Top Gear Series 18 Episode 7 - James May - Ferrari 250GT California

[@SVdreamin]

One of the most beautiful cars ever made. Art on wheels

[@jeremynoble931]

"It's not about the performance, but the nature of the delivery." Sure is.

[@neelparmar6690]

I think this is true now more than ever. It’s why enthusiasts want high revving NA motors over turbo 4’s or dull EVs.

[@Ladco77]

James May is the only presenter I'd trust with a near priceless car of mine, if I owned one.

[@spikespa5208]

Not the hamster?

[@trevorD1156]

Yea but Richard crashing the GTO and Chris losing his mind would be worth it. Evans makes my skin crawl he is hateful human garbage.

[@MrStonecold69]

The license plate alone probably costs more than my mortgage lol

[@39PSIOnTheDaily]

It’s a damned shame that somewhere along its lifetime the front and rear bumpers were removed, because this is one of the few cars where it looks so much better with them attached.

[@jimlewis6743]

.I absolutely agree. And, why did they change the paint color?!

[@markzzzz741]

@@jimlewis6743 Chris Evans had a habit of repainting Ferrari's white. Maybe his fault? Although black in this case.

[@aredub1847]

@@markzzzz741 what an ass he is.

[@GBURGE55]

I love the shout out of 'California' at 2:35 just as he drives through a huge English puddle !

[@stanleylucky]

:) For reals, we need that water. It's a draught ya'll.

[@levongasparyan1405]

My dad’s fathers friend who retired from the Vietnam War bought this car instead of a house and has kept it ever since.

[@lukehart6190]

Doubt it

[@ahuskyplaythough3826]

@@lukehart6190 Obviously he Lost An Arm and Leg for it.

[@romaintriquet5868]

Amazing story !

[@gangstagarf]

instead of a house? so he lives in the car? worth it

[@ahuskyplaythough3826]

@@gangstagarf What about Ferrari Fan Boys, They will be Probably be Harassing him lol

[@Cain-x]

The song at the end is just ethereal. If anyone is wondering, its Bleeding Heart Narrative - Blueskywards

[@cfrincon]

do you know what songs are played at the start and middle portions of the video? seems like its the same artist,

[@TeslasSecret]

@@cfrincon 1:02 is "Together we will live forever" by Clint Mansell. 1:30 is Lux Aeterna also by Clint Mansell

[@tomjarrett8290]

@@TeslasSecret the second one is actually Summer Overture

[@mrmike743]

I saw Ferris buellers day off in 1985 on hbo as a five year old American kid growing up in Ohio and I fell in love with that car. it's my dream car. my absolute dream car.

[@Samantha-sl6hv]

They actually used a replica and its going to actions in the us soon

[@taylorruddick111]

The film came out in 1986

[@theheaterguyryan5052]

Bueller Bueller Bueller great movie.

[@jaylu2414]

If you ever get one don’t forget to lock the garage.

[@outofbluepills]

Nah, don't worry about that. Just give some guy a finsky (but maybe not the keys) to keep an eye on it.

[@tomschnabel6146]

i used to see James Coburn driving his California on Sunset Blvd. I was on my way to middle school. He probably lived in Pacific Palisades, CA.

[@dannyr2976]

Cars with simple lines always feel so contemporary... such a beautiful car.

[@Alexander-xh7zm]

The best car ever made. Absolute perfection.

[@perrosdemaiz]

James May is like an old friend. Miss you James.

[@matthijsgerretse3217]

Fun fact; this clip (albeit a long time ago) made me switch from loving the 250TR to loving the 250SWB. Let me explain; when I was a little kid, I got one of those HotWheels Ferrari 5-packs. One of the cars in there was a car I thought looked incredible, but it didn't say what car it was on the bottom. It didn't take until 2011 (the release of Forza Motorsport 4, my first genuine racing game) for me to find out it was the 250TR, but only 2 years later I saw an episode of TopGear that featured this clip (it was an old episode, even then). I remember them walking through Evans' collection of Ferraris, all painted white because his Dino looked astonishing in white. When they finally got to the California, they decided (or at least attempted) to put the roof up in case it'd start raining, but the right side wouldn't latch. Only then did I realise; "hang on... the 250TR doesn't even have a roof... and I live in this small rainy sh*t country". The reason that was an issue, is because I didn't like people who hoard cars, and I felt one car was enough. So, I went to the Ferrari website and went to the "past models" section. I first looked through the '50s, because I thought; "if there's anything even remotely as exciting to look at as a 250TR, it must be in the '50s. I looked through it once, and spotted the only Ferrari revealed in 1959; the 250 "Passo Corto". I thought it was the second best thing, but decided to see if there's anything interesting in the '60s. Nothing there, so from that point on, I wanted a 250 SWB. At first, the most positive way I could describe the 250SWB is "my more sensible favourite car", and it was no more than a second choice. But as I looked more and more into the car, it grew on me. It's basic but beautiful design... designed by Pininfarina and manufactured by Scaglietti. The engine it and the TR share, the Ferrari-Colombo Tipo 168. The fact it became the base car for development of the much more valuable 250GTO. But what is undoubtedly the most important thing about the SWB, is that it made me adore Stirling Moss, and that Moss' racing achievements made me love the SWB. And so, my favourite car is now s/n 2735GT... the car Sir Stirling Moss drove at the 1961 Goodwood TT, which became his 7th consecutive win at the small Sussex based track.

