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#TheGrandTour #OneForTheRoad #ClarksonHammondMay #FinalLap #ZimbabweSpecial

After 22 years of automotive mayhem, the trio—Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May—have reached the end of the road. In their final special, "One For The Road," they head to Zimbabwe in three cars they’ve always wanted to own: a Lancia Montecarlo, a Ford Capri, and a Triumph Stag. We dive into the most emotional moments, the stunning African landscapes, and the legacy left behind by the men who changed car television forever. Goodbye to the best car show in the world.

#AmazonPrime #CarReview #JeremyClarkson #RichardHammond #JamesMay #AutomotiveHistory

Category

🚗
Motor
Transcript
01:06Thank you so much.
01:13Thank you very much.
01:16Welcome and coming up in this week's show.
01:21Abby is sideways on ice in a 911 Turbo.
01:25Richard drives Jim Clark's beautiful Lotus 25.
01:30And I nearly fall over.
01:36That was all to come.
01:42Now, hang on a minute.
01:43Does that mean Howard and Adrian aren't coming on then?
01:46I haven't got time.
01:49We actually begin with the French.
01:51Now, they don't make a sports car very often, but when they do, literally nobody buys it.
01:58We've had the Venturi Atlantique, and then there was the Matra Murena, and then there was the Simca Sport.
02:07And all of them fell...
02:09To mention the best of the French sports car makers.
02:11Well, that's like saying the best of the airborne plagues.
02:14What is it?
02:15The best of the...
02:16No, it isn't.
02:17There is one French maker that's been consistently good at making sports cars, and they've made a new one, and
02:22I've been testing it.
02:34It's called the A110, and it's made by Alpine, a French sports car firm who have a history of hitting
02:42the spot.
02:45The original A110, for example, won the World Rally Championship in 1973.
02:52And it's that car that gives the new one not only its name, but also its looks.
03:09So, what we have here is a small, pure, no-nonsense sports car aimed squarely at the Porsche Cayman and
03:17the Audi TT.
03:19And this, unfortunately, is where the problems begin.
03:25You see, this launch version of the Alpine costs £51,000.
03:31£51,000.
03:33Now, for £1,000 more, you can have the TT RS.
03:37That's the one Clarkson was driving in the last series.
03:41And that's more powerful, and it's faster.
03:45And the Porsche Cayman you buy for £51,000 is also more powerful than this, and it's a Porsche.
03:51Whereas this is an Alpine.
03:54That's something you're going to have to explain when you're down the pub.
04:01Even the engine sounds a bit late.
04:05I don't think the noise it makes.
04:06I mean, when somebody asks you, what's that got then, mister?
04:09Because the answer is, a four-cylinder 1.8-litre turbo, Sonny.
04:15For over £50,000.
04:17I mean, is that it?
04:23Also, I'm not sure about the looks.
04:26The original 1960s version was a masterpiece.
04:32But for me, this modern reboot doesn't quite work.
04:40The problem, I think, is that on modern cars, there are rules about things like how high the headlights are
04:46above the ground,
04:47and how forgiving the bonnet is if you run into a pedestrian.
04:50But once you stretch modern legislation over 1960s design language,
04:55you end up with a sort of slightly lame tribute act.
05:00So, is there anything good to report?
05:03Well, thankfully, yes.
05:08For starters, although Alpine is owned by Renault,
05:11this car is not just a hot Megane dressed up in some fancy suit.
05:17The A110 is, in fact, a mid-engined, rear-drive sports car designed from scratch
05:23on a clean sheet of paper.
05:30The body and the chassis are made entirely of aluminium,
05:33and the reason for that is simple.
05:34It's lightness.
05:36And from that starting point, the Alpine engineers nerded their way through the rest of the car
05:40and shaved off every spare gram they could find.
05:46The seats, for example, are half the weight of the ones you'll find in any hot Renault.
05:52The handbrake is built into the main calipers, rather than being separate,
05:57saving another 2.5 kilos.
06:01Even the stereo is a bespoke, lightweight design.
06:07And then there's this boot at the front,
06:09which is just deep enough for a small suitcase like this one.
06:12But now I think about it, putting the suitcase in there would just add weight.
06:16So what I would do is just pack my overnight stuff straight in there.
06:20The only downside is that in the morning I have to go outside if I want a fresh pair of
06:24pants.
06:28So, thanks to Alpine's fanatical diet regime,
06:33this car is 300 kilos lighter than a Cayman or an Audi TT.
06:39And that has a profound effect.
06:45Suddenly, it doesn't really matter that you've only got 1.8 litres and 248 horsepower.
06:51This thing absolutely sips a lot.
06:570 to 60, 4 and a half seconds.
07:01Top speed limited to 155 miles an hour.
07:10And then, when you get to a corner,
07:15you find out just how agile this thing is.
07:28It's like driving a feather.
07:36It is like a cartoon car.
07:42It should come with those little bubbles saying,
07:43Kiff!
07:44Pow!
07:45Bam!
07:51But even though the A110 is built to minimalist principles,
07:55you never feel like you're in some miserable Spartan track day car.
08:00It has air-com, sat-nav, phone connectivity.
08:05All the modern things you want.
08:10This whole lightness and smallness thing
08:13cascades down in a sort of waterfall of pure joy.
08:18Lower weight means you don't need such big tyres,
08:21you don't need so much grip.
08:22That gives the car more feel.
08:25Low weight means you use less fuel,
08:28you make lower emissions.
08:30It's just win, win, win, win all the way.
08:34This is actually the most intelligent car I've driven for years.
08:40And I love it for that.
08:42I love it.
09:04So, despite the ordinary engine,
09:07the looks that you're not sure about,
09:09and the high price,
09:10you liked it?
09:11I did.
09:12I loved it, yeah.
09:13Would you buy one?
09:15I have.
09:18You've bought one of those?
09:19I have.
09:20And actually, so has Gordon Murray.
09:21I've brought a picture of him along.
09:23Him.
09:23He designed the McLaren F1, so he knows.
