Jeremy Clarkson and James May Get Emotional With Their Father's Old Fords | The Grand Tour 

What car did you really want when you were younger? 🤔

I think Clarkson's story goes a long way to explain his love of cars actually comes from the love he has for his dad. Extremely touching

Jeremy getting emotional here hits even harder when you've heard his story with the Porsche 928. This is all just evidence that our connection with cars can be just as deep as our connection with people.

Tonight: I'm having nostalgic James having nostalgic And Richard having PTSD 😂😂

Whats weird is that Clarkson's family has deep history and lore, his parents made Paddington Bear plushies, went to court for infringement and his old man happened to meet the writer of Paddington and got permission to make the plushies that got insanely popular. Knowing this and hearing Clarkson's dad splash out on a new car is just so cool.

The story of jeremy's dad is just wholesome remindes me of my dad god bless him

"I suddenly became aware that my body could produce semen" is 1000% the best phrase I've ever heard.

I like the story many years ago of how a car got Jeremy to see his father moments before he passed away. I'd never seen Jeremy get emotional before.

Still remember my dad coming home in a 67 Mustang coupe. Primary transportation for a man with a family of six! 😆 My mother just glared, went inside, and threw his supper in the garbage. 🤣🤣🤣 He kept it for over thirty years. Miss you, Dad!

The three of them make an astounding team, full of wit, knowledge and passion. Quite simply, other car shows cannot compete.

Jeremy: “My dad had a Cortina 1600E” James: “My dad had a Mk3 Cortina GXL” Richard: “My dad had an Allegro estate…” 😔

These old Cortinas are absolutely beautiful.

James' noted reaction to his first sighting of a tachometer as it appeared in his father's car had me in tears of laughter. I lost my dad early on, but I'll forever be grateful that we always enjoyed a good relationship and had much in common. He is who I developed my own love of cars and motorcycles from.

My dad was a pharmacist and he worked for a wealthy gentleman who owned a 69 Chrysler Imperial. In 72 he had a problem with the car that the dealer couldn't fix, so he bought a new one and gave my dad the old one! Dad was a superb mechanic and within a few hours had fixed the car, (it was a simple points adjustment!!!), and put 250K miles on that car :-) I love you dad and I sure do miss you!!!

This is the reason why top gear, the grand tour and Clarksons farm work ,heart, humour and passion. Which other car shows simply do not have. Jeremy is the man. No question about it, could watch them for hours, and have. Thank you. 😊😎👍

My dad had the MK3 Cortina Estate in 1973. 2.0L automatic. Pulled the caravan beautifully and broke it's Cambelt while holidaying in Wales. No damage done and £25 to have a new one fitted. Porridge for every meal after that, as no spending money left.

My dad raised us all well and provided us great education.. but couldn't afford to buy a car. So we never went to school or trips in a car. We never complained and are always grateful for what he has done and sacrificed.. many years later, I bought my first car, a Skoda Octavia MK2, which is a great deal in India. I hope my dad is proud of me..

I understand what both Jeremy and James felt about there father's choice in cars when they were boys. Because for me it was my father's 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback in the color red.

the transition from the emotional stories of james and jeremy to the rage-filled rant of richard just makes this whole thing seem like a really good joke

Ladies and Gents. Let me tell you something you already know; Every show or any video with these three men in it is a Masterpiece.

Knowing Clarksons story about his dad is heart breaking, im 16 now and my dad will be turning 43 soon, and when the day comes when his time comes to a end it will break my heart beyond belief

I remember a similar feeling as Jeremy. I came out of school to see my Dad in a Ford Sierra Ghia. A Ghia! I was so impressed, it had electric windows, a sunroof, alloys, fog lights, and the cool little display in the dash displaying open doors and ice warnings. It was like a spaceship compared to the old Escort 'L' he had before. My friends were so jealous!

The absolute love and knowledge the 3 of them have for cars is truly something very special.

My dad bought a brandnew VW Golf GTI in 1976..I was then 5 years old. All the dads in our street came to watch it and were stunned. I remember when i went to school on monday the teacher asked how are weekend was. I told the class that my dad had a brandnew Golf GTI. They all laughed and asked what in godsname is a GTI..Lol. But i was so proud and we kept it in the family. Sadly my dad died two years ago but i still have the GTI. I completely rebuild it,still original and a joy to drive. For me nothing but fun and lots of memories.