[@Pulsonar]

Great story, your tifosi passion comes through and in a very British way 🙂

[@commonsense8995]

I also like the Short Wheel Base version of the 250 ......awesome piece of rollin art!

[@reeceparry4288]

The best job in the world, miss these three on the tv and hate seeing them get old.

[@nicolasdelaet7881]

The song gives me goosebumps

[@Bilal.Al-Sardar]

This video took me to another world, absolute beauty..perfection..

[@aidangee6407]

I always loved modern sports cars but masterpieces like this make me want an old one even more.

[@Clones2011]

we used to work for a man that owned Sears Point raceway and he had a whole warehouse full of Ferraris at the track, but the one car he kept in his garage at home was a yellow GT California

[@pete6891]

280 hp is more than you need with this soundtrack!

[@Oll826]

Definition of perfection

[@doctorpatient519]

more delicious content from Mr May -- thank you, Sir unlike so many of the Hollywood "types" who buy exotics just because they can, James Coburn really was a perfect match for this fabulous vehicle ... Mr Coburn just reeked "cool," overflowing with style and elegance ... sure it's dated ('67), but check out "In Like Flint" and see him in his prime, demonstrating "This is how you get out of s sticky wicket"

[@augustyng]

Love the requiem for a dream soundtrack in the background

[@StatikTronik]

The irony ... Chris Evan's car ...

[@sschevmale24]

Captain America?

[@waynemurray5084]

@@sschevmale24 Different Chris Evans. It's not a perfect comparison but he's like England's Howard Stern.

[@sschevmale24]

@@waynemurray5084 that lucky SOB

[@E14Art]

@@waynemurray5084 Howard Stern is talented.

[@apurugganan]

@@waynemurray5084 Thank you, I had thought the same as the guy you're replying to. But then I saw the house, fancy enough but not in LA, so I figured, a *different* Chris

[@cobra1010]

Ferrari GT cars are in a class of its own. Unrivaled.

[@imbluz]

James has great taste in cars!

[@yudhabagaskara98]

Glad the uploader skipped the part with chris evans on it

[@SinnaduraiL]

1:12 - the vent on the bonnet isn’t completely symmetrical, top corners are slightly different angle; “no two California’s are exactly alike”

[@GeneralLee1961.3]

An adorable masterpiece!!!

[@johnnylyme]

All these early Ferrari's had "Snap" turbo extractor exhaust tips. About 25 years ago I priced them and they were $700+ each.They probably aren't made any more.

[@nodafy]

Probably the most beautiful Ferrari ever made. It’s just a masterpiece in classic Italian design

[@keesvanatteveld5294]

This is such a mindboggingly beautiful and fast car

[@sp4604]

this and the 250 SWB makes me melt

[@imbluz]

James Coburn had good taste in cars.

[@shawnbruce6934]

The sound of that motor...My God!

[@GeneralLee1961.3]

A (master)piece of ART ❤️

[@commonsense8995]

I'm so happy they took of the front DOT bumper ......looks like it should be now.

[@sidewaysonhighways]

Same Ferrari in "Ferris Beuler's Day Off"

[@likeaboss124346]

sidewaysonhighways same model but they are handbuilt so they look different.

[@jetara3082]

OK, I'm sorry to say but....it was a replica

[@mattfraile9325]

Jetara they actually used a real one for the close up shots

[@jetara3082]

Oh, didn't know that...thx. Have to watch it again anyway soon ;)

[@mrtjm1152]

Unsurprisingly, the car that flew out of the garage window and crashed into the trees, wasnt a real California 250 GT....

[@bhzaddybhzolby1705]

Insurance company: "you hit WHAT!?"

[@KamilaJaneckova]

its perfect..

