Court rules Top Gear did not libel Tesla

Tesla's libel suit against Top Gear was dealt a crushing blow with London's court ruling that no Top Gear viewer would have reasonably assumed the Tesla Roadster's on-track performance on the show relates to its real-world capabilities.

As you might recall, Top Gear's review of the Roadster concluded by claiming that, "In the real world, it doesn't seem to work" (watch it here). But that's just Top Gear being, well, Top Gear, implies Justice Tugendhat:

In my judgment, the words complained of are wholly incapable of conveying any meaning at all to the effect that the claimant misled anyone. This is because the contrast between the style of driving and the nature of the track as compared with the conditions on a public road are so great that no reasonable person could understand that the performance on the track is capable of a direct comparison with a public road.

The ruling was handed down verbally by Justice Tugendhat before lunch on Wednesday, October 19th. The Tesla versus Top Gear trial will continue as the automaker is suing BBC for five malicious statements made during the Top Gear's 2008 review of the electric Roadster. Tugendhat is expected to return a complete verdict within weeks.