"Born in Birmingham" as an ex Brummie that made me smile. Jeremy with all his bluff & blunder is a softie at heart. My dad who was a heavy goods driver had loads of cars but the one that stood out was his Wolseley 6/110 automatic, I nicked the keys one night before I passed my test & took it for a drive, beautiful car first auto I ever drove. I don't think he ever knew I drove it.

I'm 41 now. And I still know it as yesterday how it felt when my father bought a new car. He did that every 2,5 year, because than he reached about 100.000km. He had Nissans, Subarus, a Daihatsu Feroza, Ssangyong Korando, A Rover, and much more. And I was so proud every time he bought a new one. In my opinion he always bought the best car existing. Sadly he passed away in 2014 at an age of 68. I miss him every day and would have loved to talk about my cars at the time. I'm thankful that my dad gave me that special feeling with cars, he learned me how to maintain cars, he teached me how to drive when I was 12 years old. Those were the days. I love you dad! Forever!

My dad, God rest his soul, bought a Morris Traveller which I was less than impressed with. My mum, now also passed on, told me to go out and say some nice things about it because he was so pleased with it. I am not very proud of my younger self and wish I could go back in time. I would do it all differently.

Here in Canada, we never got the "E" version of the MK2 Cortina. The 1600 GT was the top of the heap for us. And I had a used one as my first car. Those were 5 great years, much of it spent with my Dad teaching me how to fix the things. Wonderful memories, and a legacy that I have passed on too.

When I was a child, my father had a 2-door 1964 Ford Galaxy 500XL with a 390 Big Block in it. He inherited it from his grandfather when he passed away in 1989. My father had some restorative work done on it, and it was absolutely gorgeous. I remember cops would stop him on the highway just to look at it. Unfortunately around 1993 or 94, some asshole pushed it down the street one night and stripped the entire car apart. It broke my fathers heart, and he sold it before we moved to another state in the summer of 1995. I never saw it again. I sincerely hope it's still around and rocking somewhere...... I remember going in 1996 as a teen with my father, I was 13 at the time, to a Mitsubishi dealership to look at a twin-turbo 3000GT VR4 convertible. He ended up buying a brand new stock 3000GT non-turbo, but it was red, with a 3 liter 225 hp V6, and it sounded amazing. And it was gorgeous, and we were the coolest people on the street. He took the neighbors for rides in it the day we brought it home. Even years later when I was an adult and went with my father to football clubs, that car was always the nicest thing in the parking lot. He finally traded it in in 2018 for a 2008 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster that he saw at the Portland Auto Show. It had a custom Porsche-Yellow paint job and TSW wheels. Which he then totaled it 6 months later.....no lasting injuries, but the car was fucking toast. I miss the hell out of all three cars. Meanwhile, I drove a shitty Chrysler LeBaron (fun and FAST, but with tons of problems), an awful Kia Rio, a Cadillac SLS (nice, but with tons of problems), and now a 2004 Ford Escape with 200K miles and which needs tons of work. That's the difference between hard work and hardly working. My father worked very hard, pulled himself out of addictions and poverty, and made a better life for himself and my family. You young folks, don't get stuck in shitty jobs like I did.....go to school, get a good education, and move through the ranks. No hourly-wage work in 2022 is going to buy you a Corvette or a Mercedes, so if you want one you need to work for it. Don't wait for anyone to hand you something, it's not gonna happen.

When I was watching this episode nearly 4 hours ago, I cried,smiled and laughed at the same time. No one has the power to that again unless these trio.

My mother and father (40 at the time) pulled into our driveway with a 1991 firebird formula, my jaw hit the floor. There rational for purchasing that car was we could never have it while our kids were young. My brother had joined the military and left the house, I was 15. And I’m so grateful that it was the car I learned to drive with. Thanks mom and dad.

