This is a subreddit about "The Grand Tour", Amazon's car show hosted by former BBC Top Gear presenters: Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May.
The Grand Tour S03E12 "Legends and Luggage" - Discussion thread
S03E12 Legends and Luggage
Jeremy Clarkson drives two re-born Lancias, a Delta Integrale and a Stratos, James May looks back at the history of the legendary Porsche 917 racing car, and Richard Hammond joins Clarkson to revolutionise air travel with two concepts for motorised hand luggage.
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78 year old British racing driver at the wheel of a 238mph, 50 year old Porsche - and the only protection he needs is his flat cap.
Not only that, but he was driving that goddamn thing to win. So cool to see him not baby it. One of the coolest scenes I've ever seen on TV.
I laughed when he forced the other car off the track.
He didn't force the other car off the track.
He held his line.
THE RED MIST HAS DESCENDED
Not sure about you guys, but it always makes me happy watching old folks get a chance to re-enjoy their good old days
I'm glad as well that Kimi got that Alfa seat.
Brutal.
I mean, at his age and that speed in that car even a full set of airbags won't save him... And he definitely looks more badass
He's got big,big balls. How I wish I could still drive fast at his age.
I think the roof was too low for a helmet.
that's the only thing I can think of. or helmet to fit his head. the insurance people must have been going nuts between the car and him.
I can't believe they even got him to do this. Insane to see a man well after his prime drive that car, goes to show the brilliance of the best of the best
Time to watch steve McQueen's "Le Mans" again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPcwE55t_f4
it gave me goosebumps. It was so fukin' cool.
I assume this is twofold -- he might not fit properly with a helmet on, and he probably said "I'm too damn old to care, you want me to drive the car or not?"
Absolute legends, both the man and the car. The funny thing is I was watching a ton of 917 videos on YouTube earlier this week not knowing the car would be featured on the show this week!
"Argentina is his cesspit"
It's like something happened to them in South America
Cue Argentinean outrage...
Thankfully they can't throw rocks over the internet.
They will, however, scream about Argent Tinsel Melvins or something...
Eh, as an Argentine, don't really care.
My dad on the other hand....
Cue the part where the Argentinian foreign minister demands an apology from the trio for being assaulted in Argentina
Yeah, and after that, they mention Bolivia, where they all rode trucks through Death Valley... and survived.
Yep, I could watch James May do automotive history videos, or anything really, forever.
Absolutely brilliant piece about the 917.
James May is having the series of his life. He’s got to drive hero cars and then talk to people who drove or worked on them. They must keep several spare pairs of pants for him on set.
Didn't James May say in an interview a while back that he wasn't sure about continuing with The Grand Tour because of how he was getting too old for the physical challenges? It looks like the show's countered that by giving him more of the quieter, history-focused pieces, instead of having him do the ridiculous physical things, like driving a suitcase through an airport.
Considering all the times May has taken body blows on the show I don't blame him. He got bucked off the horse in Argentina, knocked off the donkey outside the Shan (I think, maybe that was Hammo), concussed himself in the desert (although that was really a rookie move with the tow rope)... I'm probably missing something.
I'd be trying to wind down before my buddies accidentally killed me too.
Come to think of it is Clarkson the only one of the 3 that hasn't had some injury on the show? I mean he got "pneumonia" but that doesn't count, got pinkeye but I don't think that counts either, pulled a muscle in his neck driving the GTR... but that's just hilarious to compare to Hammo's real car accidents.
ahem!
How could I forget! The great sacrifice made in the name of art.
Picasso lost an ear... Clarkson... he gave a smaller, but much bigger piece of himself.
what about when Clarkson drove a semi through a brick wall and really hurt his neck
He did break his thumb driving a volvo through a wall back in TG s4e3. Not that it really compares
Unfortunately during the filming of that feature, James May was killed. Anyway....
May falling off the horse was funny for 5 seconds then seeing him actually hurt then massively pissed off in the next cut wasnt so great. Genuinely felt bad for him there
If you haven’t watched it already and you really do want to watch James May doing automotive history, you should watch Cars of the People. It’s exactly what you wanted, it’s fascinating, and it’s available on Amazon.
