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Here's What Happened To Jeremy Clarkson's Bentley From The Grand Tour Madagascar Special

Once slated for destruction, Bentley and Jeremy Clarkson had other plans for the beloved Continental.

If you're a fan of  The Grand Tour , you've probably seen the Madagascar special . That saw Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond travel across Madagascar to find hidden pirate treasure. And they all bought their own vehicles to get them through the challenge. Clarkson bought a Bentley Continental  from 2014, which he turned into the MFB Continental. But, what happened to the car after it was finished in Madagascar? Was it scrapped? Thankfully, the answer is no.

What Happened To The Bentley MFB After Madagascar?

YouTube channel Grand Tour Nation was able to provide an update on the car and what's happened to it since Madagascar. The Grand Tour partnered with Bentley to modify the car to off-road usage, which was originally a press car. Bentley Motors' Head of Product Communications, Mike Sayer, said the work was very collaborative, and they helped finish the work off at Bentley to make sure that it all worked okay. Clarkson brought it back to the UK after falling in love with it.

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Clarkson's Madagascar Ride On The Road To Ruin

But, things got a bit messy as DVLA, which is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, said it had to be destroyed as it had started out as a development mule. This rule is in place so that designs like this never seep into the production market. So, it looked like it was all over for the rather crazy off-road Bentley just as it arrived on British soil. Clarkson gave it back to the company, after using it on his farm for a period.

Clarkson's Bentley MFB Gets New Lease On Life

Yet thankfully, the car was instead placed on display at Bentley HQ in Crewe (Cheshire, England). Mike Sayer was so impressed by the car and how much punishment it could soak up when it was running through the horrible and tough roads and terrain of Madagascar. It is now displayed within the Bentley factory limits in a glass box that is just viewable from outside the factory on Pyms Lane, a road that goes past the factory. This means that the car has been saved from scrapping, thanks to Bentley being so unbelievably proud of the car that they helped build for the Amazon show.

Sources: YouTube, Twitter

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The Grand Tour’s Jeremy Clarkson reveals custom Bentley has been SCRAPPED after shipping car to UK majorly backfired

• Published : 9:28, 24 Dec 2020
• Updated : 9:51, 24 Dec 2020

JEREMY Clarkson has been forced to bid farewell to his beloved custom Bentley.

The luxe vehicle, which was kitted out with heavy duty enhancements to tackle Madagascar's roughest roads, was driven by Clarkson in the latest special Grand Tour episode A Massive Hunt .

The trio each chose different motors to navigate the tropical landscapes and Clarkson admitted that the process saw him bond with his green powerhouse of a car.

In fact, he enjoyed driving it so much that he decided to have it shipped back to his home in the UK to keep.

Unfortunately it wasn't meant to be - as he was subsequently told he had to scrap the Bentley because of its custom build.

"I fell so deeply in love with that car that I decided I’d bring it back to the farm,” Jeremy explained.

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“It took a while but, eventually, the Bentley arrived back in Britain, and I was very happy.

"But then came word from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency - the Bentley had started in life as a development mule and the rules say these must be destroyed to ensure they don’t ever seep onto the market."

The news will no doubt leave motoring enthusiasts cringing given the staggering value of Bentleys, which costs hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Clarkson's comments come after he revealed the staggeringly low amount of money he made when Top Gear launched on the BBC .

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He claimed that the show was at "the bottom of the BBC ladder" and he raked in a meagre sum annually as a host.

He told the Andy Jaye Podcast: "For the first five years I was on Top Gear the most I earned was £180 in a year.

“People say BBC people are overpaid – we weren’t then.

“We got paid nothing, that’s for sure. While crews and producers would fly to locations I’d be expected to drive the car to the likes of Europe, we were seen very much as the bottom rung of the ladder, the worst paid on the set and so on.

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“But it put us in front of seven million people a week which does put you on the radar.”

By the end of his stint at the Beeb Clarkson is estimated to have been paid £1million a series.

He and co-hosts Richard Hammond , 51, and James May , 57, were snapped up by Amazon for The Grand Tour in a deal thought to be worth around £160million in 2015.

The Grand Tour is available to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime.

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CELEBRATING THE DEFINITIVE GRAND TOURER 20 YEARS OF THE CONTINENTAL GT

• Bentley starts celebration of the Continental GT’s 20th birthday
• Anniversary marked at Shanghai Auto Show with unveiling of one-of-one commemorative Continental GT S, with unique features
• Birthday festivities continue into the summer, with Heritage Collection driving opportunities and a global relay of an anniversary baton
• 20 years of W12 power to be celebrated at Goodwood Festival of Speed
• Celebrations to culminate in a unique GT Speed for Monterey Car Week
• First-generation Continental GT launched in 2003, as first all-new Bentley of the VW Group, creating a new market sector
• Constant evolution through three generations to present day
• Recent awards include Robb Report Car of the Year 2022 and 2023 and Auto Motor und Sport Best Luxury Import 2022 and 2023
• Bentley releases summary film showing evolution of the Continental GT

