"German military scientists test new electric super weapon on a captured British spy, 1942 colorized"

Top Gear producer to the guy who works at Siemens: "Wow your English is really good, but we really need you to talk like an evil Nazi Scientist for the role"

The tension was killing me. Wasn't sure if he'd survive to present another 13 years

I was driving during a crazy storm a few years ago. My car was hit with lighting. I remember the radio went from normal to static for a few seconds before turning off on its own. My car shook on impact and every window of my car was shining bright white light like the whitest light I’ve ever seen.

They really found the most stereotypical looking and most heavily accented speaking german there is ... :D

try in a convertible

"What happens when you get hit by lighting ... in a car" Duh everyone knows, it's common knowledge... you get sent back to 1885 and hijack a steam locomotive

That confirms my Dad's theory that staying in a car douring a thunder storm is the safest place (he is an electric engineer)

MEANWHILE *translate from german* "That didn't kill him! Zap him again!"

Error light on a VW is always on, that doesn't count.

I was in a car struck by lightning. The windows went opaque-solid-white and time slowed down and there was a super loud POP sound. Immediately after it was silent and I remember knocking on the window to make sure I wasn't deaf (thankfully I heard the knock). The engine was fried, which totaled the car, and the tires popped. Edit): To clarify, the windows went opaque because it was so bright you couldn't see out of them. I did not mean the lightning chemically changed the windows to be opaque.

He said "Keep your hands together close to the centre of the car" Next scene; Richard pointing out the window towards the buzzing

tesla: 100% charged in 1 second

I can imagine Clarkson's reaction had he been in the Golf. "A LITTLE POO'S COME OUT!"

Alternate Earth: *After the experiment* Him :"I'm Barry Allen and I'm the fastest man alive."

I think the guy at the controls would make a perfect super villain. He has the fake-pity-quiet-voice down to a science lol

If he was in a DeLorean, he would have gone back to the future.

Radio turned on, 'FRITZ' shows up. Typical Top Gear humor right here xD

"Hes starting to raise the woltage"

tonight on bottom gear Hammond gets beaten to death by group of preschoolers

"only one country is liberal enough to actually let me sit in the car." I suspected him to say "Holland". He didn't.

3:10 _"ᶠᵒᵘʳʰᵘⁿᵈᵉᵈ ˢᵒᵘˢᵃⁿᵈ ᵛᵒᵃᵗ"_

We got struck about 6 months after this video posted in a 2003 GMC Yukon XL Denali. I'd thought my gun had gone off it was so loud. We were fine. Engine electronics were fine, but most all ancillary electronics were toast. We were in the middle of an eight hour drive, and after the storm it got hot out. No A/C, couldn't roll down the windows, no radio, gauges were acting wildly. Insurance (U.S.) had all electronics replaced instead of totaling it... and we still have it. Also needed 4 new tires (assume the steel belts heated up/expanded causing leaks on all four. The car in the video appeared to be grounded, probably saving the vehicle from damage.

When I was in a car struck by lightning, everyone was ok, but the car wasn’t as lucky. I was with my mom and my little brother. The electrical was all messed up, the glass in the sun roof was broken (I think that is where the lightning struck), there were holes in the metal body of the car where metal melted. I think that the lightning did that much damage because not only were we struck by lightning, a power line went down right in front of our car. My theory is that the lightning struck the power line, and then bounced off onto us. I think either it was very strong lightning or the power line charged it up so that there was more electricity. Enough to melt the metal. The car was totaled, but we were fine.

six hondred soazend voltz

More like Voltswagen! HAHAHAHAHAH!!!

Salute to Richard for taking Such Huge Risk for the , Humanity.

1:00 '"This is the siemens high voltage lab....

I didn’t catch this 11 years ago but Hammond said “He’s starting to raise the Woltage” Nice one. Very subtle

"He's raising the woltage"... Just imagine Chris Evans saying that, it doesn't work...

“My hands are buzzing” guy proceeds to turn up lightning 🤣🤣

Building up that tension was terrifying! You’re a hero, Hammond!

Bringing a whole new meaning to "electric car."

400 saozand vlotz

Miss those guys. Top Gear needs them more than ever.

Fun fact: this video got in to your recommendation after 12 years.

Energy capacity 400% .... "How bout that"

zuhunderzausan volt

5:05 So were you killed to death then? (If you listen very closely you can even hear his genius)

Gotta respect hammond he was always the bravest of the 3 doing this risky challenges

i wish topgear had done this sort of thing in their newer series.

They really were tempting fate having Hammond do this.

*Me gets struck by lightning in a car* Me: Oh no,any ways

3:25 you can clearly see the metal wire attached to the ground for safety. this is nothing like the real deal except in trucks which use a similar metal wire always dragging with the ground.

Mum, the radio's on the fritz!

Heheh...The car radio is on the Fritz.

Just watched this in my science lesson. Saved us from doing more work. Thanks too gear!

2:53 I can with absolute certainty say that is the first time I've ever reacted to a pale , shapeless, comically accented, mustachioed German scientist with, "well, that was adorable.". He's like a soft-spoken Deutschland Winnie the Pooh.

It works as a VW ad: “the lightning proof car”.

hamster said "he started to raise the woltage".... hahahahaha!!!!

I’ve seen this video before when I was in Desert View High School during my physics class and it was so awesome!

