,
Steve Pizzati,
Charlie Cox. and
The Stig.
Top Gear Australia features segments that mirror those seen on the BBC series, including build challenges and test drives. A significant difference is that all specifications are in
metric units and prices are quoted in Australian dollars.
Power Lap A test track around
Camden Airport is used for power laps. The initial track used in the first two seasons consisted of nine corners running in an
anti-clockwise direction. The first corner was The Question Mark followed by
Clarkson Corner then The Crest and Turn 4 which was followed by the Main Straight before coming to a series of Chicanes then 06 Corner (named after the direction of the runway) then the Short Left Hander and the Bus Stop Entry and Exit followed by the finish line. At the start of Season 3, Top Gear Australia revealed a new test track. Still situated at
Camden Airport, the new course built upon the old one by adding a new section, thus looping into a figure of eight. It contains twelve corners, a total length of 2.3 km and moves the Start/Finish line from between the Bus Stop and The Question Mark to the end of the Back Straight, ahead of the Bus Stop. The direction of the course is now clockwise, turning the main runway into the first straight. The first corner leads into a Hammerhead-like corner called The Blowout, followed by another straight which crest a small hill into a couple of Left Handers, turns 3 and 4. Exiting turn 4 leads back to the main runway and turn 5, Brocky's Corner. The track then crosses over The Blowout into a right then left hander called The Flipper. The next turn is the Question Mark hairpin from the old track. Finally, after a short straight, the course reaches the signature Bus Stop which is then followed by two right hand corners (including the old 06 Corner) back into the Start/Finish.
Lap times :* The
Nissan GT-R was listed as 180 km/h speed limited for its run in Episode 1 of Season 1, it was subsequently run without the limiter in Episode 7 of Season 2. :** Pizzati placed it at the top of the board despite being in the bottom three. :*** In keeping with the theme of the car, the Ford Model T's Power Lap was presented in a black-and-white
silent film format. New Track Lap Times
Star in a Bog Standard Car The
Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment is mirrored with the name "Star in a
Bog Standard Car". It is identical in execution. The car used in the first two seasons on SBS was a
Proton Satria Neo, the third season on Nine used a 2nd hand
Ford XG Falcon ute, manufactured in 1995.
Lap times Season 1 and 2: Proton Satria Neo :*
Morrison was removed from the board after he became a host.
Race drivers Season 3 and 4: Ford Falcon Ute What Were They Thinking? In the first season, the presenters discuss "stupid" ideas in motoring history and put pictures of them on a board. The board was later destroyed in the first episode of the second season when the shark cage
Mini Moke was dropped on top of it. • Episode 1:
Maybach 57S,
Mitsubishi Legnum,
Lightburn Zeta • Episode 2:
Leyland Force 7,
Rinspeed sQuba,
Valiant Charger E38 • Episode 3:
Volvo 262 Coupé,
Holden VC Commodore Starfire,
Brown and
Pizzati converting a
Smart into a
hearse • Episode 4:
Armstrong Siddeley ute,
Ferrari 456 GT Venice • Episode 5:
Renault Vel Satis,
SsangYong Stavic,
Ford Festiva • Episode 6: Parking police,
Lotus Elan Series 2 • Episode 7:
Wheels magazine's selections for
Car of the Year:
Renault 12,
Mitsubishi Nimbus, withholding the award on three occasions,
Holden Camira and a split decision in 1991 between the
Honda NSX and the
Nissan Pulsar • Episode 8: The people of Babylon for the invention of
toll roads.
Jeremy Clarkson,
James May and
Richard Hammond because "they let three turkeys on the other side of the planet make a version of their show"
Top Gear as quoted by Steve Pizzati in the programme.
Old car commercials Every episode in the second season of Top Gear Australia, an old car commercial was shown. • Episode 1:
Holden, "Football, Meat pies, Kangaroos and Holden cars" • Episode 2:
Chrysler Charger, "Hey Charger!" • Episode 3:
Chrysler Sigma, "It's a sensation" also known as "New from Japan" • Episode 4:
Holden, "New Turbo-Smooth" • Episode 5:
Ford Escort, "It's a little gas!" • Episode 6:
Ford, "It's the going thing" • Episode 7:
Holden, "New
Torana" • Episode 8:
Ford, "1, 2, 3, 4, 5,
Cortina" (6 Cylinder)
Stunts Imitating its BBC counterpart, the show includes features where the hosts undertake various stunts some of which may antagonise members of the public. In October 2008 it was reported that Pizzati and Brown caused a
traffic jam in
Toorak, Victoria when they drove a
tractor through the Melbourne suburb – a reference to the colloquial expression "
Toorak Tractor", Australian slang for luxury
SUVs. The stunt featured in episode 5 of season 1, which aired on 27 October 2008.
V8 to the Rescue In season three, a new segment called V8 to the Rescue, was introduced. It saw the presenters attempt to solve the world's problems by fitting a V8 engine to an everyday item, including a see-saw and cricket bowler. The segment appeared in every episode of the fourth season at the end of the episode. • Season 3, Episode 1: Life-saving device • Season 4, Episode 1: Cricket bowling machine • Season 4, Episode 2: Kebab cooker • Season 4, Episode 3: See-saw ==Reception==