Old Top Gear: Autumn 1999 | Rover's Relaunch, Ariel Atom, Audi TT

[@phillipecook3227]

My favourite incarnation of Top Gear was this one - Needell, Wilson & Clarkson together.

[@U2QuoZepplin]

I don't know why Top Gear doesn't revert back to this sort of a format, rather than try and persue the old Carkson Hamond and May era format. It clearly need a complete re format rather than shamelessly trying to cling on to its previous success.

[@cjp9596]

I think there were elements of this style in the latest series... but all too overshadowed by the Clarkson-copying. Having said that, it's proven to be tricky to please everyone. Be interesting to see what the next series as like but I definitely thought there was promise in the reboot. The multiple presenters (maybe with a focus on Chris H, Rory, Sabine, Eddie and Matt LB) worked well, as it did back in this era, but I know not many warmed to Eddie Jordan...

[@U2QuoZepplin]

I dunno, I thought Eddie was like the comic relief of the show. Okay maybe not quite the comic relief that James May was , but it probably needed time to mature and develop. Maybe I'm wrong thouugh and Top Gear is dead.

[@MemphiStig]

imo the new guys should have tried to show some personality in their car segments. what we loved about TG was that each presenter was unique and had a style. but the new guys fall flat. Leblanc was a mistake from the start. Harris is useless, all he does is quote stats and poorly drift. No one else was worth watching either. Except of course Sabine. Give her the show without the dead weight and maybe then you've got something.

[@Chalky.]

They did revert back to this format, or at least many of the presenters did and called it Fifth Gear.

[@lederfrancis3828]

@@Chalky. exactly

[@ethan60645]

i love that the old background music is now meme music

[@AngelEditz123]

These were absolutely the best Top Gear years in my opinion. Informative, and fun journalism. As it should be. No attempt to be stupid, trendy, or cool.

[@palanthis]

It was you, wasn't it? Who wrote all the letters back in the day. "Why don't you stop mucking about and do proper car reviews? Is all you care about big, powerful V12s?" lmao!

[@daddymulk]

​@@palanthis😂

[@randylucas2458]

I love the way Quentin looks like an early 2000 villain

[@phillipecook3227]

: )

[@southendparaquest]

and you just know he owns a Jaaaag.

[@lotusgroup123]

🧛🏻‍♂️

[@lanxtotas]

Jeremy nicknamed him Count Quentula

[@martytdd1606]

Not too far removed from a 70s villian either. Lol

[@PsionicChimp]

The *electronic tracks* I knew right away: ******************************************* 1:45 - Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone 3:28 - Bedrock - Heaven Scent 4:25 - Rachel's Song - Blade Runner Soundtrack 10:52 - William Orbit - Barber's Adagio For Strings (thanks to Burnleyguy!) 14:28 - Sasha - Xpander 25:58: - Faithless -God Is A DJ- Insomnia :D Bonus: 25:03 - Manic Street Preachers - If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next

[@marfrandema1884]

PsionicChimp man you,re a hero!. Can you help me to identify this song? Its start at minute 15.20 of the follow vid www.dailymotion.com/video/x269i8w

[@PsionicChimp]

I don't think I've ever heard that before. I was able to SoundHound it though. Here you go: Mylo - Paris Four hundred

[@melvyncox3361]

Great tunes from back in the day.When dance was king,and had progressed in to the mainstream.Great times,and Top Gear was better then too😎👍!

[@garyw370]

5:34 - Blackbeat, by Apollo 440.

[@NASCAR511]

Does anyone recognize the song that plays at 21:30?

[@stuart8taylor]

Didn't realis that the Aerial had been around for this long

[@TranceHistorian]

Absolutely love love love that they used some Trance music in some of the segments here! One of the reasons I miss the 90s. 😭

[@easydrive3662]

Yes i agree the trance tunes of the 90s were fab and when used on topgear when reviewing the cars it really takes you into the zone haha

[@EgoShredder]

All the members of the public saying the Rover was an old mans car and old fashioned.............they all looked exactly like the kind of person, they thought drove that car! Bit of cognitive dissonance going on there. ;-)

[@DanLTjoe]

Thanks for uploading this. I can remember watching this old episode on TV when I was a kid :) Nice to see them review my car too a Rover.

