The Grand Tour

Next Grand Tour Special: What We Know About The Cars Involved

The Grand Tour wowed fans as Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May swept across Norway, but now we’re looking forward to the next episode which Grand Tour Nation can confirm is set in Europe. And with Jeremy Clarkson’s recent controversial news, it’s nice to take a step away from that and look forward to the future of the show. So with the end of the year coming, this is what The Grand Tour has been driving.

Landing in Poland in June, the three presenters joined their cars for a 2,000km tour across the continent. But what are they driving for this huge episode?

Jeremy Clarkson – Mitsuoka Le-Seyde

Based on a Nissan Silvia S13, this sports car is made to resemble a Zimmer Golden Spirit. under the body panels it retains a lot of the same running gear as the iconic Japanese sports car, but as these cars are so tunable, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find out it’s been modified in some way.

In an off-white, it’s definitely the most identifiable of the three cars used in the upcoming episode.

Richard Hammond – Chevrolet SSR

The Chevrolet SSR is very, very cool. Standing for Super Sport Roadster, the SSR is powered by either a 300 horsepower or 380 horsepower V8 depending on the year. The year of this exact car I can’t figure out, but it’s safe to say these things were negatively reviewed when they were revealed. But its retro shape has kind of stood the test of time and I’m really exited to hear what the show’s resident American thinks of this interesting but impractical car.

James May – Crosley Convertible

The Crosley Convertible is yet another car from America which tried to capitalise on the lack of cars available after the war. The owner of Crosley, Powel Crosley, Jr., actually made his money from refrigerators and radios before WW2, but 1946 brought this horrible thing. Creating just 26 and a half horsepower from its 725cc engine, this slab-sided vehicle likely won’t be fast enough to stay in front of the camera for too long.

Although this might actually be a good thing if you know the mess James got into last episode

We spotted this car broken down later in the process of filming, so it will be interesting to see if it makes it.

Backup Car – 1959 Ford Popular

A hot rod, based on a 1959 Ford Popular, can be seen from photos of The Grand Tour trio taken during filming. Painted in a pearlescent blue with writing down the side, this car is certainly a standout part of the episode. And after May breaks down, he can be seen driving it later during filming.

Jeremy Clarkson Drives The Skoda 1100 OHC Spider

The 110 OHC Spider, or “Red Racer”, was released in 1956. The idea for the car was only imagined a number of months before this, but Skoda was quickly able to spin up production to produce this sleek, low-slung, high performance car.

And that it was, despite wielding only a 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine producing 85 horsepower, it could reach 124mph at full chat. This was a lot of power at the time, and the reason? High octane aviation fuel. Who knew Skoda used to be so cool?

Jeremy takes this for a spin, but we’re unsure exactly where.

James May Flies The AirCar

Similarly to an old Top Gear episode, James May has apparently taken to the air in the AirCar, a car that’s capable of flight.

Powered by a 1.6-litre BMW engine, the AirCar has been issued a certificate of airworthiness by Slovakia’s Transport Authority. the Slovakian company achieved its first intercity flight in June 2021 where it hit speeds of 170 kilometers per hour (105 mph) over a distance of 1,000km. Once in the land, a single press of a button transforms it into a car.

KleinVision, the makers of the AirCar, said the following:

“Based on the fact that the aircraft met the conditions of national regulations set for individually manufactured aircraft and the required level of safety was demonstrated, the Slovak Transport Authority (STA) has issued a special certificate of airworthiness.

“After obtaining the type certificate, it can manufacture the aircraft commercially.”

The team drove through Europe, and with them visiting a number of historic locations with links to WW2, I wonder if the story of the episode will follow this theme, too. Only time will tell, but until then, GTN will keep you updated.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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