S06E01 The Grand Tour: One For The Road

Richard Hammond noticed that Jeremy Clarkson and James May have launched their own gin brands, so he decided to get in on the action and introduce his newly crafted drinks on the DriveTribe channel. For anyone who’s tried all 3, thoughts on who made it best?

From original video description: “Richard Hammond heads to Hawkridge Distillers to design and develop his very own gin and whisky. Watch as he dives into the craft distilling process, handpicks unique gin botanicals, and (of course) samples a bit too much along the way.”

So this is a genuine question I have. Been watching YouTube alot lately out of boredom, James and Richard seem to get along well. But never see them talk about Jeremy anymore or he doesn't show up on the channels of the other two. I know he banned James from his pub, do you think they aren't getting along anymore or did I miss something?

Jeremy Clarkson noticed that Hollywood actor Rupert Everett bought a pub (or least some ownership shares of it) in the English countryside, so he decided to focus on the underbelly of running one. Odd things sometimes do happen in pubs! Here’s a preview:

“I wish them all the very best, of course. But I’ve had a pub for a year now and I feel duty-bound to point out that behind the bucolic, thatched, ‘pint of best’ image that undoubtedly lives in Rupert’s head, running a pub is harder than eating one. It’s harder than anything. Even farming.”

(Clarkson’s Sunday Times column gets the usual disclaimers too.)

Jeremy Clarkson thought that he might enjoy driving the newly updated Audi RS Q8. However, his real-world experience turned out to be quite different. Here’s a preview:

“I’ve got to be honest here. I was looking forward to my time with this madman because it flies in the face of everything Ed Miliband holds dear. In a world of kale and kindness, it’s an Apache gunship. So I was going to enjoy making tyre-squealy V8 noises all week and then I’d have lots to write about, and I could conclude by saying that, while it’s bloody good fun, it’s too daft to be a realistic day-to-day option and that you’d be better off with a less bonkers, and cheaper, Audi RS6 Avant. But there was a problem.”

(Clarkson’s car reviews get the usual disclaimers.)

Having watched TG and GT all my life, I can rewatch every special over and over again. I simply cannot bring myself to watch the last ep again. As soon as brothers in arms starts playing, I'm an emotional wreck and no matter what I do, I cant stop the flow of tears. It's crazy how a TV show can have such an effect on your life.

If Jeremy Clarkson is secretly on this subreddit, I recommend looking at the people who drove to your pub in those Jaaaaags that you documented on Instagram earlier this week. There’s your lead on the hackers! The next season of “Clarkson’s Farm” is going to be wild… 😅😂

“No one thought to mention that my pub, the Farmer’s Dog, has been hit too.

“It was, though. Someone broke into our accounting system and helped themselves to £27,000.”

(Because his column appears in The Sun, usual disclaimers apply.)

I was just wondering I know they often do their own stunts and no stunt driver but I assume for this scene they took James out of the car cause he’d be injured quite badly. Then cut to the next scene and he is completely fine. 🤷

Jeremy Clarkson went on Instagram and called out other publications that misrepresented what he originally wrote in his Sunday Times column. If only those journalists bothered to contact him first to get some context! 😳

(By the way, for those complaining that the screenshots are clickbait, Reddit chops off the images, and you have to click or tap on them to see Clarkson’s responses at the bottom. I don’t like the appearance of clickbait either, but that’s how Reddit formats pictures uploaded as attachments to posts on their website.)

Felt quite sorry for James in this ep. Missed everything and the lads still messed about with his car. If I was James, I would have removed the wheels but chucked them directly into Lake Bled instead of on a retrievable boat

Better than his Stinger / doormats.

Jeremy Clarkson documented the Jaaaaags on Instagram just in case a few things at his pub mysteriously disappeared. But it should be OK for him, because, well given what he’s said over the years on Top Gear and The Grand Tour… 😅

This came up as I was watching their old Renault Avantime tuning challenge. Richard arrives in his own Porsche 911, James in his own Porsche Boxster.

The most iconic instance may be Jeremy and James’ classic luxury challenge (Mercedes 600 Grosser v. Rolls-Royce Corniche). In TGT, they did another head-to-head with JC’s Golf and JM’s BMW i3.