[@roihu2807]

i like how the ending is like so sudden ;D

[@parellonando7731]

no comment ! it Is beautiful

[@diido-swagins687]

Most beautiful car ever, this is my car if I can take every car in the planet

[@QurttoRco]

What a happy spaniel

[@daftrok]

Enzo: Bellisimo. *nods*

[@mr.coronavirus827]

Of course this was my first RC car bought by my uncle in 2004 when I was born.It was an Red one with Convertible.I made an Grasshopper sit into the seats.😅😂😂😂

[@ivanbima5877]

That Grasshopper probably enjoy a ride of a lifetime

[@MrStonecold69]

only 38 built i have the other 37

[@ivanbima5877]

In Hot Wheels form?

[@JustinTrissel]

Cameron Frye’s father eat your heart out

[@dominicpelle7841]

I want one right NOW.. you hear me Motor God.. right now.

[@jayj2day]

I got to drive a replica one once that had a Colombo V12 engine...I don't know what the real deal feels like, but I felt like I was driving royalty in the knockoff.

[@AndieBlack13]

At 1:49 , a moment of clarity "...the wheel is enormous, the driving position is ridiculous, the pedals are 'over there'...". Did designers of that era ever bother to measure, research, or otherwise match seats to the shape of the human body? What about ones arms?...where do they reach, how far to a steering wheel is optimal? How many decades did it take to create a driving position that wasn't akin to sitting on a wooden plank with a circular tiller in front of you? The reason we see these old cars trundling about, alone on country roads, is because among modern cars they would be easily passed up by soccer-moms rocketing around them in their 500HP SUVs. Let the legacies die of their own volition, might as well be a horse & buggy on the roads.

[@marcosc9130]

Dude you're high, this Ferrari is one the most expensive ones just because she is very very nice to drive, some Ferrari collector's would rather drive this one, rather a modern. There are very expensive Ferrari, and there is 250 GT SWB, that costs 12 million dollars for a reason.

[@AndieBlack13]

@@marcosc9130 There is an old saying, "Never meet your heroes "...it is a warning to those whos' expectations are unrealistically high. Since all of us drive & have had several cars thru decades of time, the outright gains of car "technologies" has been subtle & undetectable. To drive a 50+ year-old car now in 2020 will be shockingly "poor", the ride, the handling, brakes, suspension, power, all of it will be sub-par...as we are used to todays' standards.

[@ToyKingWonder]

I don't know when the last time I heard such lame BS coming out of someone's pie-hole. Let me break it down for you. First, how did designers "measure, research...etc" back then? With themselves. They would actually try things out. They actually had skills driving a car. They knew how to shift. They also liked to design beauty in a car that was sometimes at the expense of convenience. My 1968 Charger has drum brakes that are way less effective than my Ford Taurus. Funny, since I very quickly attune myself to a car's capabilities, it brakes just fine. My 1970 Corvette has seat backs that recline a bit too far for my taste, and backwards visibility is impacted by the gorgeous flying buttress roofline. Since I am a skilled driver I know how to use my mirrors and check for traffic, so driving it is no hassle at all. My little Fiat 850 has only double digit horsepower and can be passed by almost everything on the road, but knowing how to rev the little engine and drive it with a little skill, I am just fine on the high way with soccer moms in their 500 horsepower SUVs. Since we are all doing 65mph, and I have better handling in the little car, I am not sure how my little old Fiat is like a horse and buggy. We co-exist quite well, and funny how many SUV owners give me the thumbs up. They would love to go for a ride. You sound like a pussy. Because you obviously don't have the ability to drive them, nor understand them, they should all "die". You cannot adapt like a skilled driver would to a variety of driving machines. I'll drive anything, and enjoy it for what it is. The fact that someone in a new SUV could outrun a vintage ride takes NOTHING away from the vintage ride. The fact that you cannot handle that keeps you from being a car guy. You're a car pussy. I bet you break out into a sweat if you can't find a cup holder for your Starbucks. Or you have to actually hold the switch down for your electric windows. Your arm would hurt painfully if you ever had to hand crank one down. The reason we see these "old cars trundling about"--on country roads as well as the freeways here in California, is that they are driven by enthusiasts who appreciate what they are, how they drive, and have at least a modicum of skills to drive them, which you not only lack but don't even comprehend. And guess what, there are enough of us out there that the price of the best of these cars just keeps going up. Rolling art that can be driven. Car shows are jammed with people like me that get it, while people like you visit Ferrari videos and mock the cars as prehistoric. Are you jealous you cannot afford one, or angry at your impotence in driving one? Guess what, your 500hp SUVs will be in junkyards in a few years, because when their top ends or transmissions fail, they won't be worth the repair costs (see Audi SQ5 as a great example). However, these Ferraris, American Muscle cars, and tons of other collector vehicles will still be around, driven by men who can handle them...