Richard gets so angry at his car 🤣

From memory, my dad's car history was pretty sweet: earliest I remember was a yellow Fiat 131 Mirafiori S, an old W114 Merc E250, then a Volvo 245 GLT, briefly a Jag XJ6, all second-hand. The only new car he ever bought was a mk2 Ford Granada, 2.8i Ghia X, which he traded in the Jag for. Unfortunately, he never dropped me off at school in any of them, I lived close enough to walk!

Poor Richard. I know exactly how he felt. I realized how horrible my childhood was the day a friend of my parents arrived in a 1965 Pontiac GTO. There it was, parked in the driveway of my house, and I remember how gorgeous it was. Its beauty stopped me in my tracks. Ahead of it, under the carport, where it was usually kept, was our canary yellow 1962 Buick Skylark. My heart sank. I knew I was never going to be as cool as the kids whose parents owned that GTO.

Man, that 1600E is such a beauty. Almost as beautiful as Jeremy's story about it. It's experiences like that which make you love cars.

When I was a kid, I felt the 1600E was the perfect car. My history teacher had one and it was head and shoulders the best car in the staff car park.

My dad was a chauffeur. When he wasn't driving around in a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow in the early days or a Jag he would borrow one of the execs cars they had in the fleet garage. My love of cars was born from going for a ride in whatever he bring home that week be it a loads of mercs, Sierra cosworth, astra GTE, e30 BMWs, Renault 5 turbo, Golf GTi, escort RS turbo - then one day a beautiful 205 GTi black with it's red trim. Still remember that moment going for a ride in it and getting pushed into the back of the seat as a 9 year old. Great days. I went out and bought my own as soon as I could afford it and have had it ever since.

Hammond's segment in this is just so damm hilarious

I was an 18 year old USAF Airman based at RAF UH in Oxfordshire in 1978. My first car was a 1969 Cortina GT, 1600 cc crossflow, 4 branch exhaust, rusty door sills but MOT worthy. Loved that car, used to tear arse around the Oxon, Bucks, & N’Hants countryside, long before traffic cameras, Oh the joy!😂

When I was a little kid, my dad had a 1982 Toyota Pickup, 4wd. I remember distinctly the interior and the flatbed (ranch truck) and the way it sounded and the blue/green lights on the dash at night. I remember learning to drive standard when I was a little boy. I remember being devastated when he sold it when I was about 10 years old. I was an absolute wreck and I was angry with my dad about it. Now, many years later, he agains owns a 1982 Toyota Pickup 4wd. This time there is no flatbed, but the lighting and gauges and smells and sounds and the way it rattles down the road have brought back a swell of memories. Even now, I am tearing up thinking of that old pickup. Cars have connections with us. They may be bits of metal and rubber and plastic, but I do believe that they have souls.

Wish i could do this.. my dad always just bought crap second hand trucks until i was well past adult stage i have no fond memories of family vehicles. my story is more like Richards, with one embarrassing clunker after another. i cant tell you how many unheated horrific bumpy rides i had to endure in the bed of the pick going places with my parents ( because kids didnt belong in the front because adults were smoking..) i envy Jeremy and James so much for these memories im glad they shared them with us. showed us a moment of genuine weakness and love

You will never find presenters like these three best friends anywhere in the world. I mean I actually dropped some tears at this and we never ever owned a ford cortina. And my dad came home with a Wartburg 1000. It was cheap from east Germany. It was loud with a two stroke engine … I mean unbelievable, but lots of fun and I cried when we had to get rid of it. I also must ad I’m very rarely emotional and my wife tells me I’ve git a heart of stone.

Brilliant, heartwarming and funny. My dad (bless him) had a Marina; same colour as the Allegro. I miss my dad so much... but not the Marina.... This video just reinforces what we are missing on current Top Gear. Nothing touches Clarkson, May and Hammond.

I'm age 57 now. I can relate so well with their Testimonials as school kids in the playground. The day my Dad came home with his new (second hand) car put me in super status amongst the other Petrol head kids in the school. The badge on the boot lid read "2.5pi" From that day my Dad was my hero.

Not just an Austin Allegro, which would have been crushing, but an Austin Allegro Estate, that must have been utterly soul destroying. Never forget the day in 1979 my dad picked me up from school in a new Ford Capri MK3 3.0 S, I could hardly believe my eyes, my dad driving such a cool car.

