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FunTranscript
00:00This is the Jaguar XE SV Project 8.
00:25It currently holds the record as the fastest 4-door production car around the Nürburgring
00:29Nordschleife with a time of 7 minutes and 18 seconds.
00:33For context, that makes it quicker around the green hill than a Ferrari 488 GTB, Lamborghini
00:39Aventador LP700-4 and a full 10 seconds quicker than a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4.
00:46It is in other words very fast and in the right hands will set a lap time around Landau
00:50circuit of, well, why don't we find out.
01:00And what better way to do that than by sticking TV and YouTube's fastest and most accomplished
01:05driver behind the wheel, courtesy of former Top Gear Stig and current stunt and racing
01:10driver Ben Collins.
01:11Well, first time driving the Jag Project 8 and pretty awesome bit of kit, fastest 4-door
01:19around the Nürburgring.
01:20So this car's got performance, but it's heavy, 1,700 kilograms, four-wheel drive and around
01:33this tight little track, it's working the front end very hard and I'm going to really
01:37brake hard on this thing, get it on its nose.
01:41That's where it seems to be strong, it's generating a lot of grip on this very abrasive track.
01:50That is about all she's got, that is a fast machine, you can take the whole family out
01:57in this thing and scare the living bejesus out of everybody, what a beastie.
02:03So you're probably now wondering what a Skoda Yeti has to do with one of the world's fastest
02:07and most exclusive super saloons, and that's a very good question because as you can see
02:12my Skoda Yeti for which I paid only two and a half thousand pounds is completely standard
02:17in every single way.
02:19In fact the only thing that it's got going for it is that massive dent at the back there
02:22that means I won't care so much if and when I end up crashing it.
02:26In all seriousness though, you are looking at our new track car underdog.
02:30It's got a 1.8 litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, a manual gearbox and all-wheel drive.
02:36And in the following episodes you'll see this car transform from a humdrum runabout to a
02:41stripped out Project 8 Beta.
02:43Well that's the plan.
02:45But there is one caveat because although the Project 8 will set a blistering lap time,
02:49that is not the time that I need to beat.
02:51The time I need to beat will be set by this man.
02:55Hello.
02:56And that very man is my long-suffering best colleague Ethan Smale who makes up half of
03:00the All The Gear channel.
03:02So how, you may be wondering, does he prepare for his laps?
03:05I've had a 45 pound pint.
03:07You've got some lap times to do but you're not going to be doing it alone because we've
03:11got Stiggy Ben who's going to be training you.
03:14So Ben, if you would like to come in and maybe give Ethan some words of encouragement and
03:21give him a bit of a rundown of what's going to go down.
03:24That's nice.
03:25I'll put my legend plates on.
03:26Yeah.
03:27Yeah, very good.
03:28And remember, this is a 600 horsepower Project 8 of which only 231 were made, £150,000 new
03:36and it's owned by a very good friend of mine, Mr Tom Lenthal.
03:39I might have a heart attack.
03:41You are going to be setting the lap times that I need to beat in the mighty Škoda.
03:45You've got Ben Collins as your aid, so I wish you the best of luck.
03:49Why don't you first stick one of those on the front.
03:52Okay.
03:53Yeah.
03:54Is that?
03:55It's this side.
03:56I'll get him.
03:57It's...
03:58Ah.
03:59The whole car is carbon fibre.
04:00So...
04:01Oh.
04:02Yeah, they won't work.
04:03Oh, I knew that.
04:10Have you driven an automatic before for a start?
04:14Yes.
04:15Yeah?
04:16Yeah.
04:17Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
04:18Maybe not one like this.
04:19What are you driving currently?
04:20What's your road car?
04:21That's Škoda Octavia.
04:22That really is your car then?
04:23Yes.
04:24Okay.
04:25This is different, isn't it?
04:26It's got a lot more power, obviously.
04:27Yeah, yeah.
04:28It's quite fast.
04:29It's quite heavy, but because it's quite...
04:30The car's got a lot of grip.
04:31So, in fact, you'll find this is more straightforward maybe than you might expect to point it in
04:35the right direction and go.
04:36I'm not going to spin.
04:38Let's hope not.
04:39Okay.
04:40So, foot on the brake, hit the start button.
04:45There she goes.
04:46Jesus.
04:47All right.
04:48The track is yours.
04:49How am I in this position?
04:50Is it thumbs out or thumbs in?
04:53So for off-roading, thumbs out.
04:55That's the one.
