You’ll be familiar with the Top Gear’s tried and tested car-versus-something-that-isn’t-a-car race format. Jet man, greyhound, scally on BMX, climber, skier, that sort of thing.
But what about racing a letter? The postal sort, not the alphabetical sort. More specifically, can a car get from one end of the country to the other faster than a first-class letter?
That depends, obviously, on the car. You’ll need something fast, luxurious and, if you’re Richard Hammond, with a boot large enough to lock James May in if he got too boring during the journey.
Something like the Panamera Turbo, then – Porsche’s new luxury saloon with four doors, four seats and a price tag worryingly close to six figures.
You might have seen that Zoo, Nuts, Pint, Vest (or whatever those other blokey weekly mags are called) picked up on this one, but let’s just say they don’t have a clue just what an epic this race really is.
So that’s a 39p letter against a £100,000 Porsche. Who’s your money on?
Top Gear returns on June 21. We’ll be backstage next week to bring you all the behind-the-scenes goings on – with outtakes…
That sounds good can’t wait!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh my god this episode is gonna be so funny I cant believe they are racing a letter and the Porsche Panamera Turbo cant wait
Definitely the Porsche. Looking like it’s gonna be a great series, can’t wait!
lol what a brilliant idea. Can’t wait to see the outcome of this one.
imagine if one of those ropes break… top gear is bakrupt….
now that is what i call top gear,i’m glad they’re back
How can a letter ever be faster than a Porsche? Than a car, even? Don’t they still transport them by truck in the UK?
I suspect it has nothing to do with the car and everything to do with whether the Post Office can be bothered today. Only a few years ago I’d've put my money on the letter, but now I’m not so sure.
Lol I’m just picturing the 500bhp Panamera Turbo slowly overtaking a flying letter at 190mph!
Ok ok, it wouldn’t be like that, but it’s an interesting race: should you post it first class and sit at home all day, or drive really far and deliver it personally in a £100k sport-coupe-saloon-Porsch e-thing?
What a TopGear question that is! I hope the car wins.
This series really is sounding amazing. After the news about the budget cut after the end of the last series I was a little worried, but you can hardly tell the difference!
Should the car not have to go there and back again, as in you drive to John O’Groats to deliver your letter and then you drive home to Land’s End?
AWESOME, can´t wait for that race.
Also @ Fatadder
JC said that they were doing 14 out of 15 episodes really well as normal, but the last one will be cheap.
I too am putting my money on the porsche, but never underestimate the underdog. It has happened before on TG. Either way, the episode always come out quite hillarious.
i can not wait until next week simply beacuse of the british grand prix and then top gear
top gear cant get bankrupt for that car breaking. they spend over 906million pound a year on customizing.
A week (& a bit) has never felt so long.
Can’t wait for it to comeback!!!!!
Challenges look as good as ever and Mai is right a week and a bit has never felt so long!!!
They did this on Blue Peter once! (not the race and inevitable drowning/ fire/ / running over of TG or Blue Peter Dog) They followed a letter from lands end to some scottish island overnight. V. impressive, TG don’t stand a chance.
I hope the porsche wins but at the same time it will still be hillarious!!!
First class letter can go quick but I would say a porsche is faster!!! Unfortunatly it can only go 70mph ish!!!
no chance of letter winning.takes my posty a week to amble around enough to deliver any letters.never mind win a race.
Porsche will obviously win. You can get from anywhere in the UK to anywhere in the UK in a day. I’ll bet the boys will arrive long before the letter even leaves the sorting office.
clarkson hi is j may gay
this going to be an amazing race wow!!! but i hope the porsche wins because its their first ever 4-door saloon so i hope it starts well for them
WWWWWWWwwwwooooooooWWWWWW W!!!
i’d say dats gonna b a brilliant episode. cant w8 4 de boys 2 b bak on de screen.
