JEREMY: *MUFFLED* HAMMOND, MAY! YOU IDIOT!
RICHARD: He's going to be cross, isn't he? JEREMY: HAMMOND!
JAMES: Yeah, Well... JEREMY: HAMMOND!
RICHARD: It's only relevant if we let him out.
Let's leave him in.
RICHARD: I love being reunited with these after a trip.
It's really weird seeing them out of context.
JAMES: I have to commend you on your err, choice of livery.
RICHARD: Wait a minute! JAMES: What?
RICHARD: After all we went through,
you're now being nice about my car.
JAMES: Well, I've always admitted that I do like the Subaru.
You once said
the Subaru is the car you own and drive, the Evo is the one you take out
for a blast but... RICHARD: Yes.
- If you want to go to the shops or go on holiday, you actually have a Subaru.
I think...
I know you're right.
Obviously, for the purposes of television, you're talking crap.
RICHARD: On the subject of the Evo.
JAMES: God, what happened to that?
RICHARD: You know full well!
You see, um...
when it happened,
your massive crash, when you crashed it, when you had a big... James.
JAMES:The interior is in pretty good nick in this actually.
- James, you can't deny it forever, it happened.
When it happened, when you lost it... binned it... trashed it...
I was genuinely gutted because there was a real sense that
that is the playmate, the sparring partner, for this car.
And without that one, it was all out of balance.
JAMES: So you're going to keep this? RICHARD: I am actually.
I love it.
It was...
Okay, we'll talk about mine for a minute then I want to...
It was.
I've always loved these, but it's a bit like.
The only other car I can think of it does it, Porsche Boxster.
You see them around, It's Porsche Boxster
It's nothing, any generation of them.
And then you get in it
and you drive it and you think, Oh my God, this thing is absolutely amazing.
And it's the same with this.
I thought, I know what a Subaru's like, I know how it will feel.
As soon as I got in it.
JAMES: Yeah, it felt very special. RICHARD: Yeah.
JAMES: But they are... But they are race bred, pedigree cars.
That's the thing. RICHARD: They are.
- They are effectively homologation cars.
RICHARD: But this was. JAMES: For rally.
- This was rallying first and then they sort of, JAMES: Yeah.
- they made a saloon out of a rally car rather than the other way round.
JAMES: The thing is, we drove these when they were new.
Let's be honest, because we're quite old now.
We've been doing this for far too long. RICHARD: We did.
- But I thought when it was new, I thought, you know, it's quite...
it's quite a raw car.
It's not, you know, there's no luxury appointments or any of that stuff.
But when I got back into now, after, what, 15 years or so, it's...
it almost feels like a classic car.
There's nothing to it.
But it's nice for that.
It's only got the important bits through which you commune with the machine,
you know. RICHARD: But will you concede
that spiritually,
JAMES: (GROANS) - That is more digital.
And the Subaru by comparison is more analog.
JAMES: No. RICHARD: Really?
JAMES: What's digital about it? RICHARD: That's...
I'd say the performance of that is more heavily digitally enhanced than this.
I think this is simply the architecture of it.
The way it's put together and what it's put together with rather than electronics.
JAMES: Well there isn't... RICHARD: It's Just how they feel, I'm just saying how they feel.
- I don't... well I don't... I don't feel that.
When I'm in that, that feels like a very, very basic car
in which the important bits of being a car like steering, transmission, feedback,
you know, are all spot on because that's what it needs to be to be a rally car.
It wouldn't work without that,
otherwise you wouldn't be able to control it so well.
RICHARD: Yeah. - So, all of that...
that's what makes it feel special when you're just driving it
RICHARD: Into a wall. JAMES: Along a road or into a wall. Yes.
RICHARD: Can we just address... JAMES: Why?
- What have you done?
JAMES: Bent it. RICHARD: What have YOU done?
JAMES: I felt terrible about that.
RICHARD: I mean, anybody watching will have seen the show by now to know hopefully.
And if not, I don't want to give anything away.
(LAUGHS) JAMES: But I pranged it. Yeah.
RICHARD: And, um... How ruined is it?