04:56But with this stuff, we're not planning on hitting any trees, are we?
04:59Not...
05:00Well, no, no.
05:01You can put your thumbs in.
05:02There's none scheduled.
05:03Ideally, quarter to three.
05:04I mean, that's hence the shape.
05:05And that's why you've got these divots in here is where you're literally...
05:06Your thumbs go around it.
05:07So that's good.
05:08You're not going to be changing the steering wheel like they taught you in the driving
05:10test.
05:11Okay.
05:12Normally, I'd be talking about gears and all that stuff.
05:13This car doesn't really obey the flappy paddles.
05:15Right.
05:16So we're going to stick it into sport.
05:17Automatic, basically.
05:18The car's going to do all the gear changing for you.
05:19Okay.
05:20So all you've got to do, brake and accelerate.
05:22Steer on a good line.
05:23Right.
05:24Okay.
05:25How's the car feel so far?
05:26Feels okay.
05:27I'm happy with this speed.
05:28Yeah.
05:29But I feel like this might not be a competitive time.
05:31No.
05:32But this is the right way to do it.
05:33This one will get trickier when we go faster.
05:34Right.
05:35And you're going to end up steering more.
05:36As the car resists, you're going to have to turn the steering a little bit harder to get
05:39the nose in.
05:49It's intense, huh?
05:50You look like you're enjoying it, but it's also quite serious because the speed's really
05:57high.
05:58It's really surprising looking at it.
06:02I've driven some very powerful cars before, Ferraris and stuff, on track and other racing
06:08single-seater stuff.
06:09And this just...
06:10I don't know.
06:11There's something about this that is quite scary.
06:12Yeah.
06:13If it's a noise or...
06:14It's probably the acceleration.
06:15There's a lot to do with it.
06:17It's noisy and it jumps.
06:18The speed just jumps.
06:19Even at coming out of a third gear corner, it's suddenly flying up in speed, isn't it?
06:22I'm really struggling to process it.
06:24Oh, my gosh.
06:25So that's why it's good to do.
06:26We've done about five, six laps, and then your brain needs some time to digest all this
06:31new information.
06:32So I'd have a little break.
06:33Okay.
06:34And I think we're going to be moving towards the timed phase.
06:35Yeah.
06:36Okay.
06:37And we're going to string it all together.
06:38But that's nice.
06:39So let's take it back to the start line, and we'll get you lined up.
06:42Okay.
06:43But before that happens, I'm back to tell you that if you want to buy yourself a used
06:46car, van, or motorbike, make sure you run a car vertical report on it first to ensure
06:50it's not been crashed, stolen, or clocked.
06:53If you take my Alfa Romeo 156 GTA that you will be seeing on the channel very soon as
06:57an example, you can see we've got green ticks for odometer, finance, and damage that tells
07:01me and you that this car does not have a shady past.
07:05And ain't she pretty.
07:06But if you wanted to buy yourself this BMW M3 competition, and if you were to look at
07:09the car vertical report, you would see green ticks for odometer and finance and an amber
07:13warning for damage.
07:14And if we scroll down a little bit, we have some pictures here.
07:17That side looks okay.
07:18Underside looks okay.
07:20Keep on going.
07:21And the whole side of that vehicle has been crashed or crashed into the interior looks
07:25quite bad.
07:26And the front end damage on that is also pretty bad.
07:29And if we scroll down a little bit on the report, you will see that this car is a category
07:35D write off, which isn't too bad.
07:37But because of car vertical, you'd know this is probably one to avoid if it was sold as
07:41a clean title vehicle.
07:43So do yourselves a favor when buying a used car, van or motorbike, always run a car vertical
07:47report.
07:48What's more, you will get 20% off using the code AutoAlex.
07:51Right then, Ethan, let's see what you're made of.
08:00All right, so Tom, it is now the moment of truth.
08:02Ethan is behind the wheel of your very precious Jaguar XE SV Project 8 600 horsepower and
08:10his lap times are the lap times that I need to beat in the Skoda Yeti.
08:13What do you think my chances or his chances are?
08:15I think his chances are good.
08:17I do think I think he's doing very well.
08:18I've been listening to Ben.
08:19He tells me he's making good progress.
08:20He is.
08:21I think you're in a ton of trouble.
08:22So should we have a quick chat, Ethan and Ben?
08:26How are we feeling?
08:27I'm feeling good.
08:28It's a little stressed, to be honest.
08:29I'm good.
08:30Are you all right?
