UPS AND DOWNS OF TOP GEAR’S Er.. you will look after my car, won’t you?

CAREFUL OWNER SELLS MOTOR TO TOP GEAR

WHEN the owner of the immaculate blue Renault 4 sold the car he made a plea to the buyer.

He said: “You will look after it, won’t you?” What he did not realise was that the buyer was part of Top Gear’s production team and his beloved motor was heading for Nepal.

It would be driven by Chris Harris as he and fellow co-hosts Paddy Mcguinness and Freddie Flintoff took on mudslides, huge river crossings, deep gorges and harsh terrains in the Himalayan mountain nation.

It’s fair to say the previous owner’s pride and joy was not treated with kid gloves during the series’ Christmas special.

Chris, 44, said: “He’s going to see it wrecked. It’s going to ruin his

Christmas. He didn’t know it was coming to Top Gear.

This chap is passionate about the vehicle.

“It’s his pride and joy. He had it in Italy when he moved to

Milan. He moved it over here when he came back. He cherished it. He said:

‘You will look after it won’t you?’” Paddy said: “It’s a shame.” And Freddie joked: “At least he’ll see it again.”

Older models of the Renault 4, one of the most popular cars in motoring history, can sell for more than £20,000.

But this one from the 90s came a cropper when its handbrake failed and it crashed into Paddy’s pint-sized Peugeot.

Chris said: “I was left standing, shouting ‘Paddy.’ I was sad. I liked that car. I was worried about the car, not Paddy.”

Paddy, 46, who also hosts game show Take Me Out, saw the car hurtling towards him

and said: “I was thinking ‘What’s