A new era of the world’s biggest car TV show is almost here. Amazon’s “The Grand Tour” is officially relaunching next month with new challenges, new features, and yes, new hosts. From what we’ve seen so far, it looks absolutely epic, and here’s your chance to ask two of them anything.
In some ways, succeeding the trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May seems like a challenging proposition. The BBC didn’t quite land it with the 2016 reboot of “Top Gear” but Amazon certainly seems to have hired the right people for the “Grand Tour” job. We’ve got Trainspotter, mechanical engineer, and Civic Type R-swapped Honda Jazz (that’s the Honda Fit in America) owner Francis Bourgeois; car reviewer, E46 3 Series endurance racing driver, and Alfa Romeo aficionado Thomas Holland; and car reviewer, Toyota Century owner, and MX-5 enthusiast James Engelsman on deck.
You likely know Thomas and James from the immensely successful car YouTube channel Throttle House, where they’ve been road-testing, track-testing and road-tripping cars together since 2018. From breaking down in heavily depreciated V12 luxobarges to showing why wearing a helmet’s a good idea when getting into a BMW i8 to demonstrating just why the Lexus IS 500 gets under your skin, they’ve already done a cinematic job of showing what it means to love—and occasionally loathe—cars. A rather good CV, then. Likewise, you probably know Francis Bourgeois from TikTok, but there’s so much more to him than viral train videos. He’s in the midst of an OM606 turbodiesel-swapped R129 Mercedes-Benz SL project, his work with Chris Harris has been seriously entertaining, and he’s tailwhipped a scooter on stage at a Sam Fender concert.
From what we can see in the latest trailer, it looks like the reboot of “The Grand Tour” is going to be an epic season. Ford Mustang GTD vs. Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 vs. Hennessy Venom F5 Revolution Evo vs. a jet. A Jaguar XKR, Nissan 350Z, and Mercedes-Benz CLK doing skids. A Tesla Model 3 being launched off one of those giant inflatable blobs. Volvo 240 vs. Lexus LS 400 vs. Ford Crown Victoria. E46 M3 vs 996 Porsche 911 vs Nissan Pulsar GTi-R on dirt. Kei cars dressed up as a pantomime school bus, Jenson Button, an incident with a tollbooth, the Pagani Utopia, falling off a bicycle, exactly the sort of shenanigans we want to see.
It all launches on Sept. 4 on Amazon Prime Video, but before that, here’s a bit of a surprise: Thomas Holland and James Engelsman [Update: And Francis!] will briefly be joining us at 11:00 a.m. EDT today, and we want to metaphorically turn the mic over to you. Warm up your keyboards and pull up the comments section, your question just might get a response. Oh, and massive shoutout to James and Thomas for their willingness to play ball. They really are some of the nicest people in automotive media, so let’s show them love.
UPDATE: Huge thanks to Thomas, James, and Francis for joining us! The whole trio, all lovely, lovely people. They have to run along now, but it genuinely was such a pleasure seeing them and having them answer your questions.
Top graphic image: The Grand Tour
What’s your level of wrenching experience? Do you like the idea of working on cars, or is that less fun to you than the storytelling?
Hey David! I’ve done my fair share of knuckle bashing. I THINK I love working on cars, forget that it’s pure pain when Im doing it, then promptly forget shortly after I’m done. Rinse repeat. I once did a head gasket on my E46 M3 and actually cried when trying to re-time the Vanos.
RESPECT. That’s not an easy job; the crying is totally warranted.
Congratulations on your success, and I can’t wait to watch you three crush it!
Can you really call yourself a BMW owner if it hasn’t made you cry? (Replacing a window mechanism in an E36 for me.)
.
Did the production team provide advice to the talent so as to not have them living under the shadow of the former presenters? If so, what was the advice?
We didn’t need any help trying to achieve that goal. It was the main thing we worked towards. Whether or not we achieved it is up to you guys! The only thing we could do is just be ourselves, and not try to be them.
I’m guessing there will be no live audience portion at the beginning of the show like they had in the earlier episodes?
I participated in the filming of the first episode of The Grand Tour out on a dry lake in CA. That was a fun day.
Jealous you were there! That was an epic segment. As for whether or not the studio is present, you’ll find out in the first episode!
How did you manage expectations? Obviously there are big shoes to fill and a lot of noise from the internet, what was the internal conversation like? Ignore it, tackle it head on, change the structure or team dynamic?
It was very much, “respect the past.”
As long as that past doesn’t involve “Celebrity Brain Crash”!
Are you planning to start up a Gin distillery any time soon?
I’ve already purchased a Farm, a classic car restoration workshop, have three different lines of gin and beer coming out.
Ah, this man thinks he’s ahead of the curve, but how many hypercars have you crashed and almost died in?
Will one of you do a show where you slowly put back together mundane household items?
Seriously, though, best of luck. I hope the humor and sophistication (and lack thereof) of the original carries through with your own personal flairs and the show is successful!
