Turning A Reliant Robin Into A Space Shuttle | Top Gear Classic

[@TopGearClassic]

What other car do you think could be used as a rocket?

[@Wimpletonts7792]

The P45

[@ignatiusnoirant8174]

Tesla?

[@jawadulkarim8877]

brabus 900 rocket

[@TolworthBroadway-en9uy]

Toyota Prius

[@jameshardy1012]

Toyota Hilux!

[@GoldenEDM_2018]

I have never seen this video with this many pixels. Thank you.

[@topmandog1]

seems they forgot to ai upscale this one

[@petecoventry6858]

it's in a UK Motor Museum now

[@Blueflag04]

Because they used A.I to upscale it

[@beanmw96]

Wrong. Theres less pixels hence why theyre visible

[@GoldenEDM_2018]

@@beanmw96 alright kiddo playtime is over moma's gonna get you now for a nap, Okay

[@landsverkchristian]

This for me will always be one of the most iconic Top Gear moments

[@erwinderdoofe]

The Pictures of that Reliant taking off are majestic.

[@hongk0ngfu3y]

The Hilux episode is up there.

[@vanbalzup6481]

This is actually the very peak of Top Gear. It’s the wildest episode on the wildest TV show in British history. After this, where could they go? They literally had James May convinced for a brief moment that he was about to launch a reliant robin into space 😂

[@carlaranzaso6836]

The sheer excitement in the hosts/engineer's faces was just epic. Even though I'm not there, you can feel the joy and exhilaration. Even though it crashed, the launch was a immense success!

[@hywandlew]

Watched this countless times over the years, and still hold out some small amount of hope once it lifts off that in fact the separation will occur. Of all the failed Top Gear silliness, this is the one I wish they’d come back to and have one more go 😅

[@rempuial2530]

Yeah. Was a cool piece

[@jasonplant5432]

@@hywandlew one more go please.please

[@The_Blackshield]

For a proper nostalgia hit, turn the resolution down to 144.

[@IranTourist]

My resolution is always on 144 because I live in iran by slowest internet connection you can imagine 😢

[@PhysicalEngineering]

@@IranTouristlol

[@Renard380]

Done by default to save some data while watching on my phone 😂

[@ignatiusnoirant8174]

Ur so right. I know exactly what you mean😊

[@Bukki13]

I do 360p because that's what most TG uploads were at

[@Xenuos]

The fact it even took off to begin with was awesome, shame they couldn't separate it and test gliding though

[@Faith01841]

Richard's excitement about this is so sweet 🥹

[@bennylloyd-willner9667]

Of course, for once he's not gonna be in the crashing vehicle 😊

[@GnomaPhobic]

This channel is a god-send for Americans just discovering the joys of old Top Gear. I've never seen this video before, and it was glorious. When you think about it, they were ahead of their time to the glide bombs and drone warfare of the modern day.

[@unicorn_jesus6930]

Love seeing how old top gear uploads get more views than the new one.

[@FamilyOfEyles]

That's because those three were the ultimate team - no-one can match their style or camaraderie!! 😂

[@albertusaswin2012]

Because they are the legendary trio. No one can be as good as them.

[@cmdrgarbage1895]

Because it became a carshow, old top gear 50% cars and 50% the lads having a giggle

[@Legion563]

I remember watching this when it was new and I honestly thought they where just going to fake it....but then it took off, this is by far the most epic TG moment ever imo!!

[@nodafy]

“One small step ladder” 😂😂

[@HERITAGE12]

one giant hole for robin kind ! :D :D

[@alanmichael5619]

never forget that the manmade object with the highest speed ever recorded is a manhole cover.

[@mrskeltal3281]

2nd highest

[@m1n3r4ls]

Likely the maddest thing they’ve ever done

[@rsonic510]

Certainly the one with an interesting budget

[@kaynec3079]

Next to the Myth Busters cement truck explosion, this has to be one of the best TV moments of all time.

[@mikepatton8691]

Personally I would rate this above the cement truck explosion just because the truck blowing up is over in milliseconds while this gave you more to watch and something to root for, mainly having everything work as intended.

