Jeremy Clarkson's brutal opinion on Elon Musk after being sued over Tesla review from 17 years ago

On a Top Gear episode that aired almost 20 years ago, Jeremy Clarkson savagely slammed Elon Musk's car brand Tesla's Roadster for being 'unreliable' and 'ridiculously expensive'.

In the weeks that followed, the South African tech boss then reportedly fired a lawsuit in the British presenter's direction against the BBC, which then was dismissed in 2013, according to Indy 100.

This week, 64-year-old Clarkson not only spilt the tea on the high-profile feud for the very first time, but also provided an insight on his views on Musk, who has since become a prominent member of Donald Trump's presidential administration.

The presenter branded Tesla cars 'ridiculously expensive' (BBC)

Speaking on the hit discussion series at the time, Clarkson joked that the Tesla Roadster 'weighed more than most moons' and 'didn't handle very well' - though he did also praise the car for its speed and cost efficiency compared to the price of petrol in his review at the time.

Now, the TV star has this week looked back on the big-name beef, claiming SpaceX front-man was 'very angry' about the remarks made about the car.

"[He] sued us for defamation, claiming I had a problem with electrical cars and had written the piece before even setting foot in the car," Clarkson told The Times on Sunday (23 March).

Adding of the lawsuit, he continued: "He lost the case, and the appeal, and he’s never really got over it. He still claims I was biased and that we pretended his car had broken down when it hadn't. Even though it had."

Clarkson went on: "I should really have sued him back, but I feared he’d call me a paedo, so instead I just waited on the riverbank for his body to float past. And now it has."

Discussing Musk's move into American politics - having been appointed to one of Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency co-leads - and the attacks on Tesla's cars, showrooms and charging stations, Clarkson added another shot-firing anecdote.

Musk's lawsuit was dismissed in 2013 (Nora Tam/South China Morning Post via Getty Images)

"Things are so bad that a friend of mine who was trying to save the world (and a few quid on the congestion charge) has now fitted a sticker to his Tesla saying he bought it before he knew Musk was an idiot." he said.

In the former on-screen star's view, he was 'always scrupulously fair' with his vehicle reviews, but also said he was simultaneously happy to see Musk being 'pecked to death by the very people who put him on the pedestal in the first place'.

Speaking to Newsnight in the months that followed the lawsuit's dismissal, Musk claimed he was 'surprised to learn Top Gear was even on the BBC', adding: "Clarkson's show is more about entertainment that it is about truth. And I think most people realise that, but not everyone."