JAMES: Well, it...
it still goes. RICHARD: Yes.
- Which is the point.
I mean, let's be honest,
I did a more thorough test that JEREMY: *MUFFLED* HAMMOND!
- SHUT UP! RICHARD: You did!
JAMES: Gez above. What a racket.
RICHARD: It's not a rally car!
JAMES: The point about a rally car,
in use on a rally, is that they get crushed all the time
and they're out in the field, so it's bush mechanics.
They're beaten back into shape with rubber mallets and crowbars,
and then they continue.
And I proved that the Evo can sustain that sort of punishment.
Because you didn't do that! Neither did he!
So you didn't do a thorough test.
As a motoring journalists, I did a proper test of this car
and proved that it's...
It's fit for the job.
RICHARD: Did that explanation of what happened, come to mind in the middle of the night?
And you sat up and said, "I've got it.
I know what I did, it was a test!" JAMES: Yes.
- Yes, okay.
JAMES: It didn't come to mind as I was actually hitting the wall.
RICHARD: What went through your mind?
JAMES: I just thought, I'm going to hit the wall.
So I mustn't hit the cameraman, I even thought
I mustn't hit Jeremy Clarkson, which is a strange thing to think.
RICHARD: Yeah, that was miss... Stress did that.
JAMES: So I just tried to turn sideways and not hit it straight on.
RICHARD: But, okay I get... that's post.
JAMES: The realisation came pretty quickly.
RICHARD: When you realised I've overdone this.
- Yes, the... ballocks moment.
RICHARD: Why didn't you brake earlier?
JAMES: Well, you can't.
RICHARD: The ice I'm on is thin.
- Yeah. - I know.
JAMES: And I apologise for taking what is rightfully your role
and very out of character for me, but you can't break and then think, do
ya know, I think I'll go back and do that just a little bit earlier.
And I was trying to win.
RICHARD: You really were, weren't ya?
JAMES: Yeah. I don't know why.
I mean, I don't care about winning stuff but. RICHARD: Right.
So have you stolen my role com...
just before we move off this carnage.
JAMES: Can I say something else? - Yes.
- I mean, we might as well get this all cleared up... - Yeah, go on.
- seeing as It's been rather misreported.
JAMES: It wasn't that bad a crash. RICHARD: HAHAHA!
But there is. JAMES: No, I mean
- You're leaning on a ruined car man!
Look at it! JAMES: I know I ruined the car but it
RICHARD: and... it... Oh, God, it's... it
it's a bit, it smells a bit damp in here.
JAMES: Yeah, it did get a bit damp RICHARD: It did, yeah.
- But it..
I mean I only went to hospital.
That was only a precautionary thing to make sure I hadn't
fractured my skull or anything, but I obviously hadn't.
I was... I was fine. Just a bit stiff.
RICHARD: Oh, it was...
You can't brush it off and, like, running for a bus and falling over
and getting back up and pretending you haven't twisted your ankle.
You did!
JAMES: Yeah, I did, but it wasn't serious.
Lots of people have had much worse accidents.
RICHARD: So you've stolen my thing.
That's me done now.
JAMES: But it did ruin the car and I felt bad about that because I did love it.
RICHARD: Right! I wanna have a look at mine now, can we have a look at mine?
We've talked about yours lots.
RICHARD: There are a billion different Imprezas,
but I do rather like this particular example because
JAMES: Be honest...
- I don't thinkI mentioned, by the way, once
on the film.
I don't think I did, JEREMY: *MUFFLED* HAMMON!
JAMES: SHUT IT!
RICHARD: Honestly
Um JEREMY: I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!
RICHARD: I don't think I mentioned once in the film that it has adjustable centre lock.
You can move the extent to which it's locked about here with this wheel.
Centre diff, you can move the...
JAMES: Oh I wish you'd mentioned that.
RICHARD: (NERVOUS LAUGH)
I might have felt it was a bit too nerdy.
JAMES Yes. - Or else... yeah
JAMES: Okay, be honest. RICHARD: Yeah.
- I know you are very good on your 911s, Richard: Yeah.
