Tiff Needell, Former F1 and Le Mans racer cum TV presenter, has made a guest appearance on DriveTribe’s YouTube channel. In it, he’s seen behind the wheel and on track with a former star car of TopGear TV. The vehicle in question is James May’s Citroen Ami 8, a car that brings back memories for many—mostly, as Needell points out, due to the co-driver that featured in the episode.
As a refresher, the Citroen was one of three challenge cars selected for the Series 13 show, which centered around cheap rally cars. The Ami was picked up by May, as the three presenters each set out to buy Pre-1982 classic cars for under £3,000. It was then entered in a TSD rally in Mallorca, Spain.
Although the Ami 8 wasn’t portrayed as May’s first choice in the show, it turns out that a bond was formed between man and machine. As has happened on occasion before (Clarkson with his Alfa Romeo GTV6 and Hammond with “Oliver”), James chose to buy the car off the production team once filming had ended. Although no longer owned by the Grand Tour presenter, the vehicle remains within the fold, so to speak, having been picked up by a member of the DriveTribe production team.
Read: James May Tests Out His Own Bicycle Against The Latest Dacia Sandero
With a unique sense of Gallic charm, the Ami is initially panned by Needell, despite the surface—looking to be well preserved since the original episode aired in 2009.
What follows can only be called an unholy amount of ragging behind the wheel by a driver who clearly doesn’t mind wringing out all 32bhp from the tiny 2-cylinder 2CV-sourced engine. With hilarious amounts of body roll, Tiff appears unfazed by the possibility of rolling the French family car.
Perhaps the most dramatic moment is when Tiff and presenter Mike try to set a 0-60mph time. It soon becomes evident that there’s not enough tarmac to do so, with Needell jamming on the brakes and sending the French classic fish-tailing across the tarmac.
Needless to say, this is one video that won’t resonate with the mechanically sympathetic. For the rest of us, it’s quite entertaining.
Article Source and Credit carscoops.com https://www.carscoops.com/2021/06/watch-tiff-needell-rag-james-mays-rally-car-on-track/ Buy Tickets for every event – Sports, Concerts, Festivals and more buytickets.com
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