grand tour crosley

Clarkson, Hammond, And May Will Drive Some Astonishingly Weird Cars In The Next ‘Grand Tour’ Special

• By Thomas Hundal
• May 15, 2023
• 84 Comments

After several months of separate programs, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May will once again grace the small screen with a Grand Tour special. While the last adventure took place in a Scandinavian winter, this new episode focuses on a trek through Eastern Europe. Officially called Eurocrash , the special will come out on June 16, and it will feature the trio in three very weird cars.

Let’s start off with the most familiar one, the Chevrolet SSR. This retro-styled vehicle was a convertible pickup truck with a carpet-lined bed, which sounds excessively odd until you realize this was meant to separate boomers from their 401(k)s. Riding on the Chevrolet Trailblazer platform, the SSR first appeared with a 5.3-liter V8 that offered leisurely acceleration for something posturing as a hot rod. Zero-to-60 passed in a middling 7.7 seconds, despite a respectable 290 horsepower under the hood. Perhaps the 4L60E four-speed automatic gearbox was a dog, but the more likely culprit is the sheer weight of the SSR.

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Prime Video UK (@primevideouk)

For 2005, the SSR got a much better powertrain, a 390-horsepower six-liter LS2 V8 hitched to an available Tremec T-56 six-speed manual gearbox. This combination brought acceleration times down immensely, with zero-to-60 flashing by in 5.5 seconds. Sadly, this newfound performance failed to buoy sales to GM’s satisfaction, and the whole thing was called off after the 2006 model year. Today, the SSR is collectable among the white hair and lawn chair demographic, but the wider motoring world has yet to warm up to it.

If you thought the SSR was wild, get a load of the Mitsuoka Le-Seyde, a coachbuilt neoclassic based on the S13 Nissan Silvia. You know, everyone’s favorite drift car. As such, expect a CA18DE 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine under that very long hood, paired with a four-speed automatic gearbox. Not the most exciting combination known to humankind, but the Le-Seyde was very much a luxury cruiser. Ideal for a grand tour, if you will. Only 500 original-run Le-Seydes were reportedly produced, making this neoclassic beast a bit of a rarity. Then again, rarity doesn’t always assure that something’s valuable. Mind you, the Le-Seyde would make a hilarious base for a drift car, as a turbocharged CA18DET engine and five-speed manual gearbox shouldn’t be hard to fit. Add in the S13’s famously good chassis and a wheelbase stretch to slow rotation, and you end up with a tantalizing proposition.

Finally, we get to the weirdest car here, the Crosley CC Four convertible, which was actually built in Indiana. Weighing less than 1,500 pounds and sporting a daring 26.5 horsepower, the CC Four was certainly ahead of its time. While it was in production, Americans hadn’t yet warmed to the Beetle, let alone subcompact cars as a genre.  Unsurprisingly, this is James May’s pick. I’m not even sure where the production team found this thing, but I appreciate the theoretical chance of a Crosley getting some time in the limelight. Plus, the Crosley Hotshot sports car found some success in competition back in the day, so the CC Four isn’t an entirely implausible pick. Its CoBra engine goes down in history as one of the automotive kingdom’s weirdest as it was made out of sheetmetal . It also featured a single overhead cam and weighed just 133 pounds with all accessories attached. In this context, the fact that it made 26.5 horsepower is seriously impressive.

While this assortment of weirdness likely won’t do much for the sort of viewer primarily interested in supercars, I can’t say I’ve seen Clarkson, Hammond, and May do a Grand Tour special in a more interesting set of vehicles. Needless to say, I’ll be tuning in on June 16 to see how this adventure goes. While I felt that A Scandi Flick was a mixed bag, Carnage A Trois featuring French cars was a hoot and a half, so I’m curious how this one will land.

(Photo credits: Amazon Prime Video UK, Chevrolet, Collecting Cars)

Support our mission of championing car culture by  becoming an Official Autopian Member .

The Mitsuoka Viewt Becomes A Strange Jaguar-ified Toyota Yaris After Being A Strange Jaguar-ified Nissan Micra For 30 Years

There will never be another performance brand quite like pontiac’s gxp: gm hit or miss, the humble opel astra beat tesla to the punch with an enormous windshield, watch top gear test both the wacky korea-only hyundai staria lounge camper and the slippery hyundai ioniq 6, here’s how to make little car-shaped waffles, because it’s never too early to play with cars.

Got a hot tip? Send it to us  here . Or check out the stories on  our homepage .

• Chevrolet , Chevrolet SSR , Crosley , Crosley CC Four , Mitsuoka , Mitsuoka Le-Seyde , The Grand Tour

Thomas Hundal

Mind you, the Le-Seyde would make a hilarious base for a drift car, as a turbocharged CA18DET engine and five-speed manual gearbox shouldn’t be hard to fit. 

Good news! This is already a thing that’s been done and there are plenty of videos on Youtube featuring at least one.

While I’ll happily take another season of Oh Cook or Our Man In, I’m pretty much done with the other two. The old shows were great, but James is really the only one I don’t feel bad about myself for watching.

I will watch this and what ever comes after before JC’s mouth ended contracts are up. I will enjoy James May as I really enjoy his work and he seems to be a decent guy but there is probably something terrible he said or did that I have since forgotten. It is hard to keep up on all the cancelations.

Recent Posts

A Honda CR-Z With A Dead Hybrid Battery Looks Like An Awesome K-Swap Candidate

Why this 1990 bmw e30 for $17,000 on bring-a-trailer was actually the deal of the century, fox news interviewed me about electric cars and it went way better than i expected.

The Grand Tour Trio’s Next Special Will Feature These Ugly Cars

A mazon Prime are already gearing up for the next special of The Grand Tour. Once again, with James May, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond. The release date for the new special revealed as June 16th, and it follows on from the very well received A Scandi Flick special from 2022 . From the winter landscapes of Scandinavia, the trio are heading through Europe in what Amazon has called The Grand Tour: Eurocrash .

The trio look to have chosen a very interesting lineup of cars to take on their latest adventure in. All three have chosen some of the ugliest cars possible to take on an adventure through Europe, which promises to be their most spectacular yet.

