Clarkson - Head To Head: Banger Racing A Hyundai Accent 1.5 GLSi

Clarkson's 2nd attempt at Banger Racing. Clip taken from his 1999 DVD where he destroyed a Hyundai Accent in a Field Banger Race against some unknown drivers at an unknown location, also featuring Tiff Needell who used a Triumph Dolomite.

[@ThatSingingMac]

Funny how they are hating on it but I literally see at least one of these still driving around each day 🤣

[@Kkkdkfkfkdkd]

thats nice

[@freddieparrydrums]

Quite rare now

[@mr.razington7881]

Right? I like these little econoboxes lol, they may be cheap but they've got a lot of character.

[@Dam-iw8wk]

I still drive my 1999 4 door Hyundai (excel in Australia), nearly 400000 kms on the clock.

[@ramp7857]

@@Dam-iw8wk How do you feel seeing it's brother being crashed, squeezed and tortured

[@Snarl616]

I always wondered if this was a pre-production car that had to be destroyed anyway. Can't imgaine how could Clarkson do this before Top Gear and never make Hyundai angry.

[@turn6garage640]

I have a theory on that, quite a few early X3 Accents had dodgy subframes that weren’t welded properly from the factory. Considering the likely age of that car (pre-facelift built between 1994 and 1997) it could have been a dodgy subframe car that was rewelded with potentially other defects (while quality had substantially improved, the odd dud still rolled out of Ulsan), which could have meant it was a car Hyundai (or a specific dealer) didn’t want to sell. Hyundai wasn’t pleased about Clarkson’s comments about Koreans eating dogs the year before so I don’t think there was any love lost over this.

[@Snarl616]

@@turn6garage640 So this is a 1994-1997 version, with a T reg plate (meaning that it's late 98 - early 99) that doesn't appear on the DVLA database, so T13 MST is a fake number plate. Might be a faulty cheap 2nd hand car as you say, but I'll believe it's a pre-prod car, because it looks too clean.

[@turn6garage640]

Pre-production car makes sense especially considering the timeline of the newer Accent coming in 2000 and this needed to go. Although what I had in mind was a car that was either never registered and found to have a significant manufacturing defect, fixed up long enough for filming then destroyed or was registered and found to have numerous significant faults within the first few months that Hyundai replaced it under warranty (there were a handful of serious duds in the Accents that were trouble really early on, although most were solid). That would have been within 3 years/60k miles at that time for the UK (3 years/100k km in Australia. I do agree T13MST isn’t a real plate, they just used it to show it was available as a new car in 1999.

[@Snarl616]

@@turn6garage640 Also consider this: MSD and MST are factories linked to Hyundai (check out the Accent WRC number plates), so the MST letters on that Accent number plates are either fake, or they prove that the car belonged to Hyundai itself, kinda like SRT for Subaru or FMC for Ford. Might be a defective car as you said with fake number plates, but I'll stick with the Pre-Prod car destroyed because the car is too mint (even the dashboard was untouched) and because instead of going against a whole car company, it's much easier to destroy a pre-prod car with Hyundai's agreement (except the dog eating story) and letting everybody think that they destroyed a perfectly good car. Which is typical Clarkson's style, btw.

[@emilkozak4012]

Wait, pre-production cars have to be destroyed?

[@Darkness0906]

And this is how stance culture started

[@turn6garage640]

That looks like a pre-facelift 12 valve Accent Clarkson destroyed. Even thought it was wearing 1999 T plates, it was probably built in 1996 or 1997 as it has the older style hubcaps, front/rear lights and badge located on the bonnet. Hyundai gave the Accent 16 valves as an option in late 1997 in the form of the updated 1.5 litre engine. They could have also attached T plates to an older car for the purpose of filming as well though.

[@freddieparrydrums]

Yep, rare car

[@turn6garage640]

Fully loaded 5 door models are quite rare now. Base 3 door models and later base spec 5 doors are still a common site in Australia. Between 1996 and 1998 the Accent (Excel in Australia) was one of the top 3 best selling cars and for a couple of months of 1998 Australia’s best selling car. Hyundai built them in large batches for the Australian market so that’s how they could compete strongly on price and so many sold.