- you can say C2, C2s, GT3, GT3RS and you know which ones
rear wheel drive, which was four wheel, which ones got a turbo, which one hasn't.
RICHARD: Yes.
JAMES: Do you honestly know all your Subaru Impreza variants.
Because it is pretty complicated.
Some of them are very obscure, some of them are country specific.
RICHARD: I mean, I did say in the film
how there'd be a new model and then there'll be new derivations of the model.
And then they'll be a new special edition.
JAMES: Yep. - And I mean, this is the V limited.
This is a Japan only car I believe.
But no, I don't think
anybody
JAMES: I don't think anybody really knows.
RICHARD: No, I don't think even Subaru know.
JAMES: No. And half of them get modified anyway.
RICHARD: Yes.
- And people tweak bits on them and add bits from other ones.
And it's just, it's impos.... I...
I suspect every single one is different.
RICHARD: See JAMES: That's less true
of these, I think.
RICHARD: I don't think they've been quite as prolific as these.
JAMES: No. They tend to be the Evo 7, The Evo 8,
the Evo 8 with a door missing.
RICHARD: Key question.
So it all happened now.
It's done. We're back.
So are the cars.
what are you going to do with that?
Are you keeping it?
JAMES: No. - No.
JAMES: The...
I don't know if we can admit this.
It's actually a write off...
RICAHRD: (LAUGHS)
JAMES: In road use terms. RICHARD: Is it? Did you destroy it?
JAMES: Yeah. Because it's... it's bent.
RICHARD: Oh, that's a shame.
- because in the garage.
I didn't do very much of this because obviously I was a bit stiff,
but they actually had to put a hydraulic
jack in there and push the engine back
that way about three inches. RICHARD: That's a bad sign.
- Yeah
but... but...
what was amazing, I mean, you saw this in the film
when I was driving along, they got it
so right that I could sit their hands off
RICHARD: Oh, it was incredible. - and drive along and it was...
it was all round straight and true.
it braked straight and true, it's...
- I did feel ba... I still feel bad about wrecking that car.
A, because I loved it.
B, Because I know a lot of people watching will be
RICHARD: Yep. - either su... you know.
RICHARD: You have to be one or the...
JAMES: Yeah you can't really be both.
And I know that they're now all pretty annoyed with me.
RICHARD: Yeah.
I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't targeted on the street.
Beaten up.
JAMES: Yeah. - For what you did.
Well, you'll be glad to know I am keeping this and I think
I'm going to rework and turn it into an absolute monster.
And am I childish for that?
JAMES: Do you mean spoil it?
RICHARD: No! This will take a heck of a lot of tweakery
JEREMY: *MUFFLED* HAMMOND! - will Martin.
JAMES: SHUT UP!
RICHARD: Honestly, it's not a rally car, JEREMY: YOU **** MORON!
- It's not a rally car, it never was Um... no
I'm going to see if I can get, like,
massive horsepower out of it and make it a bit of an angry.
Not an...
JAMES: But it already is. - Yeah but it could be angrier, couldn't it?
JAMES: The people at Subaru, at Subaru Technica Internationale
or whatever they call themselves.
RICHARD: Yeah, probably not that. - It's something like that.
RICHARD: Probably
JAMES: They know.
They've put hundreds of thousands of hours into working out how this thing...
RICHARD: Yeah but...
- should be set up.
- But it's still... - and Richard Hammond in
his garage, nice garage though you have...
RICHARD: I know a lot more!
- is not going to improve it.
RICHARD: No... I mean we're not going to improve it for general use.
But if I were to make it more focused, more of a proper, actual, you know.
JAMES: Well It is pretty focused. It's a rally car.
RICHARD: So we should, uhm...
while he's struggling in the boot,
mentioned it.
JAMES: The executive business car.
RICHARD: I mean you can't argue, the RS4 is a bloody good car.
JAMES: But I would say cheating.
Which is also in the spirit of rallying admittedly.
But um... RICAHRD: yeah, yeah.
JAMES: but it's not, I mean just...
because it has the word Quattro on it.
RICHARD: Yeah.
JAMES: It's...
