In a December 2008 episode of the long-running BBC2 show, presenter Jeremy Clarkson took the £92,000 Tesla Roadster through its paces, reports the Guardian newspaper in London.
After initially being impressed, Mr Clarkson stated that ‘although Tesla say it will do 200 miles, we worked out that on our track it would run out after just 55 miles and if it does run out, it is not a quick job to charge it up again.’ Mr Clarkson is then seen pushing the car back to the studio to recharge it.
Top Gear judicial viewings
Tesla’s legal claim that its reputation was damaged by the review was finally ended on Tuesday, when appeal court judge Lord Justice Moore-Bick – who claimed to have watched the 1-hour episode ‘a number of times’ – rejected the allegations. The report claims that the trial proved expensive for California-based Tesla, who hired libel specialists Carter-Ruck and a top QC to fight its case from 2011 and paid out £100,000 to the BBC in costs in the past year alone.
Andy Wilman, the executive producer of Top Gear, commented: ‘I am pleased that the appeal court has upheld the previous ruling and the case has been struck out. I'd also like to apologise to the judges for making them have to watch so much Top Gear.’
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