The Grand Tour’s final special, “One for the Road,” was a sad farewell to one of television’s most successful and endearing male friendships. It’s easy to see why now is the time to say goodbye to the format that host Jeremy Clarkson and producer Andy Wilman invented years ago: they’re old now. As we get older, things get harder and harder to do. Even at the relatively fresh age of 40, I can attest to this.
But beyond imperceptible biological decline, there are more tangible concerns, more than a few of which were laid out in Tuesday night’s Q&A, grand travel nightit was a special event, part press reception, part celebration of three wonderful lives: apart from American journalists, most of the crowd was made up of family and friends of the main trio. Lisa Hogan, Clarkson’s long-suffering partner, became a fan favorite on sister show Clarkson Farm She gave it her all and attended the event with the production crew they’d been working with for years. The mood of the evening was hard to pin down: sombre, yet joyful. More Irish sober than Stetti Funes.
Clarkson himself happily admits that he became “too fat” to fit into the supercar. That reality would certainly dash his hopes of completing one final lap in the Ariel Atom. There are more pressing and worrying matters for anyone hoping to continue the format in the future (whether it’s Amazon producers casting for the next generation of Grand Tour, or BBC Studios chiefs investigating what was once Auntie’s biggest outlet The smoldering remains of the product), Clarkson’s Feel & Co have laid out a list of things you can do with your car, besides successfully Launch one directly into space, like the infamous Tesla stunt a few years ago.
Perhaps Tesla should be most aggrieved by Clarkson’s comments during the special, where he gave one final reason why his days as a car host need to end: Frankly, electric cars are garbage.
This time, I found it hard to disagree with him. This isn’t the anti-Greenpeace rhetoric that Top Gear made in its heyday. In fact, after his repositioning as a celebrity farmer, environmentalism was a Damascene topic. This is a simple matter of aesthetics. enthusiasm. drive.
While filming in-car for the camera (they make it look easy, but it’s actually very hard to do, as I discovered earlier this year), Clarkson commented on his beloved Lancia Monte Carlo Special The roar of the engine: “This is your voice.” The younger generation will not grow up hearing the voice,” he lamented. “I hate electric cars. They could also be white goods”. It’s true: Even though a pure electric vehicle emits no toxic emissions, it is an utterly horrific, sterile thing. I frown every time I see a Tesla or Polestar on the road. They look like regular cars that have been over-inflated. The cartoonishly oversized size can accommodate the piles of conflict minerals needed to power ultra-quiet electric motors. Of course, it’s almost impossible for a nerd to be enthusiastic about something that combines a bumper car with an iPhone.
Therefore, Clarkson must step aside. His comrades must stand by his side, as they have loyally done in the past, because we know that without him, the automotive entertainment form is meaningless, and everyone knows it. After the excitement of the incredible final show (which was brilliant, by the way), a new generation of producers and presenters will reinvent the car magazine show, as we’ve seen with Clarkson’s departure The various disasters that have followed Top Rank if the format is to succeed again, gear, real passion for the subject matter is absolutely crucial.
We all know this instinctively. How many of us love baking contests but have never made a cake? How many of us love Bob Ross but have never picked up a paintbrush? Half of the people who watch MasterChef probably microwave most of their dinner. Passion is the key driver in all of these things: it’s magnetic. Very cute. Through this beloved trio, cars like the Aston Martin DB9 and Pagani Zonda have become household names, and the vast majority of people are lucky enough to get within 200 feet of one, let alone drive them. We’re a nation of Mondeo drivers, but we all have fond memories of Clarkson’s exploits in a Bugatti Veyron.
If the Tour is to continue, as planned, its hosts must be true car enthusiasts. Mike Fernie, currently the main host of Drivetribe, would certainly be a good choice. Gamer Network’s Mike Channell – who I worked with on the ill-fated Top Gear spin-off – would be on the short list if I were one of those people. An unexpected and bold choice was Chris Harris, a fan favorite from the post-Clarkson era of Top Gear who was incredibly talented. Richard’s daughter Izzy Hammond has also proven herself on Drivetribe and her passion for the topic is obvious to all, accusations of nepotism be damned (this is Britain, the whole Things are run on nepotism, which determines who gets special treatment) the golden hat that signifies you are the head of state).
I’m just here to rant and who knows how it will shake out – or with whom. As long as it’s not Chris Evans (who the British public has long believed to be a popular broadcaster, even though none of us know anyone who likes him), we’re off to a good start. But whoever it is needs to have an infectious enthusiasm for all things automotive in the 21st century: that means giving us all a reason to love electric cars.
