs more.
34	Series 4 Episode 5	6 June 2004	Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen
Review: Richard Hammond compares the Vauxhall Astra, Mazda 3, and Volkswagen Golf. Hammond notes that the (previously disinteresting) Astra comes with a surprising number of standard features usually available only on more expensive vehicles, but still only manages to be "not bad" (as opposed to actually "good"), and a "pleasant all-rounder for pleasant people." The Mazda 3 offers a lot of kit and practicality for the money, but is the worst to drive and feels cheap all over. Hammond recommends the new Golf for its build quality and image. It's also "the car people buy with their own money," meaning that it will be more desirable both when new, and when it's time to sell on. But both Hammond and Clarkson would rather have an old Ford Focus than any of these new cars, simply because it's so good to drive - and because the "new" Focus shares a platform with the uninspiring Mazda. News: The Koenigsegg CCX is discussed. Main review: Clarkson, May and Hammond tested the BMW 645Ci, Jaguar XK-R and Porsche 996 Carrera 2 on Pendine Sands in the rain, enjoying some spectacular but wild handling due to the low grip and high, RWD power. Clarkson made an allusion to the nature of each car, and also matched each presenter to their cars whilst waiting for Richard to tire of endlessly racing around the Welsh hills ("You've (May) got the Business jet (645i), I've got the Tornado (XK) - where's Hammond with the Messerschmitt (996)?"). Review: Clarkson reviews the MG ZT 260, an uprated version of the MG saloon fitted with a 4.6 litre V8 engine from the Ford Mustang. The car required considerable re-engineering, including conversion to rear-wheel drive on a limited budget. The Stig takes the car around the test track. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Johnny Vaughan and Denise Van Outen, who manage to break the car. They score a lap time of 1:53.4, which Clarkson moves up slightly to 1:53.2 because there were two people in the car. Challenge: Hammond demonstrated that it was safe to sit in a car struck by lightning, by sitting in Volkswagen Golf parked underneath a conductor in a huge Siemens electrical-systems testing "lightning generator". He notes that whilst the rubber tyres are absolutely ineffective as insulators for preventing the multi-kilovolt arc reaching earth, any modern car is an efficient Faraday cage and can be used to safely shield occupants from external sources of electrical potential.
35	Series 4 Episode 6	13 June 2004	Terry Wogan
NOTE: This episode is a CTANAIBS (Car That Are Not Available In Britain Special) Review: Clarkson reviews the most popular car in Japan, the Nissan Cube, and generally makes fun of its styling, poor performance and handling. He finds it to be a good "tool" in that it is very spacious and practical for the money, but says that "it's got the worst automatic gearbox EVER in the whole world" which, coupled with weak power and weird, emotionless and asymmetrical styling, make it unworthy of importing. Review: May drives a Jaguar XJS modernised by Knowles-Wilkins Engineering that, freed of a multitude of low-grade parts, actually works as a coherent and enjoyable sports tourer, unlike the poorly built originals. Review: Hammond looks at the Cadillac CTS, which is not available in Britain. He tests it on some winding roads, referring to "corners: an American car's natural enemy". The results are favourable (as it can now, literally, "drive you around the bend" as opposed to the previous more figurative situation) but Clarkson disagrees, saying simply, "Cadillacs are for pimps and pensioners." Okay No Way: Hammond and Clarkson introduce a new feature. There are two dustbins - a red one marked with No Way and a green one marked with Okay. Hammond and Clarkson show pictures of cars that are not available in the UK. Cars that the two think should come to Britain go in Okay and cars that the two do not want in Britain go in No Way. Hammond thinks that the Pontiac Solstice should come to Britain, but Clarkson puts it in No Way. Jeremy puts the Pontiac Aztek in No Way within three seconds. Richard puts the Hummer H2 in Okay. Richard thinks that the Ford Mustang should go in Okay, but Jeremy puts it in no way. Once again, Richard thinks that the Chevrolet SSR is Okay, but Jeremy puts it in No Way, saying that it (the SSR) is just a purple convertible pick-up truck. Richard puts the Lancia Thesis in No Way, and finally, Richard puts the Renault Logan in Okay, saying that it is a car - just a car - no stereo, electric windows, anything like that. Main review: Clarkson reviews the Renault Clio 182. He likes it even though he considers it unrefined, cheap and unsafe. They conclude that it is like a puppy dog - just plain fun, despite having no manners. It scores a 1.33.8. Challenge: Hammond investigates: "Could you run your car on poo?" (or more accurately, LPG made from faecal biomass, with human and bovine waste challenging commercial fossil-fuel LPG). The answer is yes, but the savings are not worth it - even after considering the money also to be made from milking the cows. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Terry Wogan sets a very slow time of 2:03.4 (credited as 2.04), only beating Richard Whitely.
