The new Grand Tour special premieres in a couple weeks on Amazon Prime, and, because of the pandemic, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May could only go so far as Scotland this time. This is probably for the best.
The theme of the episode seems to be old American land yachts, as the three are seen in a fourth-generation Cadillac Coupe De Ville, a third-generation Buick Riviera, and a ‘69 Camaro, among others. If you further didn’t get that the series is about old American cars, Creedence Clearwater Revival is the soundtrack to the trailer.
This looks almost good, in that Clarkson, Hammond, and May seem like they were forced by the pandemic to get back to the basics of what made old Top Gear so great, which was that the budgets were smaller and they were forced to get creative. That said, I am skeptical that, thematically, this will make any sense — American cars in Scotland? Sure?
Also involved is a homemade bridge, as the three nestle into their familiar — some might say completely washed — personas. Also, it looks like Hammond has a crash at some point, and the three are forced to use campers because they can’t stay in hotels because of the pandemic. Here is one of Richard Hammond’s cars:
Amazon can spend its money however it wants, so keep throwing it at Clarkson, Hammond, and May for all I care, though it would be nice if Amazon also threw it at people with fresher ideas on how to make an interesting car show. I don’t begrudge Clarkson, Hammond, and May for taking the money, as they are paid to travel the world and muck around, and who wouldn’t take that. Still, when does even that get boring?