Top Gear's New Reasonably Priced Car Will Reportedly Be A Toyota GT86
Opinion seems to be divided as to whether or not the ‘Star In A Rallycross Car’ segment was a good addition to series 23 of Top Gear, but regardless, it looks like it’s for the chop.
According to The Sun, Top Gear bosses will remove “all trace of Chris [Evans]” - who left the show after just one series at the helm - by ditching the segment altogether.
So, what will replace the lightly prepped Mini Cooper? A Toyota GT86 apparently, with celebrities receiving pointers from both The Stig and Chris Harris on how to lap as quickly as possible in the rear-drive sports car. We can’t help but think it’d be more amusing to keep the rallycross track and stick the GT86 on it, though.
It is worth pointing out that The Sun is hardly a bastion of accurate reporting, so we’ll have to wait and see how this pans out when the next series starts on 5 March. The report also doesn’t mention anything about locations. As revealed a few months ago, there are plans afoot to bulldoze Dunsfold Aerodrome - the location of Top Gear’s studio and track - to make way for houses.
Still, a GT86 does seem like a good choice. There’s an argument for it being ‘reasonably priced’ as far as sports cars go, and the whole rear-wheel drive element could make for some entertaining on-track action.
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
When the reasonably priced car is not reasonably priced
This is not good… The Toyota can’t handle that jump
Cool
A prius would be more in the theme of a reasonably priced car…
Location-wise it’s still at Dunsfold, I got ticket’s yesterday for next Wednesday’s filming.
Been so caught up in The Grand Tour, I forgot there ever was a Top Gear.
Why not the Miata/124?! Much cheaper is it not?
Clarkson would hate so much on that:
“Lads I reckon we give it the same test we did that Toyota pickup”
That’s one big reason to watch Top Gear (US).