[@VanillaLibrarian]

@@mikepatton8691 IIRC they tried to record of slow-mo footage of the cement truck explosion, but when they went to check, they didn't get it D:

[@africarally]

Of all the mad stunts we've seen the chaps attempt over the years, this was the one we really hoped would work 😀

[@JoseAlfonsoChavez]

6:59 "The tension now was almost unbearable. You can almost hear Jeremy preparing some intergalactic smugness" 🤣 BTW do someone remember the reliant robin top gear minigame on their website from ages ago? 👌

[@hooman9415]

by far one of the best shenanigans the top gear team got up to

[@egyptology22]

Of all the memories of my very varied and unusual memories.... this will still be a memory when I'm saying goodbye. Kids....... this was when we had to wait until 7:30 on Monday evening to watch it on TV. Thanks Top Gear! I now haven't watched TV for years. Thanks technology!

[@fenderson]

One of the greatest things I'd ever seen on TV

[@mikepatton8691]

This segment here is how I discovered Top Gear and I instantly became a fan when I watched it. I've been a huge fan of Top Gear/The Grand Tour ever since. Life won't be the same without a new crazy adventure from Hammond, May and Clarkson to look forward to, but a big thank you to the guys for decades worth of entertainment!

[@Shakes-Off-Fear]

4:15 my favourite moment. "James, stop laughing. They're getting really cross."

[@macman6107]

That was epic. As a Space Shuttle nerd this is by far my favourite episode. I really wanted this to succeed. Richard's and James' faces at the end were exactly how mine was. Truly epic and tragic. Such a shame that the robin wouldn't sperate from the aux tank.

[@jasonplant5432]

You are now obligated to us all for a successfully flight. Right. Again please. This is the best episode ever.

[@HellShapedWomb]

One small step ladder for a kind man.

[@DoomderX]

1 small step ladder for mankind

[@thomasbyrne9127]

Thank god this is finally on KZbin proper

[@monster_livez]

good old days

[@krisnarefaagusta16]

Yes, we've seen Richard and James are the scientists in different TV shows.

[@andrewmamarella905]

This is one of my favorite top gear segments ever

[@IusedtohaveausernameIliked]

That James May foot shot was an amazing piece of cinematography.

[@SomeStaleBread]

"Today on Top Gear, we built a fucking missile"

[@Early2000sPs2games]

Jeremy going to colonize mars caught in 4k

[@PhysicalEngineering]

more like 144p

[@flameguy3416]

Top Gear Classic: because the new one is devoid of personality!

[@perge_music]

This is still the most amazing thing I've ever seen on television. Nothing SpaceX has done so far has matched this. Even though the 'Rocketeres' that made it said that it was never going to be able to land it was still epic. I still want someone to show this to Elon so they can make a v2 version

[@azzyclark3860]

“James, a cow ran through it”

[@justandy333]

This has got to be one of the most epic things the top gear lads have done. I doff my hat to those rocketry wizards who actually made it happen. That was one hell of an undertaking. 2nd best imo was the Bugatti Veyron drag race with the Eurofighter Typhoon. That was spectacular.

[@Charismatic8482]

The few moments when the rocket soared straight up and away! It's an unexplainable feeling.

[@BLVCKSCORP]

8:43 Nice cut, there never was a explosion ofc :D

[@macman6107]

🤣

[@tieme.w]

Sorry, but why not?

[@BLVCKSCORP]

@@tieme.w It won't explode like that lmao and you can see the cut

[@tieme.w]

@@BLVCKSCORP oh

[@JohnSmith-wj2wd]

@@BLVCKSCORP Also I reckon the grass would be charred- if not at least more disturbed at the crash site with such a massive blast.

[@brabecjakub]

Some charisma and car challenges are doable by youtubers of various size. But doing this is another complexity. Top topgear moment. No idea who managed to let this through 😃

[@boombapandsoul]

THIS is probably the most proud and exited ive ever seen james and richard get.

[@maxivy]

Seriously impressive.

[@Alexiosftw]

This is the kind of stuff you don’t see on top gear anymore. Thanks JC RH and JM!

[@Geoff-n1d]

Quite simply the very best of Top Gear….. just so funny and kinda sad at the same time, never tire of seeing this

[@Bikelife9883]

One of the best Top Gear programmes ever.

