The Grand Tour Season 1 Episode Guide, Recaps & Fun Facts

The Grand Tour Season 1 began on November 18 2016 and was aired on the streaming service Amazon Prime Video. It consisted of 13 episodes, two of which were part 1 and 2 of a long special episode, and while official viewing figures haven’t been released, Episode 1 quickly became the most popular pilot episode of any series on Amazon.

The touring tent was a popular aspect of Season 1, with it being erected in 9 countries across the globe allowing people from different countries to watch the live recordings of the tent segments. This was however stopped for Season 2 as it was deemed to be too much of a hassle and expense to keep moving the tent which also had to be adapted for filming.

Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May reprised their roles as presenters after their leaving of Top Gear.

The Holy Trinity

Tent Location: Lucerne Valley, California, United States

The episode launches with a film of Jeremy Clarkson leaving London and flying to Los Angeles where he finds Richard Hammond and James May. They introduce the tent then review the Porsche 918, La Ferrari, and McLaren P1 in Portugal’s Algarve International Circuit.

The Eboladrome is introduced by Clarkson who drives a Ferrari 488 and BMW M2 around it. They then introduce the American.

Comprehensive History of the Eboladrome – Where is it?

Operation Desert Stumble

Tent Location: Johannesburg, South Africa

Clarkson tests the Aston Martin Vulcan which is later driven by the American. Wilman then sends the trio to the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre where they review an Audi S8 and evade being shot at. Car-builder Johan Ackermann introduces his self-made Sauber C9 replica, and Ma goes to South Africa to take part in ‘spinning’.

Opera, Arts, And Donuts

Tent Location: Whitby, England, United Kingdom

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May go on a grand tour around Italy. May drives a Rolls Royce Dawn, Clarkson an Aston Martin DB11, and Hammond a Dodge Challenger Hellcat. They argue over the colour of the Aston and finally, Hammond and May demolish Clarkson’s house.

Enviro-mental

Tent Location: Whitby, England, United Kingdom

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Porsche 911 GT3 RS and the BMW M4 GTS. Then the presenters head to Wales with Land Rover Discovery chassis to make an environmentally friendly car. Finally, they discuss the best ways of hiding illegal immigrants in cars.

Moroccan Roll

Tent Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands

The trio goes to Morocco to compare the Mazda MX5, Alfa Romeo 4C, and Zenos E10S. They go to Atlas Corporation Studios in Ouarzazate to race their cars where Hammond wins but also crashes his MX5. Later on, Hammond and May play Battleships with cars and explosives. Finally, Clarkson uses a V8 to inflate a blow-up doll.

Happy Finnish Christmas

Tent Location: Saariselkä, Lapland, Finland

Richard Hammond drives the new Ford Mustang in England and is met by Clarkson driving a Ford Focus RS. The presenters introduce their Christmas merchandise and play with toys, resulting in them hurting themselves hilariously. James May then discusses the history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he pits Ferrari against Ford with their P3 and GT respectively.

The Beach (Buggy) Boys – Part 1

No Tent

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are sent to Namibia to drive 1000 miles in beach buggies of their own design. They waste 36 hours and end up in the same place before camping there overnight. The next day, they start traversing the sand dunes where Clarkson breaks down. Hammond and May abandon him and move on.

The Beach (Buggy) Boys – Part 2

No Tent

Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May reunite at Windhoek and make their way to the Namibia-Angola border. The terrain is harsh and May sets fire to his own buggy accidentally while trying to sabotage Clarkson’s. Finally, to traverse a river, the trio produces a cable car. Hammond gets stuck which proves Wilman right.

Berks To The Future

Tent Location: Ludwigsburg, Stuttgart, Germany

James May reviews the new Honda NSX and Clarkson welds an MGB Roadster to a Land Rover Discovery. He later swaps the MG for a Mercedes-Benz SL, before naming his creation ‘The Excellent’. It’s sold at the Coys of Kensington car auction for £4,000, £10,000 less than what Clarkson paid to make it.

Dumb Fight At The O.K Coral

Tent Location: Nashville, Tennessee, United States

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio before the presenters travel to Barbados to solve the issue of dying coral reefs. They plan on sinking cars into the area for coral to grow over them and thrive.

Italian Lessons

Tent Location: Loch Ness, Scotland, United Kingdom

Richard Hammond test drives the Fiat Abarth 124 Spider before they each buy a Maserati for under £8,000 to prove that it’s better than a second-hand Ford Focus. They travel to France where they test the cars on track. Jeremy Clarkson in his Biturbo S Coupe, Richard Hammond in his 430 Saloon, and James May in a Zagato Spider. May had broken his arm for this episode, but thankfully his car is an automatic. Only Hammond’s car survives.

[Censored] To [Censored]

Tent Location: Loch Ness, Scotland, United Kingdom

Jeremy Clarkson reviews the Lexus GS-F, then the presenters travel to aptly named locations in SUVs. Clarkson drives a Range Rover, Richard Hammond a Jaguar F-Pace, and James May a Bentley Bentayga. They head to the Nurburgring but instead arrive at a disused quarry where they perform times laps.

Past VS Future

Tent Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Jeremy Clarkson compares a Volkswagen Golf GTI to the BMW i3 that’s driven and owned by James May. Then, May tries his luck at off-roading. Hammond beats a Bugatti Veyron in a drag race with a Porsche 918 Spyder but then loses to a highly modified Nissan Patrol. Later on, he takes lessons on how to drift.

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