08:31I'm good.
08:32Yeah.
08:33Yeah.
08:34Yeah.
08:35Yeah.
08:36Shall we go on that side and then shall we count them in?
08:37Yeah.
08:38All right.
08:39Okay.
08:40It would be very embarrassing if I beat it on the first lap.
08:41It's not going to happen, Alex.
08:42Okay.
08:43All right.
08:44Okay.
08:45Three, two, one.
08:46Go.
08:47Good.
08:48Go on.
08:49Power.
08:50Power.
08:51Power.
08:52Good.
08:53Go on.
08:54Power.
08:55Power.
08:56Power.
08:57Little break.
08:58Gently take it in.
08:59Not too early.
09:00Look through the corner.
09:01Oof.
09:02Sorry.
09:03Okay.
09:04We'll try this.
09:05It's all right.
09:06We won't tell them about that one.
09:07All right.
09:08Go on.
09:09Foot in.
09:10Keep going.
09:11Keep going.
09:12Keep going.
09:13Look how fast.
09:14Oh, no.
09:15There's no way I can beat it.
09:16I know.
09:17I have messed up now.
09:18You're in a massive amount of trouble.
09:19Get the power in.
09:20Go on.
09:21You're winning.
09:22Brakes.
09:23That's great.
09:24Excellent.
09:25Power.
09:26Power.
09:27Power.
09:28Power.
09:29Power.
09:30Full power.
09:31Full power.
09:32You've got this.
09:33There we go.
09:34The eye of the tiger.
09:35I see it.
09:36Brakes.
09:37Release the brake.
09:38All right.
09:39Back on power.
09:40Go on.
09:41Go on.
09:42Go on.
09:43He is not hanging about.
09:44No.
09:45He's doing.
09:46He's doing.
09:47That car is amazing.
09:48Yeah.
09:49Yeah.
09:51After a few flying laps under his belt, it was clear that Ethan's last would be in full
09:54attack mode.
09:55I mean, look at that concentration.
09:57That's it.
09:58Go on.
09:59Well done.
10:00Good.
10:01Good.
10:02Good.
10:03It's really good.
10:04Careful.
10:05Oh, bloody hell.
10:06Sorry.
10:07Is this going to be as quick as that time?
10:08Oh, it's so fast.
10:09Holy shit, guys.
10:10That was incredible.
10:11Ethan, f**k you.
10:12Oh, no.
10:13Oh, no.
10:14Oh, no.
10:15Oh, no.
10:16Oh, no.
10:17Oh, no.
10:18Oh, no.
10:19Oh, no.
10:20All right?
10:23Genuinely.
10:24That was good.
10:25Genuinely.
10:26Very good.
10:27What the f**k just happened?
10:28But, honestly, yeah.
10:29Wow.
10:30I looked at that and that could've been stick driving.
10:34Did you not see a swap on the other side?
10:35You want to know your time?
10:37Yeah.
10:38Well, first of all, what is considered a good time at an event?
10:41I don't know.
10:42What did I do?
10:43I don't know.
10:44So, everyone at home knows what Ben did.
10:45Wow.
10:46Ethan, you are seconds behind with a time of 49.9.
10:52Under 50.
10:53It's good.
10:54Under 50.
10:55Yeah, that is good.
10:55It is blistering.
10:56Are you happy you did it?
10:57I'm really happy I did it.
10:59There's a whole series in this, Ben, we're going to do.
11:01No, no, no, no.
11:02Keep raising the bar.
11:03Tom, you need to buy faster cars.
11:04Right, okay.
11:05I don't know if he survived the stress,
11:06but I've got to say,
11:07I'm looking forward to seeing you in the Yeti.
11:09So how many seconds a lap do you think
11:10he's going to be off with the Yeti?
11:11I said at least 10.
11:13Yeah, I'd say, I reckon I'm going to go
11:14for 12 and a half seconds off.
11:16Okay, so you reckon a one minute two?
11:18I reckon one minute five.
11:19I thought if he'd done under a minute,
11:20that'd be amazing.
11:21He won't be under a minute in that car.
11:23You don't reckon so, no?
11:23No.
11:24Well, okay, all right, well,
11:26you guys, off that way.
11:27Right.
11:28I'm going to jump in the Yeti
11:29and we'll see how much work there is to do
11:32on the Yeti build.
11:33Yeah, thanks.
11:34You've got to prove the stick wrong now, haven't you?
11:36I do, yeah.
