Jeremy Clarkson hits back at Chris Harris's remarks on Top Gear Tesla controversy
The row relates to a scathing review of an early model of the electric car.
Jeremy Clarkson has denied claims by former Top Gear presenter Chris Harris that his 2008 review of a Tesla vehicle was in any way faked.
The electric car company, co-founded and led by Elon Musk, has grown in prominence significantly over recent years, but at the time of the review was relatively niche.
Therefore, the inclusion of a Tesla Roadster (first generation) in an episode of Top Gear was a big opportunity for exposure, but didn't go the way that company executives hoped, as Clarkson had some major criticisms of the model.
Most notable were that its brakes failed, the engine overheated and the battery died after less than 55 miles, with Clarkson's reported 16-hour charging time making this a critical inconvenience.
Tesla disagreed with the verdict and sued Top Gear for libel and malicious falsehood, claiming that the review was dishonest, but this allegation was rejected by UK courts in 2011.
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However, subsequent Top Gear presenter Harris appeared to stoke up the tension once again when he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience last week, saying that Clarkson's Tesla review was "naughty".
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Rogan alleged that Top Gear "pretended that [Musk's] car died and they did it for a sketch", with Harris claiming that the show would sometimes "reverse engineer an outcome" for certain segments.
Clarkson has now hit back against these comments in a column for The Sun.
He writes: "There are lots of made-up stories about what happened when I hosted Top Gear... And in the big scheme of things, it doesn't matter.
"But it does wind me up something rotten when Joe and Chris perpetuate the myth that my Tesla road test was unfair.
"And the fact is, Elon Musk took the BBC to court on the matter and lost. He lost the appeal, too. I know no one believes me... But it's true.
"On Top Gear we cocked about and upset a lot of people over the years. But our road tests were always scrupulously fair."
Top Gear has been taken off the air indefinitely following a severe crash involving former host Freddie Flintoff, which left him with major injuries.
At the time, the show was presented by the ex-cricketer, Harris and Paddy McGuinness, a team that gradually came together following the exit of Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond.
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