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

Grand Tour Eastern Europe Topshot
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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.

Chevrolet Ssr

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.

 

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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.

The Grand Tour Le Seyde

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.

Crosley Convertible

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.

The Grand Tour Crosley

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)

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84 thoughts on “Clarkson, Hammond, And May Will Drive Some Astonishingly Weird Cars In The Next ‘Grand Tour’ Special”

  2. Vietnam Special
    Polar Special
    Bolivia Special
    US Special
    James May Man Lab’s Christmas Special
    And a few others, will be watched on an annual basis in my household.

    Later episodes may fall into that category as well.

  5. Those old guys have been tired and disappointing for 10+ years…

    James May is still usually worth listening to, when the other two aren’t dragging him down to their level.

    But then we have Youtube, with good people like Mark Watson, Robert Dunn, Derek Bieri and Superfast Matt, so I’m not complaining about lack of automotive themed entertainment 🙂

  6. Seeing a Crosley on screen may be worth it especially with the bonus of a Mitsuoka. I don’t tolerate Grand Tour as much as I used to but Carnage A Troy’s was fun. Also Edd China seems,to have gone quiet

      1. The other day, I saw a billboard ad in Glasgow for some sort of motorcycle toolkit featuring him! First I’d seen of him in a very long time

  8. I wholeheartedly approve of the SSR, and I still want one in the craziest, weirdest way. I don’t know why, but I want one with a stick.

  9. I’ll always love their era of Top Gear and still go back and re watch old episodes all the time but I could just never get into the Grand Tour for some reason. It just didn’t feel the same. But these cars are all weird enough that I might give this special a chance, especially since a Mitsuoka is involved.

    In regards to the proposed drift LeSeyde, someone already did that with one of the later S15 Silvia based ones. But a CA18DET or SR20DET would almost certainly bolt right in to either of them. The engine and transmission on a LeSeyde is still where Nissan intended it to be. The extra length came from Mitsuoka welding on some big ol’ frame rail extensions where the stock subframe would have mounted and then moved the subframe forward. They did reuse the stock subframe and I believe all of the stock Silvia suspension so finding aftermarket suspension parts would be a breeze

    1. The point of the engine/weight/power in the Crosley is that it’s from the ’40s post-war era, which makes the figures are really impressive.

      There are plenty of motorcycle engines out there that blow this (and your Metro example) out of the water, comparatively.

  11. I quit on Grand Tour because their interactions while in the test seemed much more scripted than in the BBC days, to the point that each episode violated my cringe limit. I suppose it’s time to give them another chance.

  12. Looking forward to the show. I enjoy what these three produce even individually, except Hammond’s The Great Escapists, that was a tough watch. I even enjoyed Clackson’s Farm. Watching him screw up his own farm was kind of fun.

    1. Clarkson’s Farm is better than the best of The Grand Tour. Seeing Clarkson repeatedly humbled by the 20 y.o Kaleb is priceless. And Gerald, he is simply [unintelligible mess of syllables].

    2. I surprisingly enjoyed Clarkson’s Farm. And you gotta love Kaleb. That’s a smart kid and I hope Jeremy takes care of him when this show is over.

    3. The Great Escapists was tough. I only finished it to see how bad it would get. It always seemed like it couldn’t make up its mind if it wanted to be a pretend reality show, a science show, a comedy, or some sort of odd crime mystery. 10/10 would not watch Season 2.

  13. “Boomers…”-“ White hairs…”.

    Just wait until YOU hit that time in your life when you’re considered irrelevant by society.
    And this site was supposed to be welcoming to all enthusiasts. Obviously, it ain’t.

        1. I’m a millenial, I’ve been the butt of the jokes for years now. I just shrug it off and move on with my life, it’s just the internet.

        1. I mean, where’s the lie? Or where the rudeness is, because I’m not seeing it. It was a vehicle squarely aimed at baby boomers’ nostalgia for the past, and that’s most of who bought ’em accordingly. As someone else already noted, the average owner skews pretty high up in age.

          “Old folks are old” isn’t an insult.

    3. While not a Boomer myself, I tend to agree that the whole internet dips into the whole “Haha – Boomers” well way too often.

      With that said, it is pretty much a true statement to say the SSR was aimed at that demographic who wanted a retro looking truck.

      1. I think a great deal of us are confused as to what you’re looking for. Was the SSR not targeted at well-heeled boomers, who are now very obviously, old people?

        Even if it’s being served up with a side of low-hanging fruit old person joke, I mean, are we really at a point where we can’t go there? I guess two decades of negative millennial coverage has left me with thicker skin.

        2. Would it be cool to stereotype other groups this frequently? Can we refer to all Asian car fans as ricers? Shall we stereotype drivers of Escalades and lowriders? We can sure call people driving trucks hillbillies and inbreds, though. Every one of them “compensating”. This site will the same as the old one on a long enough time line. Its actually alarming how fast it happened.

          1. Boomers have been openly stereotyping Millennials for what… the last 15 years? I’m not saying it justifies anything, but some perspective helps understand where it all comes from.

            I’d never stoop to write anything like that about either generation. But I’m Gen X.

            1. the term Boomer in general is an attempt to respond condescendingly to that generation. It is funny to some of us, but should probably be left out of dialog unless you actually know the person you are directing the term to was born in the Baby Boom Generation. Just saying.

            2. Gen X, as well. Bashing millenials bugs me, too. I dont think it happens as much on here, but i would call that out, too. It all detracts from what is otherwise a great site.

          2. There’s obviously a fine line between being exclusive of others, and making an observation.

            “Boomer” like any other term has become increasingly derogatory, mostly in retaliation from millennials deciding to give back some of the same vitriol that we’ve been receiving basically since cable news was born. But it’s just short for “Baby Boom”, I suppose Thomas could have just gone with “old people” and left it at that. Either way, it’s hard to get upset about someone stereotyping a car for being an old person’s car, when the car’s entire existence was born from GM’s desire to sell pricey nostalgia-mobiles.

