If you have ever watched a few episodes of Top Gear, you will very quickly learn that the (former) presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May had a love-hate relationship with the towable living quarters… yes, I am talking about the humble caravan. As a result, the team have featured them wherever possible in their episodes, and are usually tasked with either using them, modifying them, or simply destroying them. Even then, these white-washed cardboard boxes on wheels typically end in a fate of carnage, which is why so many of us love to watch those very scenes.
The new series of Top Gear starts towards the end of May, so in respect to this may I present to you my top ten scenes that involved a caravan one way or another. Prepare for some humour!
10. Fastest Caravan Challenge
Why are caravan drivers always so slow? The team are tasked to tow a caravan to see how fast they can really go, and perhaps set a new Guinness World Record in the process.
9. Killing a Toyota
Toyota claims that their Hilux pick-up truck is virtually indestructible, and Clarkson wants to find out if this is true. He drives it down some stairs, submerges it in the sea… and drop a caravan on top of it.
8. Airship Caravanning
Why tow a caravan to your final destination when you can fly it? That’s what May attempted to achieve, but ran into difficulties along the way; who would have thought a small gust of wind could take you into an airport’s airspace?
7. Caravan Train
The team are tasked to build their own train in an attempt to make rail journeys cheaper. Hammond and May use a string of caravans as carriages, whilst Clarkson creates a “sporty” train… POWERRRR!!!
6. Caravan Conkers
This is just like playing conkers at school back in my youthful days… except that instead of using conkers, Hammond and May used caravans and they complained that safety goggles were an issue.
5. Car Darts
Hammond and May wanted to play some darts, but the traditional method down the pub seems a little bit tame. Instead, they create a massive target in a quarry, and launch rusty cars towards it. Towards the end, a caravan was towed to the bullseye – you can probably guess what happens next.
4. SUV Caravan Challenge
The team tests a few SUVs with caravans being towed that acted as ballasts; reckless driving is permitted, and indeed encouraged!
3. Extreme Motorhome Racing
May and Hammond attempt to compete in a motorhome race, where you can sleep in them at night, and race with them the following day. This soon turns into what looks like a destruction derby.
2. Campervan Challenge
Staying on the subject of motorhomes, the team were tasked to modify a car and transform them into their own living space. They then headed out to Cornwall, where they faced several issues with their creations (mainly Clarkson with his triple-decker beast) both during the journey and when they’ve arrived at their final destination.
1. Caravan Challenge
My favourite caravan video was when they attempted to do it properly; they get a caravan without modifying it, an average car to tow it, and had to stay in a typical caravan park. Of course, this attempt to do it properly just ends in carnage.
Final Thoughts
I will miss seeing Clarkson, Hammond, and May hosting further series. Saying that, I will still watch a few episodes of the newly-formatted show, and decipher whether they are worth watching. The previous presenters however have made a deal with Amazon, and are in production of a brand new car show (whose name will be called “The Grand Tour”, and not “Gear Knobs” as what many of us were predicting/hoping), so I am tempted to get myself Amazon Prime just to watch it.
In regards to the above videos, are there any others that I have missed? Which is your favourite caravan scene? Leave a comment or two below, I would love to know!
