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'Top Gear' episode 4 recap | A road trip through Borneo

Episode four of "Top Gear" season 27 is officially in the books, and if you like Freddie and Paddy, you probably enjoyed this one. The two went on a hell of an adventure through Borneo, but didn’t bring Chris Harris along for the ride. Maybe we were just getting accustomed to the three of them hanging out together, but the trip felt like it was missing something without Chris. Regardless, the feature film of this episode revolved around Freddie and Paddy driving the cheapest, rarest cars they could find. They bought them in Europe, then drove all throughout the island of Borneo, eventually reaching Brunei. Freddie got himself an Austin Allegro Estate, while Paddy made do with a Matra Bagheera S. If you had to look those cars up, we donÂ’t blame you. TheyÂ’re both rather obscure models, so itÂ’s safe to say they hit their mark on the rare requirement. Back at home base in England, Chris says he was reviewing a Rolls-Royce Cullinan. Funnily enough, Rolls wouldnÂ’t loan a Cullinan to "Top Gear" to test, so they had to go out and borrow one for the review. After listening to ChrisÂ’ thoughts on the SUV, it starts to become clear why Rolls may not have wanted the exposure. We wonÂ’t give it all away, but letÂ’s just say that the ultra-luxury ute didnÂ’t receive the most glowing of reviews. Bob Mortimer was the celebrity guest, so there were plenty of laughs to be had in his segment. He wasnÂ’t exactly fast in any of the car challenges, but the entertainment factor was certainly present with him cracking jokes. Even though the Borneo trip wasnÂ’t exactly the same without Chris, the other two managed quite well on their own. Freddie ate a live bug, and the mid-engine Matra made it to the end against all odds. Perhaps itÂ’s a testament to the companyÂ’s history of weathering tough conditions — Matra did win Le Mans three times throughout its history after all. At the very end of the episode, the boys made an admirable gesture by speaking out against the Sultan of BruneiÂ’s horrific laws against homosexual relations. They said that the filming for the episode occurred before the Sultan announced the new laws, and if "Top Gear" had known these rules would be enacted beforehand, they wouldnÂ’t have featured Borneo in their film. In response, Freddie and Paddy modified their Borneo rides with an epic paint job as a form of protesting the anti-gay laws. Good on ya, "Top Gear." Featured Gallery Top Gear episode 4 photos TV/Movies Rolls-Royce Top Gear

2014 Rolls-Royce Wraith is everything you need, everything you don't [w/videos]

It's not often that we get to talk about a new Rolls-Royce, what with the fact that the company's current model line is basically made up of two vehicles. But that all changes here at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, with the introduction of what might be the most emotional Roller of modern times, the Wraith.
The new two-door Rolls is effectively a Ghost coupe, and it stands to reason that this is Royce's answer to the Bentley Continental GT, albeit at a higher price point. Much higher, actually - the 245,000-euro - $320k USD - price of entry for the Wraith is about $100,000 more than a Continental GT Speed coupe. Woof. And to our eyes, all that extra money isn't buying you much in the looks department, as the collective opinion of the Autoblog editors on-site in Geneva is that it's more imposing than elegant.
But the Wraith will no doubt be a special, exclusive, impressive machine for anyone who plunks down that sort of cash. For starters, it's powered by a V12 that puts out an impressive 624 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque mated to an eight-speed ZF "Satellite Aided" transmission. This nifty cog-swapper actually works with GPS to not only pre-select the right gear for the portion of road you're on, but for the next portion of you'll be driving on, as well. That, friends, is cool.

Rolls-Royce announces one Ghost of a recall

Recalls come in all sizes, some numbering in the hundreds and some in the millions. Given the small volume that Rolls-Royce sells, we wouldn't expect a recall of any of its vehicles to be all that large in scope. But this one is as small as it gets. In the latest campaign announced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the BMW Group (owner of Rolls) is calling in one – yes, just one – example of the Rolls-Royce Ghost. It's a 2015 model manufactured on Jan. 23, 2014, and includes some potentially problematic airbags. According to the statement below, the thorax airbags in both the front seats may not be up to code, and therefor do not protect the occupants as they're supposed to. As a result, the automaker is prompting the local dealer to replace the relevant modules on both the driver's and passenger's side. Given that it's just one vehicle, and that the 'effort' already began a couple of weeks ago, we wouldn't expect this one to drag on for very long. RECALL Subject : Side Impact Crash Worthiness/FMVSS 214 Report Receipt Date: OCT 23, 2015 NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V695000 Component(s): AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected: 1 Manufacturer: BMW of North America, LLC SUMMARY: BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling one model year 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost manufactured on January 23, 2014. The affected vehicle has thorax air bags fitted to both front seats that may fail to meet the side impact performance requirements for the front seat occupants. As such, this vehicle may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 214, "Side Impact Protection." CONSEQUENCE: In the event of a vehicle crash necessitating air bag deployment, this may increase the risk of injury to the front seat passengers. REMEDY: A Rolls-Royce dealer will replace the driver-side and passenger-side thorax air bag modules, free of charge. The recall began October 22, 2015. Owners may contact Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. NOTES: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Rolls-Royce Ghost Series II: First Drive View 43 Photos News Source: National Highway Traffic Safety AdministrationImage Credit: Copyright 2015 AOL Recalls Rolls-Royce Luxury Sedan rolls-royce ghost