Top 20 Funniest Top Gear Moments

Top 20 Funniest Top Gear Moments

Welcome to WatchMojoUK, where we’ll be counting down our picks for the most sidesplitting moments from classic “Top Gear”.

#20: Fenton the Offroad Mobility Scooter

The three motorheads face off against a triumvirate of wounded veterans in an off road wheelchair race for the ages. Since the hosts get to modify their mobility scooters, it seems like this competition will be a blowout in favor of the TV stars. However, once the race starts, this assumption is quickly proven erroneous. May’s ride is severely underpowered. Hammond valiantly tows his teammate for a bit, but soon he and Clarkson abandon their friend in a somewhat less gallant moment. Clarkson’s Frankenstein scooter doesn’t fare much better. Despite its eight-wheel drive, his little engine can’t. Hammond charges on alone, but it’s too little too late. When he reaches the finish line, the victorious vets are already there waiting.

#19: Indestructible Toyota

The Toyota Hilux is a Japanese line of pickup trucks. In series 3, the “Top Gear” lads decided to test their durability. Clarkson chose a fourth-gen Hilux, and then they proceeded to do as much damage to it as possible. It ended up surviving every single ordeal they put it through, amazingly driving into the studio to a huge round of applause. The tests it was subjected to were being slammed into a tree, thrown down stairs, getting thrown into the channel, dropped from a crane, and then, finally, it was placed on top of a 23-story building, which was blown up. A mechanic managed to start it up after every escapade using only basic tools, making it mind-boggingly durable.

#18: Bashed Up Caravan

Clarkson and May conduct an offroad race which leaves them and their caravans in pieces. They review the whole class of vehicles known as crossover SUVs, CUVs or soft roaders. For once, the show employs a data driven approach to their process. This leads to two soft roaders being selected. Clarkson takes his place behind the Mazda CX-5’s steering wheel, while May steps into a Volkswagen Tiguan. With caravans hitched up, the rough riders proceed to utterly destroy their towable homes away from home. This disastrous bust is painful to watch, but the two hosts have such a good laugh about the whole thing that it all feels worth it.

#17: The Aqua Cars

The “How hard can it be?” challenges were some of the most memorable moments in the show’s run. This included both of the amphibious car challenges, which were as difficult as you’d expect. Their first attempt had them try crossing a lake, which was smooth sailing for none of them. Clarkson came close, but in his hubris oversteered and doomed his car to sink. May managed to stay afloat, but his ship was painfully slow. Their second challenge had them cross the channel instead. One car amazingly made it across intact, but it took four attempts to get there.

#16: The Peugeot Meeting

Peugeot is a French car company who are often criticized by the “Top Gear” crew. Well, their cars from after 2000 are, before then they were way more reliable. This motivated them to comically recreate a Peugeot meeting explaining this downfall. The table is littered with wine bottles, and they’ve all got terribly drawn-on moustaches. In the same episode, they took newer Peugeots for a spin, and it didn’t go well. For instance, Clarkson held the temperature up button for so long that the car literally set ablaze. He then gets stuck in a mini roundabout for an irritatingly long time, ending with another car smashing into his side when he finally moves.

#15: Caravan Train

It’s common knowledge how much the trio despise caravans. This distaste motivated the destruction of tons of caravans over the years, even becoming a staple of Hammond’s series “Braniac”. Once, they decided to instead recycle a few caravans, turning them into a ridiculous train, pulled by a car. A group of high-ranking train professionals was invited to try their creation, who was understandably far from impressed. Magazine Railway Express left them a scathing review. The poor job Hammond did at supplying the food didn’t help, but setting the caravans on fire was the nail in the coffin. It’s unlikely to be implemented by any major railways.

#14: Teenage Car Challenge

Buying a car as a teenager is one of the most exciting parts of life, but it’s also frustratingly expensive, especially when you haven’t found a proper job. This challenge had the team relive the experience, giving them only £2500 to get a car and insurance. Things got more hilarious when they had to complete five challenges, all mimicking the standard experiences of a 17-year-old boy. This included sneaking into their parents' house in the middle of the night, racing to pack up a tent, and trying their best to impress women. Hammond almost won, until he crashed on the last task, letting Clarkson take the win.

#13: Ariel Atom

Some of the fastest road-legal cars are the Ariel Atoms. They were first created in 2000, and have been in production since. When Clarkson drove one, it ended up causing one of the funniest images in “Top Gear” history. Clarkson doesn’t hold back, causing his face to get blasted by the friction. Despite the pain, he adores the machine and had a blast driving it. Newer generations appeared on later episodes, but they couldn’t top the original car’s hilarity. In series 16, the Stig took the V8 model for a spin and managed to complete the race track in 1:15.1, which was the greatest power lap time for a few years.

#12: Clarkson’s Bolivian Blunder

When our threesome treks 1,000-miles across Bolivia’s rugged rainforest, they run into more than one obstacle. Powerful rivers, questionable engines and rugged terrain block their way at many turns. These conditions might not make for an ideal commute, but they are perfect for determining who has the toughest off-roader. May opts for a Suzuki Jimmy while Hammond goes with a Toyota Land Cruiser. Clarkson shows more national pride by going with a Range Rover, though it turns out much of the vehicle's innards may be something else entirely. Still, even the toughest set of wheels can’t protect from user error. Case and point, a cocky Clarkson gets stuck in an embarassingly stupid postion when he insists on charging over a steep embankment.

