Top Gear terrorizes London with tank to kick off live tour
Click above for high-res gallery of Top Gear's tank
You may remember our report from a few months back about Top Gear developing a live arena show for the U.S. We still don't know if that's going to happen, but Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond are taking the Top Gear show on the road for a number of live events beginning at London's Earls Court from October 20th through November 2nd. The trio announced their new tour in the most Top Gear of ways, by driving a tank sporting Top Gear livery across London's Tower Bridge while being trailed by a Ferrari F430 and Aston Martin DBS with luggage strapped to their roofs.
The Top Gear triumvirate will reportedly "unleash automotive mayhem, take on crazy challenges, preside over breathtaking stunts and engage in hilarious motoring tomfoolery" during each 75-minute show, of which there will 10 separate performance at both Earls Court and Birmingham's NEC in the U.K. Tickets will cost £38 ($67 USD) for a Silver seat, £56 ($100 USD) for Gold and £105 ($188 USD) for a Platinum spot, which we presume means you'll be close enough to wipe Clarkson's spit off your face.
The press release after the jump, however, notes that the tank stunt kicks off the UK and world tour for the Top Gear live show, so perhaps arena shows in the U.S. and elsewhere are still in the cards. For now, however, Jezza, Hamster and Captain Slow will be busy enough trying to get through 20 separate live performances in just eight days at these two venues.
You can check out a video of the Top Gear tank stunt here, and read the official press release after the jump.
Gallery: Top Gear terrorizes London in tank
PRESS RELEASE
TOP GEAR GOES LIVE!
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are going on tour. And there's not a caravan in sight. Instead the preferred mode of transport at today's press launch of Top Gear Live is a bespoke, black liveried tank.
In typical Top Gear style, the three motoring presenters stunned drivers and saluted fans as they thundered across London's Tower Bridge to mark the capital as the debut venue for its UK and world tour.
For eight days at two venues - [30 October - 2 November] at London's Earls Court and [13-16 November] at Birmingham's NEC - Jezza, Hamster and Captain Slow will host Top Gear Live at the MPH The Prestige and Performance Motor Show.
During 10 separate performances at each venue more than 95,000 car fans can watch the team unleash automotive mayhem, take on crazy challenges, preside over breathtaking stunts and engage in hilarious motoring tomfoolery during each 75-minute live action show. Even The STIG will be there to show them how it's done.
Home to more than 200 of the fastest cars on the planet, this year's £30million MPH supercar-fest is scheduled to feature an A-Z of automotive exotica from the likes of Alfa Romeo, Ariel, Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Caparo, Farbio, Ferrari, Gumpert, Jaguar, Koenigsegg, Lamborghini, Lotus, Maserati, McLaren, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Pagani, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Shelby, Spyker, and TVR.
Tickets for MPH featuring Top Gear Live are now on sale at www.mphshow.co.uk/info or through the ticket hotline 0871 230 7150. Tickets cost between £38-105.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Carl 11:01AM (9/02/2008)
Who's Hampster?
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Avinash machado 11:24AM (9/02/2008)
Richard Hammond.
nagmashot 11:17AM (9/02/2008)
a battlefield taxi is not a TANK...
A M1A2 is a tank, a Leopard2 is a tank, a Challenger II is a tank... but not that thin aluminium battelfield taxi on tracks..
Georg.. ex tanker (Leo2) :p
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why not the LS2LS7? 12:16PM (9/02/2008)
Yeah. I don't think they'd let you take a real tank over tower bridge. Especially an M1A2. It'd fall through the deck.
BTW, Fifth Gear already did this a "tank" stunt years ago. It appears even in the same model non-tank as Top Gear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St5AWK0xxhk
Buran 12:36PM (9/02/2008)
Looks like an armored personnel carrier to me. I don't feel like loading the video but from the stills it could be an M113.
Ben 11:22AM (9/02/2008)
I actually thought of going to the UK for the shows. Good to know they'll be in the U.S.!
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FThorn 11:48AM (9/02/2008)
Why do those guys look so old for their age? Clarkson looks like he's 70.
I love them, and watch them, but they really age poorly. May is about the best, really.
I know, not a 'deep thought', but the lighting on the second photo makes Jeremy look ancient.
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Swede 12:35PM (9/02/2008)
Smoking like a chimney does that
Mel. R 2:32PM (9/02/2008)
It's amazing what smoking, and in Richard's case, a big accident, will do to a human being.
ds 12:17PM (9/02/2008)
As soon as US dates are announced, I'll be platinuming it up. Nothing stands between me and TG (except for, until soon an ocean), and it sounds like, for that price, I'll be able to find out once and for all if Hamster had his teeth whitened.
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why not the LS2LS7? 12:41PM (9/02/2008)
Those car shows are seemingly somewhat popular in Europe. Here in the US they're considered rather low class. Being associated with one may line your wallet, but unless your name is Joey Chitwood, it isn't going to do your reputation a ton of good.
Maybe they'll have Kim Kardashian or that woman from The Hills guest-host it in the US.
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Derek 2:03PM (9/02/2008)
If they have either "guest host" that's when I immediately stop watching the show, forever.
RLQ 6:30PM (9/02/2008)
They should have the Stig operate the tank.
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Mark 4:00AM (9/03/2008)
maybe it's world tour in the same sense that america has the "world series" in baseball
oh yeah, and i'm going to this in november, can't wait
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