36	Series 4 Episode 7	11 July 2004	Lionel Richie
Main review: Clarkson drives the Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG. He gets a boyish enthusiasm from its overtaking acceleration - once it actually gets going, as it is bogged down by excessive wheelspin from a standing start (when not restricted by the traction control, the use of which only underscores how overpowered the engine is). However, as it's limited to 155 mph (250 km/h), looks like any other Mercedes-Benz coupe, and has difficulty putting power down off the line, Jeremy does not recommend it, especially in light of the Aston competition. A half-mile drag race is then undertaken: Mercedes-Benz CL 65 AMG VS Aston Martin DB9 VS Bentley Continental GT. The Merc and Bentley bog down off the line, with the lightweight Aston taking an early lead. However, the Mercedes-Benz eventually regains grip, regains ground and pulls rapidly away, with the Aston remaining solidly ahead of the Bentley. Though it is not the fastest, all three presenters prefer the Aston Martin. Challenge: Hammond and May pose as minicab drivers to test the Renault Scenic and the Ford C-MAX. Hammond thinks that the tall hatches are a good update, and that having big doors is a useful thing. May agrees lightheartedly, but thinks that the increased price (about £2000) is a ripoff for the slight advantages. Hammond and Clarkson agree after they've seen that taller people are still cramped, the boot is still no larger, and it still seats only five. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Lionel Richie, who breaks a wheel off the Liana. Lap time of 1:50. Review: A Spyker C8, which the Stig drives to a lap time of 1:27.3. It has a lot of power, but the chassis can't use it well. But the styling is praised as marvellous by Jeremy. It's designed "for those who want to look good at 4 mph rather than those who just want to go 400".
37	Series 4 Episode 8	18 July 2004	Martin Clunes
Opening skit: Clarkson takes "a look" at the environmentally friendly Toyota Prius as a counterpoint to the gas-guzzlers making up much of the programme, and promptly ignores it. Main review: May tests the Maserati Quattroporte, trying to figure out if the car wants to be a luxury saloon or a performance car. Obituary: Hammond bids a fond farewell to the long lived and widely employed Rover V8 engine, originally a compact Buick V8 that was sold by GM to Rover after initial technical problems. Hammond then sends off the engine by entering a Touring car race in an unmodified Rover SD1. Star in a reasonably priced car: Martin Clunes took the Liana around the track, with a time of 1:50.0, one second slower than comedy partner Neil Morrissey, but the same time as Clarkson. Challenge: To see if Diesel technology has caught up to Petrol, Clarkson and Hammond race on the track, with Clarkson in a turbodiesel Škoda Fabia VRS, while Hammond raced him in the supercharged petrol Mini Cooper. The MINI is ahead in the first parts, but is overtaken by the torquier and more powerful Škoda; whether the difference in talent between the drivers has anything to do with it is not mentioned. It is admitted that diesel engines are now equally competitive with petrol models - "a sad day". Skit: Hammond makes fun of motorists that block box junctions. Review and Challenge: Clarkson reviews his dream car, the Ford GT. He makes numerous comparisons with the Ford GT40, and graphically illustrates that although he barely fits into the GT, this is an improvement on the original GT40, which he is literally too tall to drive as his head would be trapped in the door. Hammond and May ridicule the GT, on its fuel economy (4 MPG on the track, where it ran dry, or "up to" 12 MPG on official tests), meaning Jeremy would run out of fuel after 75 miles (of a 76 mile commute), and the extreme difficulty of entering the car in a typical public parking space (as part of the roof is attached to the long, thick door) despite James having no problem exiting the Prius in the same "generous" space. The Stig drives it on the track, clocking a lap time of 1:21.9. Skit: Hammond takes Virgin Boeing 747 G-VAST and demonstrates the enormous (and otherwise hard to visualise) power unleashed by just two of its four engines at take-off thrust, by sending a modern Ford Mondeo and a more primitive Citroen 2CV (unmanned) through the jet wake some 50 yards behind the plane, lifting both cars high into the air and wrecking them.
