Looking like a human-sized version of a Zhu Zhu pet car, Peel Microcars sold their wares for a brief period in the 1960′s, and cars like the Murray T25 and Smart Fortwo seem to be able to trace their lineage back to the Peel.

Powered by a 50cc moped engine, the Peel was not fast and its three-wheeled nature meant that there were some issues regarding how road-legal it could be. But for all its faults, the Peel has attracted an unlikely supporter, and as you’ll see below, he might be on to something.

[Source: Make:]

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To call Jeremy Clarkson an automotive gadfly would be incorrect. Quite possibly the most influential automotive journalist in the world, when Clarkson speaks, people listen, and this will not bode well for BMW‘s new X1 crossover.

The new mini-ute from the Bavarian automaker is an important product, but Clarkson was suitably unimpressed, saying its looks reminded him of “a Hyundai that’s been subjected to a thousand years of wind erosion.” The driving experience wasn’t much better, claiming that the diesel engine “…sounds like a dump truck when you start it up…” with a ride that is “much too rigid”.

Whether the X1 is a truly bad car or if this is just another quintessential Clarkson rant remains to be seen (you’ll have to wait for Autoguide’s test drive closer to the launch date.) But considering how much Clarkson liked the not-so-perfect X3, we’re not too surprised that the diminutive Bimmer was given such an abysmal evaluation.

[Source: TimesOnline]

The BBC is about to expand on the mystery surrounding Top Gear’s ‘The Stig’ by asking not only who he is, but also where.

Now while 40 year old men who play with cars can wonder who the Stig really is, their children can hunt for the silent hot-shoe in a new series of books the BBC is launching based on the popular Where’s Waldo? series.

Called Where’s Stig? the books will be illustrated by Rod Hunt and feature ‘The Stig’ carefully hidden amongst throngs of shoppers at the mall or folks at the zoo. And who knows, maybe some of the pages will feature other Top Gear characters, although searching for an abnormally tall Jeremy Clarkson with his curly mop of hair might not prove so challenging.

BBC Books will officially launch the Where’s Stig? book on September 17th.

[Source: Design You Trust]

Caption: Clarkson, known for his big mouth, driving the Ariel Atom

In an uncharacteristically-Clarkson-esque move, Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson apologized after calling British Prime Minister Gordon Brown a, “one-eyed Scottish idiot.”

Apparently the remarks, made while Clarkson was at a press conference about Top Gear Live show in Sydney, Australia, created quite a stir back in the U.K. It wasn’t so much that Prime Minister Brown was upset, but rather other influential members of parliament and the House of Lords, as well as advocacy groups for the blind, which did not appreciate the association of incompetence with loss of sight.

Clarkson, it should be noted, is paid two million pounds a year by the publicly owned (aka, government run) BBC. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you.

Prime Minister Brown, it should be noted, only has sight in one eye following a rugby accident in his teens.

“In the heat of the moment I made a remark about the Prime Minister’s personal appearance for which, upon reflection, I apologize,” said Clarkson.

This is hardly Clarkson’s first faux pas, in fact during the Sydney press conference he made other disparaging remarks, commenting that the Top Gear motorcycle stunt-men are from France and that, “if they get killed it’s not the end of the world.”

Last year Clarkson made headlines for commenting that truck drivers regularly murder prostitutes.

[Source: DailyMail]

According to a report in the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, Top Gear’s “The Stig” is none other than Ben Collins.

Who?… you say.

Ben Collins.

Still not ringing a bell.. well, here’s a little profile on the man who, as Jeremy Clarkson would say, likes listening to Marvin Gay while driving a Pagani Zonda.

Collins has raced successfully in Formula 3, the FIA GT Series, Indy Lights and even at Le Mans. He began his career in the Formula Vauxhall series in the U.K in the ’90s. After a stint there he moved on to Formula 3 where he landed 5 straight wins in the British National Championship. In 1999 Collins began racing in the USA in the Indy Lights Championship scoring several podiums before returning to England. His oval track experience gave him a huge advantage when in 2003 he dominated the competition in the European NASCAR-style ASCAR Championship where secured the championship while setting new series records for points, pole positions and overall wins.

During this time Collins also raced at Le Mans and in 2005 joined the FIA GT3 European Championship where he races today in one of three Ascari KZ1R Supercars.

According to the Telegraph article, Bristol art gallery owner Simon Whitehead was the first to know for certain that Collins was The Stig when the legend himself said so. Apparently Collins told Whitehead while at the gallery to see about a limited edition Stig print.

Sadly this could mean the end of the road for Collins as The White Stig. The Black Stig, aka Perry McCarthy, was canned from the Top Gear show after outing himself in his book Flat Out, Flat Broke.

[Source: The Telegraph]