[@tmsr]

The funny thing with the Rovers is how they managed to attract a younger buyer with the reintroduction of he MG brand even though they did little more than stick some plastic parts on and a set of cheap alloy wheels.

[@spliceoncharlie]

Love these old TG shows, both the presenters and the format. TG changed and moved on and thankfully, these guys just made a lateral move and "presto", in 2001 or 2002 we have 5th Gear. Glad both shows still going but Fifth Gear is my favorite now.

[@JimGardner]

Ahh, Kate Humble. How shall I count the ways in which I love thee?

[@theheaterguyryan5052]

Oooohhhh!!! Id like to kiss her x

[@colin5577]

@@theheaterguyryan5052 Lovely stuff. 🤣

[@wazza2222]

I had to laugh at the spanner in the garden centre carpark wearing the hand knit jumper and sporting a pubic style haircut saying that the Rover 75 wasn't his style! I think that the car would have said that about him first.

[@jonnyc429]

His style might be more suited to an old milk float

[@pibblesnbits]

Okay, at 10:43....that was pretty fricken awesome!

[@lee70687]

I did work experience on this series! I specifically remember helping out on a piece about the anniversary of the mini. (clip available elsewhere on here). Ahh memories.

[@SpitfireFortyFour]

The last lineup from Rover truly was excellent. Such a shame it turned out all BMWs big words were just to hide an asset stripping behind the scenes. They absolutely crippled that company.

[@bensmithkent22]

Always said the 75 was bang up to date dynamically wrapped in that retro package to compliment the 3 series and they sold plenty. Had bmw stayed the course and bought out entirely new models in the 45 and 25 m they would have sold in droves too, brits loved rovers even in 99. Another mistake was pricing the new 1995 200 in the small hatch segment it was a classy, mature, solid little thing in 95 and would have wiped the floor with the superminis of the time and I mean even the fiesta and polo had it been correctly positioned in that segment. They should have left the aging crappy “rebadged metro” 100 to take the fight to ka and 106. The problem is that before the 75 came along they seemed to think the 400 saloon could battle vectras and mondeos and the 600 was a c class rival. Clueless. I think that in the early 90s the 200 shape at the time was more astra sized and thats what influenced the decision to keep it like for like but they missed a golden opportuity here to revamp and reposition the entire model line up. By 2000 it was too late the 25 barely competed vs the up to date superminis that were now available. Fabia etc.

[@williampeyton9855]

Id pay a premium, more than that of the grand tour just for real anorak programmes like this! I

[@clairebannister4749]

Kate Humble grrrr - hand me that custard pie.

[@kenlee-97]

Is a custard pie an analogy of a throbbing member with custard dripping from it. ?

[@deanstanley5799]

Fuck me they looked a right sample they interviewed about the rover 75 bet they drove mondeos!!!!!

[@tomcole020]

RIP rover

[@gmain1977]

Best version of Top Gear

[@davarosmith1334]

I had all three Rover model's first the 45 , it was fine a 1.4 but it was great to drive. The 25 was a 1.4 also just the same to drive , but it did cut out at junctions some times. The 75 was the 2.0 bmw engine. I drove the 1.8 75 it was under powered. I also had a MG ZR , 2.0 TD. It was pretty good but it had the cylinder head problem

[@matthewking5612]

Fell into BMW's Mini stealing trap.

[@richardbrabbs8283]

Kate humble to coin a frase from men behaving badly is "top tottie"

[@richbiles230872]

Frase?

[@valicourt]

Telephone number doesn't work!!

[@easydrive3662]

The rover 75, such a good looking car, i remember at the time it was such a hit! Anyone who has a 75 keep hold of it as i feel it will become a classic bit like the fiat coupe, mk1 mx5, ford capri and the like

[@lotusgroup123]

Yep, whenever I consider buying a new car, one of my main concerns is “How fast could Tiff or any other pro facing driver drift it through a corner on a race circuit...?” 🤔

[@prokoerkoerfeuuififune8936]

exactly

[@StarHorseLover2012]

Kate Humble. So lovely.

