Car Crash TV 2013

Long-standing fans of Top Gear magazine will remember our much-loved back-page feature Car Crash TV. Well, it's back!

For an end of year special, we've cast our net far and wide round the internet to bring you some of the most jaw-dropping prangs, rolls and smashes from the last year.

And thanks to the hard work of the safety staff and continuing improvements in technology, everyone here has some great stories to tell their grandchildren.

What: ALMS
Where: Virginia International raceway
When: 05/10/13

Battling down a long straight, Eduardo Cisneros and Marco Holzer collide, sending their 911s into the wall until one finally comes to rest on the tyre barrier. Someone get that cameraman a well-deserved beer.

Watch it here

What: V8 Supercars
Where: Symmons Plains Raceway
When: 07/04/13

On crashing, it's good to disperse energy. Hit something, anything, to brush off speed. That wasn't the case for Scott Pye, whose Commodore went head-on into a barrier at 100mph. Result? A sprained wrist and sore jaw. Lucky boy.

Watch it here

What: NHRA
Where: Pomona Raceway
When: 17/02/13

At round two of the NHRA season, Antron Brown's engine decided to go pop as he crossed the finish line at 308mph. The force of the explosion sent the 25-foot dragster onto its side, pinballing between the concrete walls.

Watch it here 

What: Super Trofeo
Where: Silverstone
When: 02/06/13

Red Bull F1 chief Adrian Newey knows a thing or two about aerodynamics. Unfortunately, that didn't help him when he was trying to warm his tyres at during the Super Trofeo championship. He crashed his Lambo on the way to the grid. Doh!

Watch it here

What: NASCAR
Where: Talladega
When: 05/05/13

The bumper-to-bumper nature of NASCAR means inevitable shunts. And this year at Talladega, Kyle Busch hooked the back end of Kasey Kahne's car, sending Kyle Busch into a high-speed barrel roll and a 16-car-pileup.

Watch it here

What: Rally
Where: Rally Hellendoorn
When: 22/09/13

This Porsche 964 RSR, driven by Harry Kleinjan, locked its brakes just before a big right-hander, got launched from a guardrail, then landed in a nearby river on its roof. Which looks precisely as terrifying as it sounds.

Watch it here

What: Speedway
Where: Mahoning Valley Speedway
When: 23/08/13

Mike Stofflet rolls his car on a tight turn, gets covered in fuel from a leak, which then catches fire. A valuable lesson in the importance of a quick response from fire marshals and fire-retardant technology.

Watch it here

What: SCTA Top Speed Runs
Where: El Mirage
When: 10/11/13

At an SCTA race event in Southern California, Brian Gillespie was attempting to get his plucky first-generation Honda Insight past the 200mph barrier. That was until something went wrong at 178mph.

A small sway to the right sent the Honda into a full-on broadside slide, anchoring the wheels into the lake bed and then into a violent set of high-speed tumbles.

Most of the car was destroyed, but the beefy roll cage remained. This, as well as the stringent SCTA safety regulations (mandated head-and-neck restraints, side-to-side head support and arm restraints to keep hands inside the car) saved Brian's life. 

Watch it here