Jeremy Clarkson explains why he chose the Reliant Robin as his Amazon show's company car and admits the famous "Top Gear" scene involving the three wheeler had been "played around with."
Last November, Clarkson took to Twitter to assure fans their Amazon show's budget is being put to good use. He tweeted a photo showing him and co-presenters James May and Richard Hammond each with a Reliant Robin bearing the name of his new production company, W. Chump and Sons.
Apparently that was neither a joke nor a stunt as the trio and producer Andy Wilman have been using them as daily drivers, according to The Week.
"The truth is that the Reliant Robin has a rorty-sounding 848cc engine and the sort of snickety gearbox that makes you lament the passing of the proper manual," Clarkson wrote his column in The Sunday Times.
The 55-year-old said it was "an absolute hoot to drive" because of the attention it gets and its lightness and nimbleness.
While the former "Top Gear" team have had problems with their Reliant Robins, Clarkson still showered praise on the three wheeler.
"You drive a car. But the Reliant Robin is not a car. It's not even three-quarters of a car. It's more than that."
"Top Gear" fans fondly remember Clarkson rolling over the three wheeler. But in the same piece, he admitted the famous scene was faked.
"A normal Reliant Robin will not roll unless a drunken rugby team is on hand," he wrote, as quoted by Autoblog.
Clarkson reportedly went on to say that the differential had been "played around with" so that the vehicle rolled over every time the steering wheel was turned.
But that shouldn't really come as a surprise because as Autoblog pointed out, it had a roll cage and full race seat, among other things. Check out that video below to see for yourself:
Jeremy Clarkson's yet-to-be-named Amazon show is expected to premiere some time in autumn.