TV star James May is following the lead of Jeremy Clarkson by putting the last car he drove on ‘The Grand Tour’ up for auction.
It’s been two years since the dynamic trio of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May released their final special for ‘The Grand Tour’, and now a second car to feature in that last film is being auctioned.
May is getting rid of the 1974 Triumph Stag V8 which he selected to star alongside him in ‘The Grand Tour: One for the Road’, a feature-length special which ended the on-screen relationship between the three former ‘Top Gear’ presenters.
Picked by May for being an icon of British motoring as well as a car he’d never even driven before, it was driven through Zimbabwe and Botswana to effectively end ‘The Grand Tour’ as we then knew it.
Powered by the often unreliable Rover 3.0-litre V8 engine, May’s Stag completed the journey without fault, thanks in part to its two reported restorations prior to his ownership.
While the car received some interesting upgrades while in Africa – such as a silver steering wheel – it has been reverted to almost standard condition, though May notes its speedometer is from a Mk1 Stag despite his car being a Mk2.
Its connection to the other presenters didn’t end in Botswana, with Hammond’s workshop, The Smallest Cog, undertaking a respray of the Triumph following its return to the UK.
Listed by Collecting Cars, the auction is due to end on October 29, UK time, with the Triumph Stag not having a reserve – meaning the highest bidder wins regardless.
It’s not the only car from the finale to be up for auction, with Clarkson’s 1982 Lancia Montecarlo Spider set to be auctioned next month.
The Lancia was chosen by Clarkson to drive through Africa as it linked back to the Beta coupe he used in the ‘Top Gear Botswana Special’ in 2007.
Modified with Lancia Delta Integrale wheels, headlights and grille as well as Ferrari 308 tail lights and quad tailpipes, the Montecarlo was also fitted with cloth seats and a racing-style steering wheel, which survived the trip to Zimbabwe and Botswana.
It’s understood Hammond still owns his Ford Capri from the final episode.
Though the Clarkson, Hammond and May era of ‘The Grand Tour’ is over, the show was restarted in recent months with three new presenters: James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois.
