Having ventured to far flung corners like Johannesburg and Brisbane the Top Gear Live show returns to the UK in November with a methanol-powered Monster Truck billed as one of the stars of the show.

Hand-built by former European Monster Truck Champion, Rob Williams, Red Dragon features a supercharged 9.5-litre Chevrolet engine that outputs 1,308bhp and a ground shaking 1,040lb.ft of torque. Housed in a tubular frame chassis with a Ford F350 Super Duty body the 4.5-tonne truck needs a pair of axles from a 50-tonne crane to transmit all the power to the six-foot tall, quarter-tonne wheels.

If the power is not enough to keep the crowds entertained Red Dragon also packs a 600psi cannon that can shoot a car through the goalposts like Jonny Wilkinson, give a scooter a helping hand in a race against an Ariel Atom and pepper a target with fridge freezer sized shrapnel.

The format of the new Top Gear Live show has been refreshed over events of old with a new Top Gear indoor track featuring highlights from the TV show including Stig power laps and Star in a Reasonably Priced Car, as well as the Top Gear Stunt Team, head-to-heads and supercar parades. Of course there will still be the usual tomfoolery we have come to expect from Messrs Clarkson, Hammond and May.

The UK leg of the Top Gear Live show kicks off on the 11-13 November in the NEC Birmingham before moving onto the ExCeL Arena in London on 24-27 November.

Paul Healy - 6 Sep 2011