RELATED: These Are The 10 Best Cars From The Grand Tour Specials

What We Know About The New Grand Tour Special

As well as Hammond’s SSR, May looks to have chosen a Crosley Convertible while Clarkson has gone for the rather wild Mitsuoka Le-Seyde. Three highly unusual cars, perhaps the most bizarre they have ever used on a road trip. Various reports have stated that the trio are taking on what is likely their biggest challenge yet. A 1,400-mile journey from Gdańsk in Poland through Central Europe. Countries such as Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia all proving destinations for the presenters in some of the most unusual cars.

Reports even suggest a Fast And Furious style climax to the show. What we do know for certain is that Hammond has had another accident. Footage and images emerged online of Hammond stood next to a crashed racecar at a Polish racetrack. But thankfully Hammond looked fine with May stood by him. The track is allegedly the Tor Poznan track and the trio were putting in hotlaps in some interesting open-wheeled race cars . Cars that look like relatively crude copies of classic junior formula racers. The trio may be tracing early routes of WWII, with them seen in the Dluga Streets of Gdańsk and the shipyard and port areas as well as Westerplatte. The area where the first show of the war was allegedly fired.

RELATED: The Grand Tour And Top Gear Producer Breaks Down Iconic Clarkson, Hammond And May Moments

The Cars The Grand Tour Trio Are Driving

The three cars chosen by the trio are an interesting mix. The Chevrolet SSR Hammond is driving was a retro-styled pickup truck from Chevrolet from the mid-2000s, with a 5.30liter Vortec V8 under the hood with 300 hp. Upgraded to a 390 hp LS2 V8 in 2005, the SSR has been a contentious car ever since its debut . The pickup was slow despite its near 400 hp, and the weight of the truck dramatically slowed it down and hurt the handling. Despite the overall size of the SSR, the interior was also very cramped.

The Crosley Convertible May is driving is almost a microcar. Built by the small American manufacturer Crosley, who specialized in subcompact cars, and they would go on to produce a variety of models . We aren’t 100% certain which model May is driving, but it could be a convertible Crosley CC Four, built from 1946 to 1948. Crosley would produce a variety of vehicles, including the 1942 CB-24 Liberty Sedan as well as the CD Pickup.

Clarkson is surely driving the ugliest of the cars. The Mitsuoka Le-Seyde is a Japanese car, based on the Nissan Silvia S13. It is a rare car, with only 500 units ever made and Mitsuoka claimed they were all sold four days after they went on sale. The style of the Mitusoka resembles the Zimmer Golden Sprint, although with modern refinements. Under the hood is the 1.8-liter CA18DE engine found in the Silvia S13 up until mid-1990. Clarkson and the team have done well to track one down for this adventure.

RELATED: Why Abbie Eaton Was The Perfect Choice For The Grand Tour

Eurocrash Promises To Be A Very Exciting Grand Tour Special

Various sources and rumors hint at one of the most exciting specials the trio have ever taken part in. As well as their Fast And Furious climax, the trio are allegedly also sampling Soviet-style Formula 1 and recruiting a famous racing driver as they go on their travels. Deadly archers are also one of the challenges the presenters will face on their epic road trip. The accident Hammond had in the open wheel racer could be a part of that Soviet-style F1.

An insider for The Sun newspaper in the UK said that the special will be like no other, and fans of the show will simply lap it up. The insider says that nobody thought Central Europe would be an option for a road trip. But that the three have proven it’s a great destination for petrolheads. The hype is definitely through the roof with the latest adventure. And the three have also recently finished wrapping up the special following that, with at least some of it taking place in Mauritania.

The Grand Tour: Eurocrash Has A Tough Act To Follow

While some of the specials of recent years haven’t been up to scratch, A Scandi Flick was perhaps the best special the three have ever had at Amazon. The adventure saw them take three rally-based cars from the top of Norway and all the way across Scandinavia. Hammond chose a Subaru Impreza which he has subsequently bought . Clarkson drove an Audi RS4 which the other two dubbed “a businessman’s car” and May picked a Mitsubishi Evo Lancer.

The Evo of course suffered its fair share of drama throughout the trip , and it is now a write-off since it came back to the UK. The special was the best for the trio since Mongolia, having an old-school Top Gear special feel with some interesting challenges. The three modified their cars, took park in racing on an ice track, and they created their own towable accommodation. Hopefully the latest special sees a continuation of this old-school Top Gear feel.

The Future Of The Grand Tour On Amazon

Fans of the show will be hugely encouraged that the next special is just a month away, while there is more good news with the special in Mauritania. Beyond that, the future of the show may be in some doubt. Following Clarkson’s recent article about Meghan. Duchess of Sussex, Amazon were in Clarkson’s words “incandescent” about the situation. Variety published a piece stating that Amazon may well be ending The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm after 2024 .

News on that front has been quiet for a few months however, and Amazon nor Clarkson have confirmed if that was true. So it could be speculation, and Clarkson might have patched things up since then. Fans will be hoping for that, with the trio still very much having plenty to give to the automotive and entertainment world. Top Gear’s recent pause has taken one major show for automotive fans off the airwaves , with The Grand Tour holding the fort.

Sources: Amazon Prime Video Instagram Account, Chevrolet, Mitsuoka

Accessibility Links

The Grand Tour’s back… in eastern Europe in ugly cars

Fasten your seatbelts as jeremy clarkson and james may take you behind the scenes of their road trip from gdansk to lake bled — in the most impractical cars imaginable. plus, watch an exclusive clip of richard hammond taking on a soviet-era racetrack in poland.

So why, then, if we can go anywhere in the world to make a Grand Tour extravaganza, did we decide to go through eastern Europe on a 1,400-mile turnip trail trudge from the Baltic coast in Poland to a small lake in Slovenia? It’s a good question. And the answer’s not bad either. First of all, we planned this mission when the embers of Covid were dying but they weren’t quite out. And because the whole damn mask and jab thing could flare up again, causing a last-minute cancellation, we really couldn’t afford to bet the budget on an insect-filled jungle adventure somewhere hot and sweaty and far away.