My Dad worked for Ford, and he was a parts manager. So, he got to pick out a car from the lot as his "demo". It was the 70's and he would normally pick up a Station Wagon for the family because there were six of us kids. my brothers and I completely understood what the "Badging" was back then. It molded us into car the enthusiasts that we are still today. This episode really hit home!!

This made me smile in recollection. I, too, had my moment, back in the 1970's, when our family car was a maroon, poverty spec Vauxhall Viva. One glorious day, my father arrived home in a brand new, blue, Mk1 Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0 GLS. With such luxuries as a passenger side door mirror, a light in the boot, and a velour interior. Pure decadence..........

What a great segment, I still remember the rush that I got whenever my father came home with a new car. Whilst the list was long (he seldom kept cars more than a year and sometimes much less if he didn’t like them), my personal favourite was probably his manual P6 Rover V8S despite it being a rather insipid shade of beige. I loved the sound of its engine, the tonneau roof and that it had a reserve fuel tank (of all things). My mother’s MK II 1600E also left a big impression on me, especially as it came in a much more appealing Light Orchid. Ahhhh those were the days eh?

My dad had a 1969 Cortina MK2. It was the car I grew up in so I can definitely share Jeremy's emotions even though ours was a lesser model. Great car for its time!

i so so so love when Jeremy speaks of such strong emotional memories, especially about his dad. I remember on Top Gear, the patagonia special, Jeremy speaking on the porsche he had chosen for the special and how he had adored that model because he was able to race home in one to be able to spend the final moments with his dad before he had passed and I swear I could've been in the car with him telling that story that's how connected I felt during that story as a younger person(15) watching the show which now as an older man(34) I cherish hearing other things Jeremy has a strong emotional connection to or even simply a strong knowledgeable connection to given I felt the same way when hearing his narration of "The Greatest Raid of All"

Excellent clip. Jeremy Clarkson is an absolute joy to watch.

Always loved the Mk 3’s. Straight from school I went to Australia on my own for a new life. Mk 3’s came with a 4.1 litre engine! Worked my rear end off and bought one in 1977 - 4 speed ‘toploader’ gearbox? Brilliant!

I remember my dad and my younger brother in the early early 2000s bringing home a Red 1988 fiero GT 5 speed from Texas that he had bought on eBay, drove all the way back to California. We love that car. Need a little bit of work but it do every bit of what the speedometer said 120 and it handled good too. The recession and the housing market crash of the 2000s, I was not in the financial situation to buy it my dad had to sell it we both cry about it to this day

This has and will always be the only "Top Gear"! I don't care what they call it now. These three are perfect together.

My dad has had many many cars, from a yaris t-sport (i loved that), a kia cee'd diesel when it was the 2008 financial crisis, then a fabia vrs 1.9tdi (i also loved that) and now a new skoda Octavia vrs and a vw transporter t5.1 camper. I can't wait to start my own motoring journey soon.

And some people say it doesn’t matter which car you drive. Love from Birmingham.xxxx

I still remember walking out of primary school, and seeing my dad stood with a beaming smile. Next to his shiny new Mondeo Si 4x4. his previous car was a rusty mk2 Orion. So was like going from a row boat to a star ship

My Dad's first company car was a 1971 Cortina 2000 GXL, then three years later this beauty was replaced by a signal orange 2000E. For 6 long, wonderful years we had the coolest car in the street. Sound of scratched record. And then it went progressively downhill. I still remember the last ride in it to school, listening to that sweet engine as he pulled away...and the tragedy that showed up 9 hours later: a beige Vauxhall Cavalier 1600 GL. Still better than a 3-door Allegro estate though.

Ahhhh!! My dad had a Hillman Avenger 1.6(?)GL - quad headlights, rev counter (round dials!), fabric interior and bronze paint. A significant upgrade from the summer back burning black vinyl seats and strip style speedometer.

Like Jeremy and James, I remember very vividly the first car my dad bought, I remember catching the bus to go and collect it, a beautiful bright red ford Cortina mk3 2000E (AWE328M). I even remember the garage, the smell of the car and how amazing it was. Some memories you never want to forget and this is mine.

