Watch A Makeup Artist Turn The Grand Tour Trio Into Americans

Hammond’s dream come true?

During the Clarkson Era, watching Top Gear UK as an American was an exercise in appreciating self-deprecating humor. It was a healthy one at that, but one downside to having a pond of separation between our cultures was the fact that some jokes flew straight over our heads. Some things just don’t click over here in the Red, White, and Blue the same way they do over in, well, the other Red, White, and Blue. Try explaining the dual meanings of the word “gnarly” to a Brit and you’ll see what we mean.

That could have been a problem in the past since the show shed its UK passport and became a citizen of the world thanks to popularity the transcended borders, but it was still a BBC staple and thus had more than enough of an excuse to stay as British as bad food and accents that can make the phrase “bloody hell” sound attractive.

The BBC’s jurisdiction of our three favorite car presenters ended when a punch sent the trio fleeing into Amazon’s arms, but does that mean Clarkson, Hammond, and May have to become more American to cater to their new parents? Not quite, though that doesn’t stop them from trying. It’s probably not a surprise to anyone that the trio’s American alter egos resemble used car salesman complete with comb-overs, whitened teeth (Hammond is no longer the only one), fake tans, and corny smiles that hide car salesman existential crises. As much as we love how British The Grand Tour has remained, it would be funny to see an episode with Clarkson, May, and Hammond acting as American as possible.

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The Best And Worst Of The Grand Tour Episode 2: Operation Desert Stumble

Less comedy, more cars please.

After a promising start, The Grand Tour Operation Desert Stumble was the show’s difficult second album. Focusing on the presenters joining a special forces team in Jordan, the second episode has garnered a mixed response compared to the universal praise of the show’s debut, with many viewers criticizing its lack of actual car content. Here are our best and worst moments from The Grand Tour episode 2: Operation Desert Stumble.

The Best: The Aston MartinVulcan The V12 Vulcan is Aston Martin’s scariest supercar yet, and Clarkson’sroad test perfectly captured this, striking a perfect balance of beinginformative, entertaining and beautifully shot. To quote Clarkson: “I’m notgoing to say it’s like being attacked by a bear, but it is like being in a roomwith a bear that is thinking ofattacking you.”

You Spin Me RightRound Watching James May being an unwilling passenger alongside aprofessional driver always makes for good television, and his introduction toSouth Africa’s spinning sport was no exception where people drive RWD cars incircles until the tyres explode. It was original, entertaining and gave insightinto the country’s car culture. Those few seconds of May’s genuine reactionwhen the driver stepped out of the moving car were funnier than many of theshow’s scripted jokes.

The Cinematic Car Chase Part of The Grand Tour’s appeal is the obscene amount ofmoney being thrown at it. In the last episode, we had the Mad Max FuryRoad-esque intro. In this episode, we get a cinematic car chase full ofgratuitous gunfire and explosions, with Clarkson, Hammond and May evadingterrorists in an Audi S8 – the movie star’s car of choice, according toClarkson, having appeared in The Transporter, Taken and Ronin. The shot of May firing an assault rifle out of a moving caris worth watching alone.

The Worst: Operation DesertStumble The show’s main feature was fun to watch as a parody of TomCruise’s Edge of Tomorrow, but it was very contrived and barely related tocars. It was like watching three middle aged men acting out a Call of Duty game,as the team were tasked to infiltrate a town, get to a plane, take out someterrorists, rescue a VIP and escape to an embassy. They certainly looked likethey were having fun, but it dragged on far too long. Also, while pretty hilarious, did we really need a gaginvolving Clarkson being implicitly molested by terrorists?

The American Replacing the silent Stig with a vocal racing driver maykeep the BBC’s lawyers happy, but Nascar driver Mike Skinner’s appearance inepisode 2 was just as jarring as the first episode with his incessant trashtalking in every car. Less talking, more driving please.