There’s another problem with “far away” as well. It’s getting awfully little. Just about all of

• NURBURGRING WEBCAMS
• WORK FOR US

Hyundai Chasing Pikes Peak EV Glory With Four Ioniq 5 Ns

First Look: New Toyota 4Runner Trailhunter Is A Turn-Key Overlanding Machine

2025 Toyota 4Runner Is The Tacoma Of SUVs And It’s Coming For The Bronco

Editor's picks.

Dodge Hornet Outsells Alfa Tonale 10:1, Stellantis Sees 10% Drop In Q1 Sales

The Grand Tour Returns To Our Screens Next Month: Here’s What We Know

It's a central-European special for The Grand Tour presenters in three unlikely road trip machines, premiering next month

by Sam D. Smith

Fans of the Grand Tour, rejoice! The first details of their next special, which will premiere on Amazon Prime Video next month, have been revealed.

Amazon Studios has announced that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May will return to screens with a new special episode entitled “Eurocrash.” The standalone feature will reportedly see the trio take three unlikely cars on a 1,400-mile journey across Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia.

In terms of cars, it would appear that Hammond has opted to pilot a rather yellow Chevrolet SSR — a retro-inspired, if short-lived, pickup made by Chevy between 2003 and 2006.

Clarkson appears to have gone for a left-field option of a Mitsuoka Le-Seyde, a limited-to-500 Japanese-made creation that, despite its retro-bodywork, is based on a Nissan Silvia S13.

Related: A Return To Top Gear? Jeremy Clarkson Speaks Out

Finally, James May is seen posing in front of what appears to be another oddity that time has forgotten: a Crosley Convertible from the 1940s. Crosley was an American manufacturer of small, borderline “micro” cars, while this example likely sports a 724-cc engine with just 26 hp.

We’re promised the usual hijinks from the three, featuring the appearance of a “famous racing driver” and the sampling of some “Soviet-style” Formula 1.

It’s still unclear whether Amazon will continue working with Clarkson after reports the streaming giant was considering cutting ties with the presenter following his controversial (and since retracted) remarks towards Meghan Markle. Variety had previously reported that Amazon and Clarkson would not long work together beyond the currently commissioned episodes of The Grand Tour and Clarkson’s Farm, which includes four more GT specials and a third series of the critically acclaimed farming show.

Filming for another Grand Tour special in Africa seemingly wrapped last week, where Reddit users spotted the trio in Mauritania with a Jaguar F-Type and Maserati Gran Cabrio. That episode will presumably air in late 2023 or early 2024.

Meanwhile, you can catch their European road trip premiering on Friday, June 16th, on Prime Video.

Images: The Grand Tour / Prime Video

Everything We Know About The Next The Grand Tour: Eurocrash Special Ahead Of Release

The Grand Tour:Eurocrash launches on June 16th, and will see Clarkon, May and Hammond's latest adventure through central Europe in three “ugly cars”.

We are just days away from the next The Grand Tour special, which this time takes the name Eurocrash. Jeremy Clarkson , James May and Richard Hammond look to be gearing up for one of their most epic adventures yet. They take a trip through Central Europe in three very unusual cars and take part in their usual array of challenges. Amazon recently unveiled the trailer for the new special, showcasing some of the challenges facing the three presenters.

Soviet era F1, archers shooting at their cars and making sure their vehicles last the trip are just some of the things we can expect from the special. The special will launch globally on Amazon Prime on June 16th.

RELATED: How The Grand Tour Shaped Modern Car Culture And Enthusiasts Of Today

The Three Cars That Feature In The Grand Tour: Eurocrash Special

The three presenters use an interesting array of cars in the adventure. Hammond is set to drive the Chevrolet SSR, a retro-styled pickup truck brought out by Chevrolet in the mid-2000s. Under the hood is a 3.5-liter Vortec with 300 hp, which was upgraded to an LS2 V8 with 390 hp in 2005. The SSR is a quite forgettable model for Chevrolet . It proved to be much slower than General Motors had hoped for despite having nearly 400 hp. Reportedly, the weight of the SSR was one reason the pickup truck fared so badly, as was the cramped nature of the cabin.

Mitsuoka Le-Seyde Engine Specs

Clarkson meanwhile is driving an ugly yet incredibly rare car . This is the Mitsuoka Le-Seyde. It is a Japanese car based on the Nissan Silvia S13, and only 500 units of the Le-Seyde were ever made. The company claimed that all 500 units sold out within four days of them going on sale. And it's styling resembles that of the Zimmer Golden Sprint with the expected modern refinements. The car has a 1.8-liter CA18DE engine under the hood. The same that you would find in the Silvia S13 up to mid-1990s, and the Le-Seyde is certainly one of the more unusual cars for the trio to drive.

May meanwhile is driving a diminutive Crosley Convertible. It was built by the small American manufacturer Crosley, who specialized in subcompact cars . The company would produce a wide range of vehicles, but we aren’t 100 percent certain yet which model May is driving. It looks like it could be a convertible Crosley CC Four built from 1946 to 1948. But May will no doubt explain exactly what it is in the opening segments of the show. From the trailer, it looks like May is set to have a deeply uncomfortable ride in the Crosley.

RELATED: Richard Hammond Has A New Project With A Very Special Car From The Grand Tour

Where The Grand Tour Eurocrash Is Located

The grand tour eurocrash location summary.

• Behind the Iron Curtain
• Tor Poznan racetrack
• Krakow Wax Museum
• The Westerplatte
• Cold War Airfield

The new The Grand Tour special will take us on an epic 1,400-mile road trip through Central Europe, in what used to be behind the iron curtain of the Soviet Union. This includes taking in the sights in Poland, and sampling the Soviet version of Formula 1 . Central Europe was seen as an unlikely destination for a Road Trip, but the trio have proven people wrong according to various insiders. Hammond looks to bin his old race car during their track day at a Polish racetrack.