RICHARD: doesn't make it a Quattro - No.
RICHARD: No, you could write space shuttle on it, it doesn't make it one of those either.
JAMES: It merely means that it has a four wheel drive system.
But that's... It's not a rally car.
These are rally cars in that these are the road
going versions of the cars that were actually used in rallies.
That's the whole point. That's why these cars exist.
That car doesn't exist for that reason.
That car exists to take people to meetings. RICHARD: Yes.
- In grey rooms. RICHARD: Yes.
JAMES: With a squeaky white
board and a flip chart and some stuff about pursuing excellence.
So, look, we've never sort of post
a trip, gathered the cars together before and sat with them.
So, moment of absolute honesty. JAMES: Yes.
RICHARD: Do you still stick to what you said at the beginning,
do you still feel the Evo is the best expression of that?
I mean, your wrong if you do but...
JAMES: I doubted myself at the beginning but I felt I should
speak up for the car I'd chosen, RICHARD: Hmm
- which, to be honest, I chose because it was yellow.
RICHARD: You do like yellow. Yes. - and I like a yellow thing but,
now I've been reunited with it, having previously been someone
who would have automatically said, actually, I'd have a Subaru,
I'm going to say I would have an Evo if that car was in slightly better condition.
If somebody hadn't vandalised it RICHARD: You.
- I'd probably have kept it.
RICHARD: Yeah.
JAMES: In fact, I briefly did start looking around for another one in yellow.
Very difficult to find a totally unmolested, original.
RICHARD: Because usually somebody has done something like that to it.
JAMES: Hmm.
I think if you're going to be a bit of a chav, you've got to do it properly.
And the Evo is a bit more chavvy.
RICHARD: Ooohh.
JAMES: You see because I think the Subaru is a little bit knowing.
I think people who are very interested in motorsport history will have opinions
on which Impreza you have and what its strengths and weaknesses are.
They probably know which rallies it won and which ones it proved to be unreliable.
People just see an Evo and...
basically make a grunting noise and want to mount it.
RICHARD: You've... - That's the point.
RICHARD: Better than what you did to it.
You think the Evo is the more chavvy of the two?
JAMES: Yeah.
RICHARD: James. JAMES: Hmm.
RICHARD: We did make it clear in the film that, you know,
these two cars divide the world.
JAMES: They do, yeah. RICHARD: So they...
they have a rabidly passionate following, each of them.
JAMES: And the other following will hate you.
RICHARD: Yes. JAMES: Yeah.
RICHARD: So, the other fellow already hates you because you were in the Evo.
Then you crashed the Evo.
JAMES: Now the Evo following hate me as well.
- And then you compounded it by saying they're more chavvy than the Subaru.
JAMES: In a nice way.
In a positive, inclusive,
mindful, 21st century way.
There's nothing wrong with chavs.
I'm chavvy. RICHARD: Okay.
- So, you know, suits me.
RICHARD: It's not often do we total cars, is it?
JAMES: No. RICHARD: I mean i've totalled a few.
JAMES: Well, you have. RICHARD: Yeah. But not...but not that many.
JAMES: Well, twice as many as I have.
RICHARD: Yeah, alright.
JAMES: Thank you for watching.
RICHARD: What?
Oh this. I thought you meant the show.
JAMES: Well. Both.
RICHARD: Well, I got confused,
because if you haven't yet seen the show in which James May does
that and condemns himself to facing an avalanche of hate
JAMES: Spoiler alert. - from half the world,
watch it!
Do you want to say like comment and subscribe?
JAMES: Well you've said it now!
Like. comment. Subscribe.
RICHARD: Yes! Right, I've had enough of this.
I'm going and I'm taking my car now.
If I'm taking it, I might as well take it.
So get off it. You taking yours, James? ha-hah!
JAMES: Well, I'll just look at it for a bit. RICHARD: See?
JAMES: What? You'll have to speak up.
Yeah, no, it is. It's good.
I'll tell you what, the boot space is quite good in the RS4, isn't it.
More like the sort of boot space you'd expect in a, I don't know
a fairly large executive saloon.