Clarkson criticizes Rogen and Harris for ‘faking’ Tesla Roadster

Top Gear was sued by Tesla for allegedly faking first-generation Roadster tests, but the court ruled in favor of the show

Jeremy Clarkson has taken issue with comments made by Chris Harris on a recent Joe Rogan podcast, in which Rogan repeated Elon Musk’s claim that Top Gear’s infamous test of the first-generation Tesla Roadster was faked.

During a test on Top Gear Season 12, Jeremy Clarkson reported that the Roadster ran out of power after 88 km (54 mi), and that it would take 16 hours to recharge. There were also allegations that the car’s brakes failed. Tesla was unhappy with the show’s portrayal and immediately sued Top Gear for defamation, but the courts ruled in favor of the BBC and Tesla lost again on appeal in 2013.

READ: Chris Harris says he warned BBC about safety before Top Gear crash

During a recent episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, where Rogan touches on all things car-related, he said Top Gear “got Elon dirtier than anybody,” to which Harris responded, “Oh, it’s rude of them to do that.” Rogan went on to claim that Elon Musk — a friend of Rogan’s — told him he was furious about the test and accused Top Gear of actually faking the Roadster’s death and using it in the skit.

Clarkson admitted in his column for The Sun that while “Top Gear has certainly pissed off a lot of people over the years”, it ensures “its road tests are always extremely fair”.

“I did get angry when Joe and Chris continued to spread rumours that my Tesla road test was unfair,” he added. Harris, one of the presenters who later replaced Clarkson as host of Top Gear, did not directly support Rogen’s claims.

However, Harris did say, “I don’t want to burst anybody’s bubble, but that’s how these car shows are made. Ultimately, you’re reverse engineering an outcome. So, you’re told, ‘This is what you’re going to find out, this is what’s going to happen,’ and what you (the host) need to do is help us get there.”