[@AndieBlack13]

@@ToyKingWonder I shall disregard the poor attempts to "trigger" an emotional response thru thinly veiled insults & "armchair psychiatrist" ramblings... I have adjusted drum-brakes on someones vintage 1953 Ford, who had upped the machine via a modern engine...getting the thing to brake straight was tedious & time consuming. It is akin to the fellow in 1909 yelling, "Get a horse!". I relish the new technology in its capabilities, but I am disheartened by the lack of the KISS principle...they are not mutually exclusive. There is a sweet spot there somewhere. This complexity seems to have kept pace with the utter lack of style...the great design studios have faded into obscurity...replaced with this OCD driven, manic Transformers School of Design. Jealous?, no, not really....but there are legions of classic car owners who while pondering driving their new wheels as daily drivers, they almost always relegate them to Sunday rides...the floaty suspensions, bad brakes, cramped non-functional interiors , fully numb steering....this reinforces the "I won't put very many miles on it! thought processes...they just won't admit to themselves, let alone others, just how much their $75,000 "investment" is a piece of shit , when it's actually driven.

[@ToyKingWonder]

@@AndieBlack13 Oh I don't intend my insults to be thinly veiled at all. I thought I was quite clear. You can't adjust drum brakes without getting a pull to a side? Well then, you don't know what your doing. The fact that someone would let you near their car tor work on is as astonishing as you admitting you can't handle simple mechanics. As I stated before, just because an older car drives differently than a newer car, doesn't mean it is a "piece of shit". If it was maintained properly--that is, not by someone like you who cannot adjust brakes--then it would perform exactly as it did back then. The problem, as I stated and you cannot grasp, is that YOU cannot adapt your driving techniques to different machines and get the best out of them. That is YOUR problem, not the cars. Now please, give the wrench back to the fool with the 1953 Ford who let you near the mechanics of the car, and get back to behind the wheel of your 1990 Honda Civic where you belong.

[@jackdoelol2394]

What’s that music that played 2:05

[@YouTubeKnight]

This car is choice!

[@SSS43MH]

Anyone know the background music used?

[@jasonarmistead4163]

wow! looks almost as good as the car from Ferris Bueller!--only with subpar performance

[@nafnaf0]

happy to 'captain slow' drive his dream car

[@Ryandupont0896]

Hot take: this is more beautiful than the GTO. Most beautiful car ever built

[@apurugganan]

The recent California does not show its heritage

[@dodruaidh9146]

It hurts me to see it driven through a puddle. I hope it was suitably pampered afterwards.

[@hernandezrivas]

Coolest Man on the Planet................Captain Slow!!!!

[@DSMTheEditor]

🎵OHHHHH YEEAAAAHHHHHH🎵

[@arrchee8386]

Built by the hands of Master Scaglietti...

[@GunCollector007]

I have the poor man’s version. Alfa Romeo spider.

[@ugandaniel5700]

My Dream car

[@psuro]

Was the car repainted? It looked lighter in the b/w photo with Coburn.

[@FUNZO1975]

@psuro Yes, certainly a different color, and It had bumpers back then also.......What happened?

[@SVdreamin]

FUNZO1975 probably went through a restoration

[@marcosc9130]

@@SVdreamin The most beautiful one is the "Charlie's Angels" one, classic red. Probably the most expensive too.

[@SVdreamin]

Marcos C could only imagine how much a red exterior tan leather interior 250 cali costs. one of the most beautiful cars ever made hands down.

[@patandderry8416]

On ebay for sale now.

[@warrenosborne1748]

Sweet, never gonna get it. Dream car

[@jimwoods3742]

That'd be hard to have to give that back after driving it

[@mediastarguest]

2:06: " j u s t " 280 horsepower !

[@christopherd2100]

I'm pretty sure my wife's Camry can out preform that thing, and do it more comfortably. But few have a soul like that car... Perhaps the likes of Auburn, Duesenberg, or Jaguar.

[@ivanbima5877]

Well nowadays you even could get 400+ Horsepower on a hatchback. So there's nothing wrong with saying just 280 Horsepower

[@cfrincon]

Indeed one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It’s proportions remind of a young beautiful woman.

[@airguntherapy8665]

He said avoid standing water!!!!

[@Skakinpop]

Dream car

[@ginge82]

Didn't have its original engine when Evans bought it and he lost millions on it when he sold it.

