Jeremy Clarkson Is Selling Three Grand Tour Cars At No Reserve
The final episode of The Grand Tour featuring Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May landed on Prime Video on September 13, 2024, closing out a partnership that ran for 22 years. Over that stretch, the three of them drove hundreds of cars, some they kept, while nearly all the others went back to the market once filming wrapped.
However, Clarkson bought several of the cars he drove on The Grand Tour and added them to his personal collection. Three of them are about to change hands, and the reason behind it will be revealed in due time. This could be a major gamble for Clarkson. But if it works, we will admit that his genius, it is indeed frightening.
The Grand Tour Cars Clarkson Couldn’t Let Go
Clarkson pointed out on an episode, how few cars from the shows the presenters had actually kept, right before admitting he wanted that particular one in his life. The cars in his garage make up a short list rather than a warehouse.
The final special was the trio’s own idea where headed to Zimbabwe in three cars they had always wanted to own: a 1982 Lancia Montecarlo, a 1974 Ford Capri 3-litre, and a 1974 Triumph Stag.
That trip ended with a reunion. After crossing into Botswana and reaching Maun, Clarkson and May found the Lancia Beta Coupé and Mercedes-Benz 230E from the 2007 Botswana special sitting right where the pair had been left 17 years earlier.
The List Of Cars The Three Grand Tour Presenters Kept
The cars Clarkson kept from the show include the Jeep Wrangler that he drove in Colombia, along with the Lancia Montecarlo, the Lincoln Continental, a modified off-road going Mercedes SL mated to a Land Rover Chassis he called “The Excellent” that made an appearance on Clarkson’s Farm. He loved the Jaguar F-Type from their journey in Mauritania, so he returned to the UK and bought one as well.
Whereas, James May only kept the Beach Buggy from the trip to Namibia, and the Stag from the final episode. Richard Hammond, however, continues to own several cars from the show, including the Buick Riviera Boattail, Martin – the Subaru Impreza which he uses regularly, the Chevrolet SSR, the off-road lifted Aston Martin DB9 and the Ford Capri.
The Grand Tour itself has moved on, with James Engelsman, Thomas Holland, and Francis Bourgeois taking over presenting duties from September 2026. Anything tied to the original three now carries a different kind of weight.
Three Clarkson-Owned Classics Head To Auction With No Safety Net
All three cars cross the block at Iconic Auctioneers’ Iconic Sale at the NEC Classic Motor Show in Birmingham on November 14, with bidding opening at 11 a.m. local time without reserve.
Clarkson is taking a massive gamble offering the three cars at no-reserve lot. Bidders have no minimum price and no safety net, so whatever the room settles on that morning is what the car sells for.
He admitted that the GTV6 is the only car of the three he continued to drive, but Clarkson’s stated reason to sell them is simple enough. He rarely gets the chance to drive or enjoy these cars anymore, so he figures it’s “probably for the best if they end up with someone who can.” But the reason for Clarkson is parting ways with his three cars will be revealed soon.
The Cars Clarkson Is Parting With In November 2026
Each of the three still wears the modifications it picked up on screen, which is unusual for cars that pass through a television production.
1982 Lancia Montecarlo Spider
This is the very last car Clarkson drove on The Grand Tour, his pick for One for the Road and its run across Zimbabwe into Botswana. He chose it as a callback to the Lancia Beta Coupé he drove on the 2007 Botswana special, the same car he and May later stumbled across on that final trip.
The Lotus Blue Spider wears Ferrari 308 tail lights, quad tailpipes, and Delta Integrale wheels, headlights, and grille. Clarkson also swapped the leather seats for cloth and fitted a button-free Alcantara wheel, on the theory that 1980s Italian electrics and a 104-degree African sun would not get along.
He bought the car after filming and had Max500 Ltd tidy it up. It now shows 62,740 miles.
1983 Alfa Romeo GTV6
Clarkson drove this Rosso Alfa in “Well Aged Scotch,” Series 3, Episode 7, first broadcast on February 22, 2019, alongside May’s Lancia Gamma Coupé and Hammond’s Fiat X1/9. The plan was Scotland’s North Coast 500, but they cut it down to a 287-mile version they named Piloting Extremely Nicely In Scotland 287.
He talked up the 2.5-liter V6, the rear-mounted five-speed transaxle, and the twin-plate clutch at the start of the episode. He then spent much of the trip wrestling the GTV6’s stubborn gear change before the propshaft let go.
Clarkson had owned a GTV6 before and regretted selling it, and paid around $27,750 for this one from its 83-year-old first owner. Today, this Lancia shows 28,315 miles on the odometer.
1978 Lincoln Continental Mark V
The Mark V was Clarkson’s choice for The Grand Tour Presents: Lochdown, which aired on July 30, 2021, with Hammond in a boattail Buick Riviera and May in a Cadillac Coupe de Ville. At 19 feet long, it barely squeezed through Edinburgh’s cobbled streets before heading north toward the Outer Hebrides.
Unconvinced by the standard car’s 170 hp, Clarkson fitted nitrous during the trip, which never worked properly because the supporting modifications were skipped. He also added larger wheels, which left the Lincoln struggling to turn.
The nitrous equipment, the bagpipes in the trunk, and the Cartier dashboard clock he singled out on screen are all still with the car. It shows 68,285 miles.
Season 6 Of Clarkson’s Farm Holds The Answer Fans Want
The open question is why a man who went to the trouble of buying and importing these cars is now letting all three go at once. Iconic Auctioneers has confirmed only that the reason will surface in the forthcoming season of Clarkson’s Farm.
The timing is worth noting. Season 5 premiered on June 3, 2026, the show was renewed for a sixth series in January 2026, and that season is expected in the summer of 2027.
Season 5 also covered a difficult year for Clarkson on the farm but more particularly with his health. It opened with Clarkson undergoing a procedure to unblock coronary arteries, and he revealed in the closing episodes that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, describing it as aggressive but caught early. No connection has been drawn between that and the sale by Clarkson or the auction house. There are many accounts from people close to Clarkson who have confirmed that he is doing well after the treatment.
What’s certain is the date and the terms. On November 14, the three cars with provenance that can never be repeated will go under the hammer to the highest bidder with no reserve.
Sources: Iconic Auctioneers, Amazon Studios, BBC
Related posts
Latest Post
No Comments