grand tour land rover discovery

Enviro-mental

• Edit source
• 1.2 Track Test
• 1.3 Conversation Street
• 1.4 Celebrity Brain Crash
• 1.5 Tent Location
• 2 Cars featured

Synopsis [ ]

The presenters travel to South Wales and set out to make the most environmentally friendly car bodies using the platform of a Land Rover Discovery. May makes his car out of mud, Hammond uses plants, and Clarkson uses the bones and carcasses of dead animals.

Prior to their 11 mile road trip, May's mud car falls apart, resulting in him rebuilding the car using bricks which he has to create himself, out of mud, straw and sheep dung, turning the starting field into a small industrial brickworks in the process. While May works through the night, Hammond and Clarkson go to a local village where during the night, Clarkson's bone car is destroyed by a local dog. He is forced to repair the car with meat from a butcher's.

Finally ready to begin the challenge, the trio have to ford a river in their cars, which disintegrates the mortar holding the bricks on May's car together. A mechanical hedge cutter almost destroys Hammond's car since it blends so well into nature, and May rebuilds his car again – this time with hay and cow dung.

The three cars are then raced on a dirt track against three normal cars. The idea of environmentally friendly car bodies is abandoned after Clarkson's meat car is infested with maggots, Hammond's garden car catches fire and May's hay car falls apart.

Track Test [ ]

Clarkson goes on to review the Porsche 911 GT3 RS , comparing it to the BMW M4 GTS . Although he criticizes the BMW for sacrificing comfort for no appreciable performance gains, he declares that it better than the Porsche 911. The reason? Hammond owns a Porsche 911 and therefore it must be rubbish.

Conversation Street [ ]

Sting: Hammond shows off a freaky giant hand.

The trio discuss the new Ford GT, and the new gender sign traffic lights in London.

Celebrity Brain Crash [ ]

Jimmy Carr is the guest of " Celebrity Brain Crash ", but his jet ski collides with a boat on his way to the tent. To fill in the time, the presenters introduce an Audi TT Mk1 Quattro with Hammond hidden behind the rear bumper to show a new smuggling technique used by illegal immigrants, as well as using Hammond as an improvised parking sensor.

Tent Location [ ]

The tent is still on the quayside of Whitby harbour because due to Jeremy Clarkson 's home being destroyed, he literally has no place to go and James May losing the tent bag.

Cars featured [ ]

• 2 Hammond's Rimac Crash
• 3 A Massive Hunt

These Are The Sickest Custom Rides From The Grand Tour

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Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond. These three gentlemen are single-handedly (in this case, six-handedly) responsible for bringing the auto industry and car culture to new heights of popularity. We bet many people started watching Top Gear for the humor and satire and ended up becoming gearheads. But when their stint on Top Gear came to a sudden end because of some physical alterations between Jeremy and a producer of the show , Clarkson and his two mates got an offer from Amazon and the world got blessed with The Grand Tour .

After the trio left Top Gear , The Grand Tour was arguably the next best thing. And just like their previous show, the three hosts did not hold back on satirical stunts and their classic buffoonery. Hence, we got to see a lot of challenges, road trips, and special episodes over the course of 4 seasons so far. Everyone knows that with challenges and road trips come modified cars. Some of them are weird and great, some of them are just weird, but a few of them are simply next level. So we went through all of them and found 10 of the best and coolest ones.

9 Jeremy's V8-Powered Beach Buggy

The boys went to Namibia on a crazy journey through the Namib desert in search of a road. Their starting point was a spot where the desert meets the South Atlantic Ocean. It’s fitting that a car from the first Special episode of the show starts off this list as well.

The boys brought their own beach buggies, but Jeremy clearly wasn’t happy with the stock power of a VW Beetle buggy. So we got to see what happens when a tiny little buggy gets a big ol’ V8 strapped to its back. If we had to guess, Jeremy’s reason behind it was “ SPEED AND POWER!!! ”

Related: 8 Cars That Surprisingly Came With A V8 Engine

8 James May's American Road Trip RV

The three hosts went on an RV camping trip across the US in a stock RV in a typical fashion. And they got bored with it pretty early on and got their own custom RVs, again in typical fashion. When we say customizing the RV suited to our own needs, James May seems to have taken things ‌seriously.