I know that the last crew, Clarkson especially, were prone to keeping the vehicles they “bought” for the challenges. Have any of you guys fallen into that trap yet now that the season is done filming?
That’s a good one.
I’m a bit disappointed Thomas Holland is neither the guy from The Rest is History nor the one from Spider-Man. Maybe next season they can invite the other two.
Francis — Having an unfortunate habit of growing too attached to cars, there are two cars driven in the show that are already trying to shoulder their way into my garage. Unfortunately limited by London parking constraints!
Sounds like you need to buy a farm…
James – I reallllly want to buy my Angola car but the shipping is almost 3 times the cost of the actual car and I’m having trouble justifying it. Thomas really wanted to buy his Colorado car but it wasn’t to be. So yes. Trap fallen into for sure.
The good old days of cheap Alfa Spiders is apparently over. What are you going to do to fix that? We need cheap Alfas.
Thomas, in your TH video on the Mazda CX-70 you said you were done with BMW (maybe it was even German cars in general) because of something with your family hauler, care to share what happened or just why you’re done? I’m looking at B58 X3/X4/X5 but want to hear your thoughts.
What do you all think of the Jatco Xtronic CVT and its benefits to humanity?
bad
I loved the road trip series especially the one SW one with Schnitz and Tofu, do you all think you’ll do more of those (realizing Grand Tour is likely a bigger version of the same concept) for the youtube channel?
What it the biggest difference driving between countries when you are doing the shows?
The great Richard Porter said that the recommendation for Francis came Throttle House. How did you know he’d be a great third?
What’s the one thing you asked to do this season that you didn’t think they’d let you do that they said “yes” to?
I have no questions, I only want to say that all the previews I’ve seen look great and I am very excited to watch what you guys get into
Whats your favorite road trip you have taken/plan to take?
Who has punched a catering man before?
Just a comment. I’ve been watching Thomas since he was a guy with a camera in a dingy garage working on the same car I had. This is like having a close friend hit it big. Not a casual friend, because then I’d probably be jealous.
Thanks for sticking around since the beginning. Sorry you had to witness me learn how to talk to a camera.
So, are you going to have to go out to Clarkson’s Farm and take back the tent?
The previews look great!
Traveling the world aside, is there anything else that having the backing of Amazon has allowed you to do that you couldn’t in the past?
What’s the worst cars you genuinely like? Like, you know, crap, but you can’t help but find it appealing?
and yes, I see my plural/verb agreement errors and I’m not changing them, David.
Jason Torchinsky, king of the “there’s [plural noun].” Drives me mad!
Noah Webster would be proud of his butchery of the English language.
Jason sorry this one got missed. I’ve recently purchased an Isetta, that when it works (currently does it), still drives terribly yet I think its one of the most charming cars in the world. Other than that, I’ve been thinking a lot about that 2022 I-Pace we tested a few years back. No one likes them, its not particularly attractive, the EV tech is old now an the residuals are atrocious. But I really really liked it.
Is there still a tent?
I’ll watch it, but I’m pessimistic. The chemistry of the original trio was natural, and their skill set and passions didn’t overlap much.
Watching 3 Self indulgent influencers on YouTube or tic tok fake scripted shenanigans appeals to me the same as a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.
… so
Q1. Is the show truly unscripted?
Q2. Are there stupid stunts / stupid comments just for entertainment when we all know the hosts are smarter than they’re pretending to be?
Q3. Will the show focus on attainable vehicles,or just hyper cars?
I’d love it if the show just follow 3 regular hosts doing both regular and sometimes irregular stuff along with honest opinions of the vehicles they drive.
Don’t want to sound like an ass. I hope the show is a great success. I’m just worn out from so much crap on tv these days.
Q1. There are different types of films, so some introductions to a car are written down, but the natural interactions you see of the three of us on camera are just us talking to eachother and reacting to the situation. There is no script when one of us (me) accidentally almost drives of a cliff..
Q2. The “stunts” are always there to serve the story. Nothing “unnecessary”. However, we’re not professionals.. at anything.. so stupidity is inevitable, despite our best efforts.
Q3. The show is a great mix of cheap and expensive cars. Real stuff people would actually buy, and things that are meant for dreams only.
Our main goal with this series was “don’t make crap”
That’s good to hear ! Thank you ! I look forward to watching.
You’ve obviously never watched throttle house, while I don’t know much about Francis, Thomas and James have a natural rapport and humor that rivals (if not beats) anything on the OG Top Gear (which I have watched most of) I have caught myself many times thinking throttle house is the closest thing there is to a successor to the original trio version of Top Gear
You’re right. I mostly avoid YouTube videos so I’m looking forward to being pleasantly surprised. Sounds like this could be very good, especially if the production budget and quality of the older shows continues.
Yeh trust me I’ve only relatively recently started to succumb to car youtube and even then there aren’t that many shows I can actually stand to watch for very long. Throttle House is one of a few I actually watch regularly. And I’ll be honest while I have high hopes and am looking forward to this new GT, the amazon involvement and the transition to a different show concept with a new host does make me worry even as a fan of both that something will be lost in translation.
