Alas, folks. It’s the last Top Gear episode of the season (until Autumn, strikes, that is). It’s pretty heartbreaking (at least for me) since it was a long wait and it seems that the series was only heating up. Anyway, here’s what happened.

Still more footage of what the lads did in Japan. Last week was JC’s take on the neck-breaking (quite literally) Nissan GT-R. Now it’s Captain Slow’s take on Mitsuoka cars. Probably not as popular elsewhere but Mitsuoka’s an established name in Japan.

First up - the Mistuoka Orochi - the supercar that boasts of a 3.3L Toyota V6 dishing out 230 hp. May’s verdict: “It’s not very fast. It doesn’t make much noise.” But the “ride is quite excellent for a supercar.”

Then next, the Galue, which by its looks can be dubbed as the Japanese Rolls-Royce. As an added twist, May chauffeured two Sumo wrestlers. Since May is a Rolls-Royce nut, the Galue, in his books, is sort of a rip-off. Though, he likens it to decent tribute bands that give you a decent enough time but doesn’t have the false air of equating themselves to the original. Well said. And I guess he pissed off his VIP passengers. I was expecting the sumo guy to have whanged the car or something.

On to the news. Here are the points:

• The Stig won a services to instruction award from the Scouts. There was a video of him being tussling with two “scouts,” and was that flesh I see peeking under The Stig’s helmet?
• Captain Slow was fined his “slightly” illegally parked motorcycle for £120 and this elicited some social commentary from JC, with him saying, “If you’ve had something stolen in your life… it should be illegal for the police to do you for a trivial motoring offense until they’ve returned whatever it is that got stolen.”
• TVR will be back.
• James May received more news about the Dacia Sandero. It’s quite lame now. And someone booed in the crowd.
• JC went deeper into why the Ctiroen Berlingo, a with such a great ride, be made available for less than £11,000. Conclusion: It’s “…equipped like a Romanian jail.”
• Richard Hammond asks what if the Chevy Camaro turns out to be really great. Well, some anti-American remarks from JC.

In the studio, they finally featured the KTM X-Bow and the Mazda Furai.

A viewer asked help from the guys to find him a f*ck-ugly supercar. Their answer - the Gumpert Apollo. It’s car worth £250,000. It is made up of bits from Audi but features a few things like knob-adjustable traction control and adjustable camber that had Hammond spinning twice in the clip. But heck, it’s fast. How fast? Around the track, 1:17.1 - the fastest car around the track!

As for the Star in the Reasonably Priced Car segment, they had Jamiroquoai’s Jay Kay back. Just to try and beat Simon Cowell’s time who did 1:45.9. Jay Kay did 1:45.81. New star in the leaderboard and by God, was Jay Kay absolutely bonkers.

And for this week’s challenge, the three took on some Germans who host a local motoring show. Sabine Schmitz and two of her co-hosts Cartson von Ryssen and Tim Schrick arrived with their cars and the three showboated arriving “in style” first flying some WW2 planes and scooting to the meet-up in Astons.

First challenge - double decker race. Double deckers consist of two cars stacked one upon the other. Bottom cars are equipped with everything but the steering and the top cars have nothing but the steering. It was pretty tight with a car each retiring early. Winners: Germans.

Next challenge - a quater-mile drag race between the Axis (Porsche 9 FF, Lamborghini Murcielago LP 640, Mitsubishi Evo X) and the Allies (Ariel Atom, Chevy Corvette, and a freaking Tata [I think]). Results: Atom, Lambo, Corvette, Porsche, Evo and the Tata. Winner: Brits.

Third challenge - small car challenge (in MINI Cooper S’s) - slalom through the Ming vases, reverse into a “garage” of crockery, J-turn soccer penalty, figure 8 while being shot at with a paintball gun, then a tunnel escape. After which, a one-lap challenge.  JC vs Sabine and obviously, absolute bollocks from JC. Winner: Germans.

Fourth challenge - off-roader challenge (in a Bowler Nemesis) - 5 lap race. Hammond vs. von Ryssen. Remember how Hammond screamed “I am a driving God” inside a Wildcat? Well, he was not one here, overjumping a hump and getting stuck. He eventually got back into it and won it. Winner: Brits.

Fifth challenge - Porsche 911 (Schrick) vs. Aston DBRS9 (”May,” the Stig actually) so this might stop all allegations that Schrick is The Stig, or will it? Winner: Brits.