The Stig reveals the TRUTH behind the Top Gear races!

[@EdBolian]

It was such an honor to have Ben out and to hear stories like these. Truly the coolest job in the world.

[@123iniko]

Truly the coolest guest in the world :)

[@JobiWan144]

I think you mean the coolest job... . . . in the world.

[@christopher1184]

Dude, I wish you could catch up with Clarkson too if he’s ever in the area. The stories that guy could tell..

[@rorosnusnu2035]

Maybe a video idea for you guys. Ed telling the story of how he got the Stig to come on here?

[@jonathanmills7994]

Another great vinwiki video. Love to hear hear his stories.

[@arthuralford]

Ben Collins is one of the few people who has driven both a Veyron and Chiron hard enough to learn the nuances of the handling of each car

[@Georgeionescu205]

He can Tell the differencies because he's a racing driver,other auto journalists just drive these,they cant feel anything behind the wheel,i think Ben wasted his time being the stig on top gear,he also has a charisma that very few of these guys that test cars have

[@randyvfromtheperch]

I'm waiting for the plunker who saya Stradman lol .

[@lazarskrbic]

​@@Georgeionescu205wdym wasted his time he's basically a legend at this point

[@alexzipp585]

​@@randyvfromtheperchplunker???? Lol

[@TheIrishman007]

@@Georgeionescu205absolutely did not waste his time. That’s what ultimately made the him the star he is today!

[@OzarksWildman]

Is it true he’s illegal in 17 states and only knows 2 facts about ducks?

[@OzarksWildman]

Some say….

[@daveSoupy]

He's got a full size tattoo of his face... on his face.

[@davidkester7750]

And both of them are wrong. .

[@Hashx17]

I'm not sure but some say that the outline of his left nipple is exactly the same shape as the Nurburgring

[@OzarksWildman]

@@Hashx17 Classic! 👍

[@kennorcott7074]

I can’t imagine being on the autobahn in a Porsche doing over 100 and then having to move over and get your doors blown off like you’re standing still by a veyron. Absolute insanity

[@classicraceruk1337]

100mph is slow, Stig said they were doing 160mph and the Veyron walked away from them.

[@Cher007]

100-120mph is pretty much a normal speed here. Anything above 155 is pretty rare, due to most production cars here being limited by factory.

[@classicraceruk1337]

@@Cher007 True I forgot they limited them to 155. Slow for a Veyron!!!!

[@fmsdaman1]

Seems crazy now, imagine it in 2005 when the 996 was the newest 911 you could get

[@Midg-td3ty]

If you go only 100. You will be overtaken by Golfs actually even delivery cars like a Mercedes Sprinter will overtake you. 100 is not fast.

[@tdp2612]

Really cool to hear that they weren't fake, I'd wondered how they got all the nice camera shots while racing, and they just didn't. Amazing guest

[@saudade2745]

On the scale of fake, they'd fall just under the line. Super Staged I think they'd call it in the auto world.

[@TheJimbles]

Did you watch the video? He explained it quite clearly.

[@justin4323]

Ben collins is the man. So glad yall could get him on the channel multiple times.

[@WeAreCurated]

Videos like these are what made Top Gear so influential and powerful as a show. Great insight.

[@VINwiki]

Who else loved the Top Gear races against public transit?

[@TheCannonball79]

The races on Top Gear were great travel logs and I loved when they carried them over to Amazon.

[@technom3598]

The absolute best. 612... Astons... It was great.

[@daryld149]

Outside of the travel specials, these were some of the best episodes.

[@dcregister86]

I’m so relieved and happy to hear that was an organic one

[@123iniko]

Who didn't love them?

[@EV02EV01EV00]

Humble Porsche drivers, best part of the whole video.