Haha I have. As well as the Reassembler series and the odd mini-doc that he's done for the BBC.
...but not Amazon Canada. D:
I could listen to Clarkson complain all day. That segment was very funny.
I really love when he goes SPEEEEED, POWEEEEER or “of the world”. Makes for the best episodes
"You want to see my penis?"
Oh no not right now.
I loved that "right now" at the end, basically not ruling out that he wanted to see it later
Channelling Blackadder:
"I've got to admire your balls"
"Perhaps later"
My whole family did a spit take when he said that. We all lost it for a minute or two.
Mr. Attwood killing it in the 917 while still wearing a drivers cap
r/oldschoolcool
I can't believe they let him in there without a helmet.
A 78-year-old gentleman driving a 50-year-old car with only his hat on almost took out a modern flagship 911;
Abbie drives fast even on a electric suitcase;
You have to admit racecar drivers are special species.
2nd faster skateboarder in the UK wasn't bad either lol. Pretty sure that's not as stable as a normal skateboard lol
Those electric skateboards often have some stabilization built into them.
..what do you mean?
They aren’t exactly running traction control and any smoothness from the deck is gone due to it being literally replaced by a laptop...
Another great episode. This season continues to be excellent. They seem to have it all figured out now.
Yup. I realised before this episode that for the first time I was waiting for TGT with the same anticipation I used to wait for the old TG. As much as I like their specials, I'm really sorry they're going to lose the present formula after this season.
Same, but honestly if nothing else this season (and a bit of last) taught me these guys + Wilman can make anything work once they lock in how to produce it. I have more faith in their ability than ever before!
Same, they have it perfect now, history part with May, cars, shenanigans like the airport. And even some specials. And conversation street is great too.
Out of the loop here -- why will they be losing the formula?
I absolutely love this season too
Season 4 will be a series of specials, so probably no more tent, car reviews, mini documentaries and so on.
Ahhh, thanks. Not sure how I feel about that, but I suppose it's better for a broader audience... Do you know if there still be 11-12 episodes per season?
I suspect you're only really going to lose the tent/audience parts.
I think they'll work the car reviews/mini documentaries into the overall pieces otherwise.
It’s been such a treat. I’d put these past several episodes against the best of Top Gear.
That race between the GT2RS and the 917 was really cool! I couldn't stop smiling lol
I was surprised the GT2RS weighed 1.8 tons. I thought that was meant to be the most extreme, track focused 911
That's an error I think, given that according to every specs sheet about the GT2 RS put it around 1.5, which seems much more reasonable. Official Porsche data puts it at 1470 kilos
Not sure if Porsche is like Ferrari who reports their cars weight completely dry. I remember when they were bragging the 458 was 2800lbs and owners were weighing them on delivery and found the real weight was closer to 3300-3400. Modern cars are really heavy!
Also true. Porsche states "unladen weight" in both DIN and EU standards, which both mean kerb weight i.e. oils and liquids all topped up except for fuel which is set at 90% of the tank's capacity. My guess is that Ferrari was giving out dry weight data instead, netting a much lower figure, although a 270kg/600lb weight difference is quite astonishing. The truth is, we'd need a GT2 RS and a scale, please Porsche? For science. Absolutely.
*edited for conversion
Add James May to that weight and it seems more accurate now, doesn’t it?
Lmao true, now imagine adding Jezza...
Can't believe they didn't mention the Hammerhead Eagle i-Thrust when talking about cars named after fish.
Underwater comment here
Hammond! I'm drifting a suitcase!
Brilliant overview of the first Lancia. "What's the gold?"
"Umm.. Basically it would have a function.. but not in this case.. we just like it."
And the spoiler is like the thong that comes out from the jeans.
Jeremy mentioned on social media a couple weeks ago some of the best episodes he thought they’d ever done were coming up. A special trekking across Mongolia would seem to fit the bill.
In a car they built.