Celebrity Brain Crush Seriously, this isn’t funny anymore. Watching celebrities“die” was a mildly amusing way to kill off Top Gear’s Star in a ReasonablyPriced Car in episode 1, but it doesn’t need to be a recurring joke everyepisode. As soon as they announced Charlize Theron as a guest, we all knew whatwas about to happen. And it did. So, what did you think of The Grand Tour’s sophomore episode? Let us know in the comments.

The Audi SQ8 Will Be The Grand Daddy Of SUV Performance And Tech

Look out Porsche Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga.

Audi has made no secret of its desire to expand its Q-named SUV lineup. Right now, the biggest one you can buy is the Q7, but very soon the Q8 will arrive. Although slightly less roomy inside, its exterior dimensions are clearly sportier, therefore more attractive. These latest spy shots from our always intrepid photographers prove that point. The test mule you see here is apparently the upcoming SQ8, the more powerful version. How can we tell? Check out its quad exhaust pipes, a clear-cut sign of its performance capabilities.

Speaking of which, what will be under the hood? Right now there are only rumors we can’t fully confirm, but we have heard it could be powered by the familiar 3.0-liter TFSI V6 that on its own produces 444 hp. However, as the Q8 concept previewed, a 20 kWh electric motor could also be there to provide some assistance. If so, expect a combined output of around 470 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Sources tell us it’s also possible, though unlikely, at least in the US, that a diesel version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 435 hp is also possible. Whatever the final engine options are, there’s no question the Audi SQ8 will be a heavy hitter in the performance department.

In these spy shots we can also see it being benchmarked against a Porsche Cayenne, its distant corporate cousin. The Audi’s interior will feature the brand’s Virtual Cockpit technology and that always wonderful Audi build quality throughout. Four-wheel steering is also very likely. In short, the production Audi SQ8 will be loaded with technology and luxury. Based on the previous concepts, which looked around 95 percent production ready, we could see the Q8 and/or SQ8 debut as soon as next month at Geneva.

The Grand Tour Is Under Fire For Showing How To Smuggle Migrants

The more people complain, the more The Grand Tour will keep courting controversy.

Another day, another group has been angered by Clarkson’s antics in The Grand Tour. Is anyone else feeling déjà vu? It’s just like the good old days of Top Gear where there would be new complaints every week. And we bet they're loving it. After angering the PETA animal rights group by driving a car made out of meat and bones, another row has broken out about the Amazon Prime show, this time concerning a stunt in episode four where Hammond was hidden in an Audi TT.

While it was comical to see Hammond hunched up like a hamster, the point of the segment was to demonstrate a novel way of smuggling migrants into the UK. Predictably, it didn’t go down too well. "When immigrants try to get into the country they always come in the back of a container lorry and that is the world's worst game of hide and seek. If you work for Border Force you open the doors and go, ‘well there you are’. Surely, there must be a better way of getting into Britain. And I think I've worked it out." Barbara Drozdowicz from the East European Resource Center failed to see the funny side, telling the Daily Star "We are appalled by the portrayal of migrants as an illegal cargo."

Meanwhile, a spokeswoman from the Road Haulage Association added that airing a "how to guide" to smuggle immigrants into the country was "irresponsible." The Grand Tour declined to comment. Thing is, responses like these that generate publicity are probably exactly what Clarkson wants – not that The Grand Tour needs any publicity right now, given that it’s broken both viewing and illegal download records. Do you think the segment was in poor taste?

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Richard Hammond Knife Fights In The Next Episode Of 'The Grand Tour'

And James May shoots cars up. This will be awesome!

To say that we were impressed by the first episode of “The Grand Tour” would be an understatement. Despite a bit of initial wonkiness—the show’s bits needed to be introduced after all—we were quite pleased with what Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May managed to put together. Then again, we didn’t expect anything less from the trio…and the dump truck full of cash that Amazon gave them. Anyway, while the first episode was great we’re really, really looking forward to the second after seeing this trailer.

