Jeremy Clarkson seems to have made a career out of upsetting people. Just recently he had sections of his garden fence tossed into the sea by vandals at his home on the Isle of Man. His crime? Redirecting a footpath that ran through his land and subsequently inspiring the wrath of local ramblers – allegedly. But the latest people to get upset by Clarkson and his gang are Tesla motor cars, because of the depiction of the company’s electric Roadster vehicle on Top Gear in 2008.
Did they make the car breakdown on the show? No. Did they propose it had rubbish brakes? No. The show in fact suggested that the sports car could only run for 55 miles per charge, whereas it was being marketed as having a range of over 200 miles.
And so Auntie is being sued over the claims, with a statement on Tesla’s website pointing out that a third party European Union test had estimated their car could in fact travel 212 miles on a single charge – a lot more than 55. But better than that, Tesla say the vehicle can do an impressive 313 miles if driven “mindfully”. Aggressive driving was cited as a reason for the low range found in the test.
Speaking about the action, a Top Gear spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that we have received notification that Tesla have issued proceedings against the BBC.
"The BBC stands by the programme and will be vigorously defending this claim."
So it looks like Jeremy and company have done it again. I must admit, it would be a shame if the Top Gear team had to tone down their irreverent and sometimes scathing reviews of cars. That’s surely what we watch it for. We’re pretty lucky in this country that we get TV programmes that are free from the influence of companies – and Top Gear certainly displays this freedom, regardless of the car brand they are testing. I will be keeping an eye on the court case with bated breath.
Breakdown Cover from 