38	Series 4 Episode 9	25 July 2004	Ranulph Fiennes
Main review: A roadster comparison with Hammond, starting with the Mercedes-Benz SL600. Hammond says it is far too expensive and its huge power is useless when the top is down. Three other less-expensive roadsters are driven: Mazda MX-5 vs. Fiat Barchetta vs. Toyota MR2. The Fiat is stylish and well-priced but front-wheel drive, the MR2 is fastest but too serious and too hard to drive; the MX-5 is the best all-rounder. News: The presenters discuss at length the 10-year transport plan introduced on 20 July 2004 by Transport Secretary Alistair Darling, which introduces the idea of per-mile road toll schemes. Review: Clarkson drives the four-wheel drive Jaguar X-Type estate. It has huge space, is good to drive, and despite its primitive 4WD system is unfettered by normal speeds in inclement weather. Review: Hammond and May do a cabriolet comparison on Lewis and Harris, where fewer convertibles are bought per capita than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. The MINI Cooper Cabriolet is too expensive and embarrassing. The Vauxhall Tigra is very cheap and attractive as an overall package. The Mercedes-Benz SLK350 is powerful and comfortable but too expensive. The Audi S4 Cabriolet has the same problem, but Hammond loves it for its smart styling, four seats, large boot, and engine noise. Challenge: Can you parachute into a moving car? The answer is yes after many tries. And Ben Collins (The former white Stig) is on Top Gear as himself as the moving car driver Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Sir Ranulph Fiennes talks about running seven marathons on seven continents in seven days, after major heart surgery. Sets a respectable time of 1:51.
39	Series 4 Episode 10	1 August 2004	Patrick Kielty
Review: Hammond reviews Peugeot 407. It handles fine and looks good, but reliability, build quality, and lack of power are dynamic shortfalls. Review: May tests the Volvo V50. They are all drab to drive except the T5 version, and with a smaller boot than the Jag last week. He tested this by going to an antique sale and he finds a sofa which does not fit in the back. Review: Hammond tests the new Corvette and finds it to be massively improved over old ones. Clarkson ridicules the antiquated suspension. The Stig drives the Corvette to a lap time of 1:26.8, faster than the Lotus Exige and a Porsche 911 GT3 in the wet. Review: Clarkson finds out how good the BMW X3 is. It's well-priced and has a good engine, but an unacceptably harsh ride, poor build-quality, and a hideous exterior. As an offroader it's even worse, so they recommend buying a BMW 5-Series over it for all sane buyers. Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Patrick Kielty, who has a bone to pick after being beaten by Clarkson in an earlier race. Talks about his new purchase of a Delorean DMC-12 and sets a fast time of 1:48, despite breaking the front suspension during a practice lap. Skit: Olympic Games for cars: Long Jump. The Americans are represented by the oldest and heaviest AMC Pacer, the Czechs are represented by the more modern Škoda Favorit, the French have the lightweight Citroën 2CV, the Russians bring their Lada Riva 1.5 estate, and the British take them all on with the underpowered Austin Maestro. Challenge:Is the new Peugeot 407 any good as a pace car? It does fine with its good handling, but it's extremely underpowered.
	The Best Of Top Gear 2004 #1	8 August 2004	Johnny Vaughan, Denise Van Outen & Ronnie O'Sullivan
Challenge: Race To Monte Carlo (From Series 4, Episode 1) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Johnny Vaughan & Denise Van Outen (From Series 4, Episode 5) Review: Jaguar XJS (From Series 4, Episode 6) Challenge: Spare Car Darts (From Series 4, Episode 4) Feature: Cool Wall (From Series 4, Episode 1) Review: Dodge Charger 440 R/T (From Series 4, Episode 3) Star in a Reasonably Priced Car: Ronnie O'Sullivan (From Series 4, Episode 4) Review: Porsche 996 GT3 RS vs. Ferrari 360 Challenge Stradale (From Series 4, Episode 2)
	Stars in Fast Cars	10 July 2004	None
Challenge: Richard and James host a Top Gear Special, in which several well-known celebrities take on each other in a series of challenges. The show's competitors included Jeremy Clarkson, Jodie Kidd, Patrick Kielty, Jimmy Carr and Darren Jordon.