(And re-reading my original response, sorry that came out a little saltier than I meant it to)
Question for Thomas: What is your favorite BMW e46 quirk?
Question for James: How is the Golf R doing?
I have really enjoyed your guys’ content over the years and look forward to watching the show!
James – great! 25k kms later and no issues if any kind. Still wish the sound system was better and the ride is too harsh on the 19s
Glad to hear! I had been wondering about the ride quality with the 19s. I have been looking into buying a Golf, but have not been able to find too many people talking about the 19s.
This was originally the same comment. I accidentally sent it twice.
I don’t have a question, just a comment.
I really enjoyed the latest seasons of Top Gear. Obviously I’m a long time Chris Harris fan, but Paddy and Freddie were completely new to me. I think they gelled well and let their personalities shine to make the show feel like an extension of the older version. Yes they did a lot of the same types of challenges and segments, but it felt fresh because of their interactions. I like Rory, and Matt Lablanc wasn’t bad either, but I don’t think they recovered after giving Chris Evans the boot.
Anyway, my point is:
Clarkson, May, and Hammond aren’t impossible to replace. If you have the right people that mesh correctly it will work.
Yeh agreed I think Chris + Paddy + Freddie did a pretty solid job and quite enjoyed some of those episodes, certainly imo they were easily the best alternative to the original trio. Also if you haven’t seen it, Throttle House is easily some of the best car tv on youtube that comes very close (and imo sometimes better) than top gear, I am genuinely excited to see this new show.
Good luck with the show – I will watch it at some point.
I’m not sure how to ask this question exactly. To me, the other reboots missed the key point that the original Top Gear was more about the interactions between the three hosts than being a true “car” show. As a result, the other reboots seemed far less entertaining than the original, mostly because they focused on being a “car” show instead of just being an entertaining show.
Given this, how will this show be different from the other reboots that were less successful?
Largely the same comment I posted at the same time. If their interactions are fun to watch, the rest will fall in line.
Watch some throttle house and you’ll get it I think, I’ve thought they were the closest thing to Top Gear I’ve seen even with limited production bc youtube, and at least based on their ad sponsorship gags might actually be funnier. Thomas and James have just as natural a rapport as the OG trio in my opinion-saying this as someone who’s watched most of Top Gear.
I will check that out. I am not familiar with Throttle House, but I have generally liked most of the Top Gear ripoffs (homages?) I have seen. None are as good as the original, but most are still entertaining.
So far, my favorite Top Gear ripoff has been Car Trek.
Obviously its own thing, but it’s easily my favorite youtube car show and feels very much like the spiritual successor to Top Gear to me-given that they do have an obviously lower budget and due to that some of the production values won’t match TG.
If you like Car Trek I would check out their road trip series with the AE86 and GTI it’s one of their few longer form series and is what hooked me on their channel.
What is it about the British that make them the preferred TV hosts? (sorry, Thomas)
Not just for GT/TG but for a whole lot of other shows as well. Does the accent lend a certain amount of credibility and authority to what they are saying? Is it their dry humor or mastery of the language that most Americans envy?
Our NHS makes us cheap to hire, no need for ‘health insurance’
😉
Thank Brexit for fucking up your entire economy, making you guys roughly 30% cheaper than the US.
Can Karsten be your Stig-like driver, who never talks and is only there for drag races? Please???
No real questions for them from me. I wish them luck, though. TG/GT were ostensibly car shows but really more about the presenters and the story so I’m hoping they found a way to make that work.
Which car smells the best?
Old Italian cars.
So you love the smell of break downs? Got it 😉
Not the melty crayon smell of the e46?!
James – any car Thomas hasn’t been in
My original question was kinda dumb, so I’ll just offer congratulations to our guests and wish them luck in their new endeavo[u]r.
One of the things that amped up the drama from the old British set was (admittedly manufactured) drama – the “butting of heads” over differences of opinion in subjective matters of taste among other things. I watch a lot of Throttle House and honestly – it seems like you guys are going to have much less of that – and since Francis seems like such a friendly, amicable bloke I’m honestly hoping we won’t see any attempts to stir up questionably legitimate friction.
I don’t know if there’s a question here except in the multiverses of Spider-Man we know the iX3 is James’ Mary Jane, so what’s yours, Thomas & can you speculate on Francis’?
That’s very true.
The “false happiness” or “contrived conflict” of shows drives me mad.
The original-3 had, what felt, both genuine conflict and genuine happiness. That, to me, made it much easier to watch. I get there’s a script, but you could tell where things went too far or they were just genuinely having a great time together.
My brother worked on some of the Top Gear Live shows, and got to see them away from the cameras, and said that their off-stage relationship was pretty much the same as what we saw on TV.
I can imagine that a lot of of their scripts were just recreations of the actual arguments they’d had the night before.
James – correct. No false friendships/hatred’s/conflicts to be seen.