(Crewe, 18 April 2023) To celebrate 20 years of the Continental GT, Bentley Motors is hosting a four-month programme of unique models, drives and events that kicks-off today at the Shanghai Auto Show with the debut of a one-of-one Continental GT S. This unique car showcases several bespoke Mulliner features, including commemorative badging, inlays and design motifs marking 20 years of the car that has defined the modern era of Bentley Motors. The exterior of the special GT S for Shanghai is the strikingly sinister Magnetic dark grey metallic, complemented by black chrome and black 22” 10-spoke sports wheels but with a splash of colour provided by red brake calipers. The black-and-red theme is carried into the interior, with duo-tone finish in Beluga and Hotspur leather with Piano Black.  A bespoke interior features a unique Mulliner colour way, dual-finish fascias and waistrails and bespoke detailing to centre console and treadplates.  The upper fascia veneer is in Granite Stone, giving a unique tactile finish, while the lower veneer is in Grand Black and features a laser-etched overlay celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the Continental GT. A red pinstripe separates the two finishes, stretching across the fascia from door to door and passing across the upper vanes of the bullseye air vents. The treadplates proudly display two silhouettes, one of the 1st generation Continental GT and second of the 3rd generation, representing the 20 years of the modern GT. The same design can be found on the centre console, whilst the LED welcome lamp in the door has a unique design celebrating the anniversary of the iconic grand tourer. Celebrating 20 years of the quintessential grand tourer Launched in 2003 as the first all-new Bentley of the modern era, the first with all-wheel drive and the first to feature the innovative W12 engine, the Continental GT helped to propel Bentley to its current status as the most sought-after luxury car brand in the world.  At the time of its launch in 2003, the Continental GT offered a unique combination of stunning design, supercar performance and unrivalled craftsmanship. It was hailed as the fastest genuine four seat coupé in the world with a top speed in excess of 190 mph (300 km/h), and a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds (0-100 km/h in 4.8 seconds). With no comparable rivals at its price point, the Continental GT swiftly became a global sensation, defining a new market sector.  Now in its third generation, the Continental GT and its stablemate the Continental GTC continue to garner awards and accolades. In 2022 the Continental GT Speed won the respected Robb Report Car of the Year award; remarkably, the Continental GT V8 S succeeds it as Car of the Year winner for 2023. The Continental GT also achieved back-to-back wins at the Auto Motor und Sport awards in February 2023, winning the luxury class import category for the second year in a row in a poll of more than 101,000 readers.  Continental Drive Hubs Two drive hubs will celebrate 20 years of the Continental GT, one at Bentley’s headquarters in Crewe and the other in Geneva, Switzerland. First- and second-generation Continental GT models from the Bentley Heritage Collection will be available to drive alongside the latest Continental GT family, vividly bringing to life 20 years of constant design and engineering evolution.  Around the world in 20 reviews A Bentley ‘baton’, designed and created in house, will begin its global journey in May, travelling in a variety of Continental GT models across Europe, the Middle East, China, Asia Pacific and the US before returning to Crewe. At journey’s end back in Crewe, the baton, now containing 20 mementoes of the tour, will become a time capsule as a permanent reminder of a unique journey.  A Double Anniversary The Continental GT’s birthday also marks 20 years of Bentley’s mighty 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine, that has physically and metaphorically powered Bentley to success over two decades. With the end of production of the engine now scheduled for April 2024, only 12 months of W12 assembly remains before this iconic powertrain makes way for Bentley’s electric future. This milestone will be celebrated at the Goodwood Festival of Speed (13-16 July), where Bentley will be celebrating the W12 with a moving showcase of W12-powered cars from the last 20 years, up to and including the new Bentley Batur by Mulliner. Homage to the Original at Monterey Car Week The first Continental GT to leave the production line at Crewe in 2003, VIN number 20001, was finished in Cypress Green with an interior in Saddle hide and Burr Walnut. From that day to this, it has remained in the company’s possession as a significant milestone in the Heritage Collection’s garage. At this year’s Monterey Car Week (August 11-18) Bentley will reveal a final one-of-one Continental GT – inspired by VIN 20001 - to close the birthday celebrations.  - ENDS –

Press release - 18042023 - 20th Anniversary of Continental GT.pdf

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2021 (Full Year) Global: Bentley Worldwide Sales by Country and Models

In 2021, Bentley Motors global sales increased by 31% to 14,569 cars delivered worldwide with the Bentayga the top-selling model, and the Americas and China the most important markets.

Bentley Motors announced total worldwide sales of 14,659 in 2021, an increase of 31 percent over the previous record year (11,206 global deliveries in 2020). Sales were driven by new model introductions, a fresh product portfolio, and increasing demand for Bentley’s new hybridized models, introduced under Bentley’s Beyond100 strategic path to full electrification by 2030. The Americas was the most important region while sales grew the fastest in China.

Best-Selling Bentley Models Worldwide in 2021

The Bentayga remained Bentley’s number one model selling more in its fifth year of sales than ever before, establishing itself as arguably the most successful luxury SUV in the world. Furthermore, a full year of Flying Spur sales around the world and the introduction of the Continental GT Speed, among 11 new derivatives launched, added to this success.

