Top Gear team builds EV, shows how complex car production really is

The presenters of Top Gear, among the finer specimens of British television talent (Dr. Gregory House being another), were this past week engaged in designing and building an electric vehicle purportedly intended to compete with the likes of the Chevy Volt. Set a time limit of a mere 18 hours, they produced the marvel of rushed engineering and shoddy workmanship you see above. The Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust (believe us, you'll have no reason to remember the name) was even put through its paces by Autocar magazine, whose video "review" can be found after the break. We won't spoil the details for you, but if you want a conclusion, this one's pretty unequivocal: "there's a really good chance you could kill yourself" riding in this car.

See more video at our hub!

[DTJ Posted Nov 26th 2009 10:47AM]

Nice Scion!

[Kelmon Posted Nov 26th 2009 10:52AM]

I thought Engadget was supposed to be "up to the minute" stuff but yet this was shown back on Sunday.

Anyway, tend to think that Eagle Thrust Mark 1 (aka Geoff) had a certain Je ne sais pas ce que...

[Abimbola Akanwo Posted Nov 26th 2009 10:52AM]

Oh, gawd...I had to go and do something else during that episode of Top Gear, just after Clarkson said something about "have you ever seen a car with a moustache ?"

I knew it was going to be a disaster but really...I've not laughed so much watching a video clip. The comments from the tester were classics:-
- "...fine Top Gear detailing" (pointing at the wreck!)
- "...almost lost the in-car entertainment on the windscreen" (what the was that object?)
Oh, my favourite "...collective thoughts...it actually does go...I'm just not sure how well it stops..."

Brilliant...

[blackwarlock Posted Nov 26th 2009 10:52AM]

Although this was no doubt a funny sketch, I feel the episode as a whole was dissappointing. With the BBC constantly cutting Top Gear's budget and only two 'supercars' significantly appearing on the show - it's a real shame, for Top Gear and for us.

[pogz Posted Nov 26th 2009 10:52AM]

id go for an 'owner type jeep' than this. everybody can build an owner type in my stupid 3rd world country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx8dK-AmOYA

[ACEdotcom Posted Nov 26th 2009 10:57AM]

lol...what a shit piece.

[SmokemeaKipper Posted Nov 26th 2009 12:19PM]

@ACEdotcom
No, it's Geoff

[avoidant Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:11AM]

This beast has a lot in common with my old Postal Jeep.

[Ioncloud9 Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:14AM]

That car needs to be donated to mythbusters.. i just want to see it explode in a fiery wreck.

[LloydChiro Posted Nov 26th 2009 5:48PM]

@(Unverified) Actually. They crash tested it on the show. It passed all tests and is roadworthy.

[Ethan Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:19AM]

I enjoy Top Gear, but if anybody is under the illusion that this is approached with the carefree and whimsical attitude shown, somehow busting correctness, I wish they could see the Health and Safety forms.

[Craneguy Posted Nov 26th 2009 1:33PM]

@Ethan
Right. Did you see the steel tube reinforced garden chairs? They didn't show that on the TV show...

[benedictm Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:21AM]

here's the review in the magazine.

http://dl.haymarket.streamuk.com/autocar/top-gear/top-gear-topgear-test.pdf

very funny esp the 'dislikes'

[fdisk Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:21AM]

It looks like Homer Simpson designed it...

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:31AM]

it was not made to compete with chevy volt!

watch it first!

[Pyro Posted Nov 26th 2009 12:19PM]

@(Unverified) Indeed - it was "designed" to "compete" with the Gee Whiz.

They guys aren't exactly the best qualified for designing a car, but the results were hilarious more than impressive ;)

[Dr Yusuf AlKindi Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:38AM]

There will always be an England, and there always will be English automobilesw and English tinkerers. Tata be damned! Ford be damned! Triumph, Morgan, MGB, Rover & Rolls are still English!!!

Ecoptopia lives!
More Village!

[Fanman Posted Nov 26th 2009 12:05PM]

@Dr Yusuf AlKindi Nothing is really from any one country anymore, if ever anything was in the first place.

