Tesla vs. Top Gear: A Look Back at the Epic Legal Showdown

Ah, remember the drama when Tesla decided to take on Top Gear? That’s one throwback that’s hard to forget! Way back before Elon Musk became a household name, he was just starting out with Tesla, working on their very first production car, the Roadster. It was a pretty slick ride based on the Lotus Elise and hit the streets in 2008, boasting some seriously cool stats for the time.

Then came Top Gear, the big dog of car review shows, with the likes of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May giving every car the what-for on the track. When they got their hands on the Roadster, it was all sunshine and rainbows at first. Clarkson even raved about how quick it was. But then, things went south—fast. The Roadster supposedly conked out on the track way sooner than expected, leading Clarkson to claim it only made 55 miles instead of the 200 Tesla was touting.

Tesla was not having it. They sued the BBC for libel in 2011, arguing that the whole thing was staged and that the show misrepresented the car’s reliability. They were especially miffed about a script that seemed to be written before the car even arrived, implying the breakdown was planned.

The lawsuit dragged out with the courts ultimately siding with Top Gear. They said that no viewer would take the track performance as literal street performance. Tesla ended up having to pay the BBC’s hefty legal fees.

The dust has settled since then, and Tesla cars are back on TV, reviewed on various shows without much fuss. But that legal spat with Top Gear? It's still one of those “can you believe that happened?” moments in car culture. Talk about a clash of titans!