[@Snarl616]

Looks like the T13MST is not in the DVLA database, so it's a fake number plate, and at this point I'll think it's a pre-prod car that had to be destroyed anyway.

[@elcrack3343]

4 door models here in Chile are avery common sight. The ride like a stuffed pillow and corner steady. I like the accent

[@Cascroft-lp6ir]

I can confirm that this was indeed an older model as you say. The number plates were never registered to any car at any point, this was also confirmed by checking if they'd been registered with a certificate of destruction. I believe this was a pre production car that was going to be disposed of, or an ex demo. I cannot confirm this though as of now, but the car was a 1995/1996 model.

[@anefyon]

Someone finally re-uploaded this to youtube! I used to watch this clip waaay too much as a kid lol

[@cbrown182]

When I was a kid my mum had a 98 Hyundai accent from 00 to 2010. Not even someone crashing into her at 40mph made it stop working. Very reliable and we'll made cars.

[@collick100]

I love banger racing but can never get my head around the huge amount of prep work required on a car (sometimes to be only out on the track for a few minutes).

[@demomanchaos]

You should see how much people do to full-weld demolition derby cars. Those things are staggeringly stout and their bumpers are absolute weapons of mass destruction.

[@Cascroft-lp6ir]

As a racer myself who uploaded this video, I should mention that back in the day the prep work was so little that it meant you could go buy a car on the Friday evening, build it the following afternoon, paint it in the evening, race it on the sunday and then scrap it on the Monday morning. These days, your average banger takes a few weeks to build. Far too much safety in them now because of HSE Regulations, and most people overbuild the things as they're competitive or trying to make a very strong car. Not to mention modern cars are full of annoying electrics, loads of plastic, bonded windows, crash sensors etc so they take longer to strip than the likes of a Ford Cortina or something similar. Then they go to the effort of swapping engines, making solid mountings for them so they can't fall out, fitting massive water tanks, hours of welding work to doors boot lid and steering arms, lowering them, etc. I highly recommend watching the Back To Basic Bangers, as these can still be built in a day if you're keen. They keep the theme of what the sport was originally about, making for an afternoon of extremely low budget motor racing. My last 2 Back To Basics cars actually made me a profit when I scrapped them!

[@kelvinbrown8438]

@@Cascroft-lp6ir true, but i love how Jeremy took that head on like it was nothing and kept driving 😂

[@aussiesean5140]

Funny enough this same model of Hyundai car in Australia can last going across the Nullarbor plains several times from Western Australia to Queensland. The engines could be tuned up and the car would go like a rocket.

[@Wtrxprs007able]

I think you're talking about the excel, which is also a secretly loved car. Surprisingly tough little bastards the old Hyundai's were

[@aussiesean5140]

@@Wtrxprs007able my grandma's Hyundai was a Getz. Yeah when she traded it in it had nearly 300 000. On the clock

[@nickshipway8199]

@@Wtrxprs007able The Accent was sold here too. Cheap to buy, cheap to run and very hard to kill. Great little car.

[@Wtrxprs007able]

@Nick Shipway yes I know that. I think we didn't have the model shown in this video but the next one. A couple of my mates have one from the early 2000s and they can't seem to kill them 😅

[@nickshipway8199]

@TDI for Life I bought one! I had very little money and it ran like a champ for two years. It ran Melbourne to Sydney and back a few times and happily Melbourne to Lakes Entrance and back several times. It was fairly comfy, had a decent AC and was actually pretty nippy to drive. Also you could insure it for sweet FA!

[@DannoAviation]

This Clarkson VHS was a massive part of my childhood, always loved cars so it used to be on almost everyday in my house, much to the annoyance of my family it must be said😆 Head to Head it was called if I remember rightly…

[@bombadilian]

Me too mate. There was Unleashed on Cars as well, in which he destroyed an air-cooled 911!!

[@DannoAviation]

@@bombadilian Yesss!! Apocalypse Clarkson was another good’un🙌🏼

[@zesty2023]

you love cars and yet you love to watch them brutalized and destroyed, yeah that makes sense!