[@atlascormac6273]

I like that anyone could have dressed as Stig but he still went out and did it himself

[@jasonkhoury4328]

Yeh I noticed that point also - they could easily have gotten away with someone else in that suit, but he did it personally !! Fantastic

[@las10plagas]

well... I'm sure he got paid, otherwise he would have not done it ;-)

[@connorniece5323]

This makes me so happy to hear it straight from someone at Top Gear that these races were never staged in and of themselves, they would just write the jokes and script the footage based on what happened, that's 🤩

[@DaviHorner]

That just makes the Jag with infinite fuel even more hilariously 🤣

[@TheBarnicle1911]

James may has said in one of the episodes 'ofcourse these are staged but it was such fun'

[@AzguardMike]

the same way boxing is staged, you know who will win by the set up. A car vs a plane? Car easilly. A 5 times champion agains a 210lb newb? the champ wins @@TheBarnicle1911

[@FlatMetal22]

​@TheBarnicle1911 the script I'd written pre recording. But alot of what happens is spontaneous, they have an idea and just go with it

[@trevorberridge6079]

Shame you couldn't say the same for the Tesla Roadster test.

[@gingerbadger]

The really really sad thing is that TV will never be this magical again. From the Stig to the cross continent races this was peak content. The Stig should be knighted.

[@MarkPentler]

Of course it bloody will. People say such over-the-top cliched stuff in the service of nostalgia

[@dutchmansmine9053]

​@@MarkPentlerThe new hosts of top gear have done a pretty good job at providing proof that you're wrong.

[@LukSter18998]

id love to see stiggy in being knighted hahah

[@shashankmurari]

I am very happy to hear this. As this proves the many people who say these races as staged that they are not staged.

[@stanleysimmonsreactions9056]

The Mclaren F1 vs Bugatti race was def staged!

[@markoz673bajen8]

​@@stanleysimmonsreactions9056Hammond you Ediot

[@Disinterested-jg6pw]

Of course they are staged... Do you believe everything you are told? The editing made it so obvious, every one was a photo finish...

[@ba55bar]

@@Disinterested-jg6pwno they weren't. May never made it to Blackpool. Hammond was many many hours behind Clarkson and May to the pole. Hammond and May were nowhere near beating Clarkson in the SLR to Oslo. Shall I go on?

[@chriscollins550]

​@@Disinterested-jg6pwI can tell you without doubt they was not staged. They did add in some funny stuff like when Clarkson gave the cops middle finger but that was all cleard by them. I know this and another more as my family owned a company right next to we're they filmed top gear in Gilford. Just so you can look it up the company was called systems interface. I would get three complementary tickets all the time. I got to meet all the team including Clarkson Hammond and may almost on a weekly basis. You have no idea how much was edited out unless you was there filming for almost a full day just part of the crowd at the show. The only person I never got to meet was Ben Collins as he would turn up at Dunsfold all ready dressed up as the sting, I don't know if he had a little hidden place on site we're he could kick back and be himself away from anyone.

[@tony66au]

Although im not a Bugatti fan (Cars not in my wheelhouse ever I suspect) Watching Ben talk about them is a riveting education :-) Love Bens little chats

[@Georgeionescu205]

He can drive as hell,but also can talk aswell,he's a very Smart guy,going down to the Little details about how a car behaves,Chris Harris does IT the same,but Collins îs a proper driver

[@gwcrispi]

I always wondered if it was Ben when the Stig was shown on camera outside of driving fast. I figured they just stuck an intern in the suit and said "ride the tube"...

[@BlackyK]

Absolutely LOVE Ben's 'matter of fact' stories about the glory days of Top Gear!

[@evelynsahoe8896]

1:55 The thing with the Top Gear trio is to car enthusiasts they really are rockstars, they made a career out of every car guys dream... They got to drive all the new cars people were interested in, talk about and slander ones they didn't like, and go on road trips with their friends in cars they all loved. Not to mention they were hilarious and so likeable tons of non car people I've shown the show have become fans just because of them.

[@SandroDoulis]

Met Ben at the Nürburgring a few weeks ago. Such a kind guy and very nice to talk to!

[@canudeiro]

The Stig is the fourth element of Top Gear... he's much part of the folklore involving the show as the other three gentlemen. I could listen Ben Collins telling stories all day long.

[@thejonathandoan]

I love all these Top Gear stories. The more, the merrier!!

[@auditnerd8767]

Did you hear the one about the producer getting punched over the lack of hot food?

[@InZomnia365]

I've always wondered about the many camera angles on these trips, which sort of do make you think it's a lot of start-stop-start-stop and being staged. Interesting to hear they did separate B-roll footage to get more outside views to fill in the screen time, whilst the races themselves were real. Great insight.

