The WORST episodes of Top Gear (1977)

#1 - Episode 8

Season 40 - Episode 8 - Aired 10/29/1998

The Ford Puma was such a hit with the Top Gear team that they voted it their Car of the Year for 1997. Now Ford has followed it up with a bigger coupe, the radically designed Cougar, but will it see off the competition?

#2 - Episode 10

Season 39 - Episode 10 - Aired 4/23/1998

One-third of the half-a-million cars stolen annually in England and Wales are never recovered. Quentin Wilson reports on evidence that suggests that many are being given the identities of legitimately owned vehicles. How well does the latest Lotus Esprit compare with its illustrious predecessors? Tiff Needell tests the new supercar. And Jeremy Clarkson sees how the new Mercedes M-class fares in the four-wheel-drive market.

#3 - Episode 11

Season 39 - Episode 11 - Aired 4/30/1998

Jeremy Clarkson reports on successful women and the cars they drive. Have roadsters and coupes replaced diamonds as a girl's best friend? Quentin Wilson reports from the Turin Motor Show and also test-drives Fiat's new small car, the Seicento, the replacement model for the Cinquecento.

#4 - Episode 12

Season 39 - Episode 12 - Aired 5/7/1998

Why is it so difficult to import cheap cars from the continent? Quentin Wilson attempts to untangle the red tape. Tony Mason helps Land Rover to celebrate its 50th anniversary, and Jeremy Clarkson takes a look at Renault's new Clio.

#5 - Episode 3

Season 40 - Episode 3 - Aired 9/24/1998

As motor racing returned last weekend to Goodwood in Sussex for the first time since 1966, Tiff Needell tells the story of the circuit's revival and races a Lister Jaguar. Jeremy Clarkson tests the heavyweight contenders in the four-wheel drive market. and Quentin Wilson reports on crash-test research on large cars.

#6 - Episode 4

Season 40 - Episode 4 - Aired 10/1/1998

Since its launch in 1989, the original Land Rover Discovery has been Britain's best-selling four-wheel drive. Tiff Needell tries out the new model to see what's changed. Andy Wilman climbs aboard Britain's biggest motor home, the American-made Windsor Monaco, while and Jeremy Clarkson and racing driver Damon Hill try out two versions of the new Honda Accord.

#7 - Episode 5

Season 40 - Episode 5 - Aired 10/8/1998

Alfa Romeo are hoping to put past design problems behind them with their new saloon models. Tiff Needell test-drives the latest offering-the Executive Express - which goes on sale in Britain early next year and replaces the much-loved, if slightly quirky, 164.

#8 - Episode 6

Season 40 - Episode 6 - Aired 10/15/1998

Owing to concerns over safety the Mercedes A-class was withdrawn shortly after its launch earlier this year. Jeremy Clarkson test-drives the new, modified version. On a weekend break, Vicky Butler-Henderson gets to drive a Formula One car.

#9 - Episode 7

Season 40 - Episode 7 - Aired 10/22/1998

Featuring reports from the British International Motor Show in Birmingham. Rover are hoping to steal the limelight with the 75, their first new car since BMW bought the company, while Jaguar are optimistic that their new, smaller S-type will be as well received as their XK8 sports car, which won many fans.

#10 - Episode 6

Season 39 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/26/1998

Jeremy Clarkson attempts to prove his assertion that fast cars are the safest, Quentin Wilson looks at prices for a second-hand Saab 900, plus a guide to Swedish car-buying.

#11 - Episode 9

Season 40 - Episode 9 - Aired 11/5/1998

Volkswagen's Golf GTi first came to Britain in 1976 and soon became the choice of the fashionable set. Over the years model changes blunted the sharp edges of this original hot hatch but now, with the emergence of an all-new Golf, there's also a new GTi. Jeremy Clarkson asks whether this latest version can beat the competition.

#12 - Episode 10

Season 40 - Episode 10 - Aired 11/12/1998

As the latest manufacturer to enter the sports-car market, Audi hopes to take on rivals Porsche and BMW with the new TT, which goes on sale in the spring. Jeremy Clarkson asks if the TT's good looks and high build quality are enough to help Audi see off the competition.

