At Top Gear we’re well aware Tom Cruise can drive – even on two wheels – after his appearance in series 15. His tyre-squealing spell in our Reasonably Priced Car propelled him to the upper reaches of our celebrity board, with every single subsequent American guest now quoting him as the man to beat.

And those who saw his recent film Jack Reacher can also testify to his skills. The car chase was one of the highlights of the film, with Cruise flailing a V8-powered Chevrolet Chevelle around the mean streets of Pittsburgh to the detriment of many many American econoboxes in its path.

This was not the work of doppelgangers: Cruise did all the driving himself. And he sent us this exclusive extended clip of the chase as he wanted all you TopGear.commers to see for yourselves.

Taking such realism to the extreme, at one point the car stalled, a situation no doubt familiar to any owners of classic American V8 muscle (including one Richard Hammond). The director kept rolling, and you can see the results below.

Enjoy – and if you want to see the rest, Jack Reacher is out on DVD/Blu Ray and download from Monday.