The Grand Tour has come to an end and marked the end of an era on September 13, 2024, as the show broadcasted its finale. The final 'One for The Road' special featured the iconic trio of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond, heading to Africa for one last adventure.
The show comes to an end as the trio jointly believes that it is finally time to wrap things up. Jeremy, May, and Richard have always been vocal about wanting to end the cult classic 'on a high note, instead of being forced out or replaced.'
Appearing at Ben Shephard's This Morning show on September 12, Richard Hammond talked about how the trio wanted to end things on their own terms:
"We didn't know it (The Grand Tour) was gonna do that, so that was kinda out of our control we always wanted to make sure that when we finally landed our partnership together it was on our terms, at a time and a place and in a manner of our choosing, and we have."
Talking to The Times in January 2024, Jeremy hinted he was struggling with the physically demanding show as he had become unfit and old. The 64-year-old TV presenter also mentioned how they had done almost everything they could do with cars on the show:
“I’ve driven cars higher than anyone else and further north than anyone else. We’ve done everything you can do with a car. When we had meetings about what to do next, people just threw their arms in the air.”
The Grand Tour: One for The Road finale - Highlights, and everything we know so far
The Grand Tour finale episode was set in Zimbabwe - a country the trio had never visited for the show before. It featured them driving their dream cars for one final road trip.
While Jeremy was seen driving a Lancia Montecarlo, James May drove a Triumph Stag. Richard Hammond, on the other hand, was seen behind the wheels of a Mk1 Ford Capri 3.0 for the final road trip.
Talking to the Irish News on September 13 about the reason behind choosing Zimbabwe for the final installment of the show, Jeremy Clarkson said:
“I’ve always wanted to go to Zimbabwe. For years the BBC weren’t allowed into Zimbabwe, but Amazon is allowed – so the lightbulb suddenly clicked on.”
Unlike the previous installments, The Grand Tour finale eased on the stunts and focused more on the trio's raw and adventurous road trip. It featured the three stars enjoying the beauty of the African country as they moved through the streets of Harare, the crocodilian waters of Lake Ariba, and the mighty Botswana.
Running for over 2 hours and 10 minutes, the finale leaves enough room for brotherly bickering and sentimental moments from the trio. From camping under the sky to coming across cars from the first special, they relived some of the best moments in the 21 years of Top Gear and The Grand Tour history.
Reminiscing about the legendary journey while driving through a dusty road, James May says he hopes the show brought the viewers some happiness.
"I hope we brought you a little bit of happiness," said James May in the finale.
The Grand Tour finale concludes with Jeremy, James, and Richards visiting a Baobab tree which they first visited in 2007 for BBC's Top Gear Botswana special.
The Grand Tour first aired in November 2016 on Amazon Prime. Built as the competitor for BBC's Top Gear, the show aired six series (seasons). The last series of the show included the sole finale episode.
While the trio will not be returning to the show in the foreseeable future, Richard Hammond has hinted at the continuation of the iconic series. He told Metro on September 13 that Amazon Prime would continue the show with new hosts.
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