Here's What Happened To The Infamous Porsche 928 From The 'Top Gear' Patagonia Special
The infamous Porsche 928 featured in the "Top Gear: Patagonia Special" endured a tumultuous journey that ended in tragedy. "Top Gear's" Christmas special saw the show's presenters — Richard Hammond, James May, and Jeremy Clarkson — on a long drive to Argentina. While the three of them each drove distinct sports cars, it was Clarkson's Porsche 928 that stirred a ruckus. Now, the 928 is renowned by many as an iconic movie car, but this particular unit is known for all the wrong reasons. On the outside, there wasn't anything unusual about the infamous "Top Gear" Porsche. Clarkson even managed to drive it for long distances ... Until the entire crew was stricken by an angry mob, that is. Apparently, this was due to the Porsche 928 license plate (H982 FKL) appearing to be a reference to the Falklands War.
For those wondering how the connection was made, the license plate coincidentally looks like it's written as "1982 Falkland", which was when and where the war occurred. It cost the lives of many Argentinian and British soldiers, with tensions over Falkland Islands sovereignty still persisting decades later, according to National Geographic. By the end of the "Top Gear" episode, the production team had to abandon the cars in Argentina due to the incessant attacks from the angry locals. The question is: Was the controversial Porsche 928 license plate a publicity stunt gone wrong or simply an honest mistake?
Who's responsible for the infamous Porsche 928 license plate?
Jeremy Clarkson's Porsche 928 incident might've been over, but that wasn't exactly the end for the "Top Gear" host. Clarkson reportedly wrote a piece for the Sunday Times suggesting that the angry mob attack was deliberately set up (via autoevolution). Although Clarkson insisted the altercation was state-organized, Argentina's ambassador to the UK, Alicia Castor, also filed a formal complaint refuting his allegations. On the other hand, fellow "Top Gear" presenter Richard Hammond believes the whole incident was a misunderstanding. In a YouTube video interview with Alan Carr, Hammond explained that the Porsche had its controversial license plate from the start.
He claimed they never noticed anything wrong with it until its connection to the Falklands War was pointed out in a Tweet. This prompted the "Top Gear" crew to take it off, but that still didn't stop locals from throwing rocks at them. His sentiments were echoed by fellow co-star James May in the YouTube video interview above. May explained that Clarkson specifically wanted a manual right-hand drive Porsche 928 GT, but there were only two examples available in the UK at the time. The controversial unit was only chosen because it was "considerably better." May stressed that they didn't have the privilege of choosing its license plate, as re-registering it with a new one was a complex process. While the situation could be chalked up as an unfortunate circumstance beyond anyone's control, it does little to change the fate of Clarkson's 928.
Where is the controversial 'Top Gear' Porsche 928 now?
After the "Top Gear" team fled Argentina, the local government had to store their abandoned cars in a warehouse to keep protesters from possibly setting them on fire. A non-representative of the show reportedly requested the return of their vehicles but to no avail (via autoevolution). This left the notorious "Top Gear" Porsche 928 gathering dust in storage somewhere in Rio Grande. As bad as that already sounds, its mishandling didn't stop there as the Porsche was eventually scrapped later. According to Express, Clarkson's 928 was "shredded to nut size" in a local junkyard.
This angered fans who suggested the cars should've just been auctioned off instead, or at least shipped outside the country in unmarked containers. Authorities reportedly refused to simply return the troublesome Porsche back to its owner over fears that it might be used as a war trophy. Of course, Clarkson's scalding accusations towards the Argentinian government didn't help, either. Much like the Falklands War, this is one tragic incident that managed to hurt both sides of the spectrum in the end. Sure, the "Top Gear" Patagonia special might've led to the demise of a timeless classic, but it's an episode that fans would certainly not forget.