09:26Yeah, so it's the sports car of choice
09:27for old men with terrible shirts.
09:30So that's good to know.
09:32Evidently, but now let's see how fast it goes around the Ebola drone, shall we?
09:38And she's off.
09:40Brisk start, and apart from the exhaust on the up change,
09:44immediately on to the isn't straight,
09:46and actually, that's not hanging around.
09:50Perhaps James was right about the benefits of whatever it was he was saying.
09:56Howling round the final bend of the isn't.
09:59Dropping down now into your name here.
10:04Scrubbing off speed in a hurry.
10:06Torturing those tyres, but that does look pretty nimble.
10:10Now, the canter, back down the isn't.
10:13Picking up speed.
10:16Dab of brakes at the midpoint.
10:20Now, much harder on the brakes.
10:22Flicking down the seven-speed box for old lady's house.
10:26Any understeer?
10:27No, not bad for a mid-engine car with no weight over the nose.
10:31I actually rather like the styling of this.
10:34And I'm right.
10:36Just a field of sheep to go now.
10:39Here we are.
10:41And, oh, yes, that's an exuberant drift to finish.
10:44And across the line.
10:46Very good.
10:48Very good.
10:49Good driving.
10:50Right.
10:54Right, let's see where it goes on our lapboard.
10:57Will it go in the top ten?
11:00Oh, dear, no, it doesn't.
11:03Sorry, mate, that is dismal for a mid-engine car.
11:05It is.
11:06Look, it isn't about things like lap times.
11:09I've told you before, he who is first shall be last,
11:12and the last shall be first.
11:14Yes, but it's 15th.
11:15It is, yeah, it is, it is.
11:18So?
11:19It's the Romain Grugion of cars, that is.
11:22Romain who?
11:23Grugion.
11:24Who's he?
11:24He's a French racing driver,
11:26the 15th best Formula One driver in the world.
11:28In fact, you'd like him.
11:30I already did.
11:31Good.
11:31So we've sorted that out.
11:33It's time for us to move on,
11:34because right now it is time for us
11:36to scrump an apple of chat
11:39from the Orchard of Intercourse,
11:42which is on Conversation Street.
11:50APPLAUSE
11:52I like that one.
11:53Yeah, I like that one a lot.
11:54I was so up your street.
11:58Right, now, lots of people these days are buying old cars,
12:02and we think we can see why.
12:04Yeah, because an old Jaguar E-Type or Alpha Spider
12:07is far more interesting to look at than any modern car,
12:10and it won't depreciate.
12:11In fact, it'll make you money.
12:13Yeah, the trouble is, though,
12:14you get into your old car,
12:16and it's crap.
12:18Yeah, well, he's absolutely right.
12:20We forget how terrible old cars were, really.
12:23I mean, if you go more than 40 miles an hour,
12:25the windscreen wipers park company with the windscreen.
12:28Yes.
12:28And the headlamps are like candles in jam jars.
12:31Yeah, and the de-mister doesn't.
12:33No, it doesn't.
12:33And the heater doesn't.
12:35And everything else rattles, and the brakes don't work.
12:37Exactly.
12:38It's old cars.
12:38They work.
12:39I speak from experience.
12:40I've got a 40-year-old Ferrari, a 308,
12:42and it is, apart from all those things,
12:44it's catastrophically slow.
12:46You wouldn't believe it.
12:47I pull away from lies, and people behind honk,
12:49because they think, that's a Ferrari, that'll sit.
12:51Yeah, they honk.
12:52Doesn't that happen in any car you drive, James?
12:54No, no, no.
12:54I'll get out of the way!
12:56Pretty much.
12:57But it is unbelievable, how poor it is.
13:00Yeah, no, but that's the exact point we're trying to make here.
13:02There are now loads of companies who will take an old car
13:05and then gently modernise it.
13:08I've got some examples here of what we're on about.
13:10There's this, which is the Singer Porsche.
13:13I'm obviously not very interested in that.
13:15These two are, but I couldn't care less.
13:16Then you've got the Eagle E-Type Speedster,
13:20one of the best-looking cars I've ever seen.
13:22That's an actual E-Type, and one of the most beautiful to drive.
13:25Absolute honey.
13:26Yeah, there's a company in Germany now,
13:27and they are modernising lightly.
13:29Remember those old Mercedes Pagoda SLs?
13:32Oh, yeah.
13:32They're putting AMG engines in them.
13:34What, that's got a modern AMG engine?
13:36That has an AMG.
13:37Do you want to have a look at the engine?
13:38So, look, we've got another shot.
13:39Hang on.
13:39There it is.
13:40Look at that.
13:41That is a car.
13:42No, I can see you like that.
13:43Very, very much.
13:44I've got something you'll like more.
13:46Have you?
13:46Mm-hmm.
13:48Oh, my God.
13:50That is an old 68 Dodge Charger.
13:52You used to have one, didn't you?
13:53I did.
13:53But someone has put in that
13:56a 1,000 horsepower modern-day Hellcat engine.
14:00I mean...
14:01I need some time alone with that picture.
14:07It's just...
14:08It's such a good idea, this, I think.
14:10It is, actually, and it's a very good point,
14:12because we all think we would like a Jensen interceptor,
14:15don't we?
14:16But the fact is it won't go, it won't stop if it ever does go,
14:19the brakes will work, all the rest of it.
14:21Terrible thing.
14:21But here is a Jensen interceptor,
14:24but that has modern brakes, has a modern cooling system,
14:26and it has the engine from a Corvette.
14:29No, it does.
14:30I've actually driven that very car, and it's epic.
14:32Well, that one isn't anymore,
14:33because somebody wrapped it round a fence in Goodwood.
14:35But it was epic before that.
14:37It's a fantastic car, it really, really is.
14:39I'd like to explain, by the way,
14:40that squeaking noise is not James thinking.
14:43It's...
14:44LAUGHTER
14:45It's the wind.
14:46It's quite a breezy day.
14:47It's a breezy day.
14:48And we decided to base ourselves in a tent
14:50because we're mad.
14:52And on a hill.