In addition to Bentayga’s 40 percent share, Bentley’s definitive luxury grand tourer, the Continental GT added 33 percent of total sales, split between 60 percent coupe and 40 percent convertible. The Flying Spur’s 27 percent of total sales are expected to grow even further in 2022 when a hybrid version will reach the market.

Commenting on the global sales results, Adrian Hallmark, Chairman and CEO of Bentley Motors, said: “2021 was yet another year of unpredictability though I am delighted to be able to confirm that we overcame significant headwinds, and deliver a breakthrough in our sales performance. This is our second record sales year in successive years and is a positive sign of our brand strength, operational excellence, strong global demand, and affirmation of our strategic priorities.

“The reaction to the market introduction of the Bentayga Hybrid and anticipation for Flying Spur Hybrid demonstrate the path the luxury sector is heading, and we are positioned firmly at the forefront. These numbers are validation that we not only lead the sector in sales and market share but also investment in electric technologies and commitment to being the first fully electrified and zero-carbon luxury car company in the world.” 

Bentley Global Sales by Country or Region in 2021

In 2021, Bentley Motors worldwide sales were as follow in various major country and regional markets:

In 2021, Bentley delivered 4,212 cars in the Americas, an increase of 39 percent on the corresponding figure for 2020, 3,035. Placing the region as Bentley’s number one market, this strong performance was boosted by the introduction of the Continental GT Speed and a full year of sales of the Flying Spur.

The Americas maintained its position as the biggest selling global market, selling more than ever before. China almost matched this performance for the first time in a decade. Combined, the Americas and China contributed more than half (56 percent) of Bentley’s total global sales.

Bentley’s biggest growth for the second consecutive year was reserved for China, posting a sales increase of 40 percent, 4,033 cars, against 2,880, as the traditional four-door market maintained strong sales of Flying Spur and Bentayga.

Europe closed the year with the delivery of 2,520 cars, against a figure of 2,193 in 2020, a 15 percent increase driven by evenly split sales across model lines.

Bentley’s home market in the UK continued its consistently strong performance, recording sales of 1,328 cars. This represented an increase of 14 percent over the previous year. Bentley delivered 915 cars to the Middle East in 2021, against a total of 735 the previous year.

Finally, the Asia Pacific region posted an increase of 37 percent and a record performance, delivering 1,651 cars, against 1,203 sold in 2021.

Global Worldwide Car Sales by Brand in 2021 (Full Year)

Global worldwide sales by brand in 2021:

• Daihatsu (see Toyota)
• Gordon Murray Automotive
• Lamborghini
• Lexus (see Toyota)
• Mercedes-Benz
• Rolls-Royce
• Toyota (including Lexus)
• Volkswagen (VW Brand)
• Volkswagen Group
• Volkswagen Group (Battery-Electric Cars)

“Sales” as reported by the various brands generally refer to deliveries and not necessarily sales to the customer or final registration. Terms and definitions may vary.

About Bentley Motors

Bentley Motors claims to be the most sought-after luxury car brand in the world. The company’s headquarters in Crewe is home to all of its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production of the company’s three model lines, Continental, Bentayga and Flying Spur. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury car brands such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley employs around 4,000 people at Crewe. Bently is part of the Volkswagen Group.

Bentley ended the year with 240 retailers in 67 countries.

About the author:

Henk Bekker

Henk Bekker is a freelance writer with over 20 years of experience in online writing. His best-selling cars website has been reporting car sales statistics since 2008 with classic car auction prices focusing on the most expensive automobiles sold at public auctions in the past decade. He also owns the travel websites European-Traveler.com and Lake Geneva Switzerland . Henk holds an MBA from Edinburgh Business School and an MSc in Finance from the University of London.

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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Insane Off-Road Chevrolet Corvette Shows Jeremy Clarkson’s Bentley MFB Who’s Boss

A Chevrolet Corvette C4 has gone up for sale in Canada which doesn’t sound like a very newsworthy piece of information, until you see what the current owners have done to it.

The owners have ignored everything that gravitates most people towards the sports car such as the handling and the 0-62 mph time below three seconds. Instead, they have turned into an off-roading beast.

The C4, which is on sale for $5,500, has been given some aftermarket modifications, some being more obvious than others. The first thing everyone will notice is the body has been elevated by the off-road chassis and 35″ tyres. Once you get over the initial shock of that, you will notice the Corvette has also been given a new rear wing and angular side skirts.

According to the listing, the chassis is from a 1990 Ford Bronco . This is how the description of the sale from Kijiji describes the car:

“Parade Queen Award winning Corvette, Ultimate mascot for your business! Good V8 side by side. Will get more attention than any Ferrari. Dana 44 high pinion in rear, Real twin Ibeam IFS in the front.

“Can run front wheel drive, four-wheel-drive or rear wheel drive. Rear steering is just locked with a plate right now. Just need to add hydraulics to make it function for crab walking.

The description goes on to state that the car hasn’t been used in a number of years but has been run when stationary, so it will need some work to get it back to its off-roading glory.

This may be the strangest modification to a Chevrolet Corvette that we have seen, but it is sure to turn heads whilst going on an off-road adventure.

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