Top Gear Australia

In the first episode of Top Gear Australia, Charlie, Warren and Steve go all-wheel driving on the sand and snow. We get a glimpse at Lamborghini's new supercar, the LP560 and Charlie tests the latest Porsche 911. Warren gets up-close and personal with Great White Sharks off the coast of Port Lincoln using himself as bait and Vince Colosimo is the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

It just wouldn't be Australian if the lads did not delve into the great debate that has divided the nation for decades - Holden or Ford? So Charlie and Steve take the HSV Clubsport and Ford FPV F6 to Wakefield Park for the ultimate test drive to settle the argument once and for all. Then Top Gear Australia shuts down the biggest open pit gold mine in the country, the Kalgoorlie Super Pit, to get its hands dirty. In the toughest ute challenge, Charlie, Warren and Steve test their ute of choice in a race against time and The Stig. After surviving his stint as human shark bait in episode one, Warren "Why is it every episode of Top Gear I nearly get killed?" Brown, in preparation for his next outlandish idea, convinces Steve to convert a Smart Car into a hearse for under $200. While the two load a coffin into their new budget Smart Hearse and take it for a test drive, Charlie spends his time slipping into something a lot faster and much cooler - the Ford GT Supercar. As the studio guest, Australian actor, Steve Bisley (Mad Max, Water Rats), will attempt to knock Vince Colosimo off the celebrity Lap Time leader board.

Whose car is the best? Fastest? Coolest? Strongest? Well there's only one way to settle this - a Top Gear Australia challenge. The lads and their precious motoring masterpieces assemble at Oran Park for a race showdown. By the end of the day - a star will be born, and egos bruised. Then the world's first Sports Activity Coupé, the revolutionary BMW X6 Coupé 4WD, is put through its paces. Is it a visionary triumph or an impressive blunder? Warren takes a drive to find out. Steve Pizzati reviews the F1-inspired Mercedes CLK 63 AMG Black Series coupe and SBS's own delightfully hilarious hostess, Julia Zemiro (RocKwiz), is the "Celebrity in a Bog Standard Car".

The ramp is set – the jack in place – and the kettle is on! Our fearless hosts step into a world of scones, walking sticks, and shoes with zippers. There is little margin for error, or bright colours for that matter, in this age old sport. Yet roling an Astra down a steel ramp and steering from the passenger seat is not as easy as it looks. By the end of the day there is a special sub-committee established by Warren to investigate the stolen over-sized novelty jack. From the grassy flats of lawn bowls to the open plains of the outback, the lads pit satellite navigation against Aboriginal tracking skills. Warren will have to rely on his tracker, Diesel with trusty steed Ned, while Steve guides a Toyota HiLux TRD fitted with Follow Me GPS through the picturesque Home Valley Station in remote Western Australia. Who will become champion of the outback and conquer the land before nightfall? Steve Pizzati takes the HSV W427 for a raging spin around Holden’s mysterious ‘Proving Ground’ in Lang Lang, Victoria. Track limit: 250kph. Heart rate limit: unrestricted! And, iconic Australian actor Jack Thompson (the soon to be released Australia, Breaker Morant, Sum of Us) is our weekly “Celebrity in a Bog Standard Car”.

The Audi R8 is claimed to be the 'practical supercar'. "It looks like a nuclear powered supercar but it's really practical," said Charlie. "It's like a non-threatening scud missile, safe explosives, or user friendly hand grenade." His 'Top Gun' moment blasting down the tar mac leaves little debate on the issue. While in town the lads also enter their DIY style amphibious masterpiece in Hamilton Island's prestigious Audi Race Week. Getting into the spirit of the week-long sailing event, the lads get busy converting their own Audi into a road and seafaring machine. Enter the NautiCar or as the lads dubbed it - the Audi H2O. But will it sink or swim? Warren and Steve stretch the 'Toorak Tractor' phenomenon to its limit. 4WDs are meant for the bush but they're so common in affluent suburbs they've become known as 'Toorak Tractors'. How will Toorak react to a real tractor as a shopping and commuting vehicle? Steve also checks out the sporty BMW 135 Coupé. And Australia's favourite Idol, Shannon Noll (What About Me, Drive, Loud), is the "Celebrity in a Bog Standard Car".

It's a once and for all 4WD showdown and to the victor goes the spoils - exclusive dinner party bragging rights. The TGA team are bound for Cairns in north Queensland after starting out in central Australia to settle which 4WD can go the distance. “I have been to a tonne of dinner parties where people have said “My 4WD is good enough to go to Kakadu if I wanted to”. Now everybody knows that they probably never will so we thought we would help with bragging rights for the next party,” said Steve Pizzati. Charlie opts for the luxurious Lexus LX 570, Warren sides with the very capable Range Rover Vogue TDV8, and Steve feels the power of Audi's Q7. It's a 2,400kms test drive for the record books as the lads set out from Alice Springs on a seven night stint under the stars and along the open desert planes - their sanity is sure to be the first victim. Not a fan of being one with nature, Charlie said, “When I was a kid about 12 years old on the family camping holidays I used to lie back at night and look back the stars and think to myself “When I grow up I am going to get really rich so I never have to go camping again”.” Also around the streets of Sydney, Charlie takes the sporty Mercedes SL 63 AMG for a cruise, “A car this stylish can even make a mug like me look good, well not that bad anyway.” Car enthusiast, James Morrison, talks to Top Gear Australia about meeting his wife in a celebrity car race, owning 96 cars and his goal to beat Julia Zemiro on the lap time leader board.