The TV presenter-turned-farmer is never one to shy away from criticism – as showcased by his long feud with fellow British presenter Piers Morgan – and Clarkson has been quick to address some claims about his time on the iconic motoring show.
Harris – who succeeded Clarkson, Hammond and May as Top Gear host – recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast and lifted the lid on his time on the show, including his revelation that he warned the BBC that ‘someone is going to die’ three months before Freddie Flintoff’s horrific crash.
Chris Harris was part of the Top Gear line-up alongside Paddy McGuinness and Freddie Flintoff (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images)
Host Rogan also accused Clarkson of doing ‘Elon dirtier than anybody ever did’ when the show reviewed one of Tesla’s earlier models, the Tesla Roadster, in the seventh episode of their 12th season back in 2008.
In the test where Clarkson was at the wheel, he claimed that the Tesla’s brakes failed, the engine overheated, the battery died after 55 miles and that it took over half a day to recharge to full power.
The podcast host claimed that the show falsely showed the car as malfunctioning for dramatic effect, saying: “They pretended that his car died and they did it for a sketch.”
According to Rogan, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was furious as a result, adding that ‘they did a terrible thing’.
“They pretended that his car died and they did it for a sketch. And this was the early days of Tesla,” Rogan said.
Rogan openly criticised the way the show was run under the original trio (Wayne Coetzee/Gallo Images Getty Images)
Harris joined Top Gear following the departure of the original trio for the reboot in 2016, and confirmed Rogan’s claim, adding that producers on the show would purposely ‘reverse engineer an outcome’ for presenters to carry out.
However, Clarkson was quick to respond to the claim in his latest column in The Sun, explaining: “But then talk turned to the story that I wrote a road test of the first ever Tesla before I’d driven it. And that the breakdown we showed on television was fabricated.
“Joe and Chris perpetuate the myth that my Tesla road test was unfair. On Top Gear we c*cked about and upset a lot of people over the years. But our road tests were always scrupulously fair.”
During the road test, two Teslas were used as the first one died and had failed brakes, though the second was said to have overheated, and a shot of Clarkson and the crew pushing the first car spoke louder than words.
Clarkson claimed that the car only lasted 55-miles on Top Gear’s test track (BBC)
The presenter also couldn’t believe the sports car’s then £92,000 price tag, though later said in the show that he believed Tesla would improve the reliability of their vehicles as they mass produced them.
Following Top Gear’s review of his car in 2008, Musk sued the BBC, arguing that the road test damaged Tesla’s reputation, but he ended up losing the case as in 2013, a UK appeal court dismissed his complaint.
At the time, Top Gear’s executive producer Andy Wilman stated: “I am pleased that the appeal court has upheld the previous ruling and the case has been struck out.
“I’d also like to apologise to the judges for making them have to watch so much Top Gear.”
