What Are These Famous Top Gear Cars Worth Now? A Look At Clarkson, Hammond, And May’s Most Iconic Cars

During the days of Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May have driven some spectacular cars. On their travels during special episodes of the show, they'd usually each buy a used car within a certain budget, and drive them until they broke. But with car values rising quickly, we thought it would be interesting to see just how high the values of the most memorable cars from Top Gear have risen. So, in this article, we'll be exploring these prices and whether it hurts to watch the episodes back now in the present day. It's difficult to give an exact comparison because we know very little about the cars the boys purchased, but we can give you a good idea as to how much they've increased in value. The Grand Tour’s Worst Car Modifications From Clarkson, Hammond, and May Bugeye Subaru Impreza WRX Estate - Africa Special The 19th Series of Top Gear took Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May to Africa in search of the source of the River Nile. They were each told to buy an estate car for no more than £1,500, ship them over to Africa, and start their search. Richard Hammond purchased a Bugeye Subaru Impreza WRX Estate, which is powered by a turbocharged 2.0-litre Boxer engine, which produced around 227 horsepower. It suffered a few suspension issues along the way, but the car does make it to the end of the special episodes. What's it worth now? Pre-facelift versions of the Impreza WRX estate with over 100,000 miles are currently being listed for around £5,000. Estates, being rare than the standard saloon, may fetch a higher price. Lower mileage will see the price pushing up to £10,000 You can find a well priced example here, but there are currently no low-mileage examples currently on the UK market: 2001 Subaru Impreza WRX Bugeye NEXT PAGE Opel Kadett - Botswana Special Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were told to go to Africa, and with £1,500, buy a car that was in no way built to go off-road. James and Jeremy bought a Mercedes wagon and a Lancia Beta Coupe respectively, but Hammond bought what turned into one of the most memorable cars ever featured on Top Gear, a 1963 Opel Kadett. This Opel, later named Oliver by Hammond, still belongs to the presenter who is now planning on restoring it back to full health after buying it for just £1,200. What's it worth now? It's safe to say these are rare cars and with so very few for sale right now, it's difficult to get an accurate valuation. However, according to ClassicTrader.com, it's looking as though an Opel Kadett of the same year will sell for around £5-6,000 with around 100,000 miles or more and in good condition. It looks as though this has been a good investment for Hammond, although it's looking increasingly like he's going to be restomodding his Opel for an upcoming show. NEXT PAGE Jeremy Clarkson's 2005 Ford GT Jeremy Clarkson took delivery of this American supercar in 2005, which he soon announced on Top Gear. Unfortunately, the Ford GT turned into more of an issue than an asset as Clarkson quickly became aware of its many failings and niggles. The anti-theft device constantly broke meaning the car couldn't be driven, and it had a number of other issues that drove Clarkson mad. Eventually, he returned it to Ford, but after a bit more thinking, bought it back again. This, again, didn't work out, and it was sold yet again. He bought it for an estimated price of $149,995. What's it worth now? A 2005 Ford GT is now worth around up to $500,000 with next to no miles on it and in a new condition. In a used condition and with greater mileage, they'll go for around $250,000. This Ford GT, which boasts only delivery miles, is for sale for £369,995. NEXT PAGE James May's Bentley T2 https://youtu.be/WQrPyCasVE8 The second series of Top Gear brought us a new presenter: James May. And, on pure James May style, the first thing he does is tell us why he bought a Bentley T2 instead of a Ford Mondeo as his daily driver. He bought his T2 for £14,000 with a full service history, no rust, and genuine parts. May explains in the video that £14,000 is expensive for this car in 2004. Originally, when they were sold in the late '70s and early '80s, they were priced at around £80,000+, so that's quite the depreciation curve. What's it worth now? We can't be sure what mileage May's car had when he bought it, so I've looked at several different mileage examples. One with a mileage of just over 100,000 is currently being sold for £15,000 on Car and Classic, so they retain their value nicely. One with 163,000 miles is still £10,000. But mileage as little as 54,000 is going for as much as £47,500. This was a worthy investment... minus the running costs, of course. NEXT PAGE Mazda MX5 Mk 2 - Middle East Special https://youtu.be/IBu7mU1yi9g Jeremy Clarkson was a self-proclaimed wise man when he decided to choose a Mazda Mark 2 MX5 to traverse Iraq for Top gear's Middle Eastern Special. He bought it for £3,500, and while it put up a good fight during the episode, it ended up being powered by only three cylinders after a spark plug pops out. Jeremy told Richard Hammond and James May the following at the beginning of their trek: “Every time we do one of these trips, every time I get the interesting car, it’s in a cloud of steam. This time, wherever we’re going, this will make it.” What's it worth now? Mazda MX5 values have been rising in recent years due to mainly three reasons. Firstly, these cars are often modified by their owners, increasing the value of those left stock. Secondly, they're often raced or drifted, meaning more than a few of them end up in pieces. Finally, these cars are simply brilliant, and will always be known for their hands-on driving feel and agility. But how much are they worth right now? A Mk2.5 with only 40,000 miles on the clock is currently being sold for £6,200. A 2000 example with only 26,000 miles is being sold for £10,000. This is quite a hold in value compared to its new price of around £20,000. Jeremy Clarkson On The Lamborghini Tractor He Bought For Clarkson’s Farm: “I’ve Got To Have One Of Those”

What Are These Famous Top Gear Cars Worth Now? A Look At Clarkson, Hammond, And May’s Most Iconic Cars

Opel Kadett – Botswana Special

What’s it worth now?

Alex Harrington

Network

Opel Kadett – Botswana Special

What’s it worth now?

Alex Harrington

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