Comes after BBC bosses 'warned Clarkson not to cause a diplomatic row'

Top Gear chief insists choice of the number plate was pure coincidence

) are Argentinian, got that clear?'

Jeremy Clarkson faced the wrath of Argentinians today by driving through the country in a Porsche with the number plate H982 FKL to film for Top Gear.

The BBC presenter sparked a new controversy with the 'provocative' plate - a reference to the 1982 Falklands War - while driving part of the famous Patagonian Highway.

Leading national newspaper Clarin claimed: 'This is highly sensitive for Argentinians and Clarkson could have problems.'

He was also blasted on Twitter with one user telling him: 'Your irony is not funny in Argentina'.

Another, using the Argentinian name for the Falklands, tweeted: 'The Malvinas are Argentinian, got that clear?'

In the line of fire: Jeremy Clarkson sparked anger in Argentina by driving through the country in a Porsche with the number plate H982 FKL to film for Top Gear - a reference to the 1982 Falklands War

News of Clarkson's latest stunt came less than a fortnight after he was reportedly warned by bosses not to cause a diplomatic row while filming Top Gear in Argentina.

The 54-year-old responded to those reports with a foul-mouthed Twitter diatribe.

Patagonian daily Diario Jornada, echoing the growing anger over Clarkson's taunt, said: 'Top Gear is filming in Patagonia and there's controversy.

'Although the BBC asked the popular presenter Jeremy Clarkson to behave during his trip to Argentina, he chose a Porsche with the provocative number plate H982 FKL.'

However, BBC bosses today insisted the choice of number plate was pure coincidence, saying the car was not bought because of its apparent reference nor were the plates swapped.

Andy Wilman, Executive Producer of Top Gear said: 'Top Gear production purchased three cars for a forthcoming programme.

'To suggest that this car was either chosen for its number plate or that an alternative number plate was substituted for the original, is completely untrue.'

Controversy: Clarkson (pictured earlier this year making a video apology for using the N-word while singing a racist rhyme for Top Gear) has provoked a backlash in the Argentinian media for using the number plate

The apparent goading gesture went unnoticed on the first part of his trip from the ski resort of Bariloche to the southern port of Ushuaia.

But he was making headlines again last night in the south American country as he neared the end of his 1,350 mile trek at the head of a convoy of vehicles including a Lotus and Ford Mustang driven by fellow Top Gear presenters James May and Richard Hammond.

The car at the centre of the controversy was today reported to be 'hidden' in a shed in a ski resort called Cerro Castor near Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world.

The Falkland Islands were taken briefly by Argentina during its 1982 invasion which preceded a 74-day war with Britain.

The war claimed the lives of 649 Argentinians and 255 Britons.

Argentinian president Cristina Kirchner has attacked Britain repeatedly over the Falklands since taking over power following the death of her husband Nestor.

She pledged an 'eternal fight' for the Falklands in one rabble-rousing speech.

Under fire: Clarkson has been filming his 1,350-mile trek at the head of a convoy of vehicles including a Lotus and Ford Mustang driven by fellow Top Gear presenters Richard Hammond (left) and James May (right)

She begged Pope Francis to intervene in the row with Britain over sovereignty of the islands in the first of their four meetings in March last year.

At the start of the year, she handpicked 'yes' man Daniel Filmus to become Argentina's first new Falklands secretary.

He labelled the UK as a 'colonial power' at his swearing-in ceremony.

The Falklands issue is particularly sensitive in southern Argentina where Top Gear is now being filmed.

Ushuaia has blocked several British-flagged cruise ships from docking under a controversial local law named after an Argentinian cowboy who led a bloody 19th century uprising against the British.

Jeremy Clarkson was forced to apologise in May after appearing to mumble the N-word as he sang a racist rhyme for Top Gear.

TV chiefs in London were said at the time to have summoned him to a meeting and given him a final warning.

The controversial presenter arrived in Argentina on September 17 and headed straight for a hotel in Bariloche to begin filming.

The Patagonian Highway - better known as Route 40 - is part of a famous road in western Argentina running parallel to the Andes mountains.