GO TOP GEAR!
these lot are all keenos lol ‘Oh i cant wait!!’ Oh my God shut up! U will have to wait so pipe down!!!
ur sooooooooooooo said oh im the stigs taller cousin, gayer, pull urself together f-ing idiot!!!!!
What a great idea – this along with the other previews shows there’s plenty of life in Top Gear yet, and this should be another great series.
I thought this was originally due to be the first series in high-def – but that was before talk of budget cuts. Will it be in HD?
god i hope they send it recorded delivery! otherwise the post office might nick it!
my money’s on the porsche
that very good. i love that
No matter who wins, I bet the letter LOOKS better… even a big boxy parcel would look better and sleeker than the Porsche.
I think Porsche’s last decent designer must have passed away back in the mid-sixties, and they never replaced him. They just get Helmut from accounts to sketch some mods on a napkin at lunch after consuming his daily bratwurst intake (the Cayenne looks like a bratwurst stain)
If it’s raining I think the Porsche will win… postmen don’t work in the rain, at least Newman didn’t on Seinfeld.
What is with you all, people? Can’t you think of somthing differnt to say than “can’t wait”? I mean, how hard can it be?
since Jeremy Clarkson isnt racing, my money is on the letter to win. Clarkson couldnt possibly allow richard and james to win anything
I agree with bubble. I think Clarkson will do anything to stop Hammond and May from winning.
This will be very interesting.
haha sounds amazing i can’t wait
WOW!!!!!
it may possibly be the first test of the panamera.really can’t wait!!!!!!!!
Anyone got a DeLorean? I’ll get the Gigawatts.
I don’t think I’ll be able to get through the next 8 days.
I can’t wait!
A bet….ooer >< XD
Oh dear, you’ve chosen the ugliest car ever for this…
And what can you tell us about the rumour about the TG test track becoming a eco village?
gooooooooooood
wahey,i cant wait for the topgear,the one that is new series yeah.
its coming 21st of june yeah,cant wait ok.
11 days to go.
wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee eeeeee,cant waitttttttttttttttttttttt ttttttttttttt.
from katie
If I was Richard (which I’m not), I don’t think I could ever be bored with James on any kind of journey. He’s too much like my husband. This is one I can’t wait to see either.
Damn. I was really hoping they’d exhausted all of the car-versus-some-douche-in -spandex possibilities and would maybe, perhaps, get back to just testing the damned car. These films are always a foregone conclusion (hint: don’t bet on the car), never really do an adequate job of highlighting the car, and just generally serve to waste seven or eight minutes better spent on proper car stuff. I think the last one of any use whatsoever was Jeremy’s RS4 race in Southern France. Well, at least there isn’t a thin man in spandex in this one. I hope…
The rest of the series looking very promising so far; I guess a certain amount of filler is to be expected.
OMGGGG TOP GEAR IS SOOOO GREAT I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!
I say YES!!!!!!!!!
my money would be on the car
cant wait already!
apparently the car is not a porsche but a 1950s Jaguar XK120. Kinda puts odds in for the train. And I never knew Jeremy could drive a train.
I wonder how the TG boffins come up with such ideas. Gona be hell of a race this. Can’t wait to see who wins- daily-mail or the incredibly ugly addition to the Porsche range after the Cayenne, The Panamera.
aesome i cant wait
The car will have to take scheduled ferry services from the scillies to penzance and from the top of scotland. The letter will travel most of its journey by helicopter and plane But will need to pass through 3 or 4 sorting offices, It should be close.
@7:
Bacon, well maybe in UK they do but this is Lala-land where everybody’s in their early teens (well some of them only mentally) and anything is plausible.
I hope this isn’t yet another adjustment of the “target audience” towards those not old enough to have a driving license.
I guess this is when the boys were passing through Cornwall just 2 days after i came home from there DAMN…… anyway is Jezza going to be delivering the letter seeing as Richard and James have the car?! its gotta be close.they wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t ecciting!
