Top Gear Tonight: Porsche 918 Spyder, Golf GTI, BMW M135i, Cycling & Aaron Paul is SIARPC

Aaron Paul (pictured with The Stig) is tonight’s Top Gear Star ina Reasonably Priced Car

We’re now close to the end of the run of normal episodes of Top Gear for series 21 with episode 5 tonight, with just a single episode to go plus the ‘Christmas Special’ before the series is over. But tonight we’ll get the second of the new crop of ultimate supercars being tested with Richard Hammond off to the Yas Marina circuit to play with the Porsche 918 Spyder.

Will the Porsche 918 Spyder be more impressive and, more importantly, quicker than the incredible McLaren P1 as Hammond gets to grips with its 4.6 litre 600bhp V8 and 275bhp electric motors?

It’s heavier and with less power than the McLaren, but will Porsche have weaved their magic – including active rear steering – well enough to make the 918 Spyder capable of taking the P1?

We probably won’t find out tonight if the P1 is quicker than the 918 round the Top Gear track – if, in fact, Top Gear ever manage to pull that particular head to head off – so we won’t get a definitive anwser on whether or not we need to start calling Jeremy ‘Jennifer’ Clarkson, but it’s going to be an interesting test.

Elsewhere, Jeremy takes the new Volkswagen Golf GTI and pits it against the BMW M135i. It’ll be an interesting comparison, but wouldn’t the M135i be better pitted against the similarly priced VW Golf R instead of the GTI?

Also on offer are Jeremy and James playing at cyclist for the day – including a hair-raising ride on central London’s cyclist vs motorist battleground – as they compile a public information film on cycling they then present to a panel from Westminster Council and Olympic cycling hero Chris Boardman.

This week’s Star in a Reasonably Priced Car is Aaron Paul, star of Breaking Bad and Need For Speed, which should let us see if his driving skills are for real.

Tonight’s Top Gear – Series 21, Episode 5 – is on BBC2 at 8pm.

By Cars UK