SeriesEighteenstartsairingon29January2012withsevenepisodes(notincludingtheIndiaSpecial),[1]followingonfromthe2011Christmasspecialwhichairedon28December2011.[2]InthespecialtheytakearouteacrossIndia,thefirstofthemanycountriesTopGearplanstovisitoverthecourseofthenewseries,accordingtoJeremyClarkson.ShootinginIndiabeganon2October,withthefirstlegoftheshootingbeginninginsuburbsofMumbai.[3][4]TheshowwasalsoseeninLecce,ItalywithaNobleM600,McLarenMP4-12CandaLamborghiniAventador.[5]HammondannouncedduringtheTopGearLiveshowsinBirmingham,thatadditionalrecordingsforthenewserieshadbeendoneintheUSA.
TheJanuary2012editionofTopGearMagazinefeaturedapreviewofwhattoexpectinseries18.[6]ItincludedapiecewhereRichardHammonddrivesaNASCARsafetycarforarealrace,latergoingontodriveanactualNASCARracecar.Themagazinealsofeaturedapartofsomeofthepowerteststoexpect,includingJeremyClarksondrivingaMercedes-BenzC63AMGBlackEdition,aMercedesSLSAMGRoadsterandaMaseratiGranTurismoMCStradale.Hammondmeanwhilewilldrivea2012BMWM5F10,andMaywillhaveaVauxhallCorsaNürburgringEdition.AnotherfeatureisgoingtoChinatotestdriveChinesecars,Italyin3super-cars,LamborghiniAventador,NobleM600andaMcLarenMP4-12C.AlsoJamesMayistakingatriptoUSAtotestsportshybridsupercarFiskerKarma,meetAC/DCfrontmanBrianJohnsonanddrivehis1928BentleyVandenPlasLeMansTourer.AccordingtoTopGearExecutiveProducerAndyWilman,Clarkson,HammondandMayaregoingtonorthernSwedenaswell,wheretheywillracethenewFerrariFFacrossaSilverstoneCircuit-shapedicetrack.AlsoJeremyClarksonandRichardHammondwillattempttofilmacarchasesequenceforTheSweeney.