11:37If I get under a minute, that'd be amazing, yeah.
11:40Come on then, let's give it a go.
11:46Alex, are you ready?
11:47I'm ready, I'm ready.
11:48Right, come on then.
11:49Let's go to Yeti.
11:50Come on.
11:51Three, two, one, go.
11:54Whoa, that was a good start.
11:56That was a very good start.
11:57God, this car really launches nicely.
11:59Doesn't quite launch like the Eight, does it?
12:01So obviously the first lap is not a timed lap,
12:05but I'm going to use it to my advantage
12:07to try and get my eye in a little bit.
12:10I really, really, really like this car.
12:12It's fantastic.
12:14I've got traction control switched off,
12:15the gearbox feels pretty good.
12:17The performance from the engine is very, very strong.
12:20It's actually pretty quick.
12:21I think it's about 180 horsepower currently.
12:23I'm doing 90 miles an hour.
12:26I'm going to straight line this one into third.
12:30The great thing about this car is because it's so high,
12:33I can literally just jump over the curbs,
12:35which Ethan in the project Eight definitely could not.
12:39Foot flat to the floor, as wide as possible.
12:43And then my first lap starts now.
12:51Oh my God, the brake feel is not very good at all.
12:55I lost brakes there for a second,
12:56so that needs to be worked on.
12:58It's quite adorable, isn't it?
12:58You'll start taking chunks out of that back chicane.
13:00You'll start taking risks.
13:02There we go.
13:03He's all over the curbs.
13:04We didn't curb your car.
13:05Come on, foot flat into fourth gear.
13:09Oh no.
13:10Did you get that lap?
13:11F*** me.
13:12Not bad, is it?
13:13No, that's...
13:13It was well.
13:14Yeah, yeah.
13:15Oh no.
13:16So was I.
13:17Change up at 6,000 RPM.
13:18This engine is really, really, really good.
13:20I like it.
13:21Also, there's very little wind noise coming from outside.
13:25Whey!
13:26This is an absolute riot.
13:29Oh yeah, my brakes, I'm losing brakes.
13:32Yeah, you're fine.
13:33There's some sort of smoke coming,
13:34I just saw there as well.
13:36I don't care.
13:37We've got to keep going.
13:38This is the last lap.
13:50Thank you very much and good night.
13:55Right, that is the Yeti's three laps done.
13:58As are your brakes.
14:00Yes, yes.
14:01I think they're very much cooked, yeah.
14:03I'm going to hazard a guess
14:04that this car did a 58 second lap.
14:06Oh yeah, the brakes are knackered.
14:09Well.
14:10Right.
14:11Oh, this back one's going.
14:13You've got a bit of fire going on here, Alex.
14:14Oh yeah, it's quite smoky.
14:15Yeah, yeah, yeah.
14:16Yeah, yeah.
14:18So how do you think you've done?
14:20I don't think I could have pushed this car any harder.
14:23Okay.
14:24Engine feels very good.
14:25Brakes feel not so good.
14:27Gearbox is lovely.
14:28There's very little wind noise as well.
14:30Oh really?
14:31Yeah, yeah.
14:32Also, it's comfy drive as well.
14:32And the great thing about this
14:33versus Ethan and me,
14:35versus Ethan in the Project 8
14:37is that I can literally just drive over every single curve.
14:40Saw that.
14:41Yeah, you did see that, yeah.
14:42So track limits may have been exceeded slightly.
14:44I think I did a 58 second lap, Tom.
14:46Okay.
14:47So, on the positive side,
14:49you did a little bit better than that.
14:50You'll be grateful.
14:51Did I?
14:52Yes, you did.
14:53Really?
14:54But on the negative side,
14:55was you, instead of even getting faster every lap,
14:56you got slower every lap.
14:57Yeah, as the car died.
14:58I think it's because my brakes were getting...
14:59I think, I think, maybe,
15:01maybe you might have a bit of a stretch.
15:02Because I thought my second lap
15:03was going to be the quickest one.
15:05Well, it was actually your first lap.
15:06Oh, was it?
15:07Okay, all right.
15:08So, would you like to know what your time is
15:09for your first lap?
15:10I would love to know.
15:1153.95 seconds.
15:14Very good.
15:15It's very good.
15:16So, you're only four seconds behind.
15:18That's loads.
15:20I'm very, I'm surprised.
15:21I take it all back.
15:22Well driven.
15:23But...
15:24Did better than I thought.
15:25Even though you're closer on lap time,
15:26you've got a mountain to climb with that car.
