Top Gear Tonight: Alfa 8C Disco Volante, Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6, Caterhams & SAIRPC Jack Whitehall

Richard Hammond drives the Mercedes G 63 AMG 6×6 on tonight’s Top Gear

Believe it or not, tonight’s episode of Top Gear – episode 3 of series 21 – see us already more than half way through the new series.

So far we’ve had a bit of a poor opening episode, a cracking second episode with the McLaren P1 and Alfa 4C and a so-so third in the series with the seemingly fragile Zenvo ST1 and a road trip to the Ukraine in small hatches. But tonight’s  episode looks very promising with a bonkers SUV from Mercedes, a custom-built Alfa from Carrozzeria Touring Superleggera and a pair of Caterhams – one from each end of the Caterham range.

Jeremy Clarkson goes off to Italy to play with an even more exclusive version of the Alfa 8C – the Touring Superleggera Disco Volante – which comes with the same 4.7 litre V8 with 440bhp and 353lb/ft of torque as the regular 8C, but with 4000 hours of hand-crafted aluminium and carbon fibre thrown at it and is now enjoying limited production.

Richard Hammond, on the other hand, is driving the most exclusive SUV Mercedes make in the sand dunes of Abu Dhabi - the Mercedes G63 AMG 6×6.

The G63 AMG 6×6 comes with the underpinnings from the G63 – that’s a 5.5 litre Bi-Turbo V8 with a 0-62mph of 5.4 seconds – and adds in an extra axle, helical springs and dampers and six-wheel-drive to create a monster six-wheeled SUV that looks like a one-off special for an Arab buyer but which is actually a car you can order from Mercedes – for around £400k.

James May, on the other hand, belies his Captain Slow moniker with a track test of a pair of Caterhams – the stripped out, entry-level Caterham 160 and the mad as a hatter supercharged Caterham Seven 620R - with a little help from The Stig.

Finally, the ubiquitous Jack Whitehall makes yet another TV appearance as this week’s star in a reasonably priced car.

Top Gear – Episode 4, Series 21 – is on BBC2 tonight at 8.00 pm.

By Cars UK