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www.leylandprincess.co.uk
Best
of British Leyland Last August, when
I heard that the BBC were after a Princess for an upcoming edition of their popular
motoring programme Top Gear to celebrate 40 years since the formation of
British Leyland, I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. I guess I was
happy that it would mean the Wedge would get national exposure, but sad in
the knowledge that the presenters have never been sympathetic towards old
cars. Anyone remember
the TG edition where each presenter bought a Seventies Italian supercar for
£10,000 to find out if it really could be as reliable as a similar priced
Ford Mondeo? After a series of challenges designed to resemble everyday use,
the catastrophic end result meant only one conclusion - an emphatic no. Each presenter
was given £1200 and sent to buy a typical BL car of the Seventies, which
would then be put through a series of challenges to prove that BL did make a
good car. Shown on BBC2 on
Sunday 25th November 2007, the Top Gear BL Special was presented
by Jeremy Clarkson (Rover SD1 3500SE) Richard Hammond (Triumph Dolomite
Sprint) and James May (Princess 2200HL). First was a 40
mile drive along the M40 to Longbridge, and then on to the MIRA proving
ground… Each car did a
lap around a circuit to try and beat a lap time set by a Datsun 120Y. None of
them managed to beat it; May took a wrong turn on the circuit in the Princess,
the other two were just slower! Next was a
handbrake test on a 33% gradient. The Princess won this easily… The Triumph
rolled back down the slope. A haze of tyre smoke hid the Rover. The Princess won the 30mph pave
test… …and it also won the water
retention test. And the final conclusion? “The Princess was the best car
British Leyland ever made”. Jeremy Clarkson. At the end of it all
most people’s fears were confirmed. The tests were quite revealing but were
played for comedic effect rather than any practical purpose. Nevertheless,
there’s no doubt it was an entertaining piece and nothing more or less than
we expect from Top Gear. It’s all about
entertainment. Kevin Davis. You can
read James May’s follow up comments on the programme here. This page updated 2nd August 2009. … |
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