That can only be brilliant. Especially if there's a build video as part of the program.
The Lancia still has period correct turbo lag
"If everything would work it would be an Audi" is the most Italian thing i have heard. Right after making it a 2 door because it looks cool.
I can confirm my Integrale has absurd turbo lag but it adds to the charm. You really have to drive it like you hate it and that's what makes it fun.
James May needs to just have his own special where he talks about old cars for the whole time because honestly he does it properly well
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Not just The Grand Tour. He's also doing a show travel show for Amazon in/about Japan on his own. I doubt he has enough spare time left to do a third series
Wait what?
That sounds brilliant! When does it start?!
Hasn't been confirmed yet.
That old guy he ran over in the airport had to have been a stunt double right??
The scenes where they're immensely disruptive in a crowded public space (mall, airport, etc) are all staged.
Yeah, obviously, but even still. I watched that scene twice, and that looked like a proper old guy that got ran over. You just dont see many old guys like that willing to take a shot from a moving scooter like that
Ever watch Johnny Knoxville dress up as a old man? Could just be makeup.
I think they mix in "real" crowd reactions with "staged" crowd reactions, because in a lot of the airport scenes, you see in the background much of the crowd filming with their phones.
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I also noticed him when the guy that got stuck behind Hammond on the moving walkway looked way too much like the dude that wanted to see Clarkson's penis
I think he just really wanted to see his penis.
Anybody with a speaking part is certainly a paid actor. You don't get a speaking part without being part of an actor's guild or similar.
I sure hope so. Getting clipped like that could really do some damage. (Of course, clipping people like that could get you sued into the poor house and your show canceled, so he probably was a stuntman. Unless he was an extra who signed away his rights.)
You're forgetting "Amazon money"
That would be a great story though. “ ya Jeremy Clarkson ran me over with an electric suitcase one time”
No, Clarkson hit an elderly man and drove off on his suitcase in direction of gate 88.
Oh gods that Lancia is quite something.
I dunno how many people here are serious car enthusiasts but that new Stratos is legendary in its own right in terms of it being unbelievable that it actually got made
It started with a one-off concept car in 2005, then 5 years later (right around the time of the Lancia film on Top Gear) someone actually commissioned one to be made. IIRC, just one car was made and it was almost like a ghost - you'd see random videos of it now and then but no one had reviewed it or really seen it in depth - and there were no plans for any more to be made because neither Ferrari or Lancia consented to the project.
It took another 8 years for the car to actually get the green light for a small production run in 2018, which the car Clarkson drove came from.
This is one of those cars I was convinced I'd never see at the hands of someone like Clarkson or any car reviewer... so it's amazing to finally see it. But now I'm just wondering what it would be like if you used a 488 as a donor instead of a 430...
Which one?
Both.
That Kavinsky track was used many times on Top Gear! Ahhhhhh the memories!
Man, I really love that Stratos. I remember reading about its creation some time back.
Richard looks dead inside walking around that airport with Jeremy. :(
Stansted is the worst airport I’ve been to. The shopping section had to be at least 1/4 mile long before you get to the first gate. I was both Richard and Jeremy at the same time when I walked through there.
I haven't been through Stansted, but Heathrow isn't an airport, it's a shopping mall with some jetways attached to it.
Seriously, who buys a new wardrobe, expensive electronics or home accessories while traveling? I can't fathom how any of those stores are profitable.
Very high margins and very high foot traffic. Heathrow gets 78 million passengers a year. No high end mall can hope to compete with that amount of foot traffic. Not to mention that a lot of people shop out of pure boredom during long layovers. You can buy pretty unique branded stuff you'll likely not get anywhere else and then people like to buy gifts for those waiting for them at the other end and what best time to do it than when you're idle for 3 or more hours.
I travel a ton for work and I'll admit those places end up getting me sometimes when I have long layovers. Not clothes admittedly because I'm picky about my wardrobe, but other stuff for sure.
