The Grand Tour with Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond is set to return this week.
In September last year, the former Top Gear trio embarked on their first post-pandemic road trip in a branded A Scandi Flick, which invited the accident-prone trio to test their favourite rally cars in the Scandinavian Arctic Circle.
For the follow-up mission, the turbo-charged threesome rev their engines in central Europe on an exhausting 1,400-mile journey from Gdansk in Poland to Lake Bled in Slovenia.
The presenters’ chosen modes of transport – a Japanese gangster car, convertible pick-up and 75-year-old American micro-mini – are tested to breaking point by the odyssey across unforgiving terrain.
READ MORE: Jeremy Clarkson: Decision made on farm planning appeal
En route, the trio visit the prison camp where the Great Escape took place, enlist the help of a Formula 1 world champion, and glimpse the world’s most advanced flying car.
When asked about the pranks during the trip, Mr 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.
“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.”
Mr Hammond said Mr 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, Mr 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 Mr Hammond and Mr Clarkson as much because he was so slow in the vehicle.
Mr 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.”
Mr 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.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here