Jeremy Clarkson’s Duel: Supercars, Stunts and Celebrity Challenges
Jeremy Clarkson’s Duel DVD, released in late 2009, pits supercars and celebrities against each other in a series of drifting, racing and off-road challenges filmed across Europe.
Jeremy Clarkson’s Duel, released on DVD in November 2009, assembled a collection of supercars, celebrities and outlandish challenges for a standalone film outside the regular Top Gear series. Filmed across Spain, Silverstone and various UK locations, the production set out to answer questions that rarely trouble the average car buyer: which car makes the most smoke when drifting, can The Stig drive in wellies, and is a Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S a match for a Lamborghini Murcielago SuperVeloce when it comes to sideways antics?
Supercar drifting and head-to-heads
The film’s opening challenges focus on drifting, with the Lamborghini Murcielago SV and Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S both subjected to a tyre-shredding contest to see which can produce the most smoke while going sideways. Clarkson also lines up the Jaguar XKR, Lotus Evora, Audi R8 V10 and BMW M3 in a search for the best drifting machine, each car tested for its ability to break traction and hold a controlled slide.
- Lamborghini Murcielago SuperVeloce vs Vauxhall VXR8 Bathurst S: drifting and smoke output
- Jaguar XKR, Lotus Evora, Audi R8 V10, BMW M3: best drift car comparison
In a separate drag race, an Aston Martin V12 Vantage faces off against rugby winger Tom Varndell in a 100-metre sprint, pitting raw horsepower against human speed. The DVD also features a road race between Clarkson in a Ford Focus RS and The Stig in a Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder, with the pair taking different routes to the finish.
Stunts, celebrity drivers and unusual footwear
The challenges move beyond machinery into the realm of the absurd. The Stig attempts to drift a car while wearing wellington boots, while Clarkson tries to corner in flippers. Formula One driver Anthony Davidson is brought in to slide a car while wearing ice skates, a stunt that tests both balance and throttle control.
A celebrity off-road contest brings together newsreader Kate Silverton, rugby’s Matt Dawson, singer Ronan Keating and Clarkson himself. Each attempts to master an off-road course, with the aim of finding the best driver outside the usual motoring world.
Showdowns and team duels
The finale brings together familiar faces from the world of motoring television. Clarkson and The Stig join forces against Vicki Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell in a series of auto-tests, including a high-speed contest between an Aston Martin DBS Volante and a Ferrari California. The team events and head-to-heads provide the sort of chaotic, unscripted competition that became a hallmark of Top Gear’s most popular episodes.
While Duel is not officially a Top Gear episode, its format and cast overlap heavily with the show’s late-2000s heyday. For more on Top Gear’s supercar showdowns and unusual challenges from the same era, see Top Gear Season 13 Episode 4: Panamera Road Trip and Hot Hatch Duel.