Looks like Jezza’s gonna have a field day when that Panamera arrives. That thing looks uglier than the dog’s breakfast…
So pointless, i just might try that one with me and my mates but in a car a little less flashy… A ‘01 Vauxhall Astra maybe?
It’s ANOTHER race though!!!
Top Gear is defo doing a way-too-high proportion of races versus challenges. We want to see an even amount of challenges to races.
By series 16, I want to see Top Gear contact the Fifth Gear people and arrange a Top Gear v. Fifth Gear head-to-head special…..
Who is with me on that?
daveman2k4 said…
“Looks like Jezza’s gonna have a field day when that Panamera arrives. That thing looks uglier than the dog’s breakfast…”
I totally agree, the only thing it looks nicer than is my wife!!!
Cant wait for new series. If I could id set them a challenge would be rather fun to watch.
By series 16, I want to see Top Gear contact the Fifth Gear people and arrange a Top Gear v. Fifth Gear head-to-head special…..
Who is with me on that?
yeh they burned down our studio i want a head to head with them
ill ring the boffins now to descuss it
u will be surprised who wins the letter vs car challenge………….
I know…….
but that would be telling,u will have to wait till the 21st!!!
This is gonna be a great race a 500 bhp v8 sports car vs. a piece of paper, genius.
I am just glad to hear it is back again and hoping that they show up on BBC America. I would love to get tickets to the show; I would fly from Phoenix, AZ. to anywhere to see James May and Dog (and the rest of the cast, but those are my favorites
Truly I love them all. It is one of the few car shows that apeals to audiences of all ages and gender; my 10 and 12 year old nieces love to watch with my mum(67) and we laugh and learn, the kids can recongnize more vehicles just from watching and they know what they like. Speed freaks like me appreciate all aspects of the show. Well done, I can’t wait for the next season!!
panarema will win
the postmen drive stuff like transits
top gear no1
sweet!
Woop, i cant wait for TG to start again!
Hmmm… I think that the content of the “parcel” will be another car. Is it faster to drive a car to the destination than to send it via first class post? With boats, planes and stuff? And I doubt that the starting and finishing addresses would be in mainland Britain. Otherwise the winner would be obvious. Driving there is definitely faster unless some other “non-road” transport is necessary. Just my view though. Looking forward to the boys back on telly.
Sorry, but unless they intend to break the speed limit, and therefore the law. There can only ever be one outcome… THE LETTER!
How stupid do they think we are?
Letter will probably get stuck somewhere or they’ll get done in the car for speeding…!
i think the car will win,has r post is s***. we dont get r post until 2pm.How crap is that.
The car to win
Which is uglier – the Panamera or Postman Pat? Answers on a postcard please… actually no, send them by e-mail, otherwise they’ll be lost in the post.
Cannot wait.Hope its as good as the last series.
Most certainly the porche. just think about it; the Royal Mail will be using a transit van… And sticking to the speed limit!
this isd gonna be awesome lol
My Guess is the lads will will lose in the porsche by literaly seconds due to an unfortunate traffic jam caused by a certain Mr J Clarkson…. Anyone else with me???? BTW besides his lush hair does Richard look different?? Tired maybe?? =>
Go Letter!!!!!!!!
Seems like a great race!
Coooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo oooooooooooooooooool
woooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooooooo
i love top gear very much.
i am also looking forward to lay my hands on the new porsche panemara. i have driven all the porsche sports car except the carrera gt ,and the audis. i am a new car stock keeper for a big a authorised dealer for porsche audi & volkswagen in uae. i am a regular viewer of top gear and i like the guys on top gear .there driving skills and their way of presentin the cars is superb. wishing all the success to all the top gear team and looking forward for new and latest car updates.
man when i watch top gear show i get sick coz i laugh out loud till i get sick and dizzy so i wanna say that is the best show ever on tv set thanks jermey ur the best