I still drive my dad's good old Peugeot 405, he reminds me of my sweet childhood memories.

The way this video makes me feel is the exact feeling I had when in 2006 my dad picked me up from school in his brand new Subaru WRX, I was like the biggest kid at Christmas.

When I was very young my dad always had work trucks and most were white base model trucks. One day he came home in a lowered, customized (beyond factory), red f150 lightening. I still remember hearing it come into the driveway, sprinting outside and being amazed. 20+ years later. I still have it and its glorious 354k miles of memories.

Lovely gentle rustling of the leaves above the amber gold 1600E...

3:19 Didn't need to hear that, James!

About once a year I have a recurring dream that I go out to an old abandoned garage I never knew I had, hidden behind overgrown vines and weeds. When I push my way inside I find my old R33 GTR and realise I never actually sold it. I feel so warm inside and full of excitement. Then I wake up and realise it was a dream. I lie there with pang of nostalgia pretty much the same as missing a person you no longer see.

I have the same memories of my Grand dad comming home with his Chrysler 180 and the whole family inspecting the car with big eyes.. omg, it's a 2 liter😯 I didn't have my dad anymore but my uncle was like a new dad for me and my brother.. he came over our house with a Opel Kadett c coupé gte in the black and yellow colorscene..i was blown away,like Jeremy said,my knee's blocked and just stared at that car for almost 1hour. What a machine!😳🤤 That car was amazing and so beautiful.. my uncle drove like a maniac with that car and we loved it. Good Times and the best memories 😌❤️

My dad was a rep, first he got Escorts 1.3 L, early ones might have even been 1.1L had a new one couple of years, then he changed companies, and the company car there was a Cortina 1.6GL I remember the excitement every 2 years when he got a new one to see what upgrades they'd been over that time. Used to look through the Ford brochure he bought home, glossy photos of the Ghia spec in some stately home setting, always something with more spec to aspire too, Ford's Marketing was on fire in the 70's.

I love when Clarkson drops the mask for just a moment and we can see the real him. Not the lumbering man burdened by 40 years of tv and ego, but the funny man with a love of cars and stories.

My father had a Mk 3 in red but he bought it used in about 1983. I was around 5 years old, he brought it home and it was the shiniest thing I’d ever seen. One of my favourite childhood memories ❤

“ shoulder sagging bag of disappointment “🤣😂🤣😂😂🤣

Damn!! Those dials at 3:06 angled towards to driver do look good.

the Allegro (especially the estate) was a criminally underrated car!

This reminds me of the connection I shared with my fathers 68 cougar. Cars compound the bond between father and son.

My dad used to have a 1962 Vauxhall victor deluxe , grew up around it and always loved staring at it and now it’s nothing less than my all time dream car

Jeremy is somehow the most offensive yet most precious person on Earth.

Well my uncle was the one with the cool car when i was a kid. getting to ride with him in his E30 325 was so much fun. but later my parents got a mk2 golf from a relative, which sadly ended life with the gearbox exploded due to hitting a badger. and to this day the mk2 is one of my absolute favorite cars.

My dad had a 1972 Mercedez Benz 220E. I loved polishing that car's chrome on Sundays! I am so sad that we do not have that car anymore!

I feel Hammond’s pain. My dad bought a brand new beige Moskvitch estate. He later redeemed himself with a mk 4 Cortina ghia which was the first car I ever drove. Miss ya dad.

That Allegro estate is actually really nice looking, also I think it's technically a shooting break because it has 2 doors.

I remember when Jeremy recalled meeting his father for the last time while test driving a Porsche while taking a chicken casserole and making it in time thanks to the car

It’s like meeting an old friend.

One of my absolute favourite episodes of TGT. Everything just clicked into place.

Dang. All my dad had was a ‘71 Dodge Charger.

Once again another great video! Thanks so much guys!

