Top Ten Top Gear Stunts

9: Wind of (violent) change

How much wind power does a Boeing 747 jet engine produce? The answer is 58,000 pounds of thrust. But what does this actually mean? The Top Gear folks didn't really know either, so they decided to test it the only way they know how: by causing massive damage to cars. A jumbo jet stood stock still on a runway with engines going full blast, and a Ford Mondeo was sent zooming (without a driver) behind it. It wasn't just blown off course – it was thoroughly undressed by the cross-wind and sent tumbling across the runway. Which was so much fun, they decided to send an even flimsier old Citroen in afterwards. It was immediately obliterated by the wind, bouncing away like a Matchbox car flung by a furious toddler. Ouch.