15:27I do.
15:29And it stinks.
15:30It really, really stinks, doesn't it?
15:31I've got plenty of work to do with this car.
15:33So, I'm going to take it away
15:35and then spend lots of money on it
15:37to try and make it faster than you in that.
15:41And if I do achieve it very early on,
15:43then I'm coming for your time.
15:44Great.
15:45Which we still don't know yet,
15:46but you at home know.
15:47It's going to be fast.
15:49I need to drive this home, actually.
15:50Yeah, yeah.
15:51Yeah, I'd take it steady if I was you.
15:53I will do.
15:54Okay.
15:54Ethan, how do you feel about this whole saga now?
15:57I'm not so great after you've done your lap.
15:59That's closer than I thought it would be.
16:00Yeah.
16:01But...
16:02We could have another go in the project, eh?
16:04I might have to come back.
16:05Should we do some upgrades to that?
16:06We'll do some upgrades.
16:07We'll get another hundred ponies out of you.
16:11Yeah, yeah, yeah.
16:11We'll split it like so.
16:13You can go as fast as you need to.
16:14Yeah, yeah, yeah.
16:16Well, it sounds like you exceeded track limits, so...
16:18Right.
16:19I'm going to hold on to that for a bit.
16:21Okay, okay.
16:22All right, okay.
16:23Right, I'm going to...
16:24I'm going to f*** off home.
16:25Well done, boys.
16:26All right, well done.
16:27Cheers.
16:29So then there is clearly a lot of work
16:30to transform this Skoda Yeti
16:32from a hum-drum daily driver into a track weapon,
16:35which is why I'm joined by Gareth.
16:37How you doing?
16:38Morning.
16:39Yeah, I'm not bad.
16:40Good, good.
16:41What do you think of the Skoda, first and foremost?
16:42I think this has got a lot of potential.
16:43Four-wheel drive, I like it, so that's a start.
16:45It's got a great engine in it, with a turbo.
16:48It does, yeah.
16:49And we've got loads of goodies to upgrade this.
16:52We do, but before we do any of that,
16:53we are going to strip out the Porsche.
16:56We are going to strip out the poor Yeti.
16:59I have a feeling we're going to get, I don't know,
17:00250, 300 kilos out of this thing.
17:03Yeah, there's a lot of weight in it.
17:04Yeah, and to measure that,
17:05we have got some corner weights,
17:07which are in that box there
17:08from a fantastic company called Evolution Auto Works.
17:11So thank you very much to Adam for providing that.
17:14They'll be with you tomorrow morning.
17:17And yeah, we're just going to see how fast we can make this
17:20with a very, very limited budget of 1,500 pounds,
17:23is what we're going to be spending.
17:25Ripping out is obviously free.
17:26And then we've got some brake pads
17:29and some tyres and some wheels.
17:31But we love stripping, don't we?
17:32We love it.
17:33Good music, good lighting, and we're away to go.
17:36Before that though,
17:37the first thing we needed to know was the Yeti's weight.
17:40So we chucked it on the corner weights to find out.
17:44So we have our reading now of just over 1.5 tonnes,
17:48and we're now going to strip the entire car,
17:51make it into a track car.
17:51To strip the entire car,
17:52we're going to use our new Neo tools.
17:55We are now partnered up with this company.
17:58And as you can see,
18:00they do a whole assortment of really cool stuff.
18:03We've got their big chest over there.
18:07They've literally got everything for any workshop.
18:10Spare tyre.
18:11How much do we think that weighs?
18:12I actually have my home scales, 17.10 kilos.
18:17With the loose stuff out first,
18:18it was now time to unbolt the heavy leather seats.
18:21And as the numbers on the scale plummeted,
18:23the disgusting carpet was next on the list.
18:28You just shot it all over my face.
18:30I'm sorry, I did it to myself as well.
18:32Oh, instantly cleaned.
18:34Instantly cleaned.
18:36Sorry.
18:37Oh, that's so rough.
18:38Look inside.
18:39It already looks like race car.
18:41It does.
18:42Look at all these anchor points.
18:43I know.
18:45Mummy!
18:46Even a giant kid can't wreck it.
18:47Mummy, I hate you!
18:52Well, that was easier than the last one.
18:56Yeah.
18:57Jesus Christ, man.
18:58Poor car.
19:06Bye-bye.
19:11I've got past the stage of guilt.
19:13Good.
19:14And now it's just,
19:15this is quite fun tearing this poor thing apart.