Add in the crazy-high markups and it's not hard to see how business travelers or wealthy leisure travelers have plenty of downtime and cash to go shopping- it's not like I pay for my own tickets, after all; so at that point I'm just killing time waiting for my plane might as well impulse buy some shit.
Now alcohol is a whole other matter, I'll make a stop on the way to grab my luggage at a destination to snag a bottle of scotch pretty much every time I get off a plane; avoids having to pay for overpriced hotel drinks or having to divert my Uber to go on a shopping trip. I'd be amazed if those shops aren't profitable.
Porsche 917 is 40 years old and can go toe to toe with the modern day super cars. What a machine it is
Makes me wonder if the GT2 RS equivalent supercar from 2060-ish can go toe to toe with a 919 Hybrid
it's not how fast the car is. it's how fast you're willing to drive it. that thing was a death trap.
https://imgur.com/zAxfTDC
She's loving every second of it.
I sure hope so, she’s doing a fantastic job 😄
I love the segments where they take her out of the regular duty of going round the Eboladrome. BBC keeping hold of the rights to the Stig concept has actually helped the show, in my opinion.
I really hope they bring Abbie with them into the next season.
But how fast are those salmon that were crossing the street? I need to know who would win the race between a fish and a bird.
I think the bird would end up winning most of the time.
Fish looks chuffed
Another car named after a fish: Hyundai Tiberon
Not even close to Stingray, Barracuda and Manta to any extent though
El... Dorado.
Which translates to The... Dorado.
Suzuki baleno
World's fastest canoe
Honestly I was laughing uncontrollably through Jeremy's rant.
And as someone who's had to run across JFK at 4 in the morning, Gate 1 is a shite idea.
Having transferred between planes at ATL before, I winced when he mentioned it. Making my connection was the longest 3 weeks of my life.
I’ve been through ATL many times, but none of those times were as bad as the day I went through Stansted. The layout is absolutely terrible. The bad memories came rushing back watching them walk through it.
ATL is fine. I mean they have a tram to take you to the far gates anyway.
Detroit felt like the largest airport ever when I had to sprint from one side to the other to make a short connection.
There have been many good episodes, but for me the magic is back, by far this show had what made top gear great.
God, that airport bit had me in pieces
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She was laughing at the end, too.
As a brazilian i loved the shots fired at Argentina.
"Nobody walks for ten minutes! Well, an ape would... or a wilderbeast, but not a human being!"
I need that suitcase
Here you go:
http://modobag.com/
Well, time to go play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 again. Airport+Skateboard=Nostalgia Bomb.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tPlyIuMwRw
That's THPS1. Or the Pizza Hut demo disk 2.
Anyone notice the same customs guy (who Jeremy asked if he'd like to see his penis) was also supposedly a normal guy behind Hammond on the escalator? 🤔The staged stuff does take me out a bit but loved the episode all the same. Can't fuckin' wait for next week!!
I suspect they filmed most of that segment at night when the airport was closed and used a lot of extras.
whoever he is, I loved him.
I did notice that!!! It didn't bother me though. Episode was pretty solid.
Maybe he really did want to see it later?
I lost it at accident prone little midget...Ahahahahahha
This episode, had the perfect balance of showcasing the cars, entertainment, and historical information without any additional filler or bloat. Overall, season 3 has been a tremendous improvement over the last two seasons.
It amazes me that car companies trust these guys with multimillion dollar brand new cars. Or even with such priceless historic cars.
Well, James May did say the insurance company wouldn't let Richard Hammond drive the 917...
Could've just been a joke too.
"accident prone midget" if I recall correctly
I’m sure Amazon has a great insurance policy.
Also, fuckbuckets of cash.
They had an issue once with the E-Type Jaguar, I think on TG, they couldn't afford to insure it to drive; but I believe a lot of the cars they get are loaners from private owners. There was the ultralight racing Ferrari FXX that only Schumacher was allowed to drive though; which makes since given he helped develop it.
