Jack Rix, Top Gear

Maybe the TWR is not the perfect car for crawling through London traffic, but perhaps that’s exactly why Top Gear chose it to take Liam Neeson across the capital.

When the call came in from Top Gear there was just a simple, slightly mischievous idea: take one of the most recognisable film stars in the world, tell him he’s getting a taxi across central London… and turn up in a supercharged V12 Super-GT with side-exit exhausts.

Liam Neeson was expecting something closer to a Rolls-Royce but he got the complete opposite.

A Shock to the System

The Supercat is low, loud, unapologetically analogue and entirely unsuited to stop-start London traffic. It was chosen precisely because it wasn’t what anyone would expect, least of all someone whose relationship with cars, by his own admission, is largely indifferent.

From the moment Neeson laid eyes on it, the tone was set. Scepticism, maybe mild disbelief, a fair bit of hesitation about climbing in. What followed was a slow crawl through London streets accompanied by curious onlookers, raised phones and the kind of attention that only a car like this can generate.

The Top Gear Taxi format works because it strips away the script. Neeson wasn’t there to praise the car or talk torque figures or heritage. In fact, he made it very clear: cars are not his thing.

And yet, that’s what made the moment work.

Because without trying to impress him, the Supercat did exactly what it was designed to do, provoke a reaction. It reminded everyone watching what an antidote an analogue car can be in a world of AI, autonomy and silence.

The Most Inappropriate Car for the Job

By the end of the journey – somewhere near Leicester Square, stuck in traffic – the verdict was clear.

“That’s never happened to me before,” Neeson said as he climbed out.
“Not sure I want it to happen again… but thank you.”

Which might be the most honest review the Supercat could ever receive.

Why it Matters

The Supercat wasn’t built to please everyone or be easy, polite or universally agreeable. It exists for people who want to feel something – even if that feeling is surprise or disbelief at 5 mph through central London.

Top Gear understood that, and for one very memorable taxi ride, so did Liam Neeson.

Watch the full Top Gear Taxi episode featuring the TWR Supercat now.