Fifth
Gear: The Supercar Collection
“Fifth
Gear founder and presenter
Tiff Needell uses the skills he has
learned as a racing driver and the
charisma he was born with to bring
you the exciting Fifth Gear: The
Supercar Collection. Ten of the world’s
best supercars, driven as they were
designed to be...”
IF YOU LOVE THE RAZZAMATAZZ OF FIFTH GEAR and adore supercars,
have we got news for you! Hot from 4DVD comes Fifth Gear: The Supercar Collection,
featuring former Top Gear presenter and racing driver Tiff Needell's
ten favourite supercar road tests from Five's award-winning Fifth
Gear show in one high- octane compilation. And you can watch it safely from
the comfort of your own home.
Thrill to the wheel-to-wheel race between a Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera
driven by Tiff — giving it his all — and the most powerful production
V-twin on sale, the Ducati 1098, in the hands of professional superbike rider
Leon Haslam. And gasp at Tiff's handling of his favourite supercars as he puts
ten of these magnificent machines through their paces — and then some!
The countdown has started: three million pounds-worth of rare and exclusive
cars squeal, slide and rocket across your screen — from James Bond's latest
car, the beautiful 191mph Aston Martin DBS that took Tiff's breath away at number
10, to his Number One — the world's most expensive car, the £890,000 253mph
Bugatti Veyron that astounded him with what it could do. And it even managed
to scare off a couple of jet fighters!
Tiff's exceptional ability gives him the confidence to put a car costing almost
£1 million into a tyre-smoking powerslide when all around him are losing their
heads (and grip!) — before turning to camera and calmly explaining exactly
what he's feeling! Awesome.
Fifth Gear: The Supercar Collection gives you the chance to see Tiff's
first ever drive of his number 6 choice: the exotic, £298,000 200mph Pagani
Zonda S with an "electrifying performance". The brainchild of former Lamborghini
employee Horatio Pagani, the Zonda was built as a worthy tribute to his late,
great friend and fellow Argentinian Juan Manuel Fangio.
The production of some of these cars is so limited that it is quite something
to have the opportunity to see them at such close quarters — let alone
to be able to drive them. Tiff has that privilege and he is happy to share his
experiences as the camera puts the viewer directly in the driving seat.
Not surprisingly, two Ferraris made it into Tiff's top ten. At number 3 is the
stunning 220mph flagship Enzo costing £420,000 that was only allowed out for
five laps at a time. Just 349 were produced and Tiff famously defied Ferrari's
strict instructions not to turn off the electronic traction control systems
in order to drive the car to the limit. Number 7 is the 198mph £172,500 430
Scuderia and is, says the presenter, "the baddest, lightest, hardest version
of my favourite Ferrari".
And the rest? At number 9 is the 196mph Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera that
has Tiff's favourite combination of less weight and more power; Number 8 is
the best value supercar on sale today with the fastest drifts you've ever seen.
With a top speed of nearly 200mph, the £60,000 Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 prompted
Tiff to say — before he'd even placed his right foot on the accelerator:
"I already know I'm going to enjoy this drive".
Moving to Number 5, the 205mph Ford GT managed to capture Tiff's heart in quite
a different way to its legendary inspiration — the GT40 — and he found
that the handling characteristics were "a pleasant surprise". The Surrey-built
gull-wing door Mercedes Benz SLR, costing a third of a million pounds and produced
in conjunction with Mercedes' motor racing partner MacLaren, comes next at Number
4.
And at Number 2 is the 240.3mph MacLaren that holds records for acceleration
and the highest speed round a circuit that was set — at 195mph — by
Tiff. One of his all-time favourites and one that he's always being asked about,
he says: "Words don't do it justice".
We also get an exclusive insight into some of the incredible factories in which
these cars are built — the sort of access normally off limits to all but
the rich and famous. Or selected motoring journalists!
The Bugatti is assembled near Strasbourg in the grounds of a château once home
to founder Ettore Bugatti and Tiff is given free rein in the Assembly Hall,
which is normally out of bounds. He also gets to inspect McLaren's Technology
Centre which, he says, is cleaner than a hospital theatre.
Fantastic images of cars race past the camera in all directions — and are
shot from all directions. But Tiff looks so relaxed that he makes driving these
challenging supercars look effortless. His expressive face says it all —
this boy was out to have F-U-N.
• From
Five's award-winning popular car show, produced by North One Television, comes
Fifth Gear: The Supercar Collection — a unique close-up look at
the world's fastest cars. The next best thing to owning the cars themselves,
this remarkable DVD is available to own now from 4DVD (released 9 June, 2008).
RRP: £12.99. Catalogue No: C4DVD10242.
Channel Five's popular, long-running car show Fifth Gear
is aired in more than 100 countries worldwide. As well as featuring the latest
supercars and road testing everyday cars, the programme conducts its own crash
testing and has taught a range of special guests — from England cricketer
Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff to Girls Aloud — how to race cars. Fifth Gear
returns to UK screens for its 14th series in August (2008).
North One Television is one of Britain's leading independent television
production companies, boasting a global client base and a production slate that
includes major sport, entertainment and factual programmes.
Former racing driver Tiff Needell is considered to be the best driver
on television. He has competed at Grand Prix level and raced fourteen times
at Le Mans. His television assignments have included testing a Williams Formula
1 car and setting the fastest lap of a British circuit, averaging 195mph in
a McLaren F1. He is one of a handful of people in the world to have driven all
of the rare and exotic supercars on sale in modern times.