I started electrical engineering when this video was aired and didn't know about the concept of Faraday cages. Very educational. Viva la Grand Tour!

UKposts: No Mature Content Top Gear: *Richard getting lifted by air med*

wonder what it did to the paint

"So we're you killed?" "Sadly yes... but I lived!"

Hammond actively tries to get himself killed whenever the opportunity presents itself.

2:45 "He's starting to raise the woltage"

3:39 hammond be like "i just shit my pants!!!"

This really send shivers down my back. Imagine being a car and surrounded by high voltage currents, not sure if you are safe or not. Glad they did this to ensure the safety.

Who else did not search for this but is glad that its recommended

the radio station when he starts the car is Fritz...

if you visit munich, germany you can do that yourself. in the "Deutsches Museum" they do a show i think once a week at 4pm and they have a randomly chosen person of the croud sit in a cage and hit it with a small lighting. and the best thing is, no extra costs! only thing u need is the regular museum ticket. :)

My husband loves watching you show, it ease him after his Drawing in CAT and CAD or a hard day at the jobs with his cup of coffee and pillow then I be wake up to turn the lid down at 3am. Reminded me Sir Richie falling into Bowling line 😌

I like the most that they selected radio fritz! Awesome!

We watched this in physics class :))

I was expecting Arnold to show up naked and throw Richard out of that Golf singlehandedly saying: “I need your car”.

There was a severe thunderstorm a few days ago where I lived. I was driving back home from work and was nervous I'd get struck by lightning. This video makes me less nervous knowing you can actually survive it by staying inside the car.

This man really put his life on the line 😭.

The music in this segment was so good. Wish I know how to find it on its own.

Gaussian surface for the win. Q enclosed equals zerooooooooooo

Drove to a substation earlier today with my mum. She freaked out. Sent her this video. Hell yeah

Imagine driving a SUV with panoramic sun/moon roof, then lightning strikes! No metal on top to protect you, its all glass.

looked like they attached a wire to the chassis so that the tires won't get destroyed.

At 3:40, I think a bit of poo came out

woltage = The German word for Watt's combined with voltage lol

4:10 It's not because of the lightning, It's just the car reminding that It's a Volkswagen

Hammond's eyes when the bolt first hit the roof of his car

They need to cut out 1:40 to 2:10 since they got the car grounded. They should of drove the car onto a steel plate and grounded the plate and not the car. Wish they could do this over and do it right. Would of been nice to see what path the electricity would of gone. Straight to ground or through all the bearing and if the tires are steel belted. Through the tires and to ground if the tires are steel belted. Then would the car bearings or something get hurt from the arcs of electricity? Or how about a car with a sun roof or soft top convertible?

Simple basics Lightning needs a conductor or something that needs to go down into the earth because that's it's final destination . Since its so powerful and hot it destroys that object ....but like Hammond explained the Faraday cage is something that your metal body car can do .....to protect you .. sure it may destroy your electronics but hey atleast your safe to realise or replace them . Fun fact :-. A Knight in shining body armour if metal does the exact same job

0:57 don't know why but I love hearing Richard reveal that he's in Germany, as the camera brings the German warning sign into focus

I remember when this aired on TV it had a badass track from Donnie Darko playing. Not sure why it isn't in this one.

Richard must have been YOLO

I love this old top gear series.

This is why love this top gear

3:03 Me looking at the two metal headrest posts inches away from his neck.

You have to think he was at 600,000 volts and there still wasn’t a thunderclap. Imagine how powerful a real lightning strike is?

I recall the radio and uhf going nuts with extremely violent static in my Nissan patrol one wet season years back, but since it's an old mechanical diesel nothing else really happened. I was trying to get home in the down pour of rain before the roads started flooding badly

It was New Years Eve and I was camping with some family and friends at a caravan park. Most of the group where in cabins spread through out the park but we had a tent, it was starting to get cold so my mum walked back with me to our camp site from one of the cabins so I could get dressed. When we got to our camp site it started pouring with rain so we jumped in the car to take shelter. We where sitting in the car when there was a huge flash of lightning, all the interior lights, the headlights and the radio flashed on for a second and my mum turned around and told me not to touch anything and we just sat there too scared to move. Probably one of the freakiest things I've ever experienced.

thunderbolt! ...not very effective

As a German I can confirm that we are a very funny nation

Hammond: "He's starting to raise the woltage." LOL

This happened to me yesterday, it banged like hell and the electronics of the car went crazy! I shut it down and restarted it and the car works as it did before! The lightning bolt came out of the blue, it was a storm brewing but the sun still shined :D

This lightning machine runs on brautwurst and polka music.

Imagine if he thought it was over after the first zap and just got out of the car

He risked his life for showing this. Awesome

"keep your hand together" points out where the buzz is

That was really scary to watch tbh... and i didnt knew that we have such an awesome machine here in Berlin :D

"Everything's gonna be fine" -Richard Hammond 2008

I don't think the outcome would be the same in one of those all-carbon supercars. The Faraday cage effect only works with conductors (i.e. metals), and carbon isn't conductive. On another note: it surprises me that the magnetic field didn't fry the electronics. You know they say that only analog cars would survive an EMP attack, but this one seemed to be just fine after the test. I guess the magnetic field wasn't as strong as that of an EMP.

Great job