Yahoo Autos Amazon's The Grand Tour, Season 3, Kicks Off in Detroit with "Motown Funk"
Three British TV stars responsible for making automotive enthusiasm wildly popular among mainstream viewers worldwide are returning to the small screen this week. Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond are back to their regularly scheduled shenanigans on Amazon's The Grand Tour, with the show's third season set to debut in just a few days. Fans have waited nearly a year for its return since last season's finale in mid-February 2018. Even if you consider the occasionally obnoxious hosts an acquired taste, this series is worth looking at for the high production values, the gorgeous scenery, and the always fascinating variety of sheetmetal to see in action.
The premiere in particular should be a real treat. Photographers in Detroit spied the TGT team in June shooting for "Motown Funk," the first episode of the new season. The hosts were seen piloting a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, a 1000-hp Hennessey-modified "Exorcist" Camaro ZL1, and a Ford Mustang RTR. The season is expected to comprise 12 episodes, based on the three-year, 36-episode deal signed by Clarkson, Hammond, and May before production of the first season, which premiered in late 2016.
The trailer for season three reveals more of the kinds of capers that are expected from everyone's favorite Waspy aging car critics. We spied everything from Hammond stranded on a log bridge in a '90s GM brodozer to Lamborghini Urus vs. Porsche 911 racing around an emphatically phallic ice track atop a frozen lake. Other highlights include May inducing serious oversteer in a Pininfarina-designed Lancia Gamma, Clarkson's high-speed track test in the outrageous McLaren Senna, and a pickup comparison featuring the forbidden fruit that is the Mercedes-Benz X-class.
Two changes for the third season include the deletion of the forgettable Celebrity Face-Off segment and the incorporation of The Grand Tour Game, an episodic console racer that will release new content weekly featuring the cars and locations from that week's episode. As we've previously said, the game should be a hoot to play, but dropping the celebrity interview bit could slay one of the show's greatest demons. Less of the stilted dialogue with regional B-list celebrities and more of the expertly written, beautifully produced driving segments will surely improve the show's pacing and international appeal.
The Grand Tour Game is available to play now, and the third season of The Grand Tour releases on Amazon Prime on Friday, January 18. For those extra excited to tune in, we're just pointing out that previous seasons have become available to watch at 10 p.m. ET the night before the official release. And, of course, seasons one and two are available right now.
('You Might Also Like',)
