1 00:00:12,205 --> 00:00:15,284 Tonight, I find a bicycle in a river... 2 00:00:15,285 --> 00:00:18,124 James annoys a dog... 3 00:00:18,125 --> 00:00:21,045 and Richard jumps over a dyke. 4 00:00:26,085 --> 00:00:28,284 CHEERING AND APPLAUSE 5 00:00:28,285 --> 00:00:29,684 Hello! 6 00:00:29,685 --> 00:00:32,484 Hello, good evening! Hello, everybody. 7 00:00:32,485 --> 00:00:34,644 Thank you, thank you so much. Thank you. 8 00:00:34,645 --> 00:00:36,204 Now... 9 00:00:36,205 --> 00:00:38,924 we start tonight on our track. 10 00:00:38,925 --> 00:00:44,044 This is a place of screaming engines and tyre smoke. 11 00:00:44,045 --> 00:00:49,164 It is a cathedral to the god of thunder and the mistress of power. 12 00:00:49,165 --> 00:00:51,805 The natural home, then, for James May. 13 00:00:56,805 --> 00:01:00,685 That is a selection of sporty Astons. 14 00:01:09,565 --> 00:01:16,205 All of them neatly demonstrating exactly what's wrong with modern sports cars - handling. 15 00:01:18,805 --> 00:01:24,644 The people who make sports cars are absolutely obsessed with it, to the exclusion of everything else, 16 00:01:24,645 --> 00:01:29,324 like comfort, refinement. They just give you a racket, a load of smoke and a bad back. 17 00:01:29,325 --> 00:01:31,924 ENGINE ROARS 18 00:01:31,925 --> 00:01:35,884 That is the noise made by idiots - full of sound and fury 19 00:01:35,885 --> 00:01:37,485 and signifying nothing. 20 00:01:39,085 --> 00:01:43,044 The reason these Astons are so unnecessarily hard core 21 00:01:43,045 --> 00:01:47,964 is this because of this place - the Nurburgring. 22 00:01:47,965 --> 00:01:52,084 As soon as a car company comes here to develop a new model, 23 00:01:52,085 --> 00:01:54,844 they forget about everything else except lap times, 24 00:01:54,845 --> 00:01:59,005 and that is the ruination of a car. 25 00:02:01,205 --> 00:02:04,844 Of course, those of you who know your Astons will be saying, 26 00:02:04,845 --> 00:02:10,644 "But there is a model for you - the DB9, the most grown-up and least sporty Aston of them all." 27 00:02:10,645 --> 00:02:16,004 The trouble with this, though, is, it isn't shaking my teeth out 28 00:02:16,005 --> 00:02:19,724 and it's not sending me into a boiling rage about handling, 29 00:02:19,725 --> 00:02:22,084 but it isn't really giving me the fizz, either. 30 00:02:22,085 --> 00:02:25,764 I think this has now gone a bit too far the other way. 31 00:02:25,765 --> 00:02:29,204 There's a slight whiff of old fart about it. 32 00:02:29,205 --> 00:02:34,524 So, what I need is the comfort of the DB9 33 00:02:34,525 --> 00:02:37,965 infused with some of the power of the red-hot DBS. 34 00:02:39,045 --> 00:02:42,725 And it looks like my prayers may have been answered... 35 00:02:43,925 --> 00:02:46,165 with this, the new Virage. 36 00:02:47,165 --> 00:02:51,204 At first glance, it looks the same as any of the current Astons. 37 00:02:51,205 --> 00:02:56,644 But take a second look and you'll see that nearly all the body panels are new, 38 00:02:56,645 --> 00:03:01,324 as are the front grille and the streamlined headlights. 39 00:03:01,325 --> 00:03:06,565 But does it fill the gap between the DB9 and the DBS? 40 00:03:08,925 --> 00:03:13,844 Now, the DBS has 510 horsepower, 41 00:03:13,845 --> 00:03:21,484 the DB9 over there has 470, and the Virage, that has 490. 42 00:03:21,485 --> 00:03:24,724 Logically, then, the Virage should be the second fastest. 43 00:03:24,725 --> 00:03:27,444 I wonder how we can find that out. 44 00:03:27,445 --> 00:03:30,405 ENGINES ROAR 45 00:03:31,645 --> 00:03:36,644 Well, come on, we've got a runway and three Astons. What do you expect us to do? 46 00:03:36,645 --> 00:03:38,565 Go! 47 00:03:43,805 --> 00:03:45,725 Taking the DB9... 48 00:03:48,325 --> 00:03:51,285 Only just. It's very close. 49 00:03:52,685 --> 00:03:55,605 Oh, yes, yes, yes! 50 00:03:58,045 --> 00:03:59,444 Yes! 51 00:03:59,445 --> 00:04:02,764 The car in the middle of the power range 52 00:04:02,765 --> 00:04:05,484 came in the middle of the race. How about that? 53 00:04:05,485 --> 00:04:12,044 The Virage uses the same 6-litre V12 you'll find in the DB9 and the DBS, 54 00:04:12,045 --> 00:04:15,525 but, again, it's a sort of in-the-middle version. 55 00:04:18,085 --> 00:04:21,245 It's tuned differently from the DBS engine. 56 00:04:22,245 --> 00:04:25,964 Now it gives 85% of maximum torque... 