#11: Track Cars on the Street

#10: The Ambulance Challenge

The last challenge of the trio’s final series was the Cheap Ambulance Challenge. They aim to improve UK ambulance response times, but unsurprisingly, they’re unsuccessful. All 3 attempts are comically poor. They all chose separate vehicles and then cobbled together some disastrous ambulance ideas. They eventually arrive at a fake disaster site and all do a pathetic job of saving the day. In the end, Hammond wins, despite his patient getting thrown out the window to their death and his wheels setting on fire. Clarkson was the only one who successfully delivered a patient, but if they weren’t a mannequin, it’s unlikely they would’ve survived the journey.

#9: The Throttle Body Wiggle Test

The series 19 Africa special was an instant classic. At one point, Clarkson’s BMW broke down, and he fixed it in one of the most ridiculous ways imaginable. Usually, it would take years of experience to be confident repairing cars. Well, Clarkson knows a secret technique: percussion calibration. Informally, it’s known as whacking it with a hammer. Somehow, it works and he’s on his way. Either he’s a mechanical wizard or extremely lucky; it’s unclear. Later on, they end up stuck in mud, but this time, hitting the cars with a hammer doesn’t fix the issue.

#8: OAP Car Explodes

As long as everyone’s unharmed, there’s nothing more funny in this series than cars randomly exploding. One of the most iconic examples was when they modified a Fiat Multipla, turning it into the Rover James. It was made specifically for the elderly, but turned out to be highly dangerous, surprising no one. The roof was leaky, causing passengers to get drenched in rain. The rooftop pet cage would’ve killed any pets it held. Finally, its only successful function was the self-destruct button, which rendered the entire car unusable. It would also explode if it were driven the wrong way down a one-way street. Thankfully, the elderly have chosen not to recreate the Rover James.

#7: Tractor Challenge

Our next entry from the “How hard can it be?” series of challenges. This time, they were tasked with making petrol from crops. To do this, they’d need a tractor each to play with. Beforehand, they knew virtually nothing about tractors, so it was a learning experience for the trio. Hilariously, they decided to let the stig race their tractors and see whose was the slowest. All 3 times were incredibly low. They then decided to try growing rapeseed oil, but were entirely unsuccessful. It’s made even funnier by Clarkson’s recent farming endeavours; he probably looks back at this challenge with major embarrassment.

#6: The Winter Olympics Mini Jump

In this battle of man versus machine, humanity wins out against the big brains at “Top Gear.” The team is tasked with making a 1986 Mini fly further than a skier off an Olympic Ski Jump slope in Lillehammer, Norway. The problem is that the little car’s wheels are more or less useless on the icy track, as May explains to his dumbfounded colleagues. To get around this, they enlist the help of the UK Rocketry Association, or UKRA. This help enables them to rig the Mini with skis for stability and 1.5 tons of explosive thrust. Their little flying car doesn’t quite get its wings, falling short of the distance set by the cold-weather athlete, but it does put on a good show.

#5: Sunken Car

The series 19 Africa Special has made it to our list once again, this time for the priceless car ferry scene. To cross a river, they have to put their cars on a makeshift pontoon, constructed out of logs and barrels. The three work together to overcome the challenge, impressively getting all 3 cars across. Right as they were celebrating their victory, in the background, you can spot a producer crashing the backup car straight into the river. It was probably caused by Clarkson expressing his amazement at nothing going wrong, which must have jinxed the producers.

#4: Campervan Challenge

Another iconic clash of creativity was the ultimate motorhomes challenge. Clarkson’s contraption was easily the most iconic. It was called The Leaning Tower of Citreon, and it made little sense how it managed to stand upright. Light winds make it sway from side to side, making it amusingly look like it could tip over at any moment. In the end, it was Clarkson & May who caused its downfall. While Clarkson was away getting ice cream, they thought it would be hilarious to park it on the edge of a cliff. You don’t need to be a genius to guess what happened next.

#3: Limousine Challenge

If you’re successful enough to get an invite to the Brit Awards, you probably want to appear in style, ideally in a suave limousine. Well, three celebrities were personally chauffeured by the trio, but the limousines were anything but suave. They were incredibly janky homemade contraptions. None of them looked comfortable, and most drove terribly, smashing into obstacles when turning corners. The icing on the cake was that May had no idea where he was going, causing his guest to storm off after being an hour late. At least his limo was intact, unlike Clarkson’s, which split in two.

#2: The Reliant Robin Rocket

This little red rocket tries to boldly go where no Reliant Robin has gone before: space. May and Hammond attempt to prove the feasibility of turning Reliant Robins into reusable spaceships. While not actually hitting the stratosphere, the plan is to fly a Robin to a height of several thousand feet and then remotely pilot it to the ground. The help of UKRA is enlisted, but they initially scoff at the feasibility of such a ridiculous endeavor. Nonetheless, the rocket scientists help rig up a rocket twelve times as powerful as the one used to make the Mini fly. They succeed in lifting off, but in the end a failure to separate results in an explosive loss to Albion’s future in the stars.

#1: World’s Smallest Cars

The Peel P50 used to be the smallest car on Earth. As such, Clarkson just had to take it for a spin. It turned out it even fits in the office, proven by an iconic segment where Clarkson takes it around the BBC. This resulted in a humorous moment where he awkwardly shared an elevator with Fiona Bruce. A few years later, Clarkson designed and created a smaller and even more whimsical version, the P45. It looked like something from a 60s sci-fi movie, making Clarkson look like a cyborg lawnmower. Clarkson took the contraption to “Dragon’s Den”, where the dragons found nothing redeeming about his idea, except for laughing at.

What “Top Gear” episode made you crack up the most? Let us know in the comments section!