In it we see James May cruising around in an Audi S8 and firing an assault rifle (gun nuts: confirm or deny). There is also some stunt drifting and what looks to be a knife fight involving Richard Hammond.

Episode two of “The Grand Tour” was filmed in two locales: Johannesburg, South Africa, and the desert kingdom of Jordan. Up until now we didn’t know that episodes would be filmed in two places. We like that idea a lot, especially since some locations may not contain enough to do when it comes to filling an entire episode. This episode looks a little more action-y so those of you who love when the trio does straight-up car stuff may be a bit disappointed. Actually, scratch that. How could James May firing a gun disappoint anyone?!

The Audi SQ8 Will Be The Grand Daddy Of SUV Performance And Tech

Look out Porsche Cayenne and Bentley Bentayga.

Audi has made no secret of its desire to expand its Q-named SUV lineup. Right now, the biggest one you can buy is the Q7, but very soon the Q8 will arrive. Although slightly less roomy inside, its exterior dimensions are clearly sportier, therefore more attractive. These latest spy shots from our always intrepid photographers prove that point. The test mule you see here is apparently the upcoming SQ8, the more powerful version. How can we tell? Check out its quad exhaust pipes, a clear-cut sign of its performance capabilities.

Speaking of which, what will be under the hood? Right now there are only rumors we can’t fully confirm, but we have heard it could be powered by the familiar 3.0-liter TFSI V6 that on its own produces 444 hp. However, as the Q8 concept previewed, a 20 kWh electric motor could also be there to provide some assistance. If so, expect a combined output of around 470 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque. Sources tell us it’s also possible, though unlikely, at least in the US, that a diesel version of the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 with 435 hp is also possible. Whatever the final engine options are, there’s no question the Audi SQ8 will be a heavy hitter in the performance department.

In these spy shots we can also see it being benchmarked against a Porsche Cayenne, its distant corporate cousin. The Audi’s interior will feature the brand’s Virtual Cockpit technology and that always wonderful Audi build quality throughout. Four-wheel steering is also very likely. In short, the production Audi SQ8 will be loaded with technology and luxury. Based on the previous concepts, which looked around 95 percent production ready, we could see the Q8 and/or SQ8 debut as soon as next month at Geneva.

The Grand Tour's Fourth Episode Will Finally Ditch The Script

Hopefully this becomes a trend moving forward. But we doubt it.

The Grand Tour Season Two has been a large improvement over the first season. In episode two, Jeremy Clarkson pointed out one of the worst things about driving in the US, and episode three gave us awesome reviews of the Bugatti Chiron and Kia Stinger. Episode four is just hours away and will offer something that we've been dreaming of since before the show even started: less scripting. Episode four is titled 'Unscripted' and will show us what the show would look like with no prearranged locations, no set-up stunts, and no planned incidences.

This episode has the potential to be the best the show has ever produced, but we have a feeling that the true meaning of the episode will somehow be lost. We can't wait to see how this episode turns out, but we have a bad feeling that The Grand Tour has missed the point here.

Without a script, the three hosts show up in very different cars. Jeremy Clarkson shows up in an Audi TT RS, Richard Hammond in an Ariel Nomad, and James May in a Fire Engine. The point is to show us that a script really does make the show better, which is exactly the opposite of what we wanted. We want to see the three hosts show some general chemistry, but if James and Richard's car choices are any indication, the plot of this episode was meant to be silly and prove that an unscripted show can't really work out. The Grand Tour may have missed the point here. What we really wanted less of is silly plot points, which can clearly happen with or without a script. Hopefully this episode's potential won't be squandered.

Of course, the episode will also have a segment of Celebrity Face Off, where Michael Ball will go head to head against Alfie Boe to find the world’s fastest classical singer. Richard Hammond will also review a McLaren 720S, which is a film that we will be anxious to see. We only hope that this won't be the last episode of The Grand Tour that goes off script, because the show has been a bit cliched so far and could really use a dose of spontaneity.