Hammond’s telly drives

Richard is a man who loves cars so much he even shipped back his ratty Opel from our Botswana special. Here's a quick run-down of the best metal he's driven for Top Gear telly - including Oliver. Click through the gallery for more... 

Richard on Oliver the Opel: "Guess what? Oliver has an MOT. He just needs a spiv up. The brakes are temperamental mind. Oh, and the headlights were broken, so I had to tickle in what I had lying about - I think they're off a Lotus."

Watch Hammond drive Oliver across Botswana

"Having snapped on the last of his chrome chintz, and a set of genuine Minilite alloys - pimpification demanded by me - Oliver was ready."

Watch Hammond drive Oliver across Botswana

Richard on the Morgan Aeromax: “The first 1,000 miles had passed in a thunderous, heart-pounding storm of V8 noise and hard-edged performance. The 325bhp V8 makes for speed and power to push the handling right to the edge.” 

Read why Hammond is playing dirty with his new Aeromax

"The big Morgan is wild, beautiful and crazy but, perhaps above all else, has a sense of humour about itself. And that is the key to it. As a result, blasting around in it is an absolutely unique and wonderful hoot." 

Read why Hammond is playing dirty with his new Aeromax

Richard on the Dodge Challenger: “How a modern car manufacturer has managed to create such a long, low, lean and sinister shape and still adhere to the pedestrian safety laws I just don’t know. And I’d rather not – the more mystery the better.” 

Watch the boys' second big US trip

“Oh God yes it’s cool. How many other cars work in bright orange? Exactly, none. It can carry it off because its shape is bold, strong and confident enough to wear a colour that would never work on a Merc S-Class.”

Watch the boys' second big US trip  

Richard on the Mk1 Jaguar: "It's not F1. It's not rallying. It's something more humble, and yet more exciting than both: British Touring Cars. Nothing comes close for excitement. And this, the Mk1 Jaguar, was one of the first real stars." 

Watch Hammond's affectionate look at the last 50 years of touring car racing

“Roy James, the legendary getaway driver for the Great Train Robbers, was a big fan, and he always made a point of taking one that had been prepared for touring car racing.” 

Watch Hammond's affectionate look at the last 50 years of touring car racing

Richard on the Ferrari Daytona: “One of the all-time great jet set cars. it may take its name from a racetrack in America, but trust me, this is the absolute essence of pure, European supercar. Drop-dead gorgeous looks, stunning speed, and born in Italy.” 

Watch Hammond and the Daytona race James and a 1,000bhp powerboat

“On A-roads is where this car starts to come alive. Yes it’s not a nimble, tiny, lightweight sportscar, but it feels lithe and supple. The car’s still brilliant, but the world’s changed.” 

Watch Hammond and the Daytona race James and a 1,000bhp powerboat

Richard on the Gumpert Apollo: "There's something deliberate and wilfully obtuse about the pointy snout, the piggy eyes and the dumpy arse of the thing. Somehow, I can't imagine that it actually needs to be that ugly simply to function." 

“You can feel the road surface through the seat, through the steering wheel. You feel wheels beginning to lose their grip or finding it mid-corner... It is, in short, a much better car than I will ever be a driver.” 

Richard on the Renault R25: "By the time I arrive at Silverstone and meet the support team, I've mentally turned this into a test of their new F1 driver. I'm asked how many single-seaters I've driven in my career, and I answer truthfully: ‘none at all'." 

"I hit the pitlane straight, and experience the joy of unleashing everything a car with a power-to-weight ratio of 1,216bhp per tonne has to give. It's beyong anything I could have imagined."

Get more info on Richard Hammond on his homepage