[@ToasterPizzaFun]

I really appreciate that about Top Gear. They didn't think too hard about anything, they just did it organically and the episodes materialised around them. You get the feeling they don't do those kind of organic races or events in the Grand Tour, maybe apart from the big specials like Namibia or Mongolia.

[@thiago4santos]

You can't give only 6 minutes to the stig, HE'S THE STIG!

[@TheBlindWeasel]

It's because he's that fast

[@georgehill3087]

Or is he? I don't see a full sized tattoo of his face on his face.

[@nigelliam153]

One of them anyway

[@JK_Clark]

HE'S CALLED THE STIG!

[@trevorberridge6079]

To be fair he's ONE of the Stigs and not even the original.

[@quauhtliauva1705]

Definitely my favorite thing about old Top Gear where the races. The Vietnam one, was a lot of fun to watch.

[@franciscos.3671]

The difference between USA tv and UK Tv is that in the Uk they try to be real.

[@qasimmir7117]

And that UK TV has imagination, or at least we did.

[@pantarkan7]

The film from running the Veyron, flat-out (on the back straight at the VW track, I think?) was awesome. "At this speed, the tires will only last about 15 minutes, but that's okay, because the fuel, runs out in 12."

[@spiercephotography]

Always great listening to Ben! Appreciate him coming on and telling the stories that he does

[@TheCannonball79]

OMG! I feel honored that I can now say the Stig sat in the same chair as me. Only I beat him and got there first.

[@alexthompson5172]

I love these videos since it confirms to me how real the show was, for the longest time i thought so many things were faked but thankfully i was wrong😅

[@Str4t0sPh3rE]

I'm more amazed about the camera van that always seem to be ahead of all the supercars they drive on the road from point A to point B.

[@gaoeykreg]

As well as having some great anecdotes and just clearly being a nice chap, it’s nice to have someone featured in a motoring related video that talks with intelligence and can put together proper sentences, unlike most ‘KZbinr’s’.

[@964tractorboy]

The more I see Ben Collins the more I like him. Great to see he's got a speaking part at last!

[@JJFX-]

The fact Michelin actually rated those tires drive a car that heavy at 250mph for 15 min yet still be good all-around tires for most everything else is insane to me.

[@RastaSaiyaman]

For those of you who haven't already, get yourself a copy of "the man in the white suit" the book Ben Collins wrote about his time as the Stig. It offers an in-depth look in how Top Gear was made. And how his role was about more than just setting fast lap times or teaching celebrities how to drive on the track. - During the races and the "Cheap cars" segments, it was his role to have the cars checked over, making sure they were at least road legal. But he was also told that if there was any mechanical fault or imminent signs of failure, that he was not allowed to have it fixed. - That was because, although Top Gear was scripted to death, unforeseen disasters always made for good TV. A good example was in the second Africa race where Jeremy knocked out his own back window with the log he towed as a method of breaking. There simply is no way that they wrote that occurrence out in advance. - He was also told that he could not reveal to the presenters what the other presenters had bought. Again, playing on the fact that unforeseen occurrences made for great TV. - Finally, he revealed how he was shown the entire script, knew all what was going to happen in advance and being told by Andy Wilman to ignore it, wreak havoc. Which he did countless times, having a lot of fun in the process, creating the Stig as we know him.

[@violinmiata]

I’m so happy that Ben Collins is Ben Collins now and that he can talk about when he was the Stig. He’s a fascinating person, great street teller and has so much more to offer than the white suited tamed racing driver. It’s better to know the man is purely a humble, affable, well spoken, true badass.

[@Car10121-s]

I guess that top speed run was done with once chance, since I’m sure the top speed key has to be inserted. A certain amount of steering lock or a touch of the brakes etc brings it out of top speed mode. Still possible.

[@NERGYStudios]

He is an absolute hoot of a car guy. He could very well be a presenter himself!

[@racecarrik]

I've seen one Bugatti in my life and he describes it perfectly, it is literally a UFO. I first saw it in the distance and couldn't make out what car it was, but I got this feeling in my gut that it was a special car. When I got closer and saw what it was I just remember this feeling of awe and utter amazement that I've never had with any other car before. I've seen it plenty on TV but in person it truly felt like I was seeing a UFO.

[@brandenjones192]

Some say….. He once killed a bear with a toothpick.

