Episode Archive - Series 9

On hole-in-one Top Gear, an irritatingly handsome star drove our reasonably priced car, James drove very fast indeed, and the presenters headed off to a country club for a round of golf.

James went to VW's top secret test track in east Germany with one very special mission: to take the Bugatti Veyron up to its top speed of 252mph. This he achieved with consummate ease and a stiff upper lip, although it did make his eyes water a bit. It's also worth pointing out that this makes Jeremy our third fastest presenter.

Small coupes are all about looking good. Golf, on the other hand, is all about wearing brightly coloured trousers and looking absolutely ridiculous. However, this didn't stop from us taking the latest fashionable offerings from Audi, Mazda and Alfa Romeo to the links for a round of pitch and putt.

Jeremy established that the new Audi TT is no longer just a VW Golf in a nice frock. James tried to persuade us that the Alfa Brera's soul and passion make up for its worrying lack of pace. And Richard argued that the Mazda RX-8 is the one to have, simply because you won't find any in your local golf club's car park.

After this we headed off to the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art to get an expert opinion on design and styling. Each of the presenters had just a few minutes to persuade a panel of arty professors that their car deserved a place on a plinth in the museum. James managed to bore everyone into submission, and the Brera was unanimously voted the car most worthy of its own art exhibition.

Finally, floppy-haired British heart-throb Hugh Grant became an A-list star in a C-list car when he drove our Lacetti. His lap was pretty good, but it was his foul-mouthed swearing that really impressed.

First shown on: 04/02/2007