57 00:04:25,965 --> 00:04:29,204 it does 1,500 RPM... 58 00:04:29,205 --> 00:04:34,845 and it will go on to 186 miles an hour! 59 00:04:36,165 --> 00:04:41,124 And when all this gets a bit much, you have ceramic brakes as standard. 60 00:04:41,125 --> 00:04:42,564 So... 61 00:04:42,565 --> 00:04:44,445 Phwoar. 62 00:04:45,525 --> 00:04:47,565 Nice. 63 00:04:49,085 --> 00:04:53,844 As for the handling - surprise, surprise - it's sharper than the DB9 64 00:04:53,845 --> 00:04:57,404 but not as aggressive as a DBS. 65 00:04:57,405 --> 00:05:00,564 So let's move on to the price. 66 00:05:00,565 --> 00:05:02,924 The DBS is £170,000. 67 00:05:02,925 --> 00:05:06,724 The DB9 is £125,000. 68 00:05:06,725 --> 00:05:11,925 The new Virage is £150,000. You see - in the middle. 69 00:05:14,365 --> 00:05:18,964 So far, then, it's shaping up well, and it gets better. 70 00:05:18,965 --> 00:05:21,804 This is probably the best-looking of all the Astons 71 00:05:21,805 --> 00:05:24,444 and it has the nicest interior. 72 00:05:24,445 --> 00:05:28,525 The stitching is all done by one seamstress to keep the weave constant. 73 00:05:29,805 --> 00:05:34,644 And, joy of joys, the useless Volvo sat nav of other Astons 74 00:05:34,645 --> 00:05:36,964 has been ditched for one that works. 75 00:05:36,965 --> 00:05:40,604 However, before I can give this car a clean bill of health, 76 00:05:40,605 --> 00:05:44,924 I have to address the elephant in the room. 77 00:05:44,925 --> 00:05:49,004 The worry is, they've made another track monster. 78 00:05:49,005 --> 00:05:53,204 They've fallen for the same old trick - it's got to go round the Nurburgring, etc, etc. 79 00:05:53,205 --> 00:05:56,364 So I've decided to do something radical... 80 00:05:56,365 --> 00:06:01,244 leave the track and go for a potter round our airfield. 81 00:06:01,245 --> 00:06:08,324 My idea here is to go on something a bit like a real road and see what the ride is actually like, 82 00:06:08,325 --> 00:06:14,964 and it will allow me to show you all the bits of the Top Gear test track that you never normally see. 83 00:06:14,965 --> 00:06:18,084 That's actually our studio. This is Nigel's garage. 84 00:06:18,085 --> 00:06:20,124 He's a lovely chap. 85 00:06:20,125 --> 00:06:24,204 Unfortunately, viewers, I then had to cancel the rest of the tour 86 00:06:24,205 --> 00:06:28,324 because, after just a few hundred yards, I was too cross to carry on. 87 00:06:28,325 --> 00:06:31,604 My God, I don't believe it. They've done it. 88 00:06:31,605 --> 00:06:37,604 I've got everything turned off, I've got sport off, the firm suspension off, but it's still too jiggly. 89 00:06:37,605 --> 00:06:39,604 HE SIGHS 90 00:06:39,605 --> 00:06:42,964 It's been ruined by the ride. Listen. 91 00:06:42,965 --> 00:06:47,005 Rattle, rattle, bang, bang. That is not necessary. 92 00:06:50,085 --> 00:06:53,404 The Virage, then, is a missed opportunity. 93 00:06:53,405 --> 00:06:57,724 It could, and should, have been a comfortable gentleman's express. 94 00:06:57,725 --> 00:07:02,365 Instead, it's just another pointless bone-shaking racing car. 95 00:07:15,885 --> 00:07:18,885 What? Right! 96 00:07:20,005 --> 00:07:24,204 Is this going to be a five-minute argument, or do you want the full half-hour? 97 00:07:24,205 --> 00:07:27,164 No, cos I actually agree with you. No... Oh, for God's sake! 98 00:07:27,165 --> 00:07:31,844 Look, the point is, Aston already make the DBS and the Vantage S 99 00:07:31,845 --> 00:07:34,284 for enthusiasts of the Nurburgring, 100 00:07:34,285 --> 00:07:37,444 but there might be somebody who wants a faster Aston 101 00:07:37,445 --> 00:07:41,964 but maybe has, I don't know, backache, for example! Yes, I agree with that. 102 00:07:41,965 --> 00:07:46,484 Oh, shut up, man! Do you not realise this could have been that car, 103 00:07:46,485 --> 00:07:49,244 and it isn't, and that's a tragedy? I know. 104 00:07:49,245 --> 00:07:52,084 You are such an idiot! Honestly! 105 00:07:52,085 --> 00:07:56,004 Anyway, we must now find out how fast it goes round our track. 106 00:07:56,005 --> 00:07:57,164 Why?! 107 00:07:57,165 --> 00:07:59,244 LAUGHTER 108 00:07:59,245 --> 00:08:04,844 Because that enables me to say some ludicrous things about our tame racing driver. 109 00:08:04,845 --> 00:08:09,804 Some say that he can't eat mashed potato for religious reasons... 110 00:08:09,805 --> 00:08:11,724 LAUGHTER 111 00:08:11,725 --> 00:08:16,564 and that he recent...
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