1 00:00:11,750 --> 00:00:15,689 Tonight, I talk to a man in sunglasses. 2 00:00:15,758 --> 00:00:18,397 James draws a square on a wall. 3 00:00:18,398 --> 00:00:21,798 And Richard plays with a soldier's chopper. 4 00:00:27,489 --> 00:00:30,949 CHEERING AND APPLAUSE 5 00:00:30,987 --> 00:00:33,786 Hello, good evening. Thank you so much. 6 00:00:33,787 --> 00:00:36,667 Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. 7 00:00:38,627 --> 00:00:46,626 Now, in the '60s and '70s the TV schedules were awash with detective shows like The Baron, 8 00:00:46,627 --> 00:00:50,906 Department S, The Protectors, The Persuaders, The Saint, The Avengers. 9 00:00:50,907 --> 00:00:53,106 You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you? 10 00:00:53,107 --> 00:00:56,026 Let me explain. They were all basically the same, OK? 11 00:00:56,027 --> 00:00:59,946 Every week a good looking man would run into a swanky hotel, punch a 12 00:00:59,947 --> 00:01:04,386 swarthy looking man in a Fez and then go to bed with a pretty lady. 13 00:01:04,387 --> 00:01:07,746 Anyone here old enough to remember that? Yeah, you, exactly. 14 00:01:07,747 --> 00:01:12,306 The only difference was the cars they all drove, OK? 15 00:01:12,307 --> 00:01:15,346 This is Brett Sinclair, Aston Martin DBS. 16 00:01:15,347 --> 00:01:17,986 Steed had a Broadspeed tuned Jag. 17 00:01:17,987 --> 00:01:22,946 And there is The Saint with his Volvo P1800. 18 00:01:22,947 --> 00:01:26,586 Now, the interesting thing is that almost none of them ever drove 19 00:01:26,587 --> 00:01:31,547 the Jensen Interceptor, and I think there's a very good reason for that. 20 00:01:36,427 --> 00:01:43,867 It looks fantastic, but it was built very badly by people who didn't seem to care what they were doing. 21 00:01:46,707 --> 00:01:49,586 Let me give you one example. 22 00:01:49,587 --> 00:01:53,586 When the people on the Jensen production line needed a new steering rack they'd go to 23 00:01:53,587 --> 00:01:59,786 the steering rack factory and buy one, often without bothering to check what car it was for. 24 00:01:59,787 --> 00:02:06,347 Some Interceptors were apparently sold fitted with steering racks designed for the Triumph Stag. 25 00:02:07,907 --> 00:02:13,186 That, then, is why it wasn't very popular with the TV heroes of yesteryear. 26 00:02:13,187 --> 00:02:16,067 It would never have worked properly. 27 00:02:21,027 --> 00:02:25,306 Now, though, a small company based here in the lungs of England 28 00:02:25,307 --> 00:02:30,147 has launched an updated version, which does. 29 00:02:37,987 --> 00:02:42,346 In the old car the big Chrysler engine turned petrol into noise, 30 00:02:42,347 --> 00:02:45,186 but very little power was produced on the way, 31 00:02:45,187 --> 00:02:48,907 so they've taken that engine out and thrown it away. 32 00:02:51,787 --> 00:02:56,666 In its place there's a 6.2 litre V8 from the modern day Corvette. 33 00:02:56,667 --> 00:03:01,266 The rear suspension is modern, too, as are the brakes. 34 00:03:01,267 --> 00:03:07,786 But, critically, the body, that glorious Italian styling, that's untouched. 35 00:03:07,787 --> 00:03:11,227 And it still has the best name ever put on a car... 36 00:03:12,307 --> 00:03:13,547 Interceptor. 37 00:03:19,587 --> 00:03:23,186 So, what we have here then is much the same as that house over there. 38 00:03:23,187 --> 00:03:29,626 It's old and it's beautiful, but it has central heating, it has all the appurtenances of modern living. 39 00:03:29,627 --> 00:03:36,066 And unlike that modern day E type we looked at the other day this doesn't cost £500,000. 40 00:03:36,067 --> 00:03:38,107 This is 112,000. 41 00:03:39,627 --> 00:03:44,226 I know that's a lot if you're on benefits, but it's not a lot if you're on Elton John. 42 00:03:44,227 --> 00:03:46,626 I mean, if you are Elton John. 43 00:03:46,627 --> 00:03:51,347 And it's really not a lot when you see what this car can do. 44 00:03:54,667 --> 00:04:00,786 Thanks to 429 horsepower, 0 to 60 is dealt with in 4.5 seconds 45 00:04:00,787 --> 00:04:05,626 and the top speed is 167. 46 00:04:05,627 --> 00:04:10,786 It goes, then, like that other interceptor from the period, 47 00:04:10,787 --> 00:04:13,586 the English Electric Lightning. 48 00:04:13,587 --> 00:04:17,026 However, it as thirsty as the jet, 49 00:04:17,027 --> 00:04:18,907 and as noisy. 50 00:04:20,147 --> 00:04:26,186 The engine in this, though, sounds fantastic... I think. 