This man fitted an entire pub inside his RV, complete with dart boards and cheesy wall posters. Just imagine going on a road trip all day long and then camping in the wilderness in the middle of nowhere and having a drink of your choice in peace and quiet.

Related: 10 Things You Never Heard About Top Gear's James May

7 Richard Hammond's Living Car Aka The Tree-T-I

The fourth episode of the first season of The Grand Tour saw the three hosts try and build a car from a Land Rover Discovery chassis and sustainable materials from nature. “Well, what’s more sustainable and green than actual plants?” asked Richard.

So he made the entire outer body of his car from plants, bamboo, shrubs, and even a few flowers! Before the episode ends, Hammond’s car was so sustainable that a little hedgehog hopped in and started living in the car!

6 The Excellent

In the last several years, more and more people are buying SUVs than ever before. But they tend to justifiably cost a lot more than sedans and hatchbacks. That's why Jeremy decided to make his own version of a modern SUV. For that, he took the underpinnings and chassis of a Land Rover Discovery and merged it with the outer body of a 1978 MGB Roadster.

It was a catastrophic failure, so he chose the ‘80s Mercedes-Benz SL which was a better fit on the DIscovery than the MG. And the result was something that Jeremy would call ‘The Excellent’ while his two mates would call rubbish. Now it’s up to you to decide which team you are on.

5 Jeremy's 'The Flying Bridge'

Whenever the hosts do a special in the US, we know we are in for a show. James’ Pub RV was not the only wonky-but-sick ride in the show. Jeremy Clarkson wanted to get a feel of one of those luxury yachts while on this trip.

So he took a page out of Mr. Bean’s page and added the controls to his RV to the top. As goofy as it sounds, the thing actually works and looks magnificent while doing it. Until the brakes failed, the throttle got stuck, and his two mates had to attempt to do a pincer grasp on his RV to get it to stop.

Related: This Two-Story Trailer RV Looks Nicer Inside Than Most Apartments

4 Richard Hammond's Modified Ford Focus

The Grand Tour ’s Madagascar special ‘A Massive Hunt’ may have gotten semi-decent reviews on IMDB. But, the vehicles they use in it are some of the best and most popular. While James May’s Caterham was sick, it wasn’t modified enough to be on this list.

But Richard, on the other hand, changed one of the most fundamental things of his car—the wheels. Hammond’s new modified Ford Focus now sported a full-on pirate look. It now had caterpillar tracks to endure the harsh roads of Madagascar.

Related: Here's What You Never Knew About Top Gear's Richard Hammond

3 The Road-Legal Amphibious Car

The challenge was to break an amphibious speed record. So they needed a car that could run on roads and sail on water. Obviously, Jeremy decided to use the jet engine of a Maritime patrol aircraft. The idea was to merge a Russian jet engine, a small boat, and an old Suzuki Jimny. The result was extravagant!

But it was also a failure. So they made another one. This time, they got a Bond Bug , replaced the wheels with those retractable ones, and gave it a jet-ski engine...and that result was also pretty bold and out there.

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2 Jeremy's 'The MFB'

The MFB is undoubtedly one of the most remembered cars from the entire series. Jeremy chose the Bentley Continental GT for his Madagascar treasure hunt. When the smooth asphalt ended and the gravel, mud, and grit kicked in, the Bentley evolved.

It had (get ready...) skid plates, snorkels, a winch at the front, armor-plated steel running across the underside, a motorcycle’s headlamps, an external roll cage, Golf GTI brakes, bigger tires, replaced fenders, and rally lights on the top.

Related: Check Out The Most Ridiculous Custom Rides Featured On Top Gear

John is THE sickest custom ride in The Grand Tour. It’s also least like any factory-rolled stock car because it’s completely self-constructed by the three hosts in the Gobi Desert. The trio was in the middle of nowhere in the Gobi Desert, and their only ray of hope was the car they built.