14:53And on a hill.
14:53Yeah, but I think the problem
14:55with all of these reimagined cars
14:57is that they're expensive, they're too expensive.
14:59That Mercedes Pagoda SL, that's £300,000.
15:02Those Singer Porsches, 400,
15:04that E-Type Speedster, 650 grand.
15:07It's just crazy.
15:08The problem is that the companies
15:09who are doing this kind of work,
15:11they know they can charge that kind of money,
15:14because the customers that come to their workshops
15:16invariably arrive in a helicopter
15:19with a Ukrainian girlfriend
15:21and Lewis Hamilton's watch.
15:23And the fact is,
15:24if you're going to dress up like that
15:25and act like that,
15:26if you're going to show off,
15:27you're going to get ripped off.
15:28That's just the way it is.
15:29They charge accordingly, don't they?
15:30Yeah, that's asking for it, isn't it?
15:31What you should actually do
15:32is ring them up and say,
15:33could you collect me from the station?
15:35No.
15:35That would be better, is it?
15:36No, the bus stop.
15:37Pick me up from the bus stop.
15:38I've come to look at these cars you make.
15:39I've just had a thought.
15:41Right, picture this.
15:42An original Opel Manta A.
15:44Remember the one?
15:45The round tail lights.
15:45Yeah, yeah, black bonnet.
15:47Yeah, but with the engine
15:48from a modern Vauxhall VXR in it.
15:50So I just find some blokes
15:51that will do that for me.
15:52I'll do that on the phone.
15:53And then I go and visit them
15:54on the bus in a tracksuit.
15:58And you'll get charged 50 quid.
15:59Well, I'll probably get 40
16:00because I need a tenant
16:01to get home on the bus.
16:04Oh, now, there's a new electric car
16:07from, you're not going to believe this,
16:10Kalashnikov.
16:11Really?
16:11Yeah, the people who make AK-47s
16:13are going to start making electric cars.
16:15I like the sound of that.
16:16Although, do you want to see a picture of it?
16:18Yes.
16:18Here it is.
16:19Oh.
16:20Oh.
16:21Oh, God.
16:22No, that path because from the back,
16:24it's actually worse.
16:25Yeah, there you go.
16:26Oh, you're right.
16:26It actually is.
16:27You're right.
16:27Now, I assumed, I assumed
16:30that it would have eight moving parts
16:31that you could bury it in a bog
16:32for three months
16:34and that it would only jam
16:35if Richard Hammond used it.
16:36Yes, right.
16:37But, but they say
16:39it has revolutionary technology.
16:41Does it?
16:42Does it have central locking and loading?
16:44More importantly,
16:45can you fire it in the air at weddings?
16:47You probably won't.
16:48Exam results children
16:49are going to go out and do that.
16:50No, but I think the idea
16:51of driving a car
16:53called a Kalashnikov.
16:54It sounds brilliant.
16:55Oh, yeah.
16:55It's pretty good.
16:56Yeah.
16:57What are you driving these days, Rich?
16:58It's a Kalashnikov.
17:00There you go.
17:01There you go.
17:02The problem is,
17:02I reckon they're going to sell
17:03a lot of T-shirts
17:04and mugs and hats
17:06with the name on,
17:07but not many actual cars.
17:09Like Ferrari.
17:10Basically Ferrari, yeah.
17:11Oh, here's one.
17:13There's a story I got
17:14from the Dorset Echo,
17:16which is a local newspaper
17:17in Dorset.
17:19And I think it wins the award
17:21for unnecessary reporting
17:22because it's about a crash
17:23that happened
17:24between a motorcyclist
17:25and a tank.
17:27Happened, yep.
17:28Happened near the army base
17:29down there.
17:30OK, and it says,
17:31the motorcyclist
17:31sustained a suspected fracture
17:33to his arm and leg.
17:34And here's the line
17:35they probably didn't need.
17:36The driver of the tank
17:37was uninjured.
17:38Was he?
17:39Well, he was lucky
17:41to get away with that,
17:42wasn't he?
17:44Was he really?
17:45I suspect he got back
17:46to the base and went,
17:47I hit a what?
17:47Did I?
17:50Good conversation here,
17:51I think.
17:51Very good conversation.
17:52Because they've announced
17:53a new type of
17:54motor racing championship,
17:55which is for women.
17:56It's called the W Series,
17:58OK?
17:58And the idea is
17:59that potentially quite good,
18:01you know,
18:02women racing drivers
18:02can take part in this series.
18:05Cars are all exactly the same.
18:07You're invited to take part
18:08and the prize money
18:09is £1.1 million.
18:12So it's, you know,
18:13fairly incentivised.
18:14There's actually been
18:15a lot of discussion about it,
18:16or actually debate,
18:17I should say.
18:18Yeah, because some people
18:18are saying it's sexist
18:20to have a women-only championship.
18:21But if you think about it,
18:22you've got women-only football
18:24and rugby and hockey,
18:25all Olympic sports pretty much,
18:26are segregated between men and women.
18:28So I can't see why
18:29motor racing should be different.
18:30Not all sports, though.
18:31Men and women compete
18:32directly against each other
18:33in dressage.
18:34Yeah, but that's not a sport.
18:36It isn't.
18:36That's just sitting on a horse
18:38while it tries to look camp.
18:41All right, then, they can...
18:43It's right.
18:44OK, there's no...
18:46It is, though.
18:47You're right, actually.
18:48There's no segregation, then,
18:50between men and women
18:51in sailing,
18:51they compete against each other.
18:52Well, that's not a sport, either, is it?
18:54Sailing is a job.
18:56You have to pull pieces of rope and...
18:58Oh, right, then.
18:59It's manual labour, is what it is.
19:00It's not a sport.
19:01No, honestly, there's a world of difference
19:02in any of that
19:03and single-seater car racing.
19:06Why, though?
19:07Why is it?
19:07I mean, is it that,
19:08oh, well, you need manly strength to do it,
19:11because, well, you don't anyway,
19:12because even an F1 car has power steering.
