Whatever happened to the Reasonably Priced Cars?
The Suzuki Lianas from Top Gear.
When the BBC series Top Gear was relaunched in 2016, the Suzuki Lianas used in the Star in a Reasonably Priced Car segment were put out to pasture.
Rob Marshall tracks down the original cars to find out what happened to them.
In October 2002, the production team behind the BBC’S Top Gear TV series was under pressure to deliver a revised format that would modernise the show for the 21st Century. One of the many problems involved finding a suitable vehicle for a regular slot entitled Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, in which celebrities would drive competitively around a custom-made racetrack.
As Top Gear’s former script editor, Richard Porter, reminisced in his memoir,
And On That Bombshell, this presented a number of practical problems, quite aside from putting celebs in a situation that might be construed as being beneath them. Expensive exotica was out of the question, Porter explained, lest the segment unintentionally become known as Stars Soil Their Pants, Star in a Very Tricky Insurance Claim, or Star in a Tumbling Ball of Burning Wreckage.
Porter also revealed that sweettalking manufacturers into lending, maintaining and repairing a new sub£10,000 car of modest performance for regular mechanically-masochistic torment was somewhat tricky, especially as many public relations departments deemed ‘Reasonably Priced’ to be a euphemism for something rather less desirable. Maybe they had reservations about their cars’ ability to tolerate the abuse?
Suzuki GB PLC was an exception and the former head of Press and PR had such confidence in his products’ dependability that he is alleged to have put his job at risk, by sacrificing one of the freshly-launched Liana saloons in the name of light entertainment. The Liana was priced at £9999 – a whole quid beneath the target price dictated by the production team – which Porter recalled was perfect for the job. Nevertheless, he admits that, upon viewing it for the first time, his colleagues “howled with derisive laughter at this strange, gawky, odd little car”.
“We didn’t realise what a much-loved member of the team it would become,” he said. “It stood up to the celebs’ lack of mechanical sympathy with fortitude. It was plucky… an unlikely hero.”
As the new Top Gear format became established, Suzuki’s PR boss had an easier time signing off a back-up car to take over in exceptional circumstances, such as when a celebrity’s overexuberance destroyed either a clutch, or mangled part of the original car’s bodywork. Or both.
One became two
Two Suzukis, therefore, shared the limelight in Top Gear. The 52-plated original, Car One, spent most of its life being ill-treated by celebrities, while the 03-plated Car Two provided support duties, although it tended to be the preferred choice of the F1 drivers.
According to Alun Parry, current head of Press and PR at Suzuki GB PLC, the publicity did not influence the Liana’s UK sales figures, but it lifted the manufacturer’s brand profile, even after the model ceased production. The company retained both Lianas used in the series, transporting them to the Dunsfold aerodrome for filming, after being given the obligatory four days’ notice from the BBC. At least one Suzuki master technician accompanied them on location, not only to provide technical support but also to ensure they were not sabotaged.
Parry corroborates Porter’s admission that Car One confounded engineers with its tolerance to such repeated abuse, especially as only consumable spare parts were replaced, crash damage excepted. He told CM that new originalspecification Bridgestone Tyres were fitted all-round every time the cars were dispatched for filming, and the engine oil and filters were changed after every other visit. Car One was fitted with a roll-cage after Jay Kay’s ‘enthusiastic’ driving style almost caused it to flip over. When Lionel Richie and Trevor Eve understeered off the track, shearing the wheel studs, Suzuki replaced the hub assembly and lower suspension arm, prior to sending the car to the bodyshop. Patrick Kielty, however, managed to bend the front suspension. The BBC instructed Suzuki that no uprated parts were to be fitted under any circumstances; only racing seats, harnesses (which were replaced after their use-by dates had expired for safety reasons) and roll-cages were permitted.
The professionals
By the time Suzuki GB PLC master technicians, Paul May and Paul Buckman, were charged with looking after the Lianas, the regular celebrity slot had been takenover by newer models, but the Lianas remained in demand for the F1 drivers’ leader board. The racing professionals were not only more competitive but also tried to get permission for minor technical modifications to be made to the cars during filming, which both the BBC and Suzuki refused.
“The BBC was determined that both cars would be as near identical as possible,” recalls Paul M. “We even had to top-up fuel levels to ensure that the kerb weights remained consistent.”
“With the F1 drivers especially,” adds Paul B, “car choice depended not on reliability, but which seat was fitted. Car One possesses a wider racing seat than its 03-plated sister – ultimately, the decision came down to which seat the driver preferred.”
Suzuki’s master technicians also recall how Kimi Räikkönen advised them that one car felt slightly more powerful than the other. Suzuki GB PLC’S own dynamometer confirmed his findings. Not only were both cars’ engines producing greater outputs than their conservative factory figures stated (not unusual with Japanese models), but Car Two was around three horsepower more potent. It was also found that the older Liana’s rear suspension had become softer with age, even though the dampers were not leaking. At this point, the springs and dampers of both cars were renewed to restore the balance.
“When the cars were being driven by celebrities, it was not unusual for us to see them being beaten around the track for a full day,” says Paul B. “The F1 drivers required fewer laps, because they knew when their limits had been reached. For example. on his second visit, Lewis Hamilton required only 90 minutes of filming time. While they were less prone to off-track excursions, F1 drivers were far more brutal to the cars’ mechanicals, compared with the celebs. Although both Lianas retained most of their original parts, I changed second gear synchromesh several times on Car Two, due to the vicious clutchless changes meted out on the transmission to obtain the fastest times.”
CM’S assessment
Both cars had been stored outside at Suzuki GB PLC’S HQ in Milton Keynes for nine months, prior to being moved and cleaned for our photoshoot. We witnessed both engines starting from cold without hesitation, admittedly after being coaxed with a battery booster, before settling promptly to smooth and smoke-free idles. For old cars that have led such ruthless lives, which Suzuki estimates to represent between 150,000-250,000 miles of normal driving, they have survived in excellent mechanical order. The clutches are light, the gearchanges remain slick and the engines, which the master technicians admit have never been taken apart, are rattle-free. Even the air-conditioning works. However, neither would pass an MOT, because the SRS (airbag) warning lamps are illuminated, due to the racing harnesses displacing the seatbelt pretensioners.
The most obvious clues to the cars’ history are imprinted upon the bodywork. Car One displays obvious upper panel damage, caused not only by being driven into a camera and tripod (which smashed the original windscreen), but also from Johnny Herbert jumping onto the roof. Several slight colour variances are noticeable between panels, too, where bumpers, doors and front wings suffered collateral accident damage. The floorpans of both cars display a degree of battle scarring, most notably on the sills, caused mainly by the large drop between the track and the airfield’s undergrowth.
Fifteen years after the first Liana TV loan, both Top Gear and Suzuki’s new models have evolved considerably. Yet, should you require evidence that Suzukis – and Japanese cars in general – are capable of surviving situations that lie far outside their normal comfort zones, you need to look little further than these Lianas.
It is worth noting, however, that newer versions continue to trend. At the time of writing, Suzuki is the second most reliable of present-day car brands according to the most recent UK Warranty Direct Reliability Index (which also factors repair costs), beaten only by Honda. For the shrewd car buyer and home mechanic, these real-world findings are far more valuable than the often hollow promises of dependability that hide behind a prestigious badge.