I’m not the only one who loves cars because of old Top Gear tasks. As a youngster, one of the things that made me love cars was watching Clarkson, Hammond, and May buy three (often junk) cars and put them through hell. So, when Richard Hammond picked his best Top Gear car ever in this new video, I felt a wave of nostalgia wash over me. All vehicles chosen to participate in the Hammond bracket were from low-cost competitions. None were made by one of the many companies that make high-end unique cars. Still, I’ve always liked cheap events because they were much more interesting than watching brand-new, six-figure supercars do regular TV stunts for fast cars. The cheap cars each have their characters, quirks, and unknowns. The way the cars are shown in this movie makes me think of many great times. The Bolivian special’s old FJ40 Toyota Land Cruiser is one of my best and most miniature favourite cars. I like an excellent FJ40, so watching Hammond drive a bad one through the Bolivian bush was fun. But the spider that got inside didn’t do much to help me get over my fear of spiders. The Dodge Ram was also pretty funny in their American road trip show. Hammond said that writing what they did on each other’s cars wasn’t the best idea because, let’s say, some Alabamans weren’t as forward-thinking as the group would have liked. Because of this, Hammond was in great danger for a short time. Oliver, Hammond’s Opel Kadett from the Botswana challenge, is also a choice. Hammond was honest about how he felt about Oliver when the movie was made, and he hasn’t changed his mind since. He bought the little Opel after the show and still has it. He also has an MGB GT and a Ferrari 308 GT4 from other adventures. Hammond finds it hard to say no to the car as he moves through the group. He went through a lot with Oliver, which has made him feel connected to the vehicle. Oliver is the winner. Even though everyone knew Hammond would pick his famous Opel, it made me smile because I remember watching the show when it first came out. I’m leaving now to go back to doing things for Top Gear. Cheers.