51 00:04:26,187 --> 00:04:29,026 It's hard to be sure because there's so much wind noise 52 00:04:29,027 --> 00:04:31,706 coming from here and everywhere else. 53 00:04:31,707 --> 00:04:36,466 It's a reminder, really, that this car was built in the '70s 54 00:04:36,467 --> 00:04:38,986 in the West Midlands and these words, 55 00:04:38,987 --> 00:04:44,067 "West", "Seventies", "Midlands," they're not bywords for quality. 56 00:04:45,707 --> 00:04:49,906 There are other period features I don't much care for either. 57 00:04:49,907 --> 00:04:52,906 First of all there's the air conditioning. Two settings, 58 00:04:52,907 --> 00:04:55,386 sauna or Turkish prison. 59 00:04:55,387 --> 00:05:01,706 Then you've got the wipers, which are as good at removing water from the windscreen as a pair of pencils. 60 00:05:01,707 --> 00:05:03,946 And then there's the steering system. 61 00:05:03,947 --> 00:05:07,906 It's original, so it could be from a Triumph Stag or it could be from 62 00:05:07,907 --> 00:05:10,186 a lawn mower, who knows? 63 00:05:10,187 --> 00:05:14,346 What I do know is to make the car move that much 64 00:05:14,347 --> 00:05:18,147 you have to do quite a lot of flailing at the wheel. 65 00:05:19,827 --> 00:05:24,106 There are, however, some period features I love. 66 00:05:24,107 --> 00:05:28,746 The traditional white on black dials are the sort you get in war films, that you tap 67 00:05:28,747 --> 00:05:32,226 when they tell you bad news and then they tell you good news. 68 00:05:32,227 --> 00:05:33,786 Oh no, I've got no fuel! 69 00:05:33,787 --> 00:05:36,666 Oh, look, I've got a full tank! 70 00:05:36,667 --> 00:05:41,346 I also like having the dim dip switch on the floor. 71 00:05:41,347 --> 00:05:44,146 And, look at that radio! 72 00:05:44,147 --> 00:05:46,746 'This is the BBC Home Service.' 73 00:05:46,747 --> 00:05:49,827 It's from the James May collection. 74 00:05:51,427 --> 00:05:54,066 So, how do we sum this car up? 75 00:05:54,067 --> 00:05:57,466 Certainly it's more of a grand tourer than a raging 76 00:05:57,467 --> 00:06:02,626 B road barnstormer, but I think that what it is most of all 77 00:06:02,627 --> 00:06:04,986 is a time machine. 78 00:06:04,987 --> 00:06:10,426 In my head, right now this is not Top Gear and this is not 2011. 79 00:06:10,427 --> 00:06:17,346 It's 1972, I have an enormous moustache and I am the star 80 00:06:17,347 --> 00:06:19,667 of a new TV detective show. 81 00:06:29,067 --> 00:06:31,186 Nice wheels. 82 00:06:31,187 --> 00:06:34,546 Rock your head. I would have done if you'd gone within a metre of me! 83 00:06:34,547 --> 00:06:37,106 I did! It was like you're swatting a fly over there. 84 00:06:37,107 --> 00:06:38,945 That was rubbish. Did you see that? 85 00:06:38,946 --> 00:06:40,067 Yeah, it was rubbish. 86 00:06:40,068 --> 00:06:43,146 We can't just go around pretending to punch each other. 87 00:06:43,147 --> 00:06:48,346 You need a sort of proper sequence. Nice wheels, by the way. Isn't it just the best thing ever? 88 00:06:48,347 --> 00:06:50,227 We need to sort this out. We need a plan. 89 00:06:50,228 --> 00:06:57,546 So, we adjourned to the Top Gear office to plan our Interceptor tribute show. 90 00:06:57,547 --> 00:07:02,426 Why don't we just make the title sequence? Mmm. Title sequence is a good idea because 91 00:07:02,427 --> 00:07:06,306 that tells the whole story. It sums up the atmosphere and the setting. Exactly. 92 00:07:06,307 --> 00:07:09,586 They're always very short and they often end with a freeze. 93 00:07:09,587 --> 00:07:11,986 Yeah, exactly. And everyone turns like that. 94 00:07:11,987 --> 00:07:14,906 And there's always somebody doing karate chops on people. 95 00:07:14,907 --> 00:07:19,106 No, there's always a karate chop, shooting, car chase. Explosion. 96 00:07:19,107 --> 00:07:20,667 And then there was never any blood. 97 00:07:20,668 --> 00:07:22,626 No. People were shot extensively. 98 00:07:22,627 --> 00:07:25,186 Very close. Very close, and they never bled. 99 00:07:25,187 --> 00:07:30,066 If anything ever has a button on it or a light, they're massive. Girls. 100 00:07:30,067 --> 00:07:33,026 Do you remember that bit in The Persuaders? 101 00:07:33,027 --> 00:07:35,386 Roger Moore, Tony Curtis, walking along, girl in 102 00:07:35,387 --> 00:07:38,907 a bikini walks between them for no obvious reason and they both go... 103 00:07:40,347 --> 00:07:42,986 And the good thing about a karate chop is there's no blood. 104 00...
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