19:21Ah!
19:23Everything is so strong in this machine.
19:29Look at the thickness.
19:30Right, go in.
19:32Go in.
19:33One, two.
19:36Go on, girl!
19:37Yeah!
19:38Woo!
19:40Oh, God.
19:41If anyone would like a Scode Yeti armrest,
19:44pick me up in the dorms.
19:47Ow.
19:52With the pile of Yeti getting ever bigger,
19:54we focused on the dashboard and controls,
19:56at which point we had a visitor.
19:58It's Ethan, everybody.
20:01Ethan, come assist what we've done.
20:03You're not going to,
20:04everything you do won't be my time,
20:05so just give up.
20:06I've got four seconds to make up.
20:08What have you done?
20:09Oh, also, you don't know yet,
20:11but everyone at home knows.
20:13Okay.
20:13Your time was 49.9.
20:15Yeah.
20:16Do you want to have a guess what Ben's time was?
20:1847.9.
20:1947.9.
20:19What's your guess what Ben's time was?
20:2146.8.
20:22It was 46.
20:24Was it?
20:24Yeah.
20:25That's quite a lot faster.
20:26Yeah, but you thought 46.8.
20:27You think Ben's quite shit.
20:29That's really harsh.
20:30No.
20:31Sorry, Ben.
20:32I respect you as a racing driver,
20:33but he does not.
20:35Do not touch my sandwich.
20:37What do you think of our handiwork?
20:39Yeah.
20:39It's good, isn't it?
20:41So, I have got four seconds to make up,
20:44and I plan, or hope to do it in all of this episode,
20:48because this is still episode one.
20:50You don't give the game away straight away.
20:52Yeah, then I want to go for Ben.
20:53I don't, it's not, I don't think,
20:55I can make up maybe two and a half seconds as it is.
20:57So, Ethan, before we go to the track,
20:59predictions of the time.
21:02So, you were 50.
21:03I think 53.8 or something, 53.9.
21:06I'm going to go 51.5.
21:0951.5.
21:11And then I'll have 1.5 seconds to make up.
21:15Yeah.
21:15I think I'm going to say 51.
21:17I don't think I'm going to beat your time,
21:19because you are just such a,
21:21just an amazing driver.
21:22Thanks.
21:23Yeah.
21:24I thought so too.
21:25Yeah, you did, yeah.
21:26Yeah.
21:27You really brought me back down to earth.
21:27I was buzzing with my time,
21:28and then you did yours,
21:29and I was like, well, mine was.
21:30All right, piss off.
21:32Piss off.
21:33We've got work to do.
21:34All right, thank you.
21:35Thanks, Ethan.
21:36Thanks.
21:37Yeah, you do whatever you want.
21:38You can do whatever you want.
21:38You break it, you buy it.
21:39Oh, you've broken it.
21:41Bye.
21:47No, it's not three kilos.
21:52Is it?
21:53It's three kilos.
21:54I wouldn't be surprised if it was three kilos.
21:56Jesus Christ, man.
21:57That's, yeah, I'm happy with that.
21:59We are really increasing the power to weight ratio.
22:02Woo!
22:03I just realized
22:06that I shouldn't break the windscreen.
22:10Yes.
22:10That would be really bad.
22:12Another side curtain airbag.
22:14Another side curtain airbag.
22:17Done with.
22:19Oh, oh, oh.
22:22Oi!
22:23Whoa.
22:25Yeah.
22:31It's feeding stuff.
22:36I was going to sell that.
22:38I mean, it's still, it's what it's worth to someone.
22:42Mm.
22:43Please buy it.
22:44With the car now as stripped as we could get it
22:46within our time constraints,
22:48the next job was to fit the race spec brake pads
22:50and the new wheel and tire combination.
22:52Okay, right.
22:53So the Yeti is now completely stripped,
22:55like completely stripped, vacuumed out.
22:57Even the engine cover is off.
22:58The leather seat is back in, obviously,
23:01because we need that to drive.
23:02Just had a look on the scales here.
23:05The car now weighs in at 1,271 kilos.
23:10So we have stripped out very nearly 250 kilos,
23:14which is three large men.
23:16I mean, that is impressive.
23:17But when you see the pile of junk behind you,
23:19you think, yeah, that is it.
23:21Yeah.
23:22The back box has also come off,
23:22which is like 20 something kilos.
23:24So yeah, we are leaving no stone unturned.
