Just how does a vintage Volkswagen Beetle compete with a Porsche sports car in a one-mile drag race on the desert flats? You’d have to be a “Top Gear” fan to know. The race is probably best described as “drag and drop,” since it pits a driver in a Porsche against a Beetle hoisted aloft by helicopter and dropped directly onto the finish line. Can horsepower beat gravity? I’ll never tell.

”Top Gear Top 40″ (7 p.m. and 8 p.m., BBC America) counts down the best stunts and moments, including the infamous Porsche/Beetle contest. This eight-episode limited series is based on a poll of faithful “Gear” viewers who chose some of the greatest burnt-rubber thrills from around the globe, from an effort to race amphibious cars across London to the attempt to turn a modest little economy car into a space shuttle.

• A timely episode of “The Closer” (8 p.m., TNT) concerns a high school football coach accused of getting a little too close to his athletes. Actually, it begins with the violent murder of an ambitious high school principal. The coach’s extracurricular activities come to light only after he becomes a person of interest. Viewers, like Brenda, may jump to immediate conclusions, but the story turns out to be more than meets the eye.

• Desperate hunters of a certain age scour the malls and schoolyards of America in search of fresh blood. Are they vampires? No, they’re the stars of “Scouted” (9 p.m., E!), a new reality show that chronicles the discovery process that leads to new talent for the fashion runways. In essence, it’s “America’s Next Top Model” turned upside down, a show where the grown-ups and professionals go in search of the kids.

And, in avoiding the high-strung atmosphere of a fashion dormitory, “Scouted” examines the fresh-faced beauties on their own turf. In episode one we meet a would-be mannequin with an overbearing mother who might impede her career, while another natural beauty’s quest for stardom proceeds against the backdrop of her father’s cancer diagnosis.

Tonight’s other highlights

• The top three perform on “The Sing-Off” (7 p.m., NBC).

• Taylor and Mira rumble in the jungle on “Terra Nova” (7 p.m., Fox).

• Boris Karloff narrates the 1966 holiday favorite “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (7 p.m., ABC).

• A green ogre and his friends celebrate the holidays in the 2007 special “Shrek the Halls” (7:30 p.m., ABC).

• A prosecutor’s paranoia affects his health on “House” (8 p.m., Fox).

• Anthony Bourdain shares tips on making the most of a short stay in New York on “The Layover” (8 p.m., Travel).

• George pays for Emily’s wedding on “Bored to Death” (8 p.m., HBO).

• Amy is reported to human resources on “Enlightened” (8:30 p.m., HBO).

• Pirates ruin a three-hour tour on “Hawaii Five-O” (9 p.m., CBS).

• A killer in a costume kills a con on “Castle” (9 p.m., ABC).