For six days, John went through every obstacle the untamed desert had to offer and carried the boys to the nearest place of civilization, which was a town with a funny name. In simple terms, John went through hell and brought the boys to humanity, both literally and metaphorically.

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‘The Grand Tour’: Five Moments To Cherish as the Curtain Closes

If you’re a fan of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, you’ll know that the trio has decided to end “The Grand Tour.” It’s bittersweet news for the show’s fanbase. On the one hand, enthusiasts won’t have any more content from the beloved celebrities. However, we can revel in the fact that Clarkson and company have logged over 20 years of automotive shenanigans for viewers to enjoy. 

The Amazon Prime Video show reunited the three world-famous petrolheads after a falling out forced them off the BBC set of “Top Gear” in 2015. The trio didn’t stay off-camera for long, though. The three were back to reviewing cars in a year. Well, with the show ending, we look back at some of our favorite moments beyond the beautifully crafted shots of the latest cars. 

“The Excellent”

• Creating a coral reef
• Racing supercars from the past, present, and future
• Breaking a speed record with an amphibious car
• Creating a path through the Highlands

In Season 1, Episode 9 of “The Grand Tour,” Jeremy Clarkson “sympathetically marries” the chassis and drivetrain of a Mk 1 Land Rover Discovery with the admittedly lovely body of an R107 Mercedes-Benz SL. “The Excellent,” as Clarkson deemed it, is an exciting prospect. I’m afraid it was less than spectacular in execution. 

Creating a coral reef didn’t go so well for the ambitious trio at ‘The Grand Tour’

Season 1, Episode 10 pits Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May against the clear, aquamarine waters of Barbados. They had a bizarre mission: sink bare-metal husks of popular cars to jumpstart a coral reef ecosystem. As expected, everything goes wrong, and the team ends up accomplishing very little of their mission.

‘The Grand Tour’ had no shortage of supercars, but these three demonstrate diversity

“The Grand Tour” starts with a hypercar holy trinity in the pilot. However, season 2, episode 1 begins with an automotive juxtaposition: a strictly gas-powered Lamborghini Aventador S, a hybrid Honda NSX, and a fully-electric Rimac Concept One. It’s a delightful dichotomy, right up until Hammond tragically crashes the million-dollar Rimac. Unfortunately, it isn’t the first time Hammond has had a potentially deadly crash .

‘The Grand Tour’ broke a speed record on the water

In the ninth episode of season 2, Clarkson, Hammond, and May cannibalize several vehicles to create an amphibious car. Not only that, but the trio have to take their creation to Coniston Water in England’s lake district. The site is itself famous; it’s where Donald Campbell died attempting to break a speed record in 1967. Luckily, the team emerged victorious, if also silly-looking.  

Carving a path through the Highlands is a gorgeous scene

In season 3, episode 7, the team heads to the Scottish Highlands to attempt the North Coast 500. Instead, they decide to turn the trip into a lesson in laziness and shorten their route. Still, it’s breathtaking views from start to finish, and Clarkson’s Alfa Romeo GTV6 prompts you to stifle your common sense. 

It’s understandable, though. I have to advise against attempting the NC500 without ample time. I took to the Highlands aboard a 750cc Suzuki motorcycle without factoring in weather and time. Rookie mistake. That said, the parts of the NC500 that I traversed were nothing short of stunning.

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Erik Sherman

Erik Sherman joined the MotorBiscuit team as an Autos Writer in 2022. An admitted petrolhead and an avid motorcyclist, Erik has owned everything from classic cars to motorcycles to modern driver’s cars. Erik also has extensive experience with military and emergency vehicles, ranging from ambulances and fire engines to MRAPs and M-ATVs. Erik is an eager car and motorcycle reviewer with experience covering everything from sports cars to pontoon boats and jet skis.

Erik holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations (IRG) from the University of Texas at Austin and has studied Chinese, Energy, and European Politics at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. Erik’s background is unorthodox; he is a United States Marine Corps (USMC) combat veteran, water survival practitioner, and a former firefighter/EMT. Additionally, Erik is a regular volunteer and former instructor with the American Red Cross (ARC).