19:14I know, but I was driving a single-seater race car
19:16the other day.
19:16I can't remember what or where,
19:17but I know it had slick tyres,
19:18and after three laps,
19:19my neck muscles had...
19:20I was like this,
19:21and I hadn't got the strength to lift my head up.
19:23I had to wait for the next corner,
19:24so I'd go...
19:25and drive it over the other way.
19:26Now, I know, you know,
19:28Navratilova and the Williams Girl,
19:29you wouldn't want to arm-wrestle either of them.
19:31So, women can build up their muscles
19:32to compensate for that, but...
19:34So, wait, are you saying
19:35that there should be segregation
19:36with women and men in motorsport?
19:38Well, it doesn't really matter what I think.
19:40The fact is, it's 43 years
19:41since there was a girl
19:43in a Formula One motor race.
19:4543 years, so something's going wrong,
19:47because they're not making it.
19:48I think it's grassroots.
19:49It happens early on.
19:50I think too many mothers
19:51put their little daughters on ponies
19:53and not into go-karts.
19:55Yeah, no, you've got to...
19:57Some girls do go-karting,
19:59cos Abby, our driver,
20:00she was karting since she was a little nipper.
20:02I think what this series is all about,
20:04it's not about segregation,
20:05it's about encouraging women to go car racing,
20:07which I think is a good idea.
20:08Yeah, I think it is,
20:09but I think it has to start early on.
20:11So, little girls,
20:12it's time to get off your ponies
20:14and get into a go-kart.
20:16Yeah.
20:16And I can tell you, actually,
20:17from some experience of horses.
20:20The good thing is,
20:22when you walk out in the morning,
20:23you'll find that your go-kart
20:25hasn't crapped itself and died in the night.
20:28So it's better than your horse.
20:30You'll also find out that go-karts
20:32are more fun than going on an horse.
20:34They just are.
20:35Yes, yes, and you'll find also that
20:36a go-kart won't pop its long, stupid head up
20:39over the stable door and look at you.
20:41And you know it's thinking,
20:44it's trying to say to you,
20:45your wife, she's back here with me,
20:47in here.
20:48She's giving me breakfast in bed,
20:50crapped myself last night,
20:51but she's clearing that up with a garden fork.
20:55And then it says,
20:56and the penis is a bit dirty.
20:57She'll be sorting that out for me later on.
21:00And then your wife's head will pop up
21:02over the stable door and she'll say,
21:03don't look at him like that,
21:05he'll think you don't like him.
21:06And you'll say,
21:07I know!
21:09If I could speak horse,
21:11I would tell him,
21:11I hate you.
21:13I hate the way you steal my wife
21:15and my money and my status around here.
21:19And then one day,
21:20you'll have a conversation with your wife
21:21and she'll say,
21:22darling,
21:22I need a trailer
21:24to move my special horse around
21:25to wonderful places
21:26because these fields are too small
21:28for him to exercise
21:28his magnificent muscled legs.
21:30And you'll say,
21:31okay,
21:31I'll get you a trailer.
21:32And then she'll say,
21:33I need a special car
21:34to tow the special trailer
21:35to carry the special horse.
21:36So you'll get one.
21:38And then one day,
21:38she'll say,
21:39I need a lorry,
21:40a great big lorry
21:42to carry my great big magnificent horse
21:44around the country.
21:45And the lorry must have a kitchen
21:47and a bed in it
21:48so I can sleep close to my horse,
21:51closer to my horse
21:51than I am to you.
21:53And at that moment,
21:53your head will bow
21:54and your heart will break
21:55because you know
21:56you have lost
21:57and the horse has won.
22:00That's very good.
22:03That is, um...
22:09Slightly off.
22:10We tried on the H-bomb,
22:11didn't we?
22:11Every time you mentioned
22:12the horse word to him,
22:14he's off.
22:14Oh, I did it again.
22:15I think we'd probably end up...
22:16Well, it's not really
22:17Conversation Street.
22:18That was Rant Street
22:19from Hammond.
22:19Sorry about that.
22:20Well, then,
22:21let's move it on, shall we?
22:22Right, there's a new
22:23off-road,
22:23four-wheel-drive Lamborghini.
22:25It's called the Eurus.
22:26And to find out
22:27if it's any good,
22:28I took the Grand Tour
22:29to Sweden
22:30armed with
22:31some questions.
22:44Here's my first
22:45big question.
22:46If you build a car
22:48to tackle terrain
22:49like this,
22:50can it still
22:51be a proper
22:52Lambo?
23:02Well, the Eurus
23:03certainly looks
23:04like a jacked-up
23:05supercar.
23:09With its
23:10swivel-eyed styling,
23:11it appears to be
23:12every inch a Lamborghini.
23:16But is it?
23:19To make this car,
23:21Lambo's engineers
23:22had a good rummage
23:23around in Volkswagen's
23:25parts bin.
23:26So the engine,
23:27a four-litre V8,
23:28is from a Porsche
23:29Panamera.
23:30The rear axle
23:31and air suspension
23:32is from a Bentley
23:34Bentayga.
23:35The platform
23:36on which it sits
23:37and a lot of the
23:38dashboard
23:38is from an Audi
23:40SQ7.
23:41So does that mean
23:43this isn't really
23:45a Lamborghini at all?
24:04Well, it does 0-60
24:06in 3.6 seconds.
24:10And it has a top speed
24:12of 180 nommies.
24:19So it has the
24:20performance you'd
24:21expect.
24:23But there's other
24:24stuff you wouldn't
24:25expect.
24:27This is the first
24:28Lamborghini to use
24:30turbocharging and the
24:31first to have an
24:32automatic gearbox.
24:33And what that
24:34combination means is
24:35there's a very slight
24:36and rather un-Lamborghini-ish
24:38gap between putting
24:40your foot down and it
24:42getting going.
24:46And when it does
24:47get going, there are
24:48no screaming
24:49histrionics.
24:51Sure, there's a bit
24:52of popping and
24:53banging from the
24:54back.
