Video: American Stig makes his TV debut in hot Viper

While we look forward to seeing who or how Top Gear has replaced the Ben Collins shaped hole in its Stig costume, the US version has already premiered its own version of the iconic anonymous racing driver.

The American take on Top Gear kicked off last week on the History Channel. It garnered a decent audience and mixed reviews, but there's certainly no arguing with Yankee Stig's first power lap.

The programme makers picked the Viper ACR-X for the inaugural run around the new track. Powered by a 8.4-litre V10 engine producing around 635bhp, the track ready machine (and its new driver) have laid down a worthy benchmark for the rest of the season.

Click below to watch.