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The East Coast Road Trip (AKA "USA Super Car Road Trip" or the "3rd USA Road Trip") was the name of the first of two standalone specials which aired prior to Series 16 in early 2011, airing on the 21st of December, 2010, the other special being the Middle East Special which aired five days later on Boxing Day. It was presented by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, with The Stig not appearing due to the ongoing lawsuit between the BBC and Ben Collins, the driver who portrayed the tame racing driver's second incarnation. Danny Boyle was the guest star.

Trip Overview[]

The presenters head to the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia which they were told was the best road in the world with twhat they believed to be the best car in the world. James chose the Ferrari 458 Italia, Jeremy brought the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG and Richard took the Porsche 911 GT3 RS. However, because of the speed limits they decided to abandon the road and decided to race on an old NASCAR track, North Wilkesboro Speedway, instead, each falling in love with their cars. Whilst racing Jeremy and Richard began to mock James due to the 458's history of catching fire. However Jeremy began drifting the SLS causing it's tires to burst, and due to the fact it doesn't have a spare the mayor had to help him find new tyres. Richard and James decided to leave Jeremy behind and went to the hotel in Virginia. After failing to find any tyres that would fit the SLS Jeremy drove the rest of the way on his ruined set.

Top gear under BROOKLYN

Top Gear under the Manhattan Bridge

The next day the presenters discovered they had been staying at a hotel right next to the Virginia International Raceway. They decided to have a go on the track and Jeremy discovered his Mercedes was very 'tail happy' and had to change his tyres again. Richard and James got into a race and the 458 won when the 911 spun out on a corner. After their go on the track James and Jeremy bet £5 to find out which was faster - the SLS or the 458.

The presenters were then given a challenge. They had to complete a handgun drive by shooting of the Stig from their super cars. James went first, followed by Richard and Jeremy who utilised the SLS' gullwing doors and a semi-automatic AR-15 style rifle andsubsequently won the challenge.

They continued driving through Virginia, stopping off at McDonalds, and taking a detour to Washington DC. Later, Jeremy found a drag race strip and declared that James and him should settle their bet. However, neither could race because the surface was too wet and slippery. James eventually made it to the end of the drag run but Jeremy continued to spin out of control. The race was called off.

The next day the presenters continued driving to New York. They stopped at a Amish town called "Intercourse" in Pennsylvania and made humourous jokes about its name, Richard suggested that they "should have popped into a hamlet called Foreplay beforehand". They later arrived in New York City and were given their final challenge. The presenters were told to race to a TV studio, where the first one there would appear on American Television. James and Jeremy had sat-nav and quickly took the lead. Richard however didn't have sat-nav, got lost and ended up on Broadway. James eventually won the race; however, it turned out to be a community TV studio (Manhattan Neighbourhood Network) so he ended up going on yogaxpress.com. Later, Jeremy and James finally settled their bet on the Top Gear test track; the race ended in a draw.

Trailer[]

BBC_2_Christmas_2010_Top_Gear_Promo_Trailer

BBC 2 Christmas 2010 Top Gear Promo Trailer


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