            To be clear, I like that the SSR exists! It’s freaking goofy, and I miss the 00’s where every automaker was trying to (unfortunately foolishly) sell niche models.

            Obviously most of the commentariat here are transplants from the old lighting site. I know there, and here, there will always be a desire to “stick to cars”, but we all know that cars are culture, deeply ingrained into humanity at this point. There’s going to be some opinions here you don’t like, as there are plenty I don’t like either. But I think The Autopian has done an awesome job being inclusive, accommodating, while still trying to keep the irreverent style that makes these articles fun to read. It’s genuinely going to be impossible to strike a tone that pleases everyone and everywhere, over an entire writing staff and all of the various topics that involve cars.

        3. Aren’t they the generation that always complain “they can’t say anything, anymore” ? Ie : being racist or homophobic or misogynist, or classist or validist in public.

          1. Often those who dish it out can’t take it back.

            I know quite a few people who want the freedom to say whatever they want, but don’t want to accept the consequences for their words, nor do they want to here a response.

            There certainly are plenty of older people who aren’t turds. Maybe even most! I understand that the generational generalizations can often just agitate people who don’t (or don’t believe) they deserve the negativity.

    5. Dude, my generation has been called lazy, worthless, entitled, and unreliable by the older generation. That’s the reason why “ok boomer” entered the popular lexicon, a reaction against the barrage of insults that came from older people whenever a millennial did literally anything.

      I have no sympathy for the boomers being called old and out of touch. That is FAR from the worst things I could say about the generation. And not even what the article said, it’s just saying the (accurate) statement that it was deliberately pitched to older people with money.

    6. I mean…. You guys had life on easy-mode, and pulled the ladder up with you as you ascended into owning the vast majority of wealth in this country, and refuse to retire. You refuse to acknowledge the game has changed for young people, you call them entitled and lazy, you refuse to acknowledge how much wages have NOT kept up with inflation, and you control almost every government and powerful position in corporate America.

      Excuse me while I find a violin for you because someone hurt your feelings. You’d think all that boot-strappin would have given you thicker skin.

        1. No doubt. But after being shit on for over a decade at this point by boomer-controlled mainstream media that flat out insults us by saying we’re lazy and the reason we can’t afford housing is because of avocado toast, I have no patience anymore.

  14. I also used to love watching what these three idiots came up with on the old BBC show. Even their early Amazon days were great bc suddenly they had (comparatively speaking) what appeared to be zero (or near zero) limitations, which was fun watching them play with and the cinematogphry was always excellent.

    That said I realized early on in their Amazon days it was EXACTLY the constraints the BBC imposed which is what made their version of Top Gear so fun, they had to be more creative in each episode topic bc of a more limited budget & equally or perhaps more so bc of the very restrained social norms of the BBC corp. culture, take those constraints away and they no longer had any humorous rules to rebel against.
    Heaps of credit to each of them, they all have been immensely successful, each making a living as content creators and entrepreneurs for +30 years each!

  15. I thought the Mitsuoka was a Clenèt and the theme was weird Americans.

    The Crosley was at least an honest attempt at a budget vehicle, so I’m hoping it wins whatever stupid competition they’ve thought up.

  16. There was a time when I enjoyed their work so much that I could overlook their (read Jeremy’s) other problems, but I got over them sometime early in the Grand Tour’s run, and I’m still not interested. Hopefully it’s good for the people who can still tolerate them.

  17. I feel like this line up of cars were chosen by each of the other presenters. James and/or Richard picked the Mitsuoka for Jeremy, Jeremy and/or James picked the SSR for Richard and the last 2 picked the Crosley for James.

    They basically are hyperbolic versions of cars that fit the characteristics that they tease each other about.

    1. They canceled the show, but they’re still releasing specials under the Grand Tour name. Have to say, for my money, they’ve all been extremely mediocre. I haven’t even watched whatever the last one they released was.

    2. Not technically. Amazon will not renew any contract with Clarkson. However, all shows already under contract will continue until the contract expires. I believe there will be one more season of Clarkson’s Farm and, as I recall, three more Grand Tour specials, with the this one being the first of the three. My memory may be a bit rusty, however, so don’t place any bets on this info.

  19. Three guys with decent on screen chemistry and three rare cars? Sounds like a good drinking game could be made. Sip every time Hamster says Mitsuoka or May says Crosley.

  22. The most delightful car I’ve ever seen at a local event was a Crosley wagon prepped for drag racing. It was absurd and delightful, and the owner was a gem.

      1. Nope! It was actually beautifully finished, in a deep cherry red. He also set it up so the modifications were fairly subtle – you could tell something was up with it, especially if you noticed the rear tires were almost the entire width of the car, but it looked like a stock Crosley with your glasses off.

  23. “Okay Boomer” me all you want but I could watch these 3 spend 90 minutes reviewing grass. They’re some of the best to ever do it when it comes to automotive journalism. Clarkson certainly seems like a repulsive ass of a human being but I know better than to ask old rich white dudes for their takes on social issues anyway…just tell me about the cars and we’ll be good.

  24. And May is wearing a Crosley shirt!
    At first glance, I thought the Sylvia monstrosity was a Zimmer. I’ll have to try and watch this one though I’ve been underwhelmed by the episodes I attempted to watch.

  25. My neighbor has one of those Crosleys but a 2 door 4 seater. The Nissan Sylvia looks like an Ex Calibur kit car or maybe a Stutz Bearcat? I always liked a convertible pickup too bad they couldnt get a dakota sport cab midsized convertible real pickup.

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