Spy footage of the trio on the trip and sources have said that the three may retrace the early routes of WWII as part of the trip. They were spotted in the Dluga Streets of Gdańsk as well as in the shipyard and port areas, and in the Westerplatte as well. This is the area in which the first shot of WWII was allegedly fired. The trailer also shows an old airfield full of Soviet era fighter and bomber planes. Hinting at a trip to an old Cold War airfield. A trip to the wax museum in Kraków is another of the locations the three visit. Here, the trailer reveals an amusing waxwork of 1992 Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell that the three promptly take from the museum. A possible hint at the reports that they recruit a famous racing driver on their journey.

RELATED: The Grand Tour And Top Gear Producer Breaks Down Iconic Clarkson, Hammond And May Moments

The Challenges The Grand Tour Presenters Will Face

There have been hints at some of the challenges the three presenters will face during their trip. Archers look to use their cars as target practice in one of the events, while there is allegedly a Fast and Furious climax to the show. But the trailer leaves few hints to that. Driving their three cars into the back of an old Soviet era cargo aircraft may be how the adventure ends. And it’s a prospect that leaves May slightly terrified at the start of the trailer.

One of the most exciting additions to the show looks to be the Praga Bohema which May looks to be throwing around a racetrack. With Praga based in Prague in the Czech Republic, it hints at the country being a destination for the three. The country is located in Central Europe and was formerly a part of the Soviet Union. Clarkson is also seen driving a classic open-top racer, while May apparently takes a flight in the radical AirCar from an airfield in Piešťany, Slovakia. It's likely there are a lot more locations and adventures that the trailer or reports haven’t yet revealed.

RELATED: We Relive The Biggest Explosive Moments Of The Grand Tour Yet

The Future Of The Grand Tour Remains A Talking Point

Away from the upcoming special, the future of the show remains a talking point . After Clarkson’s article earlier in 2023 about Meghan Markle, there was a lot of furor. And it was speculated that Amazon had decided to conclude filming of the show after the next batch of specials. The next of which recently wrapped up filming in Mauritania. But May suggested that it was all nonsense, and the three would simply decide to end things when they felt like it. Perhaps at the end of their current contract.

May would say “I mean, some people have said we’ve been canceled. But really we’re getting quite close to the end of our contract, but we didn’t really have any particular plans to keep going because we’re all really just getting a bit old. It might be time to let someone else have a crack at it.” He went on to add that, contrary to media reports, “No one has told us to go away. It’s reaching its natural end, like parties do. There comes a point at 4am when it is over.”

Fans of the show will be relieved to hear that it looks like the three will be allowed to end things when they feel like it. So there is a hope of further specials in the years to come, and we should get at least a couple more following the Mauritania adventure. For now, though, we should savor what we have of the three and look forward to the upcoming special which promises to be an absolute classic .

Sources: The Grand Tour Junkies, Amazon Prime

The latest articles from Driving

The best motoring journalist ... in the world

Britain's biggest motormouth's classic quips

" What I really think about... supercars, America, foreigners, car launches, Top Gear, the battle of the sexes and cars "

Jeremy Clarkson's reviews on Driving.co.uk

Classic Clarkson

Unmissable reviews marking his first 20 years at the Sunday Times

In-depth, impartial and expert car reviews

Video review

The latest reviews ... on film

Extended tests

Get under the skin of cars over months rather than days

Tech, gadgets, car accessories and other products tested.

Haynes How-Tos

Guides for basic car maintenance from the experts at Haynes.

Buying Guides

Expert advice on finding the right car

The most popular advice topics — we've got you covered

Driving Green

A guide to eco cars and driving

The stars and their cars

Classic Cars

Stories and advice about our beloved classics

The best of everything

Tech-related motoring articles.

The best clips on Driving

Other video

Miscellaneous vids

Eurocrash: The Grand Tour releases trailer for new Eastern Europe special

Eastern europe sets the scene for the trio’s latest escapade.

The Grand Tour is set to return to television screens this month and the first trailer has now been released showing Clarkson, Hammond and May setting off on a 1,400-mile journey through Eastern Europe.

Starting in the Polish city of Gdansk, the presenters make their way through Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia – with a typical array of challenges along the way.

“We’ve done another Grand Tour”, Clarkson announced on Twitter earlier today, alongside a link to the episode’s official trailer.

We’ve done another Grand Tour. Eurocrash | Official Trailer | Prime Video https://t.co/Tr6TtynZbz via @YouTube — Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) June 6, 2023

The trailer begins with James May attempting to board a moving plane in a 1947 Crosley Convertible, immediately setting the tone for the trio’s latest encounter – their sixth stand-alone special since jumping ship to Amazon.

The camera then cuts to a high-budget aerial shot, showcasing the locale of the special, before Jeremy Clarkson cuts in: “We’re going behind what used to be the Iron Curtain,” he says, as the camera shows plenty of Soviet-era iconography and aircraft.

The trailer also presents us with the cars the trio will be driving over the course of the special. Accompanying May and the Crosley, a small American family car built in Marion, Indiana from 1946 to 1948, is Richard Hammond in a 2005 Chevrolet SSR. With V8 power and rear-wheel drive, it’s shown to be quite tail-happy over the course of the trailer, and slides and squeals around corners in the hands of Hammond.

The third pick is a Mitsuoka Le Seyde, driven by Jeremy Clarkson, and arguably the most obscure car of the special. Based on the S13 Nissan Silvia, Clarkson describes the oddly-proportioned Mitsuoka as giving “a good Cruella vibe.”

The rest of the trailer promises much of the usual Grand Tour fare – including the presenters trying their hands at “the Soviet Union’s answer to Formula One”.

Hammond’s open-wheel exploits are on full display in this challenge – he rockets away at the start, before a plume of white smoke explodes from his engine, sending the smallest presenter into a wild spin. Business as usual, then.

The trio also end up in the wax museum of Krakow, Poland, where they come across a particularly unconvincing model of Formula One’s 1992 champion, Nigel Mansell.

Amid a cacophony of laughter and heavy West Midlands accents, Hammond ends up leaving the museum with the waxwork, hauling it through the narrow and twisty Krakow streets.

We’re then treated to a view of both up-to-date supercars and classic racing cars being driven to their limits, captured from every angle by fast-moving camera shots.