My dad, one year-old Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. _Almost_ fully loaded. This was back before leasing had been invented. Business men would actually have to BUY luxury or near-luxury cars. They'd drive around in them for a year or two, then sell them; privately. This was 1982, also before Pre-Owned vehicle sales were a thing. My dad got lucky. It was big, powerful, comfortable, had the most incredible brakes ever put in a car! Dad had it for about 16 years. It ran well most of the time, even though he barely took care of her. Those last three years or so.... Just ran her into the ground. My first car was a Ford. 1998 Escort sedan. Only two years old. Didn't know she already had 2 previous owners until after I bought her. Ran fine. But 0-60mph was a horrendously slow 13.5 seconds. Definitely avoid the expressway. And the cheap bean-counters at Ford decided it didn't need anti-lock breaks. Yeah, they were wrong. I'm lucky to be alive. Idiot driver collided with me. Brakes locked up. I will NEVER buy another Ford for the rest of my life.

Jeremy: Meanwhile… Camera: cuts to Richard…

When Jaguar bought Ford there was a joke that their next model was going to be called the XJ Popular Plus.

What a beautiful moment shared by all. Oh yeah, and Hammond’s thing happened, too haha! Great content as always, much love from Texas to three of my greatest childhood heroes!

I've watched this episode ' a funeral for a ford' a few times, cried every time, it reminds me of all the cars my dad had when I was a kid... wish my dad was still here...

That Allegro Estate probably stunted his growth. The little dickens...

Dreamed of? Probably a Porsche. What did (in reality) we have ? A day-glo yellow Allegro. Oh. And it had a black plastic interior that scolded your legs if the weather was warm And it had an automatic gearbox. Which changed gears at a time and place of IT'S choice. Ho-rendous

It's amazing to me that even at a young age all three of them were so invested in the family car, and seemingly their families were as well. I know when I was growing up I didnt give a single care in the world about what kind of car my family had, as long as it ran and I knew which one I was getting into after school. I couldnt even tell you what half of the cars my parents owned were.

My dad brought the cortina MK3 1.6XL. 1975 model. Pale blue with a black vynal roof. It was the first car we had that had a rev counter...and a rear arm rest! Mag wheels and that all important XL on the back!! Wow! I loved it! 😍

It's amazing how cars evolved from a tool to a full on status symbol

Gone are these moments that all of us can relate to. No one will ever have these feelings for EVs or Hybrids unless it's a super car. The world has further pushed itself down the rabbit hole of boring.

It’s always like that when our dad have a nice car, we know what it means and we are so proud of them for it

My dad bought a Pontiac Tempest in 1967. 2 door hardtop. It was beautiful. That bright medium metallic blue - black vinyl top - black interior - 326 V8. I loved the styling - I loved that car. That was in Summer. In Fall we we'd taken up a sort of temporary residence in Illinois while he worked for GSA in Chicago. I was placed in a swanky Jesuit High School, Loyola Academy. An all boys school where you wore a jacket and tie every day. Where the Seniors had their own smoking lounge. The first day my dad came to pick me up. There in front of all the kids...kids whose fathers owned dealerships and gave their sons the likes of new GTO's to drive to school...my dad came to pick me up not in the slightly base but still respectable Pontiac but rather in the 1958 Oldsmobile he'd bought for my mother to use. Being true to himself he was completely oblivious to my shame. Ah those were the days.

Well Richard if ur ever gonna read this comment know that the important part is ur father stayed. Ur father tried his best to stand with his family. Even if car was a horror atleast you had one. He was there picking u up after school, teaching u how to drive and pass on his wisdom to u. My father left me when i was 2y old. He newer called, he newer visit and he newer payed child support. Basicaly illong story short i am alone since i was born, alone walked home after school, alone learning just how hard and broken our mankind system truly is and im sure im not alone on this. Some may even have it harder. My point of sharing is : be proud of ur dad he loved u honesty and was there for u when it mattered. Many ppl dont have that luxury to experience growing with both parents neither of them being alcohol addict etc. Yes we have internet now where u can learn on ur own how to maintain ur car but memory of doing it first time with ur father will always be something special that you ill have. I loved old top gear, i love the grand tour aswell. Theres just smtg mysterious about those three and i wanna thank you to all three of u. U were there on screen making me smile and even learn thing or two about cars. Thank you sincerely for that. And for a finish to all fathers out there who read this comment- don't leave ur child behind it gives burning scars to soul which will newer heal. Abandoned son.

James's embellished his story a bit. I'm not buying that he had a friend as a child