Was The Grand Tour’s Maserati Destruction Really Necessary?
We’ve touched upon the subject of Clarkson, Hammond and May’s ‘killings’ of modern classic cars before. The motors the trio used - and usually destroyed - for challenges were getting uncomfortably good toward the end of that era of Top Gear, culminating in a Porsche 928, Lotus Esprit and Ford Mustang suffering rather badly on the Patagonia Special, even before the mob intervention.
So, when seeing that the latest episode of The Grand Tour was to going to feature three boxy old Maseratis - one Bi-Turbo and two Bi-Turbo derivatives - I wondered what sort of shape they’d be in by the end of the episode. And with about 5 minutes to go until the end, I was pleasantly surprised.
Other than a few inevitable scraps and the rubber penis being drilled onto the steering wheel of James’ 430, the cars had actually fared quite well. Until that was, Jeremy’s Bi-Turbo S fell off the back of a recovery van, and James’ then de-penised 430 was shot into the water at “the company yacht”, in what felt like a rather gratuitous scene. And it irked me a little.
Yes, this might seem rich given that I write for a publication that deliberately killed an old Mercedes C-Class by starving of oil recently, but it is (or rather was) a generic mass market car that was already dying when we got hold of it. The Bi-Turbo range might represent a low point in Maserati’s history, but it’s still a Maserati, and an enthusiast car that’s on the verge of dying out.
There are only 22 Bi-Turbos left registered on UK roads according to howmanyleft.com, and just six 430s. Of course we don’t know if any of the Maseratis featured in TGT were already at death’s door (Clarkson’s Bi-Turbo seemed particularly ill at the beginning of the episode), but getting spares for cars like these is usually a nightmare, so at the very least you’d hope for star cars to be fit enough to be used for parts to keep other examples ‘alive’, rather than being in bits at the bottom of the English Channel.
Not long ago I was talking to the owner of one of the last Alfa Romeo 164 Cloverleafs in the country. He told me how it was necessary to buy up any 164 spares he saw regardless of whether or not he needed them at the time, just in case. He’d even had bits shipped over from Japan. That’s what it’s like keeping an ‘endangered species’ of a car alive, and he was understandably miffed to see Top Gear hack a 164 Cloverleaf in half and weld it onto Saab 9000 a few years back.
If any of the owners of the few remaining Bi-Turbos have seen the latest TGT episode, I’m sure they felt the same. Cars may get killed for TV and films all the time, but you’d hope a car-loving show would be a little more sympathetic toward the more special cars it features.
Am I being too precious about this? Should you be able to do what you want with a car you’ve bought