[@bombadilian]

@@zesty2023 go away

[@zesty2023]

@@bombadilian not my fault you contradict yourself

[@VroodenTheGreat]

He didn't need to crush it. A piece of tape over that check engine light and he would have had it fixed.

[@CarsaremytingTV]

Thanks for uploading this, havent watched it in years

[@danielalexander8588]

So sad to see these classic cars destroyed 😭.

[@freddieparrydrums]

Yup. Watch some Rover P5B banger racing. As an owner of one of the rarest models, it brings a tear to my eye.

[@acreativename7999]

Back then they weren't worth anything unfortunately. Like the Ford focuses of today

[@mr.razington7881]

Right? Such charming little cars, its a damn shame what kind of stuff used to be so mindlessly wrecked. Even in the US, lots of classic muscle cars were ruined in demo derbies, made me sad as a kid.

[@TwoDollarGararge]

when this was made it was the $500 shibox of the day

[@spannaspinna]

@@acreativename7999 ford focuses have never been worth anything

[@lonerider92]

The compactor gave it a very sporty looking camber.

[@hybridAbsol]

That Accent really got into an ACCIDENT here :v How ironic, Tiff hates dogs here but raised 2 at home :v

[@rogerramjet7729]

They make surprisingly capable gravel rally cars. A well prepared and driven one can set some really good stage times. Even in relatively stock trim (basically stock drive train and good suspension) they have won 2wd at state level here in Australia multiple times

[@uzaiyaro]

They had similar cars here in Australia. Gotta love an old SExcel. They’re a really endangered species today.

[@sonyviva308]

I actually watched all of this on DVD and remembered most of the dialogues. oh my God this is such nostalgia. thanks for uploading it!

[@kuntakinte4333]

Add an "i" and a "d" to the Hyndai so you get an ACCidENT

[@redking6802]

I drive a Hyundai accent 2017, and this video proofs it's the most reliable car ever, had mine for 5 years, it never broke down, never stalled or overheated, I even had a left side front wheel blowout, doing 160km/h, and that car held on to the road with all it's might saving my life. I love that car ❤!!!

[@Vespastendert]

Ive been looking for this for a long time

[@rewanker7336]

I have one like this in this color ,but without sunroof and electric windows.

[@vangestelwijnen]

This one didn't have anything at all in the end, so yours is better.

[@no-damn-alias]

One thing I have to admit is that they're pretty sturdy. Even my wife couldn't break it and that is some testament to that car. Now she has a Polo and well.... I plead the fifth for my own health

[@rhyskirk7357]

pfft the mighty hyundai will still drive home

[@davidcarter805]

Compare to a 2022 Palisade! Hyundai has come a long way with now perhaps the best vehicles on the planet, (and Kia Telluride, )

[@sutherlandA1]

These were hugely popular in Australia in the late 90s regularly being top selling import and are still plenty around today. Korean cars of the time were mocked but we saw the value of cheap and reliable hence why Asian brands thrive while euro ones dont

[@alexg1778]

Well it's also because you're in the same region of the world as Asia. People tend to stick to manufacturers that are closer by, probably because of trade deals with neighbouring countries. Obviously cars from further afield are still sold, just not in as high of a quantity.

[@cmelft2463]

and to think how big hyundai has become today, in the top 10 car manufacturers in the world. 1 out of 5 people i know drive one including myself.

[@jonathanryan2915]

I was friends with a guy in HS that had this EXACT car, color and everything. His parents got it for him new. It was good, but only because it was new. They took it away from him in less than a year

[@clamcrewcarclub6017]

What did he do hahahha it couldn’t have been because he was speeding

[@jonathanryan2915]

@@clamcrewcarclub6017 he started using the car to not go to school

[@dgurevich1]

Those older Korean cars are much more reliable then what they make now. The bland styling and spartan features are a small price to pay for a car that can just go forever. Much like old Toyotas to an extent.

[@Steve1766]

true

[@cbrown182]

Sad to see the triumph being destroyed :(

[@TheTarrMan]

It was satisfying seeing one of those awful things destroyed.

[@GeorgeAusters]

Imagine this being on TV today

[@hardcorehardo]

Hyundai really stepped up their game

[@psivewri]

In Australia there is actually a racing league for these cars.