23:27I'm currently looking at a speedometer
23:29that is cable tied in place.
23:30It's very ghetto, but it's very, very race car.
23:33The one thing that we haven't done though
23:34is tested that the car actually starts
23:36because we have pulled out, cut,
23:39and stripped hundreds of wires.
23:41Yeah, I'm a little bit worried.
23:42So this is probably the riskiest part of the day.
23:44Yeah.
23:45Should we plug it in?
23:46Yeah, probably will sound quite different
23:47because the silencer is off.
23:49And there's no NVH anywhere.
23:51Oh, shit.
23:52Oh, man.
23:53Oh, no, the indicator's on.
23:54Right, here we go.
23:55It's like a Christmas tree.
23:56Three, two, one, please start.
23:57Go.
24:00Whoa!
24:02Thank goodness we didn't cut through anything.
24:04Yes.
24:04Important.
24:05So now we've got an airbag light on
24:07and a power steering light and the light lights
24:09and just everything.
24:10How do we get this?
24:11Give it a little rev.
24:15That sounds a bit better, doesn't it?
24:17We know the car starts.
24:19It's very, very stripped.
24:20We need to now change the brake pads
24:22and then put the new wheels and tires on.
24:24I will show you very, very shortly.
24:25But first, should we get it in the air
24:27and then change the brakes?
24:27Yeah, let's hit it.
24:28Come on then.
24:29Well done, Skoda.
24:36Okay, so it's now approaching the end of build day one
24:39for the mighty Skoda Yeti.
24:40The front brake pads are now in.
24:43We've got some racing fluid also from EBC.
24:46The rear pads we're having a bit of trouble with,
24:47so we've resorted back to the standard pads
24:50because we don't have a caliper rewind tool
24:53to actually get enough space to put the pads in.
24:55So we're going to leave the standard ones in there for now.
24:57They are new as well, so they're not too bad.
24:59The next thing on the list
25:00and the final thing on the list
25:01before this car goes on sale,
25:03the next thing on the list
25:04and the final thing on the list
25:05before this car goes back on track
25:06and we see how close we can actually get
25:09to Ethan's time in the Project 8
25:11is to swap out these Mankey wheels and tires.
25:15Now, they're probably quite heavy.
25:17The tires are obviously just road bias tires.
25:19They're not good for track,
25:20which is why, Gareth, if you bring in our new
25:23wheel and tire track race wheel and tire combination.
25:28So these are JX2 wheels.
25:32You can get them exclusively at LK Performance.
25:35They are, for these wheels,
25:36they're 18-inch wheels by 8J,
25:38532 pounds for the entire set.
25:41They might not be to everyone's persuasion.
25:44However, they are very light.
25:45They're only nine kilograms.
25:46So I could have got a slightly, slightly,
25:48slightly lighter wheel.
25:49However, you'd be paying near enough a grand
25:52for 0.2 of a kilo, 0.3 of a kilo per corner.
25:55So it doesn't make sense, especially with a budget build.
25:57Wrapped around those wheels
25:59are these Armstrong blue track race tires.
26:03As you can see, very, very aggressive track tire.
26:06The last thing we're going to do is weigh them.
26:08Let's have a little weighing session.
26:10So the standard wheel is,
26:15and genuinely, I have no idea how much these weigh.
26:18So standard wheel and tire, 21.85 kilos.
26:21And let's hope that these are actually lighter.
26:2421, okay, so they're a kilo lighter.
26:29They have more tread and they are also a wider tire.
26:31So all in all, I'm going to say four or five kilos
26:35in unsprung mass, I think that's what they call it.
26:38And have a tire that is very aggressive
26:40set up for the track.
26:41So let's slam them on and yeah,
26:44have a look at the Yeti's final transformation
26:46before the track.
26:47And last but not least, let's take the old air filter out
26:54and we will run on track with no air filter.
26:57We don't need that.
26:59Power.
27:10Okay, so the Skoda Yeti is now completely stripped.
27:13We've got the new wheel and tire combination on there,
27:15new pads, new race fluid as well, brake fluid.
27:19The only thing left to do is to hit the track
27:21and find out if all of our hard work has been worth it.
27:29Let me just quickly switch off traction control
27:31on my button.
27:33No way.
27:35No, is that it?
27:37What?
27:37I'm ready to go, come on, how are we feeling?
27:39I'm great.
27:40You look nervous.
27:41He is nervous.
27:42Right, are you ready?
27:43I am ready.
27:44Oh, I am so excited.
