BBC show Top Gear to speed up 90 Mile Beach

The stars of hit BBC show Top Gear will be speeding up 90 Mile Beach next week as they film a car doing up to 150km/h for a future episode.

The British Broadcasting Company has been granted permission from the Far North District Council (FNDC) to close parts of the beach - known as Te Oneroa-a-Tohe to Maori - for short periods between March 11 to 17 to film the high speed drive and other aspects for the show.

A FNDC spokesman said special permission was given to the BBC for the temporary road closure - Ninety Mile Beach is classed as a public road, with a 100km/h speed limit.

The filming would be of a car doing up to 150km/h on the beach and a "chase car" shooting the action. It's not clear at this stage, which, if any, of the Top Gear stars - James May, Jeremy Clarkson or Richard Hammond would be driving the vehicle or what type of car it would be.

Top Gear is watched by tens of millions of viewers across the planet and has spawned a multi-million dollar merchandise industry.