I just watched it too, but forgive me if I seem a bit cynical, but I take everything I see on Top Gear these days with a pinch of salt. For instance, did you also watch the Beetle being dropped from one mile up and landing right next to the finish line, without a trace of a bounce? if true that is amazing accuracy, I don't doubt it was dropped but I think it must have been dropped again (off camera) close to the finish line. This is not a 'car' programme any more, it is an entertainment programme and it should have the title;
The Jeremy Clarkson Show.