I remember when they had Chris Evans on as a guest in original TG and he talked about his Ferrari collection and it kinda drove home for me why I'd probably do the same thing if I was loaded, as a car lover. I mean when you have an awesome piece of automotive history like that the only way more than just you and your buddies are going to get to enjoy it is if you let others borrow them/drive them. Loan them to the Top Gear boys to let them show it to a few million people that'd otherwise never see one? That's an easy call.
Look at that blithering idiot! Loved the jab at James’s shampoo (?) advert
Richard Hammond in a concept electric vehicle and he's crashed it in 10 minutes...
More like 10 seconds, they didn't even get in the building.
Let's not have him test the new Tesla Roadster...
Jeremy killing that man was uncomfortably well staged.
Abbie driving the suitcase had me in giggles, never would have she thought she would be using her expertise to drive a luggage bag in an airport racing a laptop skate board.
alright no one is going to talk about Jeremy going through security? I was on the floor with all the different white powders he could name
u/lerhond can we get Abbie flair please?
Sorry it took a while, but added it today.
Second to last ever Conversation Street is in the can. One more to go.
Edit: If next week is a special, that might have been the last one.
Do we know it’ll be the last one? Or are we assuming they take the TG route by never going back to the studio/tent during a special?
They said they're not doing the tent or studio segments next season.
So any sort of discussion type piece next season will probably be like what they do now when on location, sit at a restaurant and argue.
There's one more episode after the special, maybe that'll have it.
Also, as someone who transfers at Atlanta and Beijing quite often, I need that suitcase.
Can't wait for that special.
Sure you can.
So Jeremy’s suitcase was an adult krazy kart right?
i won’t be able to walk around an airport without thinking about clarkson complaining about it all now
It's basically my inner monologue anytime I'm in an airport. The part about the woman in a tracksuit had me in tears.
What a way to top the Ford GT segment.
My God this season of TGT is so great. That airport segment, LOL.
Clarkson falling off the airport tunnel was bloody hilarious.
r/weldingporn
How did they do that bit where Jeremy falls off the jetway
Probably had him fall off into an airbag.
Reminded me of Dumb and Dumber.
Stunt double and an airbag, I'd guess.
I never thought I'd live to see the day people would race luggage through an airport, but here we are.
That Stratos was done in 2011, and it still looks better than any of the modern equivalents of the 430. While it's more on pace with the cars from that time, let's be honest, looks are more important.
Car named after fish: Tiburon.
I think this may be my favorite episode so far, the bit with Attwood was fantastic.
What the packets of flower thing comes from :)
As an Italian, I agree with everything said about Italians in that episode.
I've always wondered what happens when they "kill a man". Sounds like a lot of paperwork or some good acting lol
Isn't it amazing how all cars are named after fish?
You have the informative pieces on the Porsche and Lancia and the humor bits with Jeremy and Richard
This has the to be the best episode of all
HAMMOND! I'm drifting a suitcase!
I want to see Abbie take the suitcase around the Eboladrome!
That Porsche segment was just magical
I have to assume, knowing the history of Top Gear and Grand Tour, Abbie didn’t flinch at all when she was told she be driving a suitcase.
She had to have known that was a possibility one day when she came in for her audition, right?
I've noticed the last few weeks that whoever picks the music must've recently discovered the band Public Service Broadcasting, I've been hearing a lot of clips of their songs.
love the bit with hammond going through the metal detector, his face says it all and immediately goes over to the guy with the handheld wand.
The first two films are two of the best films they've ever done - including through the Top Gear era.
I'd been waiting for years for Clarkson to get behind the wheel of the new stratos. For so long that car was like a ghost. You'd hear stories about it, then nothing for months at a time.
I'd almost forgotten about but when he started talking about new lancias I thought to myself "wow he's gonna review it, isn't he" then they totally got me with the misdirection of the updated Integrale. Also an amazing car but wow was it cool to see the new Stratos on a track.
“Yeeesss” is my favourite Clarksonism and this episode had two brilliant ones
"THE SPEED!"
Being italian,i immediatly lost it when the LEVATI button showed up the Lancia :D
917 finally gets the attention it deserves :)
That Stratos looked and sounded amazing. I wish I could experience the drive.