Top Gear show drops in for secret episode in Neath
Saturday, September 19, 2009, 12:00Comment on this story
VINTAGE car enthusiasts, look away now.
Motormouth Jeremy Clarkson has left his mark on Neath, and has predictably left a trail of destruction in his wake.
The Top Gear presenter and Richard Hammond have been filming at one of the show's favourite locations, Black Mountain Pass on the west side of the Brecon Beacons.
And although the BBC is staying tight-lipped on what viewers have in store when the show's 14th series airs later this year, the Evening Post has had a sneak peek thanks to Neath mechanic Alan James.
And we have bad news for fans of the Morris Marina.
Alan of AJ Motors, Neath Road, Tonna said: "I was called and hired to go up to where they were filming to pick up two cars.
"The first one was a Lancia, which had been blown to bits with explosives. The second was a Morris Marina, which seems to have had a piano dropped on it. In fact there are bits of piano wedged into the car now, it's in a real state."
The Morris Marina has been a regular victim on Top Gear in recent times.
A survey conducted by Auto Express magazine in August 2006 revealed that just 745 of the 807,000 Marinas sold in Britain are still on the road.
This made it officially the most-scrapped car to have been sold in Britain — a statistic which has not been lost on the show's presenters.
In past episodes James May said that at least one Morris Marina should be kept as a warning from history.
And the team famously enraged members of the Morris Marina owners club after setting fire to one of the few models remaining during one programme.
A barrage of hate mail was sent into the BBC and in a so-called attempt to make amends, the gang purchased another Marina — which then had a piano accidentally fall on it.
Now it seems that lightning has struck twice, because another Marina lies terminally wounded in a Neath garage.
"People have been in to have a look at it," Alan said.
"It's leaking oil.
"To be honest, it's completely destroyed.
"The Lancia was sent straight to the scrapyard and this Marina is off there as well."
He added: "I think he'll have upset a few more of the cars owners after all this."
But, I agree with McLaren.. Practical family cars are safe, comfortable and quiet enough to get the little ones fall asleep after few minutes of driving. VXR8 is anything else but this.
, I was just looking back at McLaren's argument with Holdenhsvgtsr, and from what I can see, Holden was right and McLaren just keeps repeatedly getting jarted over this issue. When ever somebody brings truth to the argument, he just dismisses it as dribble with out any real material to argue with. Why is it that McLaren only ever comes here to argue, and fail miserably at it?
