The Hammerhead Eagle I-Thrust joins World of Top Gear line-up

BROCKENHURST, UNITED KINGDOM – December 14, 2009: Now on display in the World of Top Gear exhibition at Beaulieu is the electric powered Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust, as seen in the new series of Top Gear.

The Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust was built by Jeremy, Richard and James, in an attempt to prove they could make something better than a G Wiz – and for less money. In their minds, they succeeded. Unfortunately, a rather damning road test verdict by Autocar magazine identified, amongst other things, the terrible braking performance, the unbearable noise caused by James’s generator system and the rather odd way that the whole car could go wildly out of control even when driving in a straight line.

One of the most innovative features of the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust is undoubtedly its radical three abreast seating layout. The solution proved to be elegant in its simplicity whilst also giving the i-Thrust one of its most distinctive design features – the unmistakable HeadBox which gives the central passenger an unrivalled view of his surroundings.

“We are delighted to have this new exhibit from the Top Gear studio to include in the exhibition. It’s great to see the Top Gear crew at the forefront of the latest technology to minimise CO2 emissions,” said Stephen Munn, Commercial Director at the National Motor Museum.

World of Top Gear features a collection of cars created by presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May for some of their most ambitious challenges on the TV show over the years.

Exhibition highlights include the Top Gear ‘Enormodrome’ which aims to recreate the feel of the Top Gear studio, where the TV show is filmed in front of a live audience.

Regular features from the programme including the Cool Wall and the Celebrity ‘Lap Times’ boards are kept up to date in line with the show. Visitors can also watch an exclusive video presentation from behind the scenes at the TG HQ with Jeremy, Richard and James together with clips from the show featuring the cars on display.