Reports claim the accident, which occurred Saturday around noon, is said to have involved a BMW 3-Series, a Volvo V40, and a Nissan Almera, as well as Hammond's Morgan. BBC spokespeople are quoted only as saying the presenter had been involved in a minor collision and was unharmed. Phew! (Hat tip to Mike!) [Yahoo! UK]

Belfast has just completed construction on a new sewer system, meaning Clarkson, the Hamster and May won't have to splash through human waste in the name of infotainment. While the original 1969 film was set in Turin, Michael Cain was actually driving through Coventry's waste disposal system.

Filming is expected to take place "in the coming weeks" meaning we should see the race this season. No word on which one of the trio had the great idea. [via BBC]

And of course, no Top Gear segment would be complete without a smashing hot lap by the mysterious Stig, but how fast is Lambo's newest super car? Can the 670 HP rip-snorting V12, all-wheel-drive and carbon-ceramic brake-equipped LP670-4 SV finally rise above mere super cars and enter the hyper car fray?

[via FinalGear]

According to Drive.com.au, Ferrari's CEO admitted the company reached out to Top Gear to get them to "stoppa da crap" when it comes to the next show.

Speaking at the Geneva motor show, Ferrari CEO Amedeo Felisa said it was important to protect the brand and, as a consequence, the company had spoken to the Top Gear Live show's organisers from the BBC.

A spokesman for Ferrari said Top Gear Live had admitted to using fake Ferraris.

"We asked them to change it … for the Hong Kong [Top Gear Live] show (the last stop on the world tour)," said the spokesman. "We said ‘please use real Ferraris'."

The organizers for Top Gear Live said they'd be using drift cars, not fakes, for the Hong Kong show, thus removing the problem. Felisa was later heard saying "Nut up, this is Top Gear, not Top Pussy."

[Drive.com.au]

Clarkson and his midget mate Richard Hammond were down under for Top Gear Live, which is sort of like Muppets On Ice, but with cars. We've already heard Top Gear USA was canceled, but it's interesting to hear the less-PC version of events.

We do however think Clarkson is wrong on one key point: it's not Americans who "just don't get it, really" it's NBC. [via CarsGuide]

Minimum Expectations For Top Gear UK Season 12, Based On The Teaser

• Veritas RS III
• Stig in a Bugatti Veyron
• Lamborghini Gallardo
• Speedboat driving
• Double decker bus racing
• Semi truck foolishness
• Pagoni Zonda
• Corvette ZR1
• Cadillac CTS-V
• Dodge Challenger SRT8
• Reno shenanigans
• Mercedes Benz C63 AMG
• Lexus IS-F
• Bathroom challenge, apparently

By the end of the year there will be a Clarksonov, Hammondchenko and Mayovski roaming the frozen steppes of Russia. Probably in Ladas.

Yes, there’s going to be a Top Gear Russia. Made in Russia for the Russians. A bit like the Aussie TG, but with more back-to-front letters and fewer boomerangs.

Everything’s a bit hush-hush at the moment, but we know that it’s going to run for 15 episodes initially, around the end of this year. The Russian Top Gear magazine has been doing well over there since its launch in 2004, so hopefully the locals will be familiar with TG’s ‘ambitious but rubbish’ philosophy.

First up, though, we’ve got to find the local presenters. Rumours that Clarkson, May and Hammond will be making a guest appearance clad in bearskin hats remain unconfirmed.

We can’t imagine there’ll be any shortage of candidates for the arduous job of thrashing supercars around the beautiful Russian outback. Or whatever the Russians call the outback.

There’s no word on what studio or test track they’ll be using yet, but we have glorious visions of a giant Russian Clarkson firing up a Murcielago in a decommissioned nuclear silo, surrounded by hoards of TG faithful wrapped up in layers of wintery clothes.

And bearskin hats. It’s all about the bearskin hats.

(Hat tip to Andreja!) [via Top Gear]

[View the entire episode at FinalGear.com]

Obviously Clarkson grabbed the ZR1, Hammond got the keys to the CTS-V, and of course James May gets the outgunned Challenger SRT8. Pending the results of the show, we're assuming the ZR1 and CTS-V will be getting their just due on the world stage, while May will probably end up with the Challenger doing donuts and catching on fire. We have no idea when this episode will be hitting the airwaves, but when we find out it'll be pinned to our calenders. We eagerly await the metaphoric gymnastics Clarkson will be performing on the ZR1. Wonder how the Top Gear America guys feel about the British crew stealing their product thunder? (Hat tip to Paul!) [FinalGear]

"The only reason I haven't signed my contract yet is because it has not yet been finalized. The current one doesn't expire until the end of July. I'm sure a new one will be sorted out soon. I'm not stomping around about Jeremy's contract with BBC Worldwide. Quite frankly, I couldn't give a **** about it."

The paper's unnamed sources claim

"the presenters of the hit BBC Two series had not yet signed their new contracts even though their current agreements expire at the end of the month...there has been "a meltdown" in negotiations and that the pair "turned down flat" the first offer from the BBC. There has been a lot of pulling out of hair, a Mexican stand-off. For the first time it is possible that one or both might leave."

Photo Credit: Getty Images via BBC

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Top Gear Ground Gear Force: Part Two

Top Gear Ground Gear Force: Part Three

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