Top Gear criticised for damage to cars
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Demolition derby... Top Gear Australia co-host Steve Pizzati, who was involved in a number of the expensive stunts on the show.
Filming of the Australian series has turned into a demolition derby with a repair bill close to $200,000.
Eager driving and wild stunts have left a trail of destruction behind the Top Gear team that goes beyond the expected bill for bald tyres from slides and burnouts.
Luxury cars have needed total resprays because of flying stones, and lesser brands have reported damage from silly stunts created for the SBS TV series, which is unofficially confirmed for a second series in Australia in 2009.
Some of the most expensive repair bills involved a Lamborghini, which is believed to have sustained about $25,000 damage during filming.
And a group of Holden Astras needed $30,000 to restore them after they were used in a game of "lawn bowls". (See video below)
We have no appetite for automotive Jackass," the spokesman for one of the damaged brands said.
"When they revisit series two, they will encounter a lot of shut doors," said another.
The damage bill for Top Gear goes way beyond anything seen in any form of Australian motoring journalism.
"All we will say is that it turned out to be a very expensive test drive," said Holden spokeswoman Kate Lonsdale of the Astra bowls stunt segment.
The show's producers failed to return the Herald Sun's phone calls, but a later response has been received from one of the show's three presenters, Warren Brown.
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