This may sound completely ridiculous, but it's entirely true and not in the funny "wink wink," sort of way. Top Gear's three presenters — Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May — and its entire crew encountered serious conflict while shooting in South America and literally abandoned its activities there.
This means two things:
1) The much loved series is in production for an all-new season; and,
2) The Argentinian population, and Falklands War veterans, easily get pissed off at the thought of the Falklands War.
According to reports the Top Gear team was shooting one of its three car challenges in Argentina and the three cars had license plates that was thought to have hinted at the Falklands War.
The conflict happened in the early 1980s and claimed the lives of 649 Argentinians and over 250 British members of their armed forces.
Reports are stating that Clarkson's car had the number plate H982 FKL, Hammond's car had the numbers 269 on it and May's vehicle had the numbers 646 on it. Essentially, the authorities down south are saying that FKL is a Falklands reference and that the numbers on the plates, 269 and 646, are referencing the body counts on both sides. Of course, they think it was done on purpose.
While we've seen Top Gear go out of its way to have a bit of nudge, nudge, "wink, wink," humor in past episodes it seems like the Argentinians are stretching it by a bit, no?
Remember what happened when the trio painted interesting phrases and headed into Alabama? Yes, stones were thrown too.
An Argentinian national who was staffed to help the production was hit in the face by a stone but the injuries are not said to be grave.
Jeremy Clarkson and his Top Gear team were forced to flee Argentina and abandon three high-powered cars after they were pelted with stones by locals angered by the presenter’s number plate apparently referencing the Falklands War.
The crew of the BBC Two show had earlier been given an ultimatum by Argentine veterans of the war to leave the country or “face the consequences”.
They had provoked anger by using a 1991 Porsche 928GT coupé with the registration number H982 FKL, which politicians and army veterans suggested could be seen to refer to the Falklands conflict.
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