#13 - Episode 11

Season 40 - Episode 11 - Aired 11/19/1998

The appearance of the luxuriously equipped V8-engined Seville STS marks the return of the Cadillac name to the British market. But will it tempt buyers away from more established makes, such as BMW and Lexus, as well as next year's Jaguar S-type? Jeremy Clarkson test-drives it to see whether it offers a viable star-spangled alternative.

#14 - Episode 12

Season 40 - Episode 12 - Aired 11/26/1998

Steve Berry travels to Seattle to look at Jeep's new Grand Cherokee, which is huge and available for the first time in right-hand drive. In contrast Vicki Butler-Henderson considers the tiny tear away Tommy Kaira ZZ sports car, an open-top two seater which is Japanese but made in Norfolk.

#15 - Episode 13

Season 40 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/3/1998

Tony Mason looks back at two of Britain's failed attempts to infiltrate the US market during the postwar years: the 1949 Austin Atlantic, which was considered overpriced in relation to its power, and the 1950 Triumph Mayflower, an unpopular miniature variation on the Rolls-Royce. Plus a review of the latest version of the Subaru Legacy, a four-wheel drive with an urban appearance.

#16 - Episode 14

Season 40 - Episode 14 - Aired 12/10/1998

Back in the seventies the BMW 3.0, Fiat 130 and Peugeot were the coupes to be seen in-glamorous, rare and expensive. Steve Berry learns what made these models the must-haves of days gone by, while Quentin Wilson drives the new, high-tech Mercedes Benz S Class.

#17 - Episode 15

Season 40 - Episode 15 - Aired 12/17/1998

In the concluding episode of the current series, Jeremy Clarkson, Tiff Needell, Quentin Wilson and Vicki Butler-Henderson select their favourite cars of the year. Last year it was the Ford Puma that won the plaudits for its overall performance. Can the team find common ground to agree on the best of 1998?

#18 - Blood, Salt and Tears - Years of the Land Speed Record

Season 40 - Episode 16 - Aired 12/21/1998

A special edition of the motoring magazine tracing the history of attempts to break the land speed record. Highlights include a look at the thirties rivalry between British drivers John Cobb, Sir Malcolm Campbell, Sir Henry Segrave and Captain George Eyston. Presented by Tiff Needell, with contributions from driver Craig Breedlove, designers Bill Summers and Ron Eyres, and current record holder Andy Green.

#19 - Episode 5

Season 39 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/19/1998

Tiff Needell takes to the track to test road cars with a racing heritage, such as the Porsche 911, Nissan Skyline and Honda NSX. Jeremy Clarkson reports on Vauxhall 's new Astra - can it continue to attract customers despite growing competition?

#20 - Episode 4

Season 39 - Episode 4 - Aired 3/12/1998

Jeremy Clarkson test-drives the star of the Geneva Motorshow the new Rolls-Royce Silver Seraph - and, accompanied by Quentin Wilson, analyses the pros and cons of the latest debutantes and concept cars.

#21 - Episode 3

Season 39 - Episode 3 - Aired 3/5/1998

The new Toyota Avensis enters a fiercely competitive market where sales reps and families are the main customers. Jeremy Clarkson asks whether the Avensis is good enough to win a share of this sector, and looks at the other contenders. And Vicki Butler-Henderson tries out the Peugeot 106 Rallye.

#22 - Episode 2

Season 39 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/26/1998

The VW Golf continues to be one of the most popular small cars. Quentin Wilson assesses how it fares in the second-hand market. Plus Jeremy Clarkson preaching the virtues and vices of the new BMW 3 series, and Tiff Needell trying his hand at ice racing at Isola in France.

#23 - Episode 1

Season 39 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/19/1998

The motoring magazine returns after its Christmas break. Jeremy Clarkson looks at the new Volkswagen Beetle. Will its combination of retro styling and new technology gain it the same cult status as its older brother? And Tiff Needell pits a pair of uncompromising sports cars against each other as the latest BMW Z3, with a more powerful engine than an earlier model, meets Britain's TVR Griffith.

#24 - Episode 9

Season 39 - Episode 9 - Aired 4/16/1998

Jeremy Clarkson squeezes inside the sleek MX5 to find out whether Mazda have improved their modern-day sports classic. In an item postponed from last week, Tiff Needell tries his hand at NASCAR racing, and Tony Mason discovers one of the most extraordinary car collections in the world.

#25 - Episode 13

Season 28 - Episode 13 - Aired 12/17/1992