[@fritzthedog007]

They need to try this again.

[@AtheistOrphan]

Sadly the show has been cancelled.

[@mikepatton8691]

​@@AtheistOrphanIt may be canceled but I prefer to just think of it as an indefinite hiatus lol.

[@borntoclimb7116]

This Shuttle Model looks awesome and it works great

[@spiesonmars]

There will never be another show like this!

[@ALhudaYDLaw]

One of my favorite episode. thank you.

[@awb17a96]

One of the best episodes ever....

[@thechildhoodruiner15]

Definitely one of the most iconic moments on Top Gear

[@ThomasWilliams89]

2002 - 2010, Top Gear's Golden Era.

[@TheGreatBurgholio]

After years of occasionally watching the shitty cut-up youtube versions of these clips, it's nice to see the full thing for once!

[@pilcrow1546]

That "One Small Stepladder" joke has to be one of the best they ever did!

[@elmurcis1]

After years coming back to this you just kind of know that it was meant not to separate and they boosted "blast" for extra emotions (maybe I'm wrong but it looked like that) =)) Still great stuff!

[@ekmad]

8:43 cheeky edit there for the "explosion". Would rather have just seen the real impact.

[@Ezra-UK]

Rubbish 13 year old conspiracy theory. The explosion at the end is from the fuel and rockets onboard the Robin itself (mentioned in the film it has 3 rockets to extend the glide if needed) and unspent fuel in the main orange tank.

[@Formula1Obsessed]

@@Ezra-UK If you step through frame by frame you can see the explosion is a completely different shot.

[@Recessio]

There's videos on KZbin that bystanders filmed with their own cameras, and you can clearly see it didn't explode anywhere near as big as in this video. Also the explosion here you can see it's like treetops/jungle but there aren't any trees where they are

[@SomeStaleBread]

​@Azra386 watch it back at .25x speed, and you'll see that the grass is yellow just before the rocket hits, and then the grass with the explosion is a dark green. Which kinda sucks tbh, i wish they'd used the real one

[@EdwardSaxophonehands]

Judging by the door hinges connecting the control surfaces, this all went to plan.

[@officialvtuberrobijet]

the start actually looks perfect

[@newcastlegeorge]

"How are you gonna use it again!?"

[@staytrue5307]

Wow. You repeated the last thing said in the video. How witty 🙄

[@newcastlegeorge]

@@staytrue5307 Welcome to the comments section of a KZbin video. You must be new.

[@davidevans3227]

this is mental does the bbc pay for this?? also, amazing great fun.. wicked thankyou.. x

[@MacTelar007]

this was the greatest moment of my childhood.

[@JamesDarcey]

I remember watching this live on SD TV. And I still laughed at the cut away to an explosion! 😂😂

[@Andrew-so8nr]

We need more shows like this on TV

[@serisothikos]

Godspeed, little Robin!

[@Alan1701b]

It's a shame that this only picks up after the shuttle has been built because I loved and LOL'd at the testing and preparation scenes.

[@Yngvarfo]

I always wonder how much of their performance is acting, and how much is genuine. I can see James and Richard's conversation in the bunk bed being a somewhat genuine expression of their feelings, but it sure looks suspicious that it was so well captured on camera. The one shot of James from his feet seems like the camera should have been visible in the wider shots. But then I kinda feel like I follow Richard's emotions through it all. The "Relax, it'll work!" seems like a kind of overoptimism, as if he deep down doesn't really believe it. But then I think his eager face at the launch shows him suddenly thinking that it really will work after all, followed by near ecstatic glee when the solid rocket boosters separated. I think those few seconds was the only time he really believed it would work. Which of course made the crash an even bigger downer.

[@atavy]

Omg i remember playing a flashgame called rocket robin way back. Way before i even knew what topgear was. That brings back memories

[@stevemaynards.g.t]

This was brilliant when I saw all that time ago great to see again 😂

[@CJCx3_Videos]

I believed for a short time. And my beleif was misplaced. Epic launch. Can we try again?

[@zakp.2759]

Anyone else think this was actually kind of unbelievable how well this worked? I mean, someone did the aerodynamics even.