[@davarosmith1334]

The two Rover,s I had trouble with was the second 45 it was a 1.8. The cylinder head problem! Same with my 25 , my MG ZR L series engine was over heating. The previous owner did not look after it , I couldn't afford to fix it so sold it spares or repair.So I've had five of long bridges finest! I liked the 45 1.8 the best , I got the cylinder head fixed twice on that car. The third time was the final straw! When it was running it was brilliant.

[@kseries16v]

Quentin Willson doesn't half talk some shit.

[@PerpetualTiredness]

Quentin Wilson is class.

[@BladeRunner21577]

Hes ok but he was wrong about the Rovers. When you look now at the cars he was talking about then the Rover cars have stood the test of time while the Fords and BMWs havent. Sure they are worth more but they are no better than the Rover, and the residual value of the Rover dropped because of reviews like this. Quentin went on to tell us we were the reason the Rover brand died. He never mentioned his part. Clarkson the same.

[@duneideannaer5990]

Lol, Fully

[@georgeminnit7645]

Andrew Hill QuentIn wIllSon IS alway'S SPot On, your ful Off Double bolloCK'S

[@b4tm4nrubin33]

Quentin W. What an EV sell out

[@MemphiStig]

VBH is all i need to see to make me happy :)

[@jamesbraithwaite478]

I think the Rover revamp was what you might say "Too little too late" given what happened. Shame, really.

[@PeteCourtier]

Remember when Ed Hall told that poem about rover to Clarkson? “It’s a Rover, It won’t turn over”

[@christopherdean1326]

Rich Hall.

[@PeteCourtier]

Ahh cheers👍 I’m getting old😂

[@tomf3150]

"It's been towed so many times it's thinks it's a boat"

[@ryanbaker0]

Very nice

[@TheFokker03]

wot,no jezza?QW has his own prog now with Kate Moss,VB-H & TN are on Fifth Gear but KH?don't remember her at all.

[@DoubleDeckerAnton]

The best cars were from the 90's...!!!

[@daddymulk]

And some 80s ones like CRX

[@SuperZedd]

We really were in for a treat with not one Rover, but three 😬

[@radioguy1620]

at 14.50 sitting on a cobra , real car people

[@2000mk1]

Not one of those 3 Rovers survives today. The 25 and 45 are off the DVLA computer, so probably scrapped, while the 75 was last taxed in 2008 ! So probably gone too. Shame, coz they were all good cars, particularly the 75.

[@markmallone7484]

2000mk1 I've seen lots of Rover 25s for sale, or do you mean the specific year ones of this show.

[@2000mk1]

I meant the actual examples on the show Mark.

[@davidlawrence9091]

The actual ones, he reviewed and droved.

[@MattysCars]

2000mk1 The head gasket of the 25 probably went too many times

[@edd30t4vw2]

Google it boys kate does a topless scene in a film she was in. 😍

[@williamolson5728]

The Audi TT "don't drive faster than your skill"

[@polygamous1]

This Is the top gear we ALL loved for me Tiff n the original crew Is top gear once Tiff went soon after top gear was more a comedy show fun yes but a car show never, Rover Had he Best sports Saloon can in the world in their 2000TC in the 60s Voted for TWO years running in both Europe n American, the best sports saloon/sedan, was way better than the BMW 2000 of the same era, but the Germans kept improving their cars Rover just stood by, you Never win a race taking a stroll, Yet Rover had the talent n expertise but Not the will power from the top

[@bigerch85]

What's a hot shoe hatch?

[@bowches]

What song is playing at 2:00

[@cjp9596]

It's Alice Deejay - Better Off Alone :-)

[@southendparaquest]

How the hell is the Atom 20 years old?!

[@williamolson5728]

The first Stig? ;-)

[@troglodyte1407]

i preferred the old team

[@FAT8893]

It wasn't them who started TopGear, get over it.