Armoured horse riders then make an appearance – shooting hordes of arrows at the presenters’ cars, which are looking heavily battle-scarred at this point in the trailer. “Make it end!” yells Clarkson.

“Europe gets a culture crash”, the trailer promises, with a few other tantalising clips including a flying car of some description and another potential crash on a steep grass hill.

The first stand-alone Grand Tour Special – the aptly-named ‘Seamen’ – arrived in December 2019. A break from the typical Grand Tour format, this special featured the presenters buying three used boats and making their way through the rivers of Cambodia and Vietnam – it was positively received.

Since then, the trio have released four more specials, with the latest, “A Scandi Flick”, revolving around rally-inspired saloons, with each presenter driving their chosen car across a Nordic environment.

The Grand Tour: Eurocrash will be available on Amazon Prime Video from June 16.

Related articles

• If you were interested in the new Grand Tour special, you may want to read how the the electric vehicle to charger figures are being labelled as “completely misleading”
• Renault to launch 400kW ultra-rapid charging hubs and new EVs through Mobilize sub-brand
• EV tips: 10 things to know before you buy an electric vehicle

Latest articles

• Jeremy Clarkson
• The Grand Tour

Have your say

Related articles.

Pure-electric Mini Aceman unveiled

Motorcyclist killed when Tesla on Autopilot

F1 calendar and race reports

Most recent, omoda 5 prototype review: bargain family suv is solid first effort for new chinese brand, dacia duster 2024 review: rugged, affordable suv modernised with electrification and quite the glow up, audi a3 sportback 2024 review: softly, softly, catchy premium hatchback buyer, new electric-only mini aceman fills gap between mini cooper hatch and countryman suv, tesla driver arrested on homicide charges after killing motorcyclist while using autopilot, porsche macan 2024 review: sporty compact suv goes electric, but is it still the class leader for handling.

The Grand Tour Goes Behind Iron Curtain In New Eurocrash Special

With the three oddest cars yet.

Amazon Prime released a full-length trailer for The Grand Tour 's next special, Eurocrash . The latest special will take Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May behind the Iron Curtain into four European countries formerly occupied by the Soviets.

The theme isn't clear yet, and there doesn't appear to be any connection between the cars. May is in a Crosley he bought while drunk, and Hammond is in the Chevrolet SSR, a car Chevy wants you to forget about . Both cars are American, with Clarkson's Mitsuoka Le-Seyde being the odd one out. Mitsuoka Motor is a small coachbuilding outfit in Japan, best known for the Orochi, which almost nobody has heard of . We quite like the brand's Rock Star, a Mazda Miata styled to look like a second-generation Corvette.

With no connection between the cars, the theme appears to be the weirdest car you could find for whatever amount of dollars.

Given James May's widely publicized crash in the previous Grand Tour special, you'd think the three unwise men would tame it down a bit, but no. The trailer starts with James May attempting to drive his Crosley into a moving cargo plane. It seems The Grand Tour won't stop until one of its presenters kicks the bucket. Our money is on Hammond, who, to be fair, has an unfortunate history of crashing .

Hammond also appears to have entered the Soviet alternative to Formula 1. Obviously, Mother Russia couldn't and wouldn't compete in F1 during the Cold War, but that didn't stop the people behind the curtain from racing. Since the Cold War, effectively nothing has changed. Russia and Russian drivers are still banned from F1 .

Naturally, the trio will do their best to offend whoever is willing to take offense. They visit the statue of Christ the King in Poland and a wax museum in Krakow with the worst depiction of Nigel Mansell's mustache we've ever seen.

The cars are also modified along the way and shot at by what appears to be a Mongol Horde. While on the outing, the team will also drive several interesting cars from the region, including a flying car. You know, standard Grand Tour stuff intertwined with the usual exciting facts and figures you never knew about the hosting countries.

Rumors about The Grand Tour 's demise have been greatly exaggerated. Amazon reportedly cut ties with Clarkson after he wrote a seemingly offensive column targeting Meghan Markle, but the crew was out filming another special in Africa just two months ago. We're glad they're still at it.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jeremy Clarkson (@jeremyclarkson1)

• Unidentified

Advertising

Last completed movie pages, 1947 crosley convertible [cc], 1947 crosley convertible [ cc ] in the grand tour , non-fiction tv, 2016-2024 ep. 5.02.

Comments about this vehicle

Add a comment.

You must login to post comments...

Watch or buy this title - Powered by JustWatch

Pictures are property of movie companies owner of the respective movies. Comments are property of their authors.

Page generated in 0.006 sec.

• Action/Adventure
• Children's/Family
• Documentary/Reality
• Amazon Prime Video

More From Decider

Sydney Sweeney Sings “Unwritten” Into Glen Powell’s Butt in Iconic...

Holly Madison Calls Bob Guccione A "Horrible Person" For Publishing...

'9-1-1's Oliver Stark Says Season 7 Fan Response Is "A Beautiful Reminder"...

'Deal Or No Deal Island' Star Rob Mariano Says There's "No Masterminds" In...

Jennifer Lopez Sets The Record Straight On 'The View' After Alyssa Farah...

Bill Maher Compares Nickelodeon To Neverland Ranch After Watching 'Quiet...

Woody Allen in Exile: 'Coup De Chance' Finally Arrives On Streaming, Where...

Donald Trump Once Invited 'The View's Joy Behar To Be On 'The Apprentice'...

Share this:.

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to copy URL

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Grand Tour: Eurocrash’ On Prime Video, Where The Guys Road Trip From Poland To Slovenia In Three Ridiculous Cars

Where to stream:, the grand tour: eurocrash.

• Jeremy Clarkson

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The Grand Tour: Sand Job’ on Prime Video, Where James May, Richard Hammond, and Jeremy Clarkson Drive DIY Rally Cars Through Northwest Africa

Stream it or skip it: ‘clarkson’s farm’ season 2 on prime video, where britain’s top curmudgeon faces another season on the farm, stream it or skip it: ‘the grand tour presents: a massive hunt’ on amazon prime video, where the guys hunt for buried treasure in madagascar, new movies + shows to watch this weekend: netflix’s ‘ma rainey’s black bottom’ + more.

