TG has recreated one of the world’s greatest car ads

It all began with an idea. A mad idea, but an idea all the same. Could a Hindustan Ambassador actually be converted into a convincing replica of the Peugeot 208 GTI? A question not plucked from thin air, but based on one of the greatest car adverts ever.

In the 45 second long original, an Indian gentleman falls in love with the Peugeot 206, so sets about crashing, hammering and squashing (with help from an actual elephant) an Ambassador into the shape of a 206. Need some refreshing? Google ‘Peugeot The Sculptor advert’ now. Employing some liberal movie magic, the car in the original ad was merely a dented 206, not a chopped up Ambassador… which is where our opportunity presented itself. 

Our mission was two-fold. Could we make the conversion stick, and once achieved, could we film our own shot for shot remake of the advert? So here it is, the fruits of our labour, featuring one elephant fewer than the original, but one JCB more. The car at the end of the film is the finished project. What was once a dodgy white Ambassador, has become a beautiful two-tone French hot hatch…

Recreating one of the world's greatest car ads: update four

Recreating one of the world's greatest car ads: update three

Recreating one of the world's greatest car ads: update two

Can an Ambassador become a Peugeot 208 GTI?

A second video will follow giving more details on the build and what it’s like to drive (hint: noisy, not fast). But for now sit back, relax and let us know what you think of Top Gear’s 2018 reboot of car advertising’s finest hour.

To read the full story pick up your copy of the new Top Gear magazine, in shops 22 March.