24:57But you can't hear
24:59that inside, where
25:00everything is muted
25:01and refined.
25:03Perhaps that's why
25:04all the writing down
25:05here is in Latin.
25:07This is a Lamborghini
25:08for emeritus
25:09professors.
25:12I can see the Pope
25:13in one of these.
25:19So it's quiet and a
25:21bit hesitant.
25:23And it has snazzy diffs
25:25and a clever traction
25:26control system.
25:27And the biggest carbon
25:29brakes ever fitted to a
25:31road car.
25:31So it's safe as well.
25:35However, there's no
25:37getting around the fact
25:37that I'm currently
25:38driving on snow and ice
25:40in a car that has
25:44641 horsepower
25:47rampaging around
25:48underneath its bonnet.
25:53which means that
25:54actually, it's not that
25:56safe at all.
25:59Oh, God, above all.
26:03Concentrate in.
26:06It's twitching.
26:07It's scary.
26:13It's like I've been put in
26:15charge of all of the
26:16world's physics while I'm
26:17in a phone box full of
26:18wasps.
26:21Stop being alone.
26:22I'm doing tides and
26:23grabbing me in the air.
26:25Stop.
26:27This car, then, it sits
26:29right at the moment where
26:30excitement stops and terror
26:33begins.
26:35That is Lambo, then,
26:36that is.
26:38Shit.
26:46So, the Eurus looks and
26:49feels like a Lamborghini.
26:53It's also practical.
26:54The boot is massive.
26:56And inside, there's space
26:59for five, six-footers.
27:02It's a nice place to be as
27:04well.
27:05And all that's great.
27:09But does it work off-road?
27:14To find out, I'm going to
27:16try and drive it to the top
27:18of this ski resort.
27:19Now, it's wearing these
27:21tyres, which have no studs in
27:23them or spikes.
27:24And I'm wearing these,
27:26which are not delicate Italian
27:29driving shoes.
27:31I'm not sure this is going
27:33to go well.
27:35Problems actually get worse
27:37when you're in here because
27:38there's no manual locking
27:40differentials.
27:41There's no low-range
27:42gearbox.
27:43All you can do is fire it
27:45up and then put the drive
27:47system into snow mode.
27:51Is that snow?
27:53Is Niamh, Latin for snow?
27:56Give money, please.
27:57So, let's see if that works.
27:59Here we go.
28:01Mustn't hit a skier.
28:02Mustn't hit a skier.
28:03Oh, it's moving.
28:10The 165,000-pound Lamborghini
28:12is driving up a ski slope.
28:19Those turbochargers may be a
28:20little bit annoying on the
28:21road, but here they're giving
28:23me the low-down torque that I
28:25need to get up this hill.
28:29And I've got an
28:30inclinometer, like you're
28:32used to getting an old
28:32Mitsubishi Shogun.
28:38This is actually quite
28:39impressive.
28:40It's just dropped down
28:40running to first.
28:48Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho.
28:54Hello, bewildered-looking skiers.
28:59I cannot believe that this is a 2.4-ton car
29:04on normal road tires, and it's doing this.
29:11Come on, come on, come on, come on, you can do it.
29:13Come on.
29:14Come on, come on, come on.
29:20Oh, hang on a minute.
29:23Yeah, yeah, I now can believe it's a 2.4-ton car
29:28on normal road tires, because it's stuck.
29:32No.
29:34No.
29:37Right.
29:39So, what we've established so far is that, yes, it is a Lamborghini.
29:44It feels exciting like a Lamborghini should, and, um, I meant this, and, uh, it's good
29:51off-road as well, but just not quite as good as a Range Rover.
29:57Which leaves us with one more thing to answer.
30:01Is it a good laugh?
30:04What we've done is use a snowplough to create a racetrack on this frozen lake.
30:15And this is what we have planned.
30:19I'm going to try and overtake this, a four-wheel-drive Porsche 911 Turbo,
30:25which is being driven by the Grand Tour's racing driver, Abby Eaton.
30:30Have you seen this crack?
30:32I hadn't noticed that before.
30:34Look at the state of this.
30:36You're the heavier car, aren't you?
30:38Mm, that's 2.4 tonnes, and I weigh half a tonne.
30:42Are you not worried about that?
30:44I haven't got my seatbelt on, so if it goes under, I can get out straight away.
30:48Seriously?
30:48Yep.
30:50Before the duel began, I had a few practice laps on my own.
31:00Oh, heavens.
31:02Come on, turn.
31:07Oops, I'm going off a bit.
31:14Oh, my Eurus is a bit twitchy.
31:17That's the sort of thing you'd say to your doctor.
31:21Right, flick it in there.
31:24Now go the other way, and power.
31:30Oh, yeah.
31:34Mouse in, lying out.
31:37That's what they say in Sweden.
31:42I'm making my own fog now.
31:46It may not be able to get as far up the ski slope as a Range Rover, but for doing
31:53this, it's better.
31:58In that Porsche.
32:02There she is.
32:05There she is.
32:11The bell has sounded.
32:13The race is off.
32:17Now we'd find out what's what on our specially designed track.
32:24All right, round the bell end.
32:30Now down the shaft.
32:33To what we're calling the Parabolica.
32:41I've raced against a few dicks in my time, but never a one.
32:48You should be able to get her, heaven's sake.
32:51Come on.
32:53She, of course, has four-wheel steering, same as I do.
33:00She has got better braking than I have.
33:04Now give me 641 horsepower.
33:12Oh, yeah.
33:14You know, I said it was a bit hesitant sometimes.
33:19Well, in Corsa mode, it isn't.
33:25It's Bob-on, this.
33:27Bob-on.
33:30Oh, she's gone wide.
33:32Is there a chance here?
33:33Come on.
33:37Now.
33:38Now.
33:42Bollocks.
33:44Come on now, Jeremy.
33:52Come on.
33:54Come on.
33:55Come on, you can have her.
33:58Come on.
34:08For lap after lap, the big, heavy Eurus clawed at the rear end of the 911 turbo.
34:15Oh, God.
34:17Nearly.