[ElPanda Posted Nov 26th 2009 1:27PM]

@Dr Yusuf AlKindi Well, actually MG/Rover is now Chinese and Rolls is owned by BMW if I'm not mistaken and Triumph is dead but still owned by BMW.
Only Morgan remains english but their last cars have Ford and BMW engines :-D

[Loonie Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:49AM]

That was hilarious. But man, I just couldn't help but think "Hummer" when I saw that thing.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 26th 2009 11:52AM]

Talk about a chick magnet.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 26th 2009 12:05PM]

got this was on on last sunday! keep with the times engadget

[pb Posted Nov 26th 2009 12:16PM]

Hilarious. Really good fun

But my favourite is still the one in Vietnam

[Pdexter Posted Nov 26th 2009 12:29PM]

Top Gear now too in Engadget! Loving this.

Thought post the actual Top Gear episode not the Autocar review... if there's anything left from the episode anymore in youtube.

[Misael Posted Nov 26th 2009 12:57PM]

Hehe, funny look it's a kind Mad-Max racer but kudos anyway to the team, if i could build one myself would be very useful right now.

[Alex R Posted Nov 26th 2009 1:11PM]

I don't like Top Gear. Jeremy Clarkson annoys me because he isn't funny but he thinks he is. Like Terry Wogan.

Also, he wears denim socks.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 26th 2009 2:17PM]

Best episode of the series anyway

[jamesdevonport Posted Nov 26th 2009 2:20PM]

G-WIZ bought the plans for this and are releasing it as the G-WIZ Clubman.

[Miral Posted Nov 26th 2009 2:42PM]

Pretty sure it was called Geoff and competes with the G-Wiz

[MClassPlanet Posted Nov 26th 2009 4:06PM]

@(Unverified) Geoff was their first attempt that was powered by two batteries; Hammerhead was the followup with a diesel generator (!) charging multiple batteries whilst on the move.

Great fun to watch! :)

[bex753 Posted Nov 26th 2009 3:25PM]

Top gear are either running out of ideas or money, but probably both this series as been poor so far

[paul34 Posted Nov 26th 2009 4:24PM]

@(Unverified)

Not as bad as last series.

[Zaphabone Posted Nov 26th 2009 3:42PM]

I would love to see this car replicated in some racing sim like Gran Tourismo. Somebody make this happen!

[Abdel Posted Nov 26th 2009 3:48PM]

How I miss you, Mininova!!

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 26th 2009 4:37PM]

I love how at 30mph it looks like the car is going to fall apart and at 50 it sounds like when a plane gets shot down in movies hahaha

[werty1432k Posted Nov 26th 2009 5:39PM]

"you could have a massive accident traveling in a straight line"

[FuturePastNow Posted Nov 26th 2009 7:26PM]

They could probably sell it in the Chinese market.

[keeny Posted Nov 26th 2009 8:34PM]

reminds me of the first aircraft ever built .. shaking its guts out on every move ..

[Andinator Posted Nov 26th 2009 9:37PM]

That episode of Top Gear was hilarious if you missed it.

Oh, I mean, I bet it was funny, because I'm in America, and it hasn't been broadcast here (and probably won't for another six months), so there's no way I could've legally seen it unless I happened to be in the UK last Sunday.

...but it was hilarious...

[CatInTheHat422 Posted Nov 27th 2009 12:43AM]

Top Gear is one of the greatest shows on television, too bad its shown everywhere else in the world except for the U.S.. When will we ever learn? I'll just have to resort to torrents as usual.

[graywolf Posted Nov 27th 2009 1:25AM]

worthy of a redneck McGyver.

[subculture Posted Nov 27th 2009 2:00AM]

Even with an EV, I'm confident the Brits will find a way to make it leak oil

[Ed Buziak Posted Nov 27th 2009 2:23AM]

They've copied the door hinges idea... Bert Munro (Anthony Hopkins) used one on his motor-cikkle in "The World's Fastest Indian."

[ZbHRP Posted Nov 27th 2009 4:54AM]

Better than G-Wiz

[Leind Posted Nov 27th 2009 6:32AM]

Wow. Totally reminded me of this recent Congo space program video : http://www.koreus.com/video/troposphere-5-fusee-congo.html

Poor Britain, their auto industry was really fucked up these last decades and now this and I also heard that they are now importing cars from India. Of all place, the country that is still making Ambassador cars. Sad when one remembers that the industrial revolution actually started in Britain.


another website.

[Robsta Posted Nov 27th 2009 8:45AM]

And here's the Autocar review ;o)

http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsArticle.aspx?AR=245199

[Tegdagne Posted Dec 1st 2009 11:45AM]

A tribute to fine British engineering if there ever was one.