A car catching fire on Top Gear isn’t a new occurrence. A few years ago, a Zenvo ST1 burst into flames during filming. That prompted a bitter back-and-forth between presented Jeremy Clarkson and Zenvo. Fast forward to this year and it’s deja vu all over again for the hit motoring show. This time, the unwitting victim is a pre-production Renault Alpine A110 that was being driven by Chris Harris and Eddie Jordan.
“According reports, Harris and Jordan were racing on a closed section of the Monte Carlo Rally’s SS17 stage when the Alpine A110 caught fire”
We can make jokes all we want, but this is a serious situation that fortunately ended without anybody getting hurt. According reports, Harris and Jordan were racing on a closed section of the Monte Carlo Rally’s SS17 stage when the Alpine A110 caught fire. “I first realized I needed to get out when I opened the door, and the flames went up my arm,” Harris said about the incident. “Sadly, the car was lost, and it always makes me sad to see a beautiful car destroyed.”
No reason has been given on why the new French sports car caught fire, but expect Renault to come out with a statement sooner than later. In the meantime, the automaker has stopped all driving activities for pre-production cars until it concludes a full investigation of the incident.
While it’s disappointing to see the A110 in a blaze, it’s good to know that Harris and Jordan were unscathed after the incident. It did bring an unceremonious end to what was a thrilling experience for both drivers, particularly Jordan, who admitted that doing a stage of the Monte Carlo Rally was a “dream come true.”
“The car was stunning – so light on its toes,” Jordan added. “It was dancing around the mountain, and Chris was driving it beautifully. It’s such a shame we didn’t finish the test, but these things happen.”
It’s going to be interesting how Renault responds to this incident. It’s not the kind of publicity the Alpine A110 needs at this point, but as Jordan pointed out, these things do tend to happen.