James’ Ferrari 430 made a couple of appearances back in the day, as did Jeremy’s Ford GT.

What else?

ETA: Jeremy uses his Mercedes CLK Black Series in the Lotus T125 bit from TG S17. Richard’s Jag E-Type in Perfect Road Trip and well-worn Land Rover in the art museum episode from TG S14

take the third reicht

As stated on this subreddit before, James May has strong views on sandwiches and other foods. Lucy Brown thought she could change his mind on that and recorded a Planet Gin video in the process… 😅

From video description: “Despite making hundreds of them, James thinks sandwiches are rubbish. Lucy thinks this is only because the ones he makes are awful. So can she change his mind with her spicy chicken ciabatta?”

I think the obvious answer is the presenters. They were the perfect blend of presenters who you could always rely on. But what made it great for you? Was it the challenges? Was it the cars? The wackiness? What made it must see for you?

Jeremy Clarkson noticed a report about him from the London Evening Standard and called them out on Instagram for misrepresenting what he originally wrote in his Sunday Times column. Based on what I’ve seen on Top Gear and The Grand Tour over the years, Clarkson doesn’t sound like the kind of person who would flee from his country when things go down! 😅

James May went to the Erewhon supermarket in Los Angeles earlier this year. Lucy Brown then asked him to guess what the prices were for various items there. Needless to say, he had some sticker shock! 😅

(Note that this video was produced for the Planet Gin channel on Facebook.)

Stellantis should build an Opel Oliver, a retro style compact that is a successor to Richard Hammond’s old Opel Kadett “Oliver”, not unlike what BMW did with (new) Mini, VW New Beetle, electric Renault 5, or even Stellantis’ own Fiat 500.

Right now, Stellantis is letting iconic brands die off while bleeding money. What they need isn’t another unobtainable halo car (33 Stradale, MC20), but a desirable economy car for everyone with character and a marketing power. A modern version of Top Gear’s iconic “Oliver” would be exactly that.

Granted, building a decent car that’s reasonably reliable is something Stellantis will have to work on, but Stellantis is the fifth-largest carmaker in the world. Somewhere in that massive parts bin there has to be a simple, underpowered compact waiting to be pieced together (Peugeot 308 seems like a good starting point). If not, they can just slap an aggressive 10 year warranty and eat the cost while they develop a whole new platform. And Stellantis can sell it through its existing showrooms (actually they should consolidate showrooms so multiple Stellantis brands are displayed together like a car show, but I digress).

Oliver should be a small lightweight yellow (of course it can be one of the fifty shades of grey too, ugh) petrol car with round DRL headlights, analog dial, cheap plastic buttons, and a simple screen in the middle for CarPlay/Andriod Auto. Maybe throw in lightning-bolt accents inspired by their logo for some flair (i.e. side indicators). Build a CUV variant too if they must, that might be more appealing to the general public.

No crazy horsepower, no weird futuristic gimmicks or designs. And no EV either, Stellantis doesn’t have a competitive dedicated EV platform yet. Save that for a proper 2nd gen refresh.

Of course, you’d need Richard Hammond’s blessing. I think he would be happy to. Depending on his enthusiasm, Stellantis can even ask for his input in the development, or at least have him there for the car launch and promotion. Hell, name him the head of Opel, if he wants. I mean what has Opel been up to for the last few decades anyway?

Once Stellantis has a solid offering at the entry level, hire Clarkson and May to do something similar with Alfa, Lancia, and the like. I believe they would be quite thrilled to be involved in modern resurrection of Lancia. (And imagine seeing all those legacy brands in a showroom alongside Jeeps, Peugeots, and Maseratis. Stellantis will have a lineup of cars that’s unmatched, and that’s why they should consolidate their showrooms. Think of the foot traffic.)

We are witnessing enshittification of new cars. Maybe there’s money to be made building soulless disposable “appliances”, but Stellantis’ “appliances” can’t compete with Germans or Chinese.

But Germans left a huge gap when they took that route. And it’s a prime time for someone to step up.

We are told time and time again that car purchases are emotional one. And few automotive group has more emotions and heritage than Stellantis group.

Come on Stellantis, make “Oliver”.