Reliant Robin Space Shuttle | Top Gear Series 9 | BBC Studios

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• Turning the Robin Reli...
Top Gear's Hammond and May try to make a Reliant Robin into a space shuttle, what could possibly go wrong?
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[@kenetickups6146]

this feels like watching a live action version of kerbal space program

[@Whiskey2shots]

Yep

John Carver I came here to say this

[@Iscannon]

+Óskar Steinn Gunnarsson Great contribution

[@Shadowkey392]

+John Carver Essentially it was. And I now challenge any Kerbal Space Program Players who read this comment to build a Reliant Robin (or the closest approximation of one) in the game and fly it into space, then back to Kerbin in one piece.

[@talisman6692]

+Shadowkey392 challenge accepted!!!

[@JebediahKermanZaddy23]

I'm surprised how much it ACTUALLY worked.

[@Gunnarr123abc]

Good enough for Jeb to pilot!

[@41Extremo]

Escape + revert to VAB

[@dontonton]

Nothing you couldnt handle right?

[@vanargrand3199]

It did work! right up until the reliant failed to separate from the fuel tank and rode it down like Strangelove.

[@Hueh420]

says jeb, the one who makes anything fly...

[@dickhamilton3517]

I hope the rocket guys who did the real work on this got some well-paid contracts out of it. Brilliant job.

[@F5xToRefresh]

This was honestly one of the best things they ever did on top gear. The excitement of those engineers was palpable. Quite upset that fuel tank failed to separate.

[@f4fwildcat29]

They should have done it with a Toyota pickup truck. That would have survived the crash

[@ece5925]

Too clumsy

[@christianmirto1597]

a car with the spirit of a nokia 3310 with the resistance of a nokia 3310

[@christopher32074]

But the pickup didn’t have the same spaceship shape as the Reliant Robin

[@kevinhawley962]

lmao nokia cell phone back in the day were bricks lol i ran over my old phone still worked.... xD@@christianmirto1597

[@craigcooknf]

I can attest. They are hard to kill. Although I never went to the extent that the show did!!!😂

[@mrfipp]

This was one of the best things I have seen on any TV show ever. Hammond's facial expressions are perfect to use when describing what I felt when I saw that car soar into the air.

[@Shadowkey392]

This has to be one of the awesomest things they've ever done. I now challenge any Kerbal Space Program Players who read this comment to build a Reliant Robin (or the closest approximation of one) in the game and fly it into space, then back to Kerbin in one piece.

[@muttproductions2536]

Four or five attempts later, and yet my friends and I have yet to achieve this. Mostly because we're still trying to take this challenge a bit more seriously and not build something that's deliberately designed to crash and explode on impact, usually aimed at Mission Control

[@nrnsclark94]

The crazy part is if the fuel tank managed to detach it actually might have worked

[@matute33]

Daeton Summerz True, since I saw it was going to be by remote control, I said it was going to fail... the remote control lost the signal, it went to high and then too far

[@superskiier50]

Hector Matute they should have had a pilot with a ejector seat

[@EddyKorgo]

+Daeton Summerz maaaagic

[@OffGridInvestor]

It's actually the flow of the air that often holds these things together. In the 1980s they spent tens of millions on a flight in the USA and the thing detached, got sucked back in by the slipstream, hit the tank and ultimately killed the pilot. Can't remember if the shuttle bit broke. So anyway they cancelled the program.

[@tomsonfire3740]

Yeah, it was obviously meant to fail

[@ivorharden]

I remember watching this and being amazed that it actually went airbourne. classic TV.

[@icarus313]

9:13 The look on Hammond's face is just priceless!

[@AgentJayZ]

Excellent. Best one yet. Never have I laughed as much. The Launch was beautiful.

[@drsch]

It's always funny how Top Gear didn't care that we all knew it was fake. The explosion at the end, it was never designed to separate haha.

[@RobloxEpicFail]

I thought it would explode on take off. Pretty impressive

[@emilioramos6961]

Clud

[@Jtking3000]

Probably the best Top Gear challenge ever.