27:46Come on little Yeti.
27:48Three, two, one, go.
27:52Wow, oh my God.
27:54That is a lot of power.
27:56Wow, oh my God.
27:58That launch is so much better than it did before.
28:01Oh, it's quite smelly.
28:03It is quite a smelly car, isn't it?
28:05Oh, those Yetis are smelly.
28:07Remember, we've got the EBC race pads in the front only,
28:11250 fewer kilos.
28:14We've got Armstrong tires and JX2 wheels
28:18that are nine kilos a corner.
28:21Let's see what that all adds up to.
28:23And as you can see from this split screen,
28:25that adds up to tighter cornering,
28:27better entry and exit speeds,
28:29and far less body roll over the chicane,
28:31which again means I'm able to turn the Yeti in more sharply.
28:35The grip from the tires is also phenomenal,
28:37so the Armstrongs are a set I'd definitely recommend.
28:42Well, it's quite a lot of pressure.
28:44On who, you?
28:45Yeah, to do the timing.
28:47Not him in the car.
28:48No, no, don't worry about that.
28:49This is quite technical, this section.
28:52Let's launch it.
28:53Keep it in second around here.
28:56And then boot it.
28:57I am definitely using all of the track limits.
29:00Again, track limits.
29:02Ha, ha, ha.
29:03This is so fast.
29:07Approaching 100 miles an hour.
29:08Wow.
29:11Whoa, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, fighter.
29:15Oh, he's coming.
29:16All right, baby, get up.
29:17Are you stepping back?
29:18You're making me nervous.
29:20Which one is it?
29:21Which one is it?
29:22Number two.
29:24Wow.
29:25No comment.
29:26No comment.
29:27Whoa.
29:29Jesus Christ.
29:31Oh, Jesus.
29:33Okay, yeah, that was a little bit too wild.
29:37I need to neaten that up for the next one.
29:38One more lap.
29:41Oh, wow, wow, wow.
29:43I'm seeing a pattern emerge here.
29:44Ha, ha, ha.
29:54This is it.
29:56This is it.
30:01Oh, mighty little Yeti.
30:05This is such a good little car.
30:08I'm really impressed with this.
30:09With more power, beefier brakes, lower suspension.
30:15Oh.
30:18Hello.
30:18Hello.
30:19Well, well, well.
30:20What does it look like from the outside?
30:22Escoda Yeti on track.
30:23I said graceful.
30:24Graceful?
30:26That's just nice.
30:26Conduiring.
30:28That's French for driving.
30:29Is it?
30:30Oh, yes, lovely.
30:31It's definitely better than last time, it looks.
30:33Yeah, yeah, yeah.
30:34It does still look out of place.
30:35Okay, good.
30:36Well, that's the whole point of this.
30:36Yeah, of course.
30:37Did you have fun?
30:38I had a lot of fun, and so did the Yeti.
30:40We had a lot of fun together.
30:41Yeah?
30:42Did you have fun?
30:43It was a time.
30:45Speaking of time, I would care to know.
30:48My first time was 53.95.
30:5053.95.
30:52You had a 49.9 to beat.
30:54Okay.
30:55A very, very good time.
30:56That's a very good time.
30:57Very good time.
30:58Very respectable for someone who's never done
30:59any track driving in one of the world's fastest cars,
31:02which is you.
31:03Yeah.
31:05I would hope that this car is in the 51s now.
31:08Okay.
31:13It is in the 51s.
31:14Is it really?
31:15It is, it is.
31:16Yes.
31:16Your quickest time, 51.19.
31:2051.19.
31:22That's your 1.3 off.
31:26So if you've got a Skoda Yeti, strip it out,
31:28put race pads in, race tires, and light wheels.
31:31I'm still in the game, though.
31:34Fair play.
31:36Were you nervous?
31:37Little bit, yeah.
31:38When the first lap came in, I was like, uh-oh.
31:40Yeah, fantastic.
31:42Okay, lovely.
31:43Well, looks like we've got more work to do.
31:46And in the next episode,
31:47that's exactly what we're going to do.
31:49With a racier new exhaust, engine tune,
31:51and a few other track bits,
31:52which will hopefully see Project Yeti
31:54undercut Ethan's time in the mighty Project 8.
31:57In the meantime, check out Ben's channel
31:59for epic track battles,
32:00Ethan and Jack's channel for budget adventures,
32:03and if you've got a broken Jaguar or Land Rover,
32:05then Tom Lenthal is your man.