[@jensrogerkristoffersen5472]

he hasn't sold it, he sold his 1959 250 California LWB, this is a 1961 SWB and this was/is as original as they come, never repaired or restored, hence the record price at the time

[@Atombender]

@@jensrogerkristoffersen5472 Um, he DID sell this one in 2010, at a loss. This is 2377GT, it was originally Silver and it has a non-matching engine installed. When Evans bought it in 2008, it set a record for being the most expensive 250 California sold at auction (nearly $11 million).

[@jensrogerkristoffersen5472]

@@Atombender If "K" means Kustov I bow my head ;-)

[@mamumaumau3320]

I have one of those... a black one too....maybe Tom Thumb could actually drive it...if it actually had a working motor, transmission and all the rest...Mine is a 1/18 scale Hot Wheels brand die cast car...If ya cant have the real thing, a nice die cast version is the next best thing!!!!!

[@rolandalfonso6954]

Oh, my...

[@jmcdowell1972]

No mention of Ferris Bueller? If not for that movie, half the world wouldn't even know about this car...

[@marcogrossi6334]

La spider più bella al Mondo.

[@mikestott8065]

Anybody know what the wavery classical music is at the end? I'm trying to get the artist and track name

[@米乐-s2o]

Bleeding heart narrative - Blueskywards

[@benjaminparrish6296]

280 horse out of an NA 3.0 is good even by modern standards

[@Simone-Bucn]

What an absolutely hideous car.

[@sp4604]

dear powerball

[@jevierizzamaulana4803]

What song they use @1:35 ?

[@carbonatedmilk4316]

requem dream or something like this

[@davidsooley6548]

darude sandstorm

[@thekkl]

One of the many versions of Lux Aeterna by Clint Mansell

[@Mostafaalbutmah]

The 15 million dollars car

[@spacecatboy2962]

BUELLER?............. BUELLER?.............. BUELLER?

[@apurugganan]

Anyone? Bueller (Looks at May) Anyone?

[@hansgoldrich9365]

Song pls?

[@TheL046Kid]

The Fountain soundtrack.....And some Requiem For a Dream...

[@georgiepeorgie3315]

He drove through standing water about three times.

[@FUNZO1975]

It's in the UK.........You can't NOT drive though standing water on any given day. That country is notoriously soggy.

[@EEnnisjr]

California is a perfect name for such a wimp of a car with only 3 litres. That’s only 183.60 cubic inches. Zero to 60 in 8 seconds, a VW Bug could give you a run. The 275 GTS/4 is ten times better, and much faster with 4 Over head cams versus twin. I would never purchase anything with California attached to it, but perhaps a Daytona even though a slug.

[@johnbroomer3285]

“Slow by modern Ferrari standards”, and my Ecoboost Mustang! But it’s a gorgeous 60s Ferrari, so who cares.

[@redcanvasltd3267]

The Jennifer Connelly of cars

[@李瑾堋]

how much the car cost?

[@jensrogerkristoffersen5472]

he paid €7 million in 2008

[@李瑾堋]

but now? maybe 10? @@jensrogerkristoffersen5472

[@Avrelivs_Gold]

As all Ferrari cars, extremely overrated. Greatest engine, nice gearbox. but the rest is just ??? All people see is the brand. If it were called let's say "Datsun 250 Corolla" nobody would even look back at it.

[@srthebox4946]

And an O to Ferrari 250gt it will be 47 million dollars more expensive if you get what I mean

[@SK-lt1so]

Classic Ferrari lover- "The car has this...this...this problem, IT'S PERFECT!"

[@magnuscalvetenilsson8753]

He couldve picked a better day to demonstrate it. tbh

[@lou4781]

Good luck finding a "better day" during that time of the year in England.

[@colinmunro7337]

62 VW square back tail lites😉

[@Tom_Hadler]

It hurts me when he splashes through that puddle at 2:35

[@mihirrao9537]

why

[@SuperThumpasaurus]

Didn't Chris Evans pay $15 million for that Ferrari? Good thing he didn't lend it to Richard Hammond.

[@Tirah5]

only James May can drive it forward and but would look like hes going in reverse. I mean look at his hair blown from back of his head.

[@delboyoelmundo4718]

Sooner have Dino 246 in yellow

[@MathewBall]

The song played at 0:52 is named. Clint Mansell - Together We Will Live Forever - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gn-ZiqmherWerbOq=swAicg0GjNg

[@aleczavala5010]

How about the one at around 2:35 ?

[@MathewBall]

@@aleczavala5010 Blueskywards, Bleeding Heart Narrative - kzbin.info/www/bejne/baOzpIunbb2KZpo

[@racketman2u]

"You can have any colour as long as it's NOT black!" ... Enzo Ferrari (..should have said it) yeah, I get sick of Ferrari Red as well, but black just turns a car into a shapeless blob.