[@AdnamsDrinker]

I remember watching this when it was first broadcast - I didn't think something of that weight would even get airborne in the first place. The engineers are worthy of much respect for achieving that alone ...

[@SephiMasamune]

I almost pissed my pants at the final shot of Hammond. His face is just priceless, and then he says: 'How are they gonna use it again!?' Brilliant. :)

[@ThomasMaroulis]

That was quite spectacular. It doesn't matter it crashed. The fact it flew steadily straight up for that long was quite a remarkable achievement in itself.

[@CapnChapster]

Cracking footage. If Jeremy Clarkson had been riding on top of the car, wearing a Stetson and whooping like the USAAF officer in Dr Strangelove as it descended it would be an all time classic.

[@YourCritic]

That take-off was absolutely brilliant. One of the best top gear challenges ever.

[@pavelratatoskov]

I think the car and the "rocket" had not been separated on purpose. "TopGear" likes to blast everything.

[@devkrovil]

Pavel Ratatoskov Right you are fellow stalin.

[@mazdamps]

Pavel Ratatoskov Clever boy....

[@aluisious]

What an amazing stunt! I can't believe that a TELEVISION SHOW was able to fly a car to 3000 feet.

[@OrcinusLaryngologist]

9:17 The look on James' face after it crashed is priceless...

[@ninjaradish]

Absolutely freaking brilliant... Everything so good, and then the Reliant not separating from the main fuel tank. Total classic. This is real TV, not the 'Idol/Survivor/So You Think You Can Dance' nonsense. Well done the BBC, Clarkson, Hammond and May.

[@shreejal]

Damn 16 year old comment

[@daveangelew]

"It's gonna come down like a lift with the cable cut" - lol

[@PoilyGames]

they should totally make another one!

[@dodgyb2001]

Hell yeah! They got that far, not to separate again would be a travesty.

[@CHRIS1990WE1]

If top gear had NASAs budget Britain would have men on Pluto by now.

[@lemonscampi]

***** Could not handle the distance,it would clearly have to be an Austin Aleggro

[@iamaperson_1533]

+lemonscampi or would have to be a Dodge Challenger. Oh wait...

[@psychicscubadiver]

But would they still be in one piece when they got there?

[@TacComControl]

Considering that a few university students designed a viable way to pick up a small car in a, let's face it, relatively small rocket system, and the fact that it launched at all is pretty amazing. The fact that the apogee motors kicked in at all to dump the solid rocket boosters is pretty amazing as well, it really was inevitable that the bloody thing was going to crash the way that it did. Props to them for getting it to go as far as they did.

[@jasonking1284]

So this is where NASA got its idea for the Space Shuttle, sounds like copyright breach to me.....

[@Kaaxe]

evolution of Richards face is always amazing X D

[@molochi]

This was almost the greatest, most beautiful thing I ever saw on television. So close. Even in Failure it was pretty great. Peak Top Gear and Peak Trio.

[@iPodGuyDK]

Absolutely fantastic. By far the best entry to modern space oddeys from Europe, ever!

[@TheFireHawk7]

only topgear would be mad enough to do this. Gentlemen, in this age of risk assessments and economics, I salute you.

[@Visuwyg]

That was the best payoff i could have hoped for! Beautiful flight, and a big fat explosion at the end! This couldn't have gone any better! That rocket was insane!

[@letsgoraiding]

I wish they would try this again with a more aerodynamic car... I really wanted this to work...

[@mr.badluck354]

Oh my god I can't stop laughing for almost one minute. NASA should support Top Gear to find to a way to go to Mars by cars

[@Shunteration]

Still better than how the North Korean Space Program is going.

[@Myolitz]

xD

[@brunoraoni]

SONBoomer xD

[@EmperorXaozx]

SONBoomer They got satellites into orbit.

[@Shunteration]

Satellites and astronauts (or cosmonauts) are two different things (well, three, ideologically speaking, but you get my meaning).

[@EmperorXaozx]

SONBoomer I see. I give them credit for achieving it (successful launches) with limited resources.