[@gwishart]

You mean Angela Rippon, Noel Edmonds and Frank Page?

[@kaiokendo]

Do you know why the rover badge is like an inverted trapezoid??HONDA

[@garychilds1130]

Tiff was even stuck up in the old days

[@maxpetra9176]

0:09 Early James May cameo!

[@gmain1977]

No

[@Madzu159]

Mark Higgins can go to see Felipe Massa and say: "I am your father."...

[@Victor-zo6ox]

Intro=Need for speed top gear

[@xtremecheeseproblem]

are we all gonna ignore the Andy Wilman Naked car show thing?

[@marshalllucky]

you never see quentin wilson and vicky butler together.... they are the same person

[@matthewking5612]

A fresh faced 42 year old Quentin

[@Kev27RS]

Hi, what's the song from 3:28 to 3:42 please ? ;)

[@cjp9596]

+Kev27RS Sorry, I'm not sure... I've tried Shazaming it a couple of times but it won't pick up behind Kate's voice. Hopefully someone else knows :)

[@Kev27RS]

CJ P Yes, I tried that too, ...nothing… :/ but thank you for the reply ;)

[@Kev27RS]

coltsuperocean10 Hahahaha who are you for knowing what kind of music I like to listen and also cars I like...!?

[@Record3677]

+Kev27RS better off alone by alice deejay if I recall correctly LOL NOPE i got the wrong one. My bad :P

[@Kev27RS]

VinylDash303 Haha okey!

[@williamolson5728]

So, the TT can go beyond the limits of some drivers? Sounds like you should stay within your limits.

[@soundseeker63]

R.I.P Rover. It's a real shame, because the 75 was a genuinely nice car. As good or better than anything the Germans made at that time. A pity the British press and public loved to give Rover such a kicking at every opportunity. I'm sure that helped to accelerate their demise. But I guess they were still haunted by associations with rusty old Metros and Minis and those rather bland Honda based 216/416 models of the 80s, and the Rover brand just wasn't desirable or upmarket in peoples minds, so they dismissed the cars out of hand. It just goes to show that having a good product alone isn't enough. Companies live or die based on reputation alone.

[@palanthis]

Tiff: I am a proper race driver. Mark: (Mmmhmm) Isle of Man. Enough said. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoPKZoamZs6Eg8U 11:45 - That "image" is on purpose?!

[@sameyers2670]

Pity Rover went bust in 2005

[@Madzu159]

26:00 Estonian music...

[@zaftra]

It's insomnia by faithless, UK band and song from 95.

[@zaynab1801]

omg! the opening song is similar to new top gear. sounded so funny tho

[@m4r71n2006]

Zay Soyf the song is jessica by the allman brothers band. top gear has always used this song, just in different compositions

[@gmain1977]

Top gear been around since the 1970s

[@summushieremiasclarkson4700]

Pan back further, I want to see Humble blending with the gravel. Idiotic Camerawork at 1:45

[@zaftra]

Funny how people are saying this is the best top gear lets go back to it, this format wasn't the world popular one, it's more like 5th gear.

[@scottcowan2127]

Kate Humble was a honey back then and talented enough (if not quite cut out for Top Gear..) but she's downright annoying now though.. Good old Top Gear!

[@gerrywhelan5761]

The TT was bought by posers that did not know how to drive them at speed, and though with 4 wheel drive they could anything, very early TT were great driver's cars, later one were totally boring after they modified them, on track cool drifting could be done.

[@moogle68]

5 deaths in a short period of time, in similar circumstances, in the same recently released car is NOT something you can reasonably boil down to just "bad driving". Especially not in a car that, while sporty, is hardly comparable to the danger posed by owners of Dodge Hellcat Chargers or Ford Mustang GT500s that have never had a powerful RWD muscle car before.