[@Ingens_Scherz]

Ben Collins regularly hit 220+ mph when he was a Le Mans racer, so he really really does know what he's talking about. When he speaks, I listen!

[@bannjaxx]

"At 250mph, you can only run the tyres for 15min - which is fine as the tank empties in 13!!!" 🤣🤣😎

[@EmTekTube]

Out of all the thing's "faked" on the show for TV, it's nice to hear from the horse's mouth that those big epic races were real

[@vladislavdimitrov4646]

Do you believe him?

[@charlesharper2357]

They might have been real, but they were heavily handicapped in Jeremy's favor.

[@him050]

@@vladislavdimitrov4646I think it’s a case of the race was real, and whoever won was the winner. But them being like two minutes apart and all the shots of them running for the finish are totally staged.

[@Nadox97]

I never knew they actually had Ben do the stig parts of the public transit races. I had always just assumed they used a junior member of the production team, who kinda matched his stature.

[@MrFuzzwuzzle]

I'm impressed that the external shots were set up because they did the race for real

[@cornovii3012]

I was working stage crew and was on the Top Gear stage in Blackpool for the light switch on :)

[@dsamusic5043]

Goes to show just how good they really were at presenting that show. They pushed the envelope and set the bar so high back then that the closest thing we have to that kind of viewer entertainment today are the carwow drag races.

[@aaronforward5726]

Having driven all the cars throughout the show, they really are blessed.

[@jimmy5353]

I always enjoy listening to Stig!

[@shaggy7327]

"You could feel your brain move inside your head " What a line.

[@reptilez13]

Anytime someone is humbling Porsche owners im here for it. Not that it takes much.

[@bwofficial1776]

Once Top Gear went HD I remember a shot where it was obvious it wasn't Jeremy driving. It cut from a shot inside the car to a shot outside with the windows digitally blurred.

[@rj.reliable]

Legend and always a fan of top gear from the early days, I remember getting the 1st edition of the magazine at the age of 9 😅

[@tonygieve9762]

The london city airport race my ex was filmed getting off at westminster tube station by the stigs film crew.

[@blackness010]

Some say he keeps a photo of his wallet, in his wallet

[@garethzwart]

Some say he can touch MC Hammer 😅

[@ChrisMadson]

Nah… that was Chuck Norris

[@bzilla-d4i]

​@@ChrisMadsontoo young for top gear?

[@ChrisMadson]

@bzilla1090 Nope, I watched them from beginning to end. The Chuck Norris jokes were in a similar vein to the Stig jokes so I was just making a parallel reference

[@anandmorris]

That Top Gear era was some of the greatest TV ever made.

[@msn164]

The B-roll footage of the Stig in Blackpool needs to be released 😂

[@drdremd]

Love the Ben Collins. Hopefully he comes back.

[@beatmasterbossy]

The thing I love the most about Ben Collins is that he's confident but not cocky... there's humility there. He's quite a distinguished gentleman.

[@snipergene]

Excellent video. Thanks for this.

[@aguruattapiano]

It still amazes me how many people still fight about if the show was "real" or "staged". Both answers are just wrong. The sutil nuances and the mixture of fantasy and crude reality is what made the show so awesome!

[@drewcagno]

Wow! Great interview!

[@maddsheep]

What are the odds I was just watching a top gear episode and then I go onto KZbin and I find this video

[@MrFluffytheTurtle]

My favorite stig moment is when someone landed their skydive into the convertable he was driving

[@xxadrian_mxx7871]

That was the golden age of Top Gear.

[@hughmann1908]

Great story telling! Thanks!

[@AngryIrishMan]

Ben has gone so fast for so long, hes actually slowed down his aging.

[@bwofficial1776]

Time slows down as you approach light speed.

[@entropybentwhistle]

@@bwofficial1776Only The Stig could prove Einstein at his driving day job.

[@keaton718]

The title of this makes it sound like there's going to be sensational revelations, but it's just a casual chat about how cool cars are.

[@super1million11]

The coolest thing from this video is hearing they topped this car out on the autobahn

[@ty9154]

I always thought it was some other crew member in the suit out in public. Super cool that it was Ben the whole time

[@sparky4878]

I assumed Stig on a bus was just a member of the production team.