[@Hanske90]

By far the most ambitious thing they ever did, and not even that rubbish. I really tought they'd never get any further than just the model. It must have cost millions to make that thing but it probably didn't cause the bbc had to pay for this. Incredible that they even got it of the ground!

[@bartonus]

That explosion was glorious!

[@stuzaza]

wow, didnt expect such a sweet lift off. well done those men

[@Slowshyy]

You've got to love James' "Oh Yeah!"

[@Doctor699]

Great that it worked as far as it did. I think it would work better as a Gemini capsule though, recover 2 rocket stages, and bring the reliant back down on parachutes. Wish they'd try it again.

[@FKNhostile187]

This is the episode that started it all for me. This episode is the reason i fell in love with this show. First episode i ever saw.

[@Alex9_x]

@9:04 New Top Gear in a nutshell

[@Jsboutin1]

This is quite possibly the most awesome thing they ever did.

[@navnig]

This should be re-uploaded in at least 720p

[@navnig]

Hans Wurst Thanks! =D

[@joiedevivre5119]

0:56 "...and most importantly we have to be able to bring this back down under control to a landing..." "...and it's worth saying as well that nobody's going to go in this" lol

[@Frostiken]

I felt so bad for these guys when it failed to separate. So much time and sleepless nights, as well as being their most impressive project to date. You could tell they were completely crushed when it... well... got crushed. Still, impressive nonetheless, and the SRB separation was definitely the best part and it went perfectly. Not bad for five months.

[@markfrancis5164]

The actual launch and soaring into the sky is just about the best TV their ever was. Considering it was a short notice, amateur rocket, flying a Trottermobile, organised by a car show, in the Yorkshire moors, it was brilliant.

[@xsailor85]

Nice kaboom there Top Gear. That was worthy of Wily Coyote.

[@McSuperfly101]

They need to revisit this someday and try again.

[@user-zg4gx9zq9b]

I'd say they should have used a Dodge Challenger... but it probably would have exploded mid air. BA-DUM-TISS

[@ghank_]

Ehhhhhhhh

[@DLBBALL]

+Griffin Hankins (Challenger shuttle refernece)

[@24hourspacebar]

+Yardie Noh Old joke is Old. Have a necro post.

[@ghank_]

Mustafa Rehman i know. EHHHHhhhhhh

[@VestedUTuber]

+Yardie Noh That was _pun_-ishing.

[@redstonecasey4713]

The fact that it worked at all, albeit briefly, is still incredible.

[@DFMurray]

Noice quality there mate. 144p bloody hell BBC. And it's on KZbin so the colonists are paying for the hosting not the local council.

[@ardvark84]

+Daniel Murray (NomaLens) They doing that to send you to their website.

[@InsaneGamersOfficial]

+Daniel Murray (NomaLens) It was 2008. I don't think youtube supported anything higher than that back then.

[@harpersinclair3948]

KZbin didn't support anything higher than 240p I think in 2008

[@LukSter18998]

colonist here. hi limey

[@ThomasWilliams89]

"whats it actually going to feel like to fly do you think?" "well, its going to come down like a lift with the cable cut" lmao.

[@RussiaVodkaBalalaika]

Interstellar: The Beginning.

[@Richard-gl7xu]

Best Top Gear episode ever, simply brilliant.

[@harper0341]

Jeb approves. :p

[@JebediahKermanZaddy23]

I approve :D

[@dlouis95]

THAT DID SO WELL. For one go at it, that was simply amazing.

[@CleverClothe]

144p?! What is this, 2008?

[@ۥٴٴٴٴۥۥٴٴٴٴۥ]

It was the best quality at the time, be grateful

[@4rumani]

​​@@ۥٴٴٴٴۥۥٴٴٴٴۥ NO IT WASN'T when this video came out, 480p was available. Especially to the fking BBC

[@JCDavis314]

I love the priorities that Hammond has afterwards.

[@Adam-mf6vj]

goddamn state broadcasting and its unlimited monies

[@PallMallist]

This is amongst the coolest things I have ever seen. Well done.

[@miisuo]

What... what is their budget?

