During the mid-2000s and early 2010s, Top Gear was a dominant force on television, famed for featuring celebrities and rare supercars. However, in the show’s early years after its relaunch, it struggled to secure some of the most coveted vehicles for filming.
One such car was the Ferrari Enzo, a limited-production supercar named after the legendary founder of Ferrari. With only a handful of Enzos in the UK, the Top Gear team faced significant challenges sourcing one for their programme.
Everything changed when Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason struck up a conversation with Jeremy Clarkson and agreed to loan his own Ferrari Enzo — but with an unusual catch, as detailed in a recent episode of Benedict Fowler’s Road To Success podcast.
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Fowler introduced the story by highlighting, “It was the first time Jeremy Clarkson and the BBC ever shouted out someone’s book because they were not allowed to do advertising on the BBC.”
Nick Mason, now 82, recalled the unusual arrangement: “I’d been approached by Top Gear to loan them, I think it was the Enzo. There were only a few in the UK anyway. None of us were enormously keen on lending the car for free.”
He added, “So that initially ruled the whole thing out, but I was talking to Jeremy about it and I said, ‘Shame, because I’ve just done this book and it would be quite a nice thing to get it on television.’”
Nick continued, “He said, ‘Give me a little time to have a look at this.’ So basically, what he did was total overkill on selling the book.”
Benedict Fowler revealed that former Top Gear producer Andy Wilman sent him a message explaining the behind-the-scenes significance: “My favourite memory of Nick’s is his Top Gear appearance with the Enzo. It immortalised us in the BBC editorial compliance department. By BBC rules we weren’t supposed to plug his book in exchange for the loan of the Enzo.”
The message went on, “But we thought, eff it, we’re happy to do that. And from then on, that film was used in every editorial standards lecture to newcomers about the rules of product placement at the BBC. Nick’s and my badge of honour.”
This memorable segment was featured in one of the final Top Gear episodes broadcast to viewers. As the show’s popularity skyrocketed through the late 2000s, Top Gear became one of the BBC’s most valuable editorial properties, all while navigating the tricky waters of product placement rules.