[@TheAussieFloof]

They use them now in Junior Sedans in speedway

[@Grulaz]

I'd never thought i would see you in a comment section for something like this

[@mr.carguy654]

Pretty brutal considering the Accent it's self probably never even so much as ran over a dog. But I guess the factory workers' lunch on the assembly line had to be avenged somehow!😂

[@Alex-mo6yb]

I'm glad at least one person carried on the racist remark /s

[@staceyramnanan6988]

Thank you

[@Steve1766]

this old car is immortal

[@ilwol1004]

This video has been banned in South Korea for 8 years

[@danielwutfisho]

lol

[@gabrielv.4358]

For a car guy this should be rated 18+

[@ESISTTIGER]

Mean while here in Australia most of them Hyundai's have 300000+km

[@dalewasson5919]

That old Hyundai took a beating but she still ran

[@Betsy387]

Fooking love clarkson and tiff together funny as fook

[@perchancethishandleiswens]

1:45 Damn imagine saying that in this day and age 😂

[@tdp2612]

To think that the Accent now is about as old as that Dolly was at the time, and there was a hell of a lot more of them left in the late 90s than there are 90s Korean cars left now. Equally crap though, badly designed, badly built, at least Korean cars are good now, and British cars still aren't

[@T4REK]

It was the first car entirely built in Korea with Korean technology. Ridiculously cheap, but also cheaply made, still, VERY reliable. I'd say it was a good deal for the price.

[@Cascroft-lp6ir]

Dolomite would've been roughly 25 ears old at the time of filming. There was quite a few still around at the end of the late 90's being used daily, even into the early 2000's I suppose. Yet anything Korean from the 90's now which would be a similar time frame, is almost impossible to spot. Can't remember the last Korean car I spotted that was made in the 90's, and I regularly do Carwatching so just gives you an idea of how rare they have become. Then again, there's not many 90's cars on the roads now compared to 70's cars in the 1990's

[@WRXMK]

Back in the day people didn't change cars every 2-3 years (most people even less these days) and more people held on to their cars for as long as they could. If this was the case today, far more classics would still be around, including the old Korean motors. This was at a time Hyundai really turned a corner and started making good cars. Far better than the woeful Escort. The original accent was well bolted together, simple and reliable.

[@MrBlonde294]

when i was young the car looks old, now i am old and the car still looks old

[@jasperdomacena6491]

the most generic looking early 2000's car.. but one of the most reliable car ever made

[@isaacsrandomvideos667]

I bet it was almost brand new hahah Hope there is no classics in this banger race! Ah lord. Even a dolomite NO! Even a sprint in the scrapyard. Sad

[@leumamk5259]

I felt bad for the car. 😥 Why destroying a lovely Hyundai that was in that excellent shape?

[@SuperCooper19961]

Because these type of British people who made this show and Clarckson as well can't handle the fact that there are better/more reliable cars than British brands. British people and their "intelligence" dissapoints me again and again and again as time goes.

[@leumamk5259]

They were probably jealous that a very cheap car was more reliable than those luxury British cars like Land Rover that the only thing they do is to give problems. Not to mention that there's a point when to buy a part of a Land Rover is more expensive than the car itself.

[@slideways8022]

Because it’s funny. Some U.K. accents were a bucket of crap with teething issues, and some got bought back and ordered to be destroyed. They probably saw an opportunity to bash up a “new” car on screen without actually costing anything (as it was already headed for scrap) and took it. It’s also may have been pre-production, which under law need to be scrapped whole.

[@Alexandros.Apeirwtan]

I own this exact car in sedan mode silver color. Since 1995. Also an accent 3 door 1996, an accent GT 2003 and a Hyundai Sonata 2.0 2001 gen since 2004! Solo Hyundai…

[@taylorharrison8765]

How many cars has Jeremy purposefully destroyed?

[@ramp7857]

Around 40

[@slideways8022]

@@ramp7857is there a list somewhere?

[@TRC98]

God tiff looks young in this

[@colinvannurden3090]

Tiff is great!!

[@dannygroom3327]

Clarkson, what a prat!

