You may remember that Richard and Jeremy had a bet on the show. Would seven thousand pounds - enough to buy a brand-new Nissan Pixo - be better spent on some rather more exotic, if old, metal?

Jeremy’s CL600 quickly racked up a four-figure repair bill, but Richard’s venerable 8-Series BMW has yet to develop a problem…

This roused our suspicion. Has Top Gear done the unthinkable? Has Top Gear done something… well?

This demanded further investigation. So, while the TV boys were in a Very Important Meeting, we pinched the 850CI’s keys, grabbed the closest camera then took for it a crafty inspection.

Click forth for our discoveries. Some were good. Some weren’t.