[@BCJDM]

Tires are the main reason you see Veyron's on aftermarket wheels. Tires for aftermarket wheels even at those sizes will be much cheaper than the OEM Michelins

[@Remko_Gooijert]

The Mercedes Mclaren SLR race through The Netherlands also had shots in it that shows the car going the 'wrong' direction of the race.

[@TheOmegaRiddler]

Jeremy took a Bugatti Veyron, quite rightly. He says it like it's a common thing.

[@georgehill3087]

I mean, Richard would've crashed it. And May would've stayed at the speed limit the entire time.

[@5ynthesizerpatel]

About 12 years ago I was working as a dispatch rider in London and had a drop off at a very smart boutique hotel just around the corner from Downing street - as I pulled up the only place I could fit the bike was perpendicular to the kerb, between a Veyron and some other Supercar I forget .... because Veyron!!! There were 3 very large, very serious looking, security guards minding the car. I took off my helmet, nodded to them, nodded towards my shitty courier bike and said, "thanks lads - make sure no one scratches it" Only one straight face out of three ..... amateurs! Another day I came within 2 feet of running over Damon Hill - but that's another story

[@B-A-L]

Julia Carling broke my pen when I was a despatch rider and John Craven asked me to move my bike when I was delivering a package to his daughter. Oh yeah, I also had to drop off something at a hotel for Ricky Martin and I told the receptionist I had no idea who he was, which was true!

[@stotheh]

Now I always thought when the stig was featured not driving it would just be a junior crew member dressed up.

[@grumpyfinn]

broken ribs went on a bus... right hand broken 1.5 months factory work 2 ribs broken same thing.... damn u had it hard

[@Sam18C]

I was so surprised it was actually him in the suit for the public transport races, thought he would just be used for the track races and have someone else suited up

[@SH3RIFF187]

I saw one for the first time in person a month ago. It has a crazy presence but it is such a crazy piece of machinery.

[@JYD2020]

Top gear made Bugatti famous and you can't tell me otherwise

[@Biljoona]

Broom handle is a cure for broken ribs if it somehow relates to high speeds.

[@jordaneastwood6678]

Full interview plzzzzz

[@jerrycapizzi2081]

Always fascinating to get the dirt from this truth-teller

[@shannonstiles9838]

Loved that show

[@NoName-cn3cp]

Anybody who believed Top Gear was an ounce truth, must also believe wrestling is real too lol

[@BigFiveJack]

Listening to this was mesmerizing.

[@horrgakx]

I have a lot of respect for Ben. He was treated unfairly.

[@joeuncoolio]

I always wondered when away from the track if Ben was in the suit.

[@fletcherjacobs3688]

Some say his blood is coolant that stays at 0 degrees. and his right foot is made of tungsten.

[@alexthompson5172]

Who were all the different stigs?

[@Car10121-s]

Perry McCarthy, Ben Collins and Phil Keen. There has been other stand ins at times too I believe.

[@mikedrop4421]

Is it true that he doesn't have any knees?

[@stephenbachman132]

That is a car i would love to drive. Too bad there is no affordable way to actually drive one. The insurance alone omg could you imagine.

[@ChrisP.Bacon008]

Broken ribs and assisted by a broom handle, we got another Chuck Yeager with us.

[@ICKY427]

i love how a lot of this was just gushing about how good the veyron is lol. its nice to hear the races were more or less real. id always figured they were, but you never know. and i know top gear DOES fake some stuff, but its usually made obvious when they do.

[@FoCoPuffs]

All of his knees are hydraulic.

[@obsidian00]

"The Bugatti UFO" 🤣

[@siposzsombor4531]

"Bugatti ufo"😂

[@50shadesofskittles9]

Great video. Subbed!

[@johnwight6041]

I had no idea they filmed the b roll shots after for that Bugatti Veyron Cessna 182T race. Very cool!

[@dunebasher1971]

That's the way all the races worked. The race has to be in real-time, done once, there are no opportunities to get the talent to stop while you set up a beauty shot. So you get a second unit to drive the same route afterwards just getting the beauty shots and the "ups and passes" (where the subject car drives up behind the camera car and then goes past).

[@ZEROmg13]

"some say.............he's called the Stig"

[@campbellvonjordan68]

The Veyron can not only match the speed of other cars on the Autobahn, it can just take off and go up to almost ONE HUNDRED mph faster without a care in the world. What an absolute beast of a machine.