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Patagonia Top Gear cars with Falklands' war plate number reference, crushed by Argentina

Monday, August 23rd 2021 - 09:21 UTC
Full article 4 comments
Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear Porsche 928 with the H982 FKL plate number Jeremy Clarkson's Top Gear Porsche 928 with the H982 FKL plate number

Have you ever wondered what happened to Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear crew cars involved in the Argentine Patagonia incursion, which triggered a major diplomatic controversy since the number plate of the Porsche 928 read H982 FKL and was interpreted in Argentina as referring to the 1982 Falklands conflict?

The incident took place in 2014 and the “H982 FKL” was seen as a dig at the 1982 Falklands war and thus filming had to be cut short after the public in different Patagonia towns attacked the Top Gear caravan and its crew.

In effect stones, eggs and other objects were thrown at the Lotus Espirit, Ford Mustang 1 and the Porsche, and filming had to be cut short and the team fled via neighboring Chile.

And the cars? The Argentine government took them to be stored in a safe warehouse away from the public eye, fearing consequences if people found out where they were hidden.

But apparently, only two years ago the cars were crushed and the metal remains were sent to a junkyard in the Rio Grande, Tierra del Fuego. Apparently, the executive producer of the Top Gear program tried to rescue the remains but Argentina refused to fear they would be used as war trophies as with other cars kept in the Top Gear studio.

Top Comments

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  • Steve Potts

    *Apparently, the executive producer of the Top Gear program tried to rescue the remains but Argentina refused to fear they would be used as war trophies ...

    Argentina is afraid of a lot of things just like Vernet’s 1828 concession in the Falklands was declared invalid by the Argentinian government of 1882. Oooh!

    Aug 23rd, 2021 - 10:55 am +1
  • RedBaron

    Lotus Esprit (not Sprint).

    Aug 23rd, 2021 - 11:29 am +1
  • Heisenbergcontext

    Nationalism inevitably breeds paranoia.

    Aug 23rd, 2021 - 12:31 pm +1
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