At the start of T he Grand Tour: Eurocrash , we encounter hosts hosts Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond on a ferry to Gdańsk, Poland, with maps on the table in front of them. Because many of the countries they’ve road tripped through either have a “terrorism problem” or has banned one of them from their roads, they’re going to do a road trip “that no one has ever thought of before.” It starts in Gdańsk, winds its way through Poland, Slovakia and Hungary, and ends at Lake Bled in Slovenia.

THE GRAND TOUR: EUROCRASH : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: The cars the hosts have picked for this 1100-plus-mile road trip are completely “inappropriate”: Richard picks a mid’00s Chevrolet SSR, a convertible pickup truck (yes, you read that right), Jeremy drives off the ferry in something called a Mitsuoka Le-Seyede, which takes a common Nissan “saloon car,” as Clarkson puts it, and adds body panels and fake exhaust tubes to make it kinda-sorta look like a Mercedes SSK. James, ever quirky, putters out in a 1947 Crosley CC Convertible, a 4-foot wide car with a roof that snaps on and an engine that generates all of 26.5hp. “Mr. Wilman” (EP Andy Wilman) has provided a whopper of a backup car: A purple hot rod with the words “Titties ‘n’ Beer” on the doors.

The SSR and the Le-Seyede aren’t the greatest cars, but they handle themselves reasonably well. But James is struggling in the Crosley, almost getting knocked over on the highway by passing tractor trailers as he toddles along at a speedy 38 mph. The car stalls out repeatedly. So at the first stop, at a raceway near Gdańsk, James comes way late to do a qualifying lap in one of the Soviet-era Formula One-esque cars. Jeremy is too fat to fit in one, so Richard is the only one who gets to race.

Jeremy and Richard prank James by having people lift the Crosley and move it inside the hotel restaurant, but James gets back at the pair at the next stop by making “changes” to their cars. Either way, James keeps missing tourist stops, like a massive Jesus statue or the stalag depicted in The Great Escape because the Crosley is so slow and stall-prone. Eventually he gives up, gets in the “Titties ‘n’ Beer” backup car, and has the Crosley towed from stop to stop. But the hot rod is no prize, either.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Clarkson, Hammond and May have been doing this for over 20 years, between the original incarnation of Top Gear or the seven years they’ve been doing The Grand Tour . Of course, Eurocrash is one of the feature-length GT episodes Prime has been producing over the past few years, like A Massive Hunt .

Performance Worth Watching: This time around, we’ll give this to a wax statue of Formula One legend Nigel Mansell that the guys steal from a bad wax museum in Kraków. Some of the funniest moments are when the statue takes the brunt of abuse, like when archers in Slovakia shoot at the cars, or when the sun coming in the window of Jeremy’s car melt his face. All the while Jeremy and Richard are doing Mansell’s Birmingham accent.

Memorable Dialogue: “I have produced larger and more attractive bogeys than this,” Jeremy says about the Crosley.

Sex and Skin: Oh, we wouldn’t want any of that, would we?

Our Take: Listen, we know that the shtick of the Grand Tour hosts is pretty well known by now, and it’s now been tainted a bit by the blowback created by Clarkson’s written remarks about Meghan Markle . But, dammit if there weren’t moments when we laughed out loud at the fellas’ antics, as well as just enjoyed the chemistry the three have together, whether they’re being goofy together or being competitive rivals.

Also, we know how much of The Grand Tour is more semi-scripted sitcom than actual reality show, with a team of mechanics doing the modifications to the cars that the hosts say they did themselves. But we come for the travel scenery, the goofy camaraderie between the hosts, and the shots of the ridiculous cars they drive being abused and pushed to their sometimes-low limits.

We even got excited during the final scene, where the guys have to drive their cars onto the cargo ramp of a taxiing jumbo jet, fighting jet wash the entire time. After taking this road trip with these three guys, we were rooting for the cars to make it to their destination, especially the Crosley, which usually can’t get out of its own way.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The Grand Tour: Eurocrash is a funny, scenery-filled road trip with everyone’s favorite group of British goofballs. What’s not to like?

Joel Keller ( @joelkeller ) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.

• Prime Video
• Stream It Or Skip It
• The Grand Tour
• The Grand Tour Presents: A Massive Hunt

'Deal Or No Deal Island' Star Rob Mariano Says There's "No Masterminds" In The Night Owls Alliance: "They're Just Birds"

'9-1-1's Oliver Stark Says Season 7 Fan Response Is "A Beautiful Reminder" Of The Show's Cultural Impact

Is 'One Chicago' Back Tonight? When Will 'Chicago Med,' 'Chicago Fire,' And 'Chicago P.D.' Return To NBC With New Episodes?

Is 'Grey's Anatomy' New Tonight? Here's When The Next Episode of 'Grey's Anatomy' Is On ABC And Hulu 

Whoopi Goldberg Confronts Her 'View' Co-Hosts After Nearly All Of Them Fail To Carry Out Guest J. Lo's Request: "How Come Y'all Weren't Dancing?" 

Sydney Sweeney Sings “Unwritten” Into Glen Powell’s Butt in Iconic ‘Anyone But You’ Credits Scene

Grand Tour Release Date: When’s The Next Episode Coming Out?

The Grand Tour is one of the most popular car shows on television, featuring three of the world’s most famous car enthusiasts, Jeremy Clarkson , Richard Hammond, and James May . The show has been on hiatus for some time, but last year they filmed the next episode in Eastern Europe. In this article, we will discuss the release date, story, and cars featured in the Grand Tour Season 5 Special, which is set in Eastern Europe.

Table of Contents

Is The Grand Tour cancelled?

While it’s been confirmed by the presenters that the show isn’t cancelled, The Grand Tour may be taking an extended break until 2024 . This update comes from a source closely connected to the show which recently shared this news.

Since the show’s transition from a tent and live audience format to more elaborate and highly produced road trip episodes, The Grand Tour has been releasing special episodes sporadically over the past few years. However, recent reports suggest that fans of the show may have to wait even longer than expected for new episodes to be released.