[@hi-xm3xi]

Good old days

[@santiagom1902]

Que buena publicidad le diste en ese tiempo.. Solo demostraste que estos autos son confiables y duraderos .. ademas de economicos... ❤

[@dillkommen]

Game reviewers playing another open-world:

[@freddieparrydrums]

Sad to see that Dolomite Sprint there

[@c.d.c9425]

that's a shitbox too though

[@freddieparrydrums]

@@c.d.c9425 Really? A Dolomite Sprint? Come on dude! They’re one of the coolest boy racerish cars of the day. The alternative to the MK2 Escort

[@c.d.c9425]

@@freddieparrydrums Don't see how you could compare that turd on wheels to an Escort. It's just British Leyland garbage at the end of the day. Each to their own though

[@giancarlolugo9586]

@@c.d.c9425 It wouldn't be so bad with a K20A swap though.

[@Mouse2113]

My mum had a white one. When she dropped me off at school I asked her to drop me off around the corner so I wasn't seen getting out of it 🤣

[@eustahijelifetips]

Way to embarass yourself

[@kylewaddington1983]

Tiff Needle vs Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear

[@bili6885]

Very cool

[@chrishines6048]

I love this part where Jeremy smashes a sh*t box

[@kaiokendo]

Tiff??

[@lucasbarton1773]

What shit box?

[@RayanM50B25]

@@lucasbarton1773 I think he's referring to the accent as a sh*t box

[@lucasbarton1773]

@@RayanM50B25 oh, well everyone has different favourite cars.

[@gartheligon140]

Oh noooo! You ding dong, why did you do that 😱. I've still got my 1995 Hyundai Accent 1.5, and yesterday I replaced front and rear shocks. Gonna rebuild engine and trani soon as funds are available. She used to give me 140kmh when she had good compression.

[@kostas903]

Actually they run to find accents nowdays because the 4door Ipads-tablets are brokeup...

[@SlyBalto]

6:14 Thanos taking out Vision's mind stone

[@petrolhead28]

Had one as a hire car once. Awfull and i should know as I once owned a b11 series sunny

[@WRXMK]

I'd take it over anything British. B11 Sunny is now a classic.

[@ImmortanDan]

Honestly I look at how Clarkson (sarcastically) describes the Hyundai's doors, windows and air-con as novel features and I wish I could buy a car just as barren and with just as few safety features as back then.

[@gabrielv.4358]

This is a great plot lmao!

[@skyll4141]

I scrapped one as it was rubbish. door handles just snap off. unsafe too

[@carmadme]

@ 5:21 there's a blaze GTI-6 wouldn't have been very old at all wonder what it's doing there

[@williammcconville4967]

Workers car maybe? That or good old French electric fire behind dash

[@carmadme]

@@williammcconville4967 blaze yellow (gold) right behind clarkson

[@michakwiecien1133]

I don’t think it was there to be scrapped. Especially considering that there was a BMW M5 parked in front of it

[@carmadme]

Good point both were gone in a later shot so yes possably one of the crews cars

[@freddieparrydrums]

Also a Dolomite Sprint. Sad to see

[@BobbyTruffle]

I literally never understood why they destroy perfectly good vehicles in favor of TV ratings...there are families who would use them for a good purpose...try banging race some rusty banger...

[@pauldevenish]

Me doggy bags gone off! 🤣🤣

[@Steve1766]

3:40 my doggy bag 😂😂😂

[@brianlego98gaming]

Dale: Don't eat dog Clarkson: This Hyundai has to die because it's made in Korea, a country where they eat dogs

[@user-kc3fn1gu6g]

Used in the. WRC

[@kotelypiesely1268]

yeah whatever but they made a rally version of it

[@SultanNizi3000GT]

Not this generation though

[@miguelaraiza8070]

All. I drive in the USA is kia and hundai no issues

[@ryancrosthwaite3676]

i have multiple excels which are like 2 door versions of the accent and the amount of redline and abuse these things can take is astonishing and for a 4 banger sorta fast to ive had a basically stock one up to 180 kph

[@MrManniG]

Well, thats quite easy, even my 1.4litre 207 can do that... (Personal record for a four banger is 250kph in a 250euro astra gsi with 2 months of TÜV left)

[@ryancrosthwaite3676]

It had a bit left in it but the gearing whould let it down

[@Jaliya48]

I don't get this type of 'entertainment'. Real car and driving enthusiasts would watch BestMotoring anyway!