[@bartuk28]

I've thought the same when I saw Robin on the rocket... ..those cars are really expensive nowadays

[@muppeteer]

Yep they have doubled in value in recent years. You'd be hard pushed to find one for less that a tenner these days.

[@climbhigh96]

In my opinion this is the most exciting and daring thing I've ever seen on TV, love it.

[@2KXMKR]

Should have used a Toyota Hilux.

[@NadaMajdy]

I think this is the best task ever been done by Top Gear!! I LOVE IT!!!

[@polc1554]

All the world's a Monty Python episode to these guys..My wife doesn't get it..perhaps I should divorce her

[@ThomasWilliams89]

"The Reliant is a problem aerodynamically" "Well they didn't really design it with this in mind did they" loll

[@mojaverockets]

Awesome every time I watch it, great work on pulling it off.

[@hattrick1441]

That was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever seen. They should try it again for sure.

[@L.A.97.]

This quality is extremely good! Compared to the quality of my downloaded Top Gear episodes, this is like HD.

[@rollypolly26]

this by far is the most amazing bit you've done

[@ThomasWalters2469]

Those engineers....bloody legends they are.

[@kikufutaba524]

One of the best Top Gear "Mucking Abouts" ever.

[@corpus87]

That was pretty amazing! The take off and initial release looked spectacular. So did the touch down

[@gpq21]

9:11 best part of it all! Really liked that explosion!

[@jacklovesjesus]

How do so many people not get the humour, charm and point in this?

[@suvalle55]

@SwordPlay2 the explosion that ignited on the crash was the unused fuel in the robin's on fuel cell, they had fitted it with rockets too that they were going to use as soon as the main rocket detached, which it obviously didnt. They explained it much more on the show itself.

[@allodesousa]

I have to say, this is HUGE WIN!! ..probably not for TopGear presenters, but for buliders! I would drop a tear after start!

[@spparodi]

Just the fact that it flew is freaking awesome. Screw the mindless arguing!

[@CJMVector321190]

This was one of the best episodes in my opinion.

[@LaB1OOm]

"I thought the robin was a good place to start because it is pointy at one end....that is as far as I got with that" lol

[@RealRaynedance]

Hammond: "The list of things.... To go wrong." James: "Is enormous." Now they know the pain of NASA.

[@TruckingWithClint]

I wish we had funny and informational shows like this one in the us

[@smac7320]

Richards face is the definition of " gob smacked"

[@AdastraBand]

great!

[@kittenfish1984]

One of the greatest things I've ever seen!

[@officereagle]

Top gear is great! While so many singers and rappers and some well known fairly recent tv shows only focus on things like fame and getting rich quick, top gear talks about things that came about as a result of science and engineering. Two subjects too many deem boring that this show proves are actually incredible

[@zimman56]

Regardless if the explosion was real or not...you have to admit...you were just as excited as everyone else on that job who saw that Robin launch into the sky. And that's enough for me!

[@stperkin]

I can't believe they spent that much time and money and it amounts to less than a ten minute video. I want to watch the hour long documentary on this project!

[@EnricoZulu]

Back then i was truly amased by the fact it did actually launch properly and seem to go to space ,And by the face of hammond and Captain slow. Indeed best project ever!!

[@jdbarnhart]

I do some kinds of amateur rocketry and we tend to keep in touch with our own discussion groups. What was said at the time was the explosion was edited in. The flight was done at a test range for bombing, and they just put an explosion of a bomb going off in place of the impact.. Worked out well for their video. If you do a step frame analysis of the video, you can see one frame of the real impact before the transition to the big explosion. Cool flight nonetheless

[@hakkujin]

Despite it not separating at the end, that was incredible.

[@sywfry]

"and I was worried about the landing" LOL

[@naota3k]

James' exclamation as the rocket lifts off.. epic.

[@danielt.8573]

Lol. This is why I like Top Gear.

[@WingNuts2010]

Is there anything as good as this from an American TV show? For a TV programm feature, this is great.

[@ssnaress]

They should def do this again, they can make it work!

[@treejoe4]

By far, the best thing to ever appear on british television

[@mitcho6612]

Best top gear project ever.