A battered Aston Martin, an overheating Chevrolet, a heavily modified Subaru and a childhood-dream Ford Capri reveal how Richard Hammond’s relationship with The Grand Tour extended well beyond simply driving whatever production supplied. His central point is that many of the cars used on the adventures were genuinely chosen by the presenters because they wanted them, and the six he kept provide an effective framework for explaining both the making of individual specials and why certain machines became personally important.
The 1971 Buick Riviera establishes that mixture of automotive enthusiasm and behind-the-scenes detail particularly well. Hammond explains why its enormous American proportions appealed to someone who grew up surrounded by comparatively modest British family cars, then connects its modifications to childhood memories such as seeing a Plymouth Road Runner while working at a petrol station. His recollections of filming during COVID restrictions, the strict production bubble and accidentally sinking a boat also give the discussion more substance than a straightforward garage tour.
The Peugeot 205 GTI and Subaru Impreza show two different forms of nostalgia. The Peugeot matters less because of its relatively small role in the French-car special than because a friend owned a rally-prepared 1.6 when Hammond was young and unable to afford anything similar. The Subaru, meanwhile, has become an active project rather than a preserved television prop, with Hammond describing substantial mechanical upgrades and admitting that he continues to drive it regularly. His enthusiasm is infectious, although assertions such as the Subaru having been designed fundamentally as a rally car are presented as his interpretation rather than explored technically.
Several of the best stories come from separating carefully planned television from genuine mishaps. Hammond acknowledges that the caravan descent involved controlled stunt work, while describing James May’s tunnel crash as an alarming event that left him unusually watching rather than being the injured presenter. The Chevrolet SSR section similarly mixes absurd comedy with practical trouble: its deliberately irritating added alarms, persistent overheating and arrow dents lead naturally into memories of the Formula Easter race, where Hammond says leaking oil from his car contributed to a succession of spins.
The Aston Martin DB9 Volante provides the clearest illustration of how brutally these cars could be treated. Hammond openly admits that he may have been crueler to it than almost anything else he drove, explaining the cooling problems, damaged differential and electronic systems that could detect faults without meaningfully diagnosing them. His uncertainty over whether to restore it or preserve its Mauritanian scars is particularly interesting because it raises a genuine dilemma about whether a surviving television car is more valuable as a functional machine or as an artifact carrying the evidence of its adventure.
The final Ford Capri changes the tone from entertaining reminiscence to something considerably more reflective. Hammond connects the car he wanted as a young man with the job he had wanted long before joining Top Gear, then explains why returning to Botswana and Kubu Island created an appropriate ending for the trio's long-running format. His memories of crew members growing from junior assistants into senior production figures broaden the farewell beyond the three presenters, while the story of filming his own private message during the final separation across the salt flats gives the closing section an unusually personal quality.
The question-and-answer format keeps a long retrospective accessible, but it also produces repetition. Hammond repeatedly explains that the cars were his own choices, that he intends eventually to repair unfinished projects and that various disasters were genuine, themes that could have been tightened considerably. The lengthy Incogni sponsorship segment also interrupts the progression just as the collection tour has developed momentum, yet the abundance of specific memories, production details and unapologetic affection for deeply imperfect cars ultimately makes the retrospective feel more like a personal motoring scrapbook than a promotional farewell.
Pros
- Hammond uses six surviving cars to connect specific motoring memories with broader reflections on his years making automotive television.
- Behind-the-scenes explanations distinguish controlled stunts from genuine accidents and mechanical failures.
- The Buick, Peugeot and Capri stories provide meaningful childhood and career context for why he personally selected those cars.
- Memories of James May’s crash, the Formula Easter race, COVID-era filming and the Mauritania journey add substantial production detail.
- Hammond is refreshingly willing to discuss broken, unfinished and badly modified cars rather than presenting the collection as pristine memorabilia.
- The final Capri section gives the retrospective emotional weight by connecting the end of the series with the career and friendships built around it.
Cons
- Several answers repeat the same points about choosing the cars personally, keeping them for sentimental reasons and planning future repairs.
- Some automotive assertions are delivered enthusiastically but without enough technical explanation to evaluate them beyond Hammond’s own perspective.
- The question-and-answer structure occasionally feels loose, particularly when anecdotes wander well beyond the specific car being discussed.
- The extended Incogni advertisement creates a conspicuous interruption in the middle of an otherwise personal retrospective.
- Multiple restoration projects remain hypothetical, so several sections end with intentions rather than particularly revealing conclusions about the cars themselves.
Hammond turns a garage tour into an affectionate account of how particular cars became attached to friendships, filming disasters and milestones across a remarkable stretch of his career. Some repetition and a disruptive sponsorship break keep it from being especially tight, but the specific memories and unusually personal final section make this a rewarding retrospective for viewers interested in the stories behind the adventures.
