Tesla is pissed off. They say that BBC’s Top Gear has made a mockery of their car. In the episode where Jeremy Clarkson tests the Tesla Roadster, many claims were made that – according to Tesla – are false. These claims were aimed at the range, brakes and overall reliability. This includes a scene where four men have to push the Tesla Roadster back to the garage. It’s also indicated by Top Gear/Clarkson that at one point, neither Tesla was available for testing because of power or reliability issues.
According to Tesla, “About two years ago, Top Gear ran a segment containing false and exaggerated criticisms of the Roadster. In the episode, two Roadsters are depicted as suffering several critical “breakdowns” during track driving. The show’s script, written before the cars were tested, has host Jeremy Clarkson concluding the segment by saying, “in the real world, it doesn’t seem to work.”
At the time, we were good sports. Tesla was a young start-up company, having delivered 140 cars to customers in the United States. Those early adopters knew what they were driving, and were not affected by the show’s lies. Tesla concentrated on building and delivering revolutionary cars.
Yet the show continues to air. According to Wikipedia, Top Gear has 350 million viewers worldwide. The programme’s lies are repeatedly and consistently re-broadcast to hundreds of millions of viewers on BBC channels and web sites, on other TV channels via syndication; the show is available on the Internet, and is for sale on DVD around the world.” – – Tesla Motors
Here’s the thing: TFLCar.com has driven the Tesla Roadster and we put it through the ringer as we traversed high altitude, icy roads. We tore through a canyon and cruised on the highway. Roman and I had a blast. We know this vehicle is excellent, so we stand with Tesla’s product. With that said, we also know that Top Gear is a satire show that will produce something provocative at the drop of a hat. As such, they are more of a comedy program then a proper review show. 
So, if you submit a vehicle for Top Gear to evaluate, expect the unexpected.
We hope this matter is cleaned up soon. We like Tesla Motors and truly enjoy watching Top Gear, so it’s sad to see things turning out the way they are. We will keep you posted.
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