He gives a positive review of the Nissan Skyline GTR, but condemns Toyota for producing a string of bland Corolla models, which became the best selling car in the world during the 1990s, thanks for a reputation for solid build quality and reliability, despite being rated as uninteresting to look at and to drive.

He also condemns the Alfa Romeo Arna of the mid-1980s, an Italian built version of the Nissan Cherry, for the shortcomings on its quality and style, before throwing a grenade in one of the last remaining examples of the car in the United Kingdom, and allowing viewers to watch it explode.

Clarkson then sees the stock market crash of 1987 as the beginning of the end for the hot hatch revolution, although there were still some more impressive creations to come, including the Ford Escort RS Cosworth of the early 1990s.

Clarkson recalls how, at the age of 30 and with over a decade's driving experience behind him, he was quoted at £25,000 for the insurance on an Escort RS Cosworth (£3,000 more than he had paid for it), such was the risk of these cars being targeted by thieves.

He then crowns the Fiat Multipla as the family car of the moment, praising the practicality of its six-seat layout (with three seats on two benches), urging potential buyers not to be put off by its highly unconventional styling.