Featuring the iconic BBC show top gear Looking ready to be crushed and sent to the scrapheap, there’s an opportunity for a new car TV series to capture the hearts of motoring lovers.
And a series starting tonight could do just that, with Channel 4 Bangers: Car Crazy debuting The show pays tribute to iconic cars from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.
It is led by musician Tinie Tempah, alongside F1 analyst and stunt driver Naomi Schiff, and will feature engines that many of us will remember from our past, including the Citroen Saxo, Ford Sierra Cosworth and Peugeot 205 GTI.
In true Top Gear style, there are setbacks along the way.
The new motor show that will replace Top Gear? Tinie Tempah (right) will present a new motoring series called Bangers: Mad for Cars on Channel 4 starting tonight. His co-host is F1 analyst and stunt driver Naomi Schiff (left)
The series will showcase the Brit Award-winning artist, who has seven UK number one hits, including the first hit. Faint in 2010: crashed a rare 1990s Honda NSX supercar.
The four-episode series pits some of the best modern classic cars against each other in a ‘Battle of the Bangers’ to decide which is the best in its class.
Tempah, 34, and Schiff, 29, will each nominate their favorites from a variety of vehicle sectors and face off to choose which is most deserving of the crown.
They will also speak to experts from across the UK to delve into the performance, history, culture and iconography of each car, before the final challenge to decide which wins.
The series will see rapper ‘Frisky’ get behind the wheel in a series of challenges.
On this occasion, the artist will try to drive a six-wheeled Land Rover Defender through the prosperous streets of Chelsea, traveling along quarry slopes in a Suzuki Jimny and trying his luck in rallying in a Peugeot 205 GTI.
The show will also feature Tempah crashing a 1990s Honda NSX supercar while driving around the track.
The trailer features a clip of the singer sliding off the track and slamming his bumper into tires stacked on the side of the track.
While pristine, low-mileage examples of the first-generation NSX are today considered an extremely valuable collector’s item, fetching retail prices of up to £110,000, the versions Tinie places on the tire wall are relatively well used .
Despite being an early 1991 version of the coveted 3.0-liter V6 Japanese supercar, which can hit 60 mph in 5.7 seconds and has a top speed of 168 mph, the crashed NSX has more than 168,000 miles on the clock.
A quick check of its MOT history report online shows it was last tested in March at the indicated 168,184 miles. It passed despite having a small oil leak and a noisy front wheel bearing nearby. However, he is now declared SORN and out of circulation, which could be related to his recent detour on camera.
The series will show Tinie Tempah taking a rare Honda NSX supercar to the track. The high-performance Japanese model from 1991 has a 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engine and a top speed of 270 km/h.
The trailer for the new series shows the rapper running wide on the circuit and then desperately trying to lock the wheel further as the Honda NSX careens off the track.
The clip then shows the artist in the valuable Honda supercar crashing into tires in front of the barriers along the side of the track.
When he’s not tearing up classic Japanese supercars, Tinie meets passionate car owners in the UK who try to convince him to choose their model to lead the focal segment that week.
Other engines that will get your nostalgia flowing include the BMW Z3, Lotus Carlton, Mazda MX-5, Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen, Renault Espace, Saab 900 Turbo and TVR Cerbera.
The series will also promote the use of quality used vehicle parts purchased from eBay’s Certified Recycling Center.
The marketplace giant says UK buyers have so far saved £99 million and more than 16,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions simply by choosing not to buy a new part.
The four-episode series pits some of the best modern classic cars against each other in a ‘Battle of the Bangers’ to decide which is the best in its class. In the photo, from left to right: Mercedes SLK, Mazxda MX-5, Honda NSX, BMW Z3 and TVR Cerbera.
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Tempah, who claims to be a big motor enthusiast, is on the hunt for the best modern classics from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Each week, alongside Tinie and Naomi, there will also be a different celebrity guest to talk about their life in cars, from their first car to the cars they wish they had owned, including former footballers turned experts Ian Wright and Patrice Evra, the comedian Guz Khan and chef Tom Kerridge.
Tinie said: “Cars are so ingrained in pop culture that they are more than just a means of transportation – they say a little bit about who we are.”
‘I’m excited to explore the origins of some of the most iconic cars and learn how the industry came to be so interconnected with the British psyche. And, of course, to drive great cars.’
The show should transport motor enthusiasts back in time with vehicles that will bring back many nostalgic memories. In the photo: Ford Sierra Cosworth
Throughout the series, Tinie will meet some of the UK’s most passionate car owners, who will convince him to choose their model to lead the segment that week. In the photo: Lotus Carlton
It comes as BBC bosses say they are yet to make a decision on the future of Top Gear following reports it will be scrapped.
Producers are said to be looking for other work and considering legal action over lost profits amid reports the show will be axed after 46 years following Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff’s horror accident during filming in late 2022. .
The former England cricket captain was “lucky to be alive” after his 130mph three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 convertible car, which had no airbags, rolled over on December 13 last year, leaving him with serious facial injuries and several broken ribs. .
The Ashes hero had to wait an “agonizing” 45 minutes for an air ambulance to arrive – and the BBC later apologised.
The Corporation has faced big questions since Flintoff’s accident, especially when it emerged that the father-of-four had raised safety concerns with the Top Gear team on the day of the stunt.
But insiders say that nearly ten months later, production staff have been asked to look for other work, likely bringing down the curtain on the much-loved car show that first opened in 1977 with Angela Rippon as host.
Responding to reports that the show had already been cancelled, a BBC spokesperson told MailOnline: “A decision on the timing of future Top Gear shows will be made in due course.”
Episode 1 of Bangers: Mad for Cars airs tonight (Tuesday 17 October) on Channel 4 at 10.15pm. Each show lasts one hour.
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