[@gerrywhelan5761]

@@moogle68 They didn't know how to drive them, relied to much on the 4 wheel drive and got in to lift of oversteer when on the limit in the wet on fast corners, that good drivers could control all day long! Many sporty cars were like that, specially large engine cars, and even small engine ones like Peugeot 205GTI, the 911 been the one that required the most skill with the above kind of driving, but the people that bought 911's perhaps had a better idea how to drive them for 911's weren't recalled and modified. Look if you are going to drive a car to its limit in wet corners you better have the skill and know what you are doing, not just posing, as many cars that were more tricky that the TT in those conditions didn't have to be recalled and modified, but perhaps their drivers weren't posers with poor skill, but that were still willing to go crazy speeds in the wet!

[@Kousaburo]

I almost read Quentin Tarantino.

[@Chalky.]

Rover has left a bad taste in the mouths of us Brits which I think is why most instantly dismissed the 75, and I'll admit I was one of them, but over time I could look past the badge and appreciate it more.

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

The usual nonsense let's test a Ferrari against a Peugeot 306 or guess what we think the Ferrari is better or the bm , come on .

[@terryjones9987]

This is where top gear started to go down hill, all flash and little content

[@lucylocket4740]

Is it me, or does Quentin Wilson look like a younger version of Sven Göran Eriksson, minus the trademark glasses?

[@rayaspo4893]

It’s you

[@bigerch85]

They've re-badged it you fool...

[@caroldavis8300]

Rover was classier than Jag? Are you mad! Not even on Jags worst day!

[@edwardwestby711]

In the ‘50s and ‘60s Rovers were endlessly classier than Jags. Those were the decades when Jaguar got that caddish image.

[@leighnassau1158]

i m watching this and suddenly i thought, did Jeremey Clarkson get mixed up between James May and Quentin Wilson , in that he s slow , likes old ppls cars and is very boring ! ?? Told the BBC upon the New MODEL Top Gear that he could work with that in a nic contrast (as someon he could take this piss out of ) but being that this i the BBC , Ended up with a Contemporary James May instead. Maybe they also wanted a replacement for Tiff Needall, a good looking , cool , sophisticated , Driver s driver , but instead ended up with an angry DJ from the black country who rashed everything he s ever driven ! Thank you BBC ! Casting the Wrong ppl actually ened up being perfect ! They knew nothing about car s but are extremely funny and had great chemistry . Maybe you shold try a music talent show and get One Direction to host it, i m sure it would be hilarious :-p

[@off-roadrcaddict4572]

Rover made a hash of it, as usual. Shame.

[@matthewgodwin3050]

A string of bad management decisions from the shambolic BL merger, through the asset stripping of BMW, to the incompetent and utterly disgraceful phoenix 4 money laundering pension thieves made a hash of Rover. The marque deserved better.

[@patrikfloding7985]

Matthew Godwin assets stripping from BMW? Good one...

[@klodgta2003]

no Jeremy and much more britain people!

[@nothandmade9686]

Kate Humble knows nothing about cars.

[@gerrywhelan5761]

"Most beautiful car in the world",😅😅😅, always knew the Italians were bonkers!

[@kenlee-97]

The Italians also voted the Volvo 850 as well in 1997!

[@Rover75ConnoisseurSE]

gerry whelan Well it is the most beautiful car in the world and one of the best cars in the world.

[@gerrywhelan5761]

@@Rover75ConnoisseurSE Maybe after 2 bottles of whisky and some food washed down with 5 bottles of red wine!

[@Rover75ConnoisseurSE]

gerry whelan you have no taste whatsoever then, it’s people like you who love shitty and ugly BMWs and have always nasty things about a car unless it’s a German Shitheap.

[@gerrywhelan5761]

@@Rover75ConnoisseurSE Wait wait, for i am on my second bottle of Irish whisky and do you know what, it's beginning to look not half bad, will have another look when i get into the wine proper! 😅😅.

[@Smithers9]

Da fuck did i just watch

[@gmain1977]

Proper Top Gear pal

[@hardcorehardo]

That into is so bad ugh

[@daddymulk]

I had loan car Rover 25, dont know what engine was in it but it was bog standard looking, it was as fast as Golf GTI or probably faster and hit 100 in 3rd, enjoyed it very much 😊

[@daddymulk]

Clarkson on the Vectra was some funny shit 😂