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were in the process of filming a new episode in Europe during mid-2022. However, with episodes being reportedly pushed back until 2024, fans of the show will have to exercise patience and wait for new content.

Next Episode Release Date

Because the next episode is on a reported hiatus, we have no idea when it will be released.

This is a shame, as just after filming the Eastern European Special, Jeremy Clarkson was involved in an interview where he talked about what they’d been doing in the European countries, as well as when it could reach Prime Video.

“Well, we came in through the mountains from Hungary, so it’s just straight away very pretty. And then it stays very pretty to here. So it’s just very pretty,” he said. “Well, this is, it is actually the finish point for a long – about a 2,200 kilometer drive from Gdansk at the top of Poland. All the way down to Krakow, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and then here.”

He was further asked how long it would be before its release:

“A very long time. Is it six months, perhaps? Six months,” he tells the interviewer.

Unfortunately, if this was true, the episode would already have already been released to Prime Video, so we’re thinking he may have misspoken here.

Eastern Europe

The Grand Tour Season 5 Special will take place in Eastern Europe, a region that is known for its stunning scenery and fascinating culture. The episode will feature the hosts driving through several countries in the region, including Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland. The team has promised that the episode will be filled with exciting challenges, stunning locations, and of course, plenty of car-related shenanigans.

In the Summer of 2022, The Grand Tour team returned from Europe after a long stint of filming. Travelling from Poland to Slovenia, the trio drove 2,000km to bring us what looks to be the best episode so far.

Arriving in Gdansk

Clarkson, Hammond, and May leave Oxford International Airport on June 19th on a private jet. They  landed in Gdansk , Poland soon after, where their journey began.

Here, they joined their three cars, a Chevrolet SSR, a Crosley Convertible, and a Mitsuoka Le-Seyde which they took to Długia Street. According to Google Maps, this is completely pedestrianised, but according to local reports, the filming was done under secrecy with not even the local law enforcement knowing about the team and their plans.

This area is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city leading from the Golden Gate to Długi Targ square. It looks like the trio drove the length of this, as well as around the post-shipyard areas, the port, and Westerplatte.

This is where our assumptions begin. Gdansk is home to where the first gunshots of World War II were shot, and this theme continues to a few of the locations the team travels to later in the week of filming.

Before they left the city, a hot rod based on a 1959 Ford Popular was also spotted. This will become more prevalent later on.

Did The Grand Tour Travel to Ukraine?

It was a couple of days into filming when fans started wondering if The Grand Tour was heading to Ukraine. As we know, Jeremy has been very passionate about supporting the people of Ukraine since the war with Russia started, so at this point, it wasn’t such a stretch, especially when Jeremy showed his support of driving armoured vehicles into the country on Twitter.

As we now know, the team didn’t make it to Ukraine. Instead, they travelled South-West.

Zielona Gora – The Grand Tour Visits Vineyards

We followed the trio as they travelled to Zielona Gora, a city in the Lubusz province of the country. It’s known for its endless vineyards so it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see Clarkson, Hammond and May tasting some wine at this point of the episode.

It also has connections to WWII, with it being reported that 30% of the city had been damaged by the Germans.

Richard Hammond Crashes At Tor Poznań Racetrack

Continuing West, the trio were spotted at a racetrack. I did some investigation work and figures out that this was the  Tor Poznań  racetrack in the city of Poznan. The track almost became part of the F1 calendar in the ’80s thanks to its connection to Polish F1 driver Robert Kubica, but this never came to fruition.

This didn’t stop Clarkson, Hammond and May from driving some open-wheeled race cars around the track. As you heard,  Richard Hammond lived up to his antics and crashed into a barrier . He was unhurt but the car sustained a little front-end damage. According to our sources, this was caused by the engine seizing. Hammond was seen next to the wreck in a racing suit with May standing next to him looking a bit disappointed in his fellow presenter.

Judging from a photo of Jeremy with a stopwatch hanging around his neck, it looks like they were doing timed laps here.

James May Breaks Down

As the trio headed from Poznan to Lower Silesia, Hammond’s bad luck was passed to  James May as his Crosley broke down . We don’t know what happened to the car, but it was pushed onto the back of a trailer as May waited for a replacement.

What was that replacement? The hot rod, of course.

The Grand Tour Visits a German Concentration Camp

Next stop:  Jeremy posted a photo  to his Instagram account of Stalag Luft 3, a German concentration camp in the town of Sagan, Lower Silesia. This continues the WWII theme and should act as a sobering moment in the episode. Around this time the team also visited Krakow.

Leaving The Country and Entering Slovakia

After a brief drive through Czechia, the trio was seen driving through Slovakia, the country where there are the most cars produced per capita. Here they visited Patak Motors who showed the presenters their car, the Roadster.

Jeremy Clarkson Drives The Skoda 1100 OHC Spider

Still in Slovakia, Jeremy gets into the driver’s seat of a  Skoda 1100 OHC Spider , which he describes as “absolutely fantastic”, at Piešťany Airport. At the same time,  James May was spotted driving the KleinVision AirCar .

The Road To The Finale

The trio continue their travels through Bratislava where they go cycling by the Danube River before continuing to Hungary, and eventually Slovenia.

Slovenia, The Final Destination Of The Grand Tour European Special

Here, Clarkson and Hammond were spotted on Lake Bled without May in the northwest of Slovenia in the Julian Alps. Again, we don’t quite know what they were doing, but they were seen rowing a boat onto the lake before Hammond stood up, rocking the boat.

Despite this being an incredibly popular area for tourists, barely any footage from around the area was taken which is a shame.

The Cars of the next Grand Tour Special

Jeremy clarkson – mitsuoka le-seyde.

Based on a Nissan Silvia S13, this sports car is made to resemble a Zimmer Golden Spirit. under the body panels it retains a lot of the same running gear as the iconic Japanese sports car, but as these cars are so tunable, it wouldn’t be a surprise to find out it’s been modified in some way.

In an off-white, it’s definitely the most identifiable of the three cars used in the upcoming episode.

