Fans of Top Gear need not worry … well, at least about the remaining unaired episodes from this season, anyway. According to a source inside the BBC, the final three episodes that were said to have been cancelled will indeed be aired at some point.
According to a source that spoke to The Sunday Times Driving section, the Beeb (that’s a nickname for the BBC, right?) is still editing the pre-filmed segments of the episodes and intends to air them, no matter what the result is of the investigation of Top Gear’s controversy du jour. If you’ve been living under a rock, host Jeremy Clarkson allegedly assaulted a producer on the show a few weeks back, causing quite the kerfuffle. This has resulted in his suspension from the BBC pending an internal inquiry, and the future of Top Gear in limbo.
“These aren’t going to be the Nixon tapes,” the source is quoted in saying. Details behind the episodes themselves are few, but we do know one episode features another car challenge, where the trio are charged to buy, with their own money, three classic convertibles and take them through the countryside. Another episode had a similar challenge involving second hand SUV’s.
The one big question that kept viewers in suspense throughout the season, now understandably sidelined by higher stake issues, was if Top Gear could get the respective manufacturers to agree on a shootout between today’s top supercars: The Ferrari LaFerrari, The Porsche 918, and the McLaren P1. The staff behind the show is reportedly making plans to do to a bonus show as they continue to arrange to acquire all three of the sold out supercars.
It should be noted that this department of the Sunday Times is where Clarkson maintains a column of reviews and the publication is likely pro-Jezza. Even so, this makes their having inside BBC sources more likely, and we’re more willing to take what they have to say over the dubiously sourced stories coming out of The Mirror.
For now, we’ll just have to sit tight and allow for events to unfold, giving you time to do some driving of your own … or diving deep into the reviews your favorite super awesome car-technology site has to offer, who aren’t above shameless plugs.