[@Lozzman7575]

This was a quality episode

[@ElMattbos]

I just so wish they would do this again and to see it work!

[@michaelfairchild]

It did separate in a way.

[@jamesdunn7526]

Probably the coolest things ever done on TV

[@controlfreak1963]

Reliant Robin is also the name of a solid rocket fuel mixture (along with a three wheeled car).

[@bitparity]

"All of what we've said is just... words." FINALLY, the original clip with that quote included. I use it daily but all the other pirated uploads miss that tidbit for some odd reason.

[@Stuffthatsfunny1]

I wish they'd gone and tried this again. So close in this attempt

[@theelephantintheroom69]

As an aerospace enthusiast, the failed separation is such a test-rocket thing to happen. That's why they do test launches before putting people in it

[@2peaseinapod486]

Old top gear was unmatched

[@alexanderwingeskog758]

This one is one favorite for sure! At first I thought wait what the hell, how much money did they get to do this thing (because it's AWESOME)... and then again... wait Top Gear generates loads and loads of money... they could do this 10 times more, and I bet the second or third time this would actually work 100% and that would be crazy! If I where them (the one who made this), the contract would state something like yes we sell you the rights, but with every "viewing" we get a percentage of the profit (yes BBC is was state owned company I guess)... but I think there was a deal to be made... and by this time the would have gone to Mars and beyond with that deal..

[@mrdrifter3925]

I really wanted this to not fail. I was gutted when the parachute didn’t open.

[@davidzea-smith1417]

We all know how this ends, but that doesn’t change how much of a classic this segment is.

[@AWAKE-v7q]

JESUS H CHRYSLER THE RESOLUTION IS MENTALL

[@tommyhansen7600]

we love you top gear

[@SlyWolf5]

You can't not smile while watching this thing launch

[@phillbozz853]

We need more!!

[@MajesticWhitetiger]

I personally think those 3 need to come together for a final "moon shuttle" episode where they do this but it actually works as intended. Would be an awesome episode ... tho now that grand tour has finished, I don't know who would do it...?

[@1002l]

this was amazing

[@transformlikeaphoenix]

A great moment in Top Gear history. Magical!. If anyoone can pint in the right direction of the world war 1 plane flown at the cliffs od dover complete with lady in skin tight union jack outfit is another great moment. It might have been a 25th anniversary?

[@windriver2363]

This has to be one of the most expensive gags top gear has ever done, and yet it doesn't really seem to have the same memorability as other skits.

[@ffnbbq]

Probably because due to the highly technical nature of the launch, the hosts weren't really involved (not that they're actually doing the majority of the mechanical work or whatever in other episodes. They have real mechanics for that). So they had to tack on things like digging the "bunker".

[@moogle68]

It's strange you say that despite this comment section being full of people calling this bit "iconic", "one of my favorite", "the best", etc. I am also pretty sure they used a clip from this episode in the Intro for the show for quite a while, so IDK how you can think this wasn't as memorable as other skits...

[@RogueCylon]

When James is truly in his element.

[@34hedgehog]

Best thing they ever did.

[@whittyjd]

The RC guy always looked like such a muppet trying to steer it whilst still attached to the fuel tank

[@Bubo_Scandiacus_0o0]

new top gear classic dropped

[@repulser93]

There is a young future astronaut who has watched this, and has sworn that somehow, someway, they will be the one to get a Reliant Robin into space in the names of our trio.

[@walker1812]

Why am I here after watching SpaceX catch a starship booster with mechagodzilla?

[@marcatteberry1361]

The last scene. You can clearly see Hammond DID apply the sticker correctly.

[@nicolasmolli]

La meilleure chose que l'on puisse faire avec une Reliant Robin, c'est la transformer spatiale. C'est un épisode devenu légendaire.

[@BradTheThird]

"That's why..."

[@Arandomcat7]

Hampsters face in the thumbnail XD

[@douglasreid699]

My favourite bit of Top Gear, if it did work, great, but it didnt, what an explosion lol

[@beaneater6923]

an interesting side effect of the increase in pixels is that, if you look closely, you may notice that hammond is now barely visible. a quick fyi for those wondering where he had gone and why his disembodied voice was the only remaining semblance of his existence in the higher quality version of this clip