Richard Hammond – Chevrolet SSR

The Chevrolet SSR is very, very cool. Standing for Super Sport Roadster, the SSR is powered by either a 300 horsepower or 380 horsepower V8 depending on the year. The year of this exact car I can’t figure out, but it’s safe to say these things were negatively reviewed when they were revealed. But its retro shape has kind of stood the test of time and I’m really excited to hear what the show’s resident American thinks of this interesting but impractical car.

James May – Crosley Convertible

The Crosley Convertible is yet another car from America which tried to capitalise on the lack of cars available after the war. The owner of Crosley, Powel Crosley, Jr., actually made his money from refrigerators and radios before WW2, but 1946 brought this horrible thing. Creating just 26 and a half horsepower from its 725cc engine, this slab-sided vehicle likely won’t be fast enough to stay in front of the camera for too long.

Although this might actually be a good thing if you know the mess James got into the last episode …

We spotted this car broken down later in the process of filming, so it will be interesting to see if it makes it.

Backup Car – 1959 Ford Popular

A hot rod, based on a 1959 Ford Popular , can be seen from photos of The Grand Tour trio taken during filming. Painted in a pearlescent blue with writing down the side, this car is certainly a standout part of the episode. And after May breaks down , he can be seen driving it later during filming.

The 110 OHC Spider, or “Red Racer”, was released in 1956. The idea for the car was only imagined a number of months before this, but Skoda was quickly able to spin up production to produce this sleek, low-slung, high-performance car.

And that it was, despite wielding only a 1.1-litre four-cylinder engine producing 85 horsepower, it could reach 124mph at full chat. This was a lot of power at the time and the reason? High-octane aviation fuel. Who knew Skoda used to be so cool?

Jeremy takes this for a spin , but we’re unsure exactly where.

James May Flies The AirCar

Similarly to an old Top Gear episode, James May has apparently taken to the air in the AirCar, a car that’s capable of flight.

Powered by a 1.6-litre BMW engine, the AirCar has been issued a certificate of airworthiness by Slovakia’s Transport Authority. the Slovakian company achieved its first intercity flight in June 2021 where it hit speeds of 170 kilometres per hour (105 mph) over a distance of 1,000km. Once on the land, a single press of a button transforms it into a car.

KleinVision, the makers of AirCar, said the following:

“Based on the fact that the aircraft met the conditions of national regulations set for individually manufactured aircraft and the required level of safety was demonstrated, the Slovak Transport Authority (STA) has issued a special certificate of airworthiness. “After obtaining the type certificate, it can manufacture the aircraft commercially.”

Alex Harrington

Chevrolet corvette suv could take the fight to ferrari, lamborghini, and aston martin, romain grosjean's burnt 2020 haas from awful crash to go on display in madrid, related articles, the mazda rx-9 mystery engine revealed.

Michelle Rodriguez Reveals Ultimate Surprise Ending For Fast X

Max Verstappen Clinches Pole Position for Thrilling Brazilian Grand Prix

The Grand Tour: A Massive Hunt Madagascar Special Has Been Released Early

• Northern Ireland
• Hurling & Camogie
• GAA Fixtures & Results
• Personal Finance
• Holidays & Travel
• Food & Drink
• Irish Language
• Entertainment
• Opens in new window

James May’s car ends up inside restaurant in new Grand Tour, Clarkson reveals

Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that one of the pranks on The Grand Tour: Eurocrash includes James May’s car “ending up” inside a restaurant.

In the latest instalment of the motoring travel programme, Clarkson, May and Richard Hammond go on a 1,400-mile road trip through Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Slovenia.

The Prime Video special, which will form the second part of series five, also sees the former Top Gear trio “sample some Soviet style Formula 1, are attacked by deadly archers, recruit a famous racing driver and take part in a spectacular Fast and Furious climax”.

Good news! There’s a new GT coming soon. In the meantime, I thought this was a bit harsh. pic.twitter.com/droLZhQz3u — James May (@MrJamesMay) May 25, 2023

When asked about the pranks during the trip, Clarkson said: “If you’re driving on roads and staying in hotels, as we did here, that means you get to the hotel in time for a drink.

Sabrina Carpenter set to challenge Taylor Swift for top spot in singles chart

Good Morning Britain thanks viewers as it celebrates 10th anniversary

“And then obviously, after a couple of drinks, ideas come to mind and so, James’ car ends up inside the restaurant, as a result of the drink.”

Hammond said May, 60, “had every reason” to make their lives a “misery” by adding “profoundly embarrassing and deeply irritating” sound effects to his car.

The 53-year-old presenter added: “He rewired it so that when I hit the brakes, it sounded a bell and when I used the indicators, it sounded a variety of sirens.

“When throttling past a certain point of acceleration, it played bagpipes. The worst was when I put the roof down or up, it loudly broadcast a message in the local language which suggested I was impotent.”

In the show, May also buys a “beige” and “bizarre and terrible” American subcompact Crosley car for around £12,000 while bidding online.

He said a “sort of benefit in disguise” was that he did not have to see Hammond and Clarkson as much because he was so slow in the vehicle.

May added: “I don’t mind being left on my own as much as the others would probably make out because, as you’ve just indicated, there is a certain relief to it. But I had to balance that with the misery of being in a horrible car.”

Clarkson – who also hosts Clarkson’s Farm on Amazon – said the trio are returning to Africa in another upcoming part of The Grand Tour.

He said: “This one’s a hard one. It’s hard if you’re young and fit, but I’m really not fit and I’m very fat and I’m 63 now.”

The Grand Tour: Eurocrash will be available on Prime Video on Friday June 16.

Salma Hayek joins Madonna on stage as Celebration Tour dazzles Mexico City

Nicole Kidman: Being honoured at AFI is ‘a little overwhelming’ as an introvert

Harvey Weinstein court ruling is ‘clarion call’ for MeToo movement, says founder

Ncuti Gatwa says new Doctor Who series explores subcultures in British fashion

This is unfair – Ashley Judd on Harvey Weinstein’s conviction being overturned

Jack Whitehall reacts to Prince of Wales branding his comedy ‘dad-like’