[@gabrielv.4358]

Poor car

[@DannoAviation]

5:55 🤣🤣🤣 “the Hyundai has to die because it’s made in Korea, a country… where they eat dogs”

[@Alex-mo6yb]

yep

[@geoffreymurphy3845]

Shameful waste of good classic cars that could have been worth thousands of pounds

[@mrgurulittle7000]

All I could do is laugh. Seriously, why don't more people do this to their Hyundai Kia's?!

[@tw_yang7320]

有趣

[@Freelandrew]

For a trip of 1000 kms i bet to accent and not land rover.

[@SultanNizi3000GT]

Years later, and now Korean cars can be as cool as European ones

[@miljororforsprakpartiet290]

Highly productive to destroy this pile of crap so demand increases for another...

[@whattheheck1000]

This was filmed around 1999, when they were still in production. February 3, 2024 1:10 pm

[@ianoconnell8678]

4:50

[@prostreetfairladyz8402]

Hyundai cars back then really are garbage, this Accent deserves to be thrashed

[@johnyguitar258]

father had one for 20 years 400k on it, change oil every 10 k and the engine never had any problems and we are talking about a 1,3 liter engine 86 hp souper reliable cars good gas milage, very cheap parts

[@prostreetfairladyz8402]

@@johnyguitar258 exactly why its goin into the bins

[@fistfirst7355]

yyou are a clown they have nice ones at car shows one of the best racing cars especially the 2 door

[@tylerbailey3054]

Muitple things wront eith rhe car build wheels ya harness where ya h fa where ya water tank where ya on and off button

[@MookVideos]

It's a field banger event in the late 1990s, were you expecting World final prep? Most proper tracks in the country still didn't have rules on door plates or h frames back then either.

[@Wtrxprs007able]

Did you have a stroke writing that comment?

[@EJMags]

*its a dog eat dog world*

[@STEVE_KIM_YT]

우리나라의 최초 독자개발자동차를 왜부숴??!?!?!?!?!

[@lililili2251]

Yes

[@TopG800]

It is so satisfying seeing a Hyundai destroyed

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

Wait... Tiff hates dogs? My opinion of him has come under question. I can never trust a man who doesn't like dogs, my Rottweilers decide who is and isn't welcome in our house.

[@toxy3580]

Never trust someone who likes dogs

[@hughes1011]

Painful to watch lol

[@changmilee2161]

As a Korean 🇰🇷dogs are yummy 😋

[@carllindgren7130]

:)

[@ricardofelipecontrerasvara1767]

😡😡😡🤬🤬🤬

[@raufsahin334]

Hahahahahahaha

[@whatliesbeneathurbanexplor1631]

Hyundai accident 🤣

[@marshallman1au]

Waste of a good car when poor people can't afford one ...... Such is the life of the rich!!!!

[@Cascroft-lp6ir]

Okay? You do realise thousands of perfectly good cars are scrapped every single month in the UK.... Reason being nobody wants them for reasonable money and the scrap value is higher than the actual resale value of the car in most cases. Practically everyone can afford a car, just not the tax, fuel and insurance that goes along with it. Pointless comment saying it could've been given away etc as whoever got it would only sell it on anyway as likely couldn't afford the running costs. Plus. this was 23 years ago. The cars shown in the video were all heading to the scrapyard, the Hyundai included as it's believed to have been a Pre Production car, an Ex Demo or a return under warranty that wasn't worth repairing.

[@dai4yoko190]

🤣🤣🤣HYUNDAI🤣🤣🤣

[@steveluckhurst2350]

Clarkson is not funny.

[@DMC_Motorsports]

Your humour is just horrible

[@kmotin2412]

Cry

[@steveluckhurst2350]

@@kmotin2412 Thank you for your erudite and thoughtful contribution to the dabate. Would you mind expanding a little and letting us know just what the fuck you are on about?

[@freddieparrydrums]

Says you, “Steve Lackluster”