34:18Now.
34:20But eventually, I had to admit defeat.
34:25I can't get past that 911, and that's just an end of it, but I can keep up.
34:30And in an off-road car, that is fairly astonishing.
34:36It really is.
34:37It really is.
34:42Certainly, I can believe Lamborghini's claim that this is the fastest off-road car in the world.
35:07It probably won't be the fastest off-road car in the world for very long, though,
35:11because both Aston Martin and Ferrari have got big SUVs coming out this year.
35:16Yeah.
35:16Whatever.
35:16Thing is, could you really tell people that you have a Eurus?
35:20Because it sounds like a minor alien out of Star Trek.
35:24Yeah.
35:25But it does work as a Lamborghini.
35:26Yeah.
35:27But no.
35:29Well, this is excellent consumer advice.
35:31Yeah, exactly.
35:32Very clear.
35:33Very clear.
35:33The thing is, after I made that film, which was quite good fun,
35:37I came home and I thought, the trouble is, it could do with being a bit more Aventador-ish.
35:42It could do with being a bit more mad.
35:45Are you saying you changed your mind?
35:47Yes.
35:47Oh, great.
35:48So, Prime Minister Clarkson returns from the summit.
35:51I've declared war.
35:52But on the plane home, I had another think about it, and I'm not so sure now.
35:55I've changed my mind.
35:56Exactly.
35:57That's what I've done.
35:58Good.
35:58Well, since we're in such a sensible frame of mind,
36:00I'd like to move things on now with a brief history lesson.
36:17On April the 7th, 1968, a racing driver was killed in a Formula 2 race in Hockenheim, Germany.
36:27Sadly, the driver's death was not a surprising occurrence,
36:32because such was the danger of the sport back then.
36:35He was one of 127 racing drivers who would die at the wheel that year alone.
36:45This time, though, the death sent shockwaves through the motorsport world,
36:50because it had just lost the man who was unquestionably the greatest racing driver of his day,
36:56and who many argue is still the greatest of all time.
37:06Jim Clark has died in an accident during a Formula 2 race in West Germany.
37:12It was a terrible shock to everybody.
37:15It really knocked us all back.
37:17If there was anybody who was not going to have a fatal accident,
37:21it was Jim Clark,
37:22because he drove in such a way that he just didn't do the mistakes that other drivers did.
37:31In California, a radio station broadcaster announcing the news of Clark's death
37:37asked his listeners to turn on their headlights as a mark of respect,
37:41and the freeways lit up.
37:47Such a huge global fuss would not have sat easily with Clark,
37:53because this shy, modest man,
37:56the son of a Scottish sheep farmer,
37:58was never one to trumpet his own skills.
38:02I started as an amateur with no idea or no intention of becoming a world champion,
38:07but I was curious to find out what it was like to drive a car fast,
38:14to drive on a certain circuit, to drive a certain type of car.
38:19Having cut his teeth in sports car racing in the late 50s,
38:23Clark's speed and talent was spotted by Lotus boss Colin Chapman,
38:27who signed him for his Formula One team in 1960.
38:35Clark soon set the motorsport world alight,
38:40especially in this car.
38:44The Lotus 25,
38:48in which, in 1963,
38:52he won his first F1 World Championship.
38:59Oh, my God!
39:01I am sitting where Jim Clark sat!
39:07Oh, this is electrifying!
39:15These were not powerful cars!
39:19They were only made 210 brake horsepower for one and a half litres,
39:24but they were still good for 180 miles an hour!
39:30Oh-ho!
39:33Thanks to its revolutionary monocoque chassis,
39:37the 25 was stiffer and lighter than any other F1 car,
39:41which meant it wasn't just fast on the straights,
39:45but quicker through the corners, too.
39:49And in the 1963 season,
39:52Clark used it to win a record seven out of the ten Grand Prix.
39:57Winner is Jim Clark.
39:59Nobody could possibly catch him now.
40:04But 1963 was just a warm-up for what was to come.
40:09To get a true picture of Clark's genius,
40:12we must look at another year.
40:151965.
40:17When he hit heights no driver had reached before,
40:21or has done since.
40:26A modern Formula 1 driver does 21 races a year
40:30and often complains that's too many.
40:32In 1965, Jim Clark raced in 63 races.
40:37Some of these cars look similar,
40:39but they are all completely different.
40:40In a car like this, he'd do Formula 1 championship.
40:44He raced in the British Formula 2 championship
40:46and the French Formula 2 championship in this car.
40:49He raced in the Tasman series,
40:51a sort of Australian Grand Prix for Down Under in this car.
40:55And then there's this Lotus Cortina,
40:57in which he decided to race in touring cars.
41:00And then if all that wasn't enough,
41:01he decided to go for the Indy 500.
41:07First up was the Tasman series in Australasia.
41:11Out of the 15 races, Clark won 11 and took the crown.
41:18Then it was back to Europe
41:19for the British and French Formula 2 championships.
41:24Both of which he won.
41:27Jim Clark left from the start.
41:29Winner is Jim Clark.
41:31And in between the F2 races,
41:33he was jumping into his Lotus Cortina
41:36and racking up touring car victories.
41:40And on top of all that,
41:41there was America.
41:47The Indy 500 has been called
41:50the greatest spectacle in racing.
41:53America's most prestigious race
41:55would be a tough challenge.
41:58Oval racing at higher average speeds
42:00than he was used to
42:01against seasoned Indy veterans.
42:06For the Indy 500,
42:08Clark raced a specially developed Lotus,
42:11producing just shy of 500 horsepower.
42:14However,
42:15although he already had a Formula 1 world title
42:18to his name,
42:19the Scotsman's CV cut no ice
42:21with the sniffy Indy officials,
42:23who made the upstart from across the pond
42:26take a rookie driving test
42:28before he could compete.
42:32Come Indy weekend,
42:35the upstart from across the pond
42:37qualified on the front row.
42:40And then,
42:42in the race itself,
42:46Clark,
42:47up against America's finest oval racers,
42:50won by just over two minutes.
43:00Jim Clark,
43:02first European to win at Indianapolis since 1916,
43:05set a new record of 150.686 miles per hour.
43:09So, what was it that made Clark so good?
43:13What was it that made him capable of winning
43:16in any type of car?
43:20Jimmy was an absolute natural driver,
43:23and he did it without thinking.
43:25He didn't know why he was driving in this style
43:28the way he did.
43:32In the period that we're talking about,
43:35we had one and a half litre cars,
43:36200 horsepower.
43:38If you drove the car too hard,
43:40you would scrub the speed off.
43:42And if you lose a bit of speed,
43:44it's very difficult to actually make it up again.
43:47And that's what Jimmy had the knack,
43:49of keeping the momentum of the car going.
43:52I don't think that any of the modern drivers
43:54could have driven the car
43:56anywhere near as quickly as Jimmy did,
43:59because he was just so precise.
44:06Besides his supernatural ability
44:09to coax speed out of the car,
44:12Clark also possessed another vital skill.
44:15A lot of very good racing drivers
44:18died in Lotuses,
44:19because the Lotus was a very fragile car.
44:23But Jim Clark was so smooth
44:26that he never put too much stress
44:29on the areas of a car that would give up.
44:33In Barcelona, in practice,
44:36he came in after 10 laps,
44:38and we were doing 10 laps,
44:39and he said,
44:39there's something on the left rear.
44:42Something, something.
44:43I can feel something on the left rear.
44:45It's not right.
44:46We looked over, we checked everything.
44:48Everything felt good.
44:50We said, no, there's something wrong.
44:52So that night,
44:54I took the left rear suspension to pieces,
44:58and lo and behold,
44:59one of the wheelbillians
45:00has just started to wear.
45:04I don't know how anybody
45:06could ever feel that,
45:07but he did.
45:08After the race,
45:09when you stripped his car down
45:11and you stripped his co-driver's car down,
45:14you could always tell
45:15which parts came off Jimmy's car
45:17and which parts came off
45:19the other driver's car,
45:21because the parts of Jimmy's car
45:23were more or less pristine.
45:27But don't think for a minute
45:29that Clark was one of those drivers
45:31that could only win in a perfect car.
45:35One year at Spa, for example,
45:38he was leading the race
45:39when his gearbox started to let go.
45:44Did he give up?
45:45Nope.
45:46Instead, he drove the rest of the race,
45:48and we're talking 160 miles an hour
45:50in the wet,
45:52with one hand on the steering wheel
45:54and the other holding the gear lever
45:56in place.
46:03And he still won
46:07by nearly five minutes.
46:26As the 1965 season rolled on,
46:29Clark, having won both Formula Two championships,
46:32the Tasman series
46:34and the Indy 500,
46:37now faced one remaining challenge.
46:41The biggest challenge,
46:43the Formula One world title.
46:49For the F1 races,
46:51Clark would be driving a modified version
46:53of the Lotus 25,
46:55the car that had taken him
46:56to the World Championship
46:58two years earlier.
47:01But as amazing as the 25 was,
47:05there was no getting round the fact
47:06that by 1965,
47:09it was a three-year-old design,
47:11and the updated version
47:13only had minor changes.
47:15So how would Jim cope?
47:21At the season's opening race
47:23in South Africa,
47:24up against such legends
47:26as Jack Brabham,
47:27Graham Hill,
47:28and reigning world champion
47:30John Surtees,
47:32Clark won by half a minute
47:35and did so
47:37while suffering from a slipped disc.
47:41Next up was Spa
47:43and then the French Grand Prix,
47:46both of which he also won.
47:50His Lotus may be a car
47:52with an old engine,
47:53but as far as the opposition are concerned,
47:55it is just out distancing all.
47:58Behind the wheel,
48:00Clark was becoming untouchable.
48:04Jimmy would go out
48:05beginning of the practice session
48:07and do a very, very quick lap
48:10and come back,
48:11sit on the wall,
48:12you know,
48:13there's no point in wearing the car out
48:14and then wait and see
48:16what everybody else has done
48:17and then go out and blitz it.
48:21If he was in unpowered position,
48:23there was a problem with the car.
48:25Next up was Silverstone
48:27and here it looked like business as usual,
48:31with Clark leading the pack.
48:33However,
48:35in the closing stages,
48:37his engine was starting to lose oil pressure
48:39and was in danger of detonating
48:42under cornering G-forces.
48:44While Clark is driving
48:45with no oil pressure on his gauge,
48:47Hills, storming up behind,
48:48breaks the lap record
48:49in his efforts to putt.
48:50So instead of
48:52driving the car through the corner,
48:54he just switched it off,
48:55coasted through the corner,
48:56when he was through the corner,
48:57switched it back on again,
48:59did the rest of the lap
49:00and he won the race.
49:05Eventually,
49:06the F1 Circus arrived
49:08at the Nürburgring,
49:09a circuit where Clark
49:11had never won.
49:12For the Flying Scott,
49:14tense moments before the start,
49:15victory in the German Grand Prix
49:16and he'd be world champion.
49:25Leading from pole,
49:27Clark finally broke
49:28his Nürburgring jinx,
49:30winning the race
49:31and with it,
49:32the Formula One world title.
49:44So, let's just sum up
49:46Clark's season of 1965.
49:49Of the 63 races he contested,
49:51he won a staggering 31 of them
49:54and was on the podium
49:55a further eight times.
49:57He was now seen
49:58as the greatest racing driver
50:00of all time,
50:01in demand the world over.
50:03Yet this shy Scotsman
50:05chose to mark
50:06the year's achievements
50:07with a modest celebration
50:09at his hometown
50:10back in Scotland.
50:24The next two years,
50:26by contrast,
50:27were a disaster
50:29with multiple mechanical failures
50:31denying him another championship.
50:47Clark took the first win of the year
50:50in South Africa
50:52and looked set
50:53for another dominant season.
50:57Congratulations, gentlemen.
50:58It's absolutely splendid effort.
50:59OK, thank you very much.
51:01And then,
51:01on the weekend of April the 7th,
51:04Clark had a choice
51:04of two races
51:05he could compete in,
51:07one at Brands Hatch,
51:08the other a Formula Two race
51:10at Hockenheim.
51:11Fatefully,
51:12he entered
51:13the German race.
51:20April the 7th
51:21is a bad day for me.
51:24He wasn't happy.
51:25It was freezing cold
51:26and damp,
51:28misty.
51:29We could not get
51:30any heat
51:31into the tyres,
51:33couldn't get any temperature
51:34in them,
51:35no matter what we did.
51:36Jimmy said to me,
51:37for I do not expect
51:39anything from me today,
51:40just keep me informed
51:41with the pit-board,
51:42where I am,
51:44how many laps to go.
51:47That's the last thing he said.
52:01On lap five,
52:03Clark's car
52:04suddenly speared off
52:05the track
52:06at 170 miles an hour.
52:12I got to the scene
52:14and they took me
52:14through the undergrowth
52:15of this,
52:16because no Arnco,
52:18there's tarmac,
52:19trees,
52:20literally,
52:21and you'd see a path
52:23and I just saw
52:23what was left
52:24of a car.
52:29There was nothing
52:30to see.
52:31I said,
52:32where's the engine gearbox?
52:33What's going on?
52:34What's happening?
52:35Oh, they said,
52:35that's about
52:3635 yards away.
52:38Through the saplings,
52:40it just cut the saplings
52:41down.
52:42And I said,
52:43where's the driver?
52:44Where's Jimmy?
52:45They said,
52:45no.
52:48And you just
52:51lost
52:52the best driver
52:53in the world.
52:54What the hell do you do?
52:58Jim Clark,
52:58he's a god.
53:00And the first time
53:01I saw him,
53:01my god,
53:01I can't believe it.
53:03And you're actually
53:04talking to him.
53:04it was
53:05awe-inspiring.
53:07Life is worth living.
53:12It's,
53:14for me,
53:16it's tearful.
53:18I'm sorry.
53:24According to the medical report,
53:27Clark died instantly
53:28of a broken neck.
53:30and the crash
53:31was later put down
53:32to a deflating tire.
53:34When he died,
53:36he was just 32.
53:38But in his short career,
53:40he had racked up
53:41some truly
53:42incredible
53:43achievements.
53:45In Formula One,
53:47he won 25
53:48of his 73 races,
53:50which,
53:50in percentage terms,
53:51puts him way ahead
53:52of Hamilton,
53:53Vettel,
53:53and even Schumacher.
53:55In pole positions,
53:56he had 33,
53:57which, again,
53:58in percentage terms,
53:59makes him second best
54:00of all time,
54:01just behind Fangio.
54:04Then there are
54:04the Grand Slams.
54:05That's where a driver
54:06gets pole position,
54:08fastest lap,
54:09the win,
54:10and leads
54:11every lap
54:11of the race.
54:12Schumacher has
54:13five Grand Slams
54:14to his name.
54:15Senna,
54:16four.
54:17Jim Clark,
54:18eight.
54:19That's more than
54:20any other driver
54:21in history.
54:24You might imagine
54:25that a man
54:26with such skills
54:27would be rated
54:28highly by other drivers,
54:30and you'd be right.
54:32I was invited
54:34to a cocktail party
54:35for Fangio,
54:36and he said to me,
54:38in my opinion,
54:39Jimmy Clark
54:40was the greatest
54:41racing driver ever.
54:42And coming from Fangio
54:44is no better compliment
54:46than that.
54:48And the five-time
54:49world champion
54:50was not the only
54:51South American
54:52who idolised
54:53the Scotsman.
54:56At Clark's
54:57old school
54:58in Edinburgh,
54:58there's a plaque
54:59commemorating
55:00his achievements.
55:02And in 1991,
55:04the reigning
55:05world champion
55:06made a special
55:07pilgrimage
55:08to the school
55:09to pay his respects.
55:12Of Clark,
55:14Senna said simply,
55:15he was my boyhood hero.
55:17He was the best
55:18of the best.
55:20And like Senna,
55:22Clark died
55:23when he was driving
55:24at his absolute peak.
55:26Like Senna,
55:27who knows how many more
55:29races and championships
55:30he could have racked up.
55:37He was the benchmark.
55:40That was it.
55:42Most of what
55:43I was able to do
55:44in motor racing
55:45was done
55:47by the manner
55:48in which
55:48Jim Clark drove.
55:50And I just
55:51followed him.
55:53He was a gentleman.
55:55He was a gentleman
55:56and a gentleman.
55:59It's a pity
55:59he's not around now
56:01because...
56:03it would be nice
56:04to have him.
56:13Oh, you're amazing, Matt.
56:15I like that shit.
56:16Incredible.
56:17All of that's amazing.
56:20What I find
56:21truly amazing
56:21is how many championships
56:24he took part in.
56:25I mean, can you imagine
56:26Lewis Hamilton
56:27getting out of his
56:28Formula One car
56:29and saying,
56:29I haven't got time
56:30for any interviews
56:30because I've got to go off
56:31and do a touring car race?
56:33He just wouldn't.
56:34The other thing
56:35that's worth remembering
56:35is back in the early 60s,
56:37if you went to Australia,
56:38if you flew to Australia,
56:39that meant eight stops
56:40and there were no flat bet.
56:42There weren't even any movies.
56:43Yeah, and let's not forget
56:44he'd get off that aeroplane,
56:46do a race,
56:47win it, obviously,
56:48then get on another aeroplane
56:50straight away to France
56:51to win a race there.
56:52No, it is astonishing.
56:54I mean, everybody has
56:55a favourite racing driver.
56:56I'm sure everybody
56:56here does as well.
56:58It's, you know,
56:58it's the Senna,
56:59Schumacher,
57:00Villeneuve,
57:01Romain Grosjean,
57:03Fangio.
57:04But if you use maths
57:06to measure
57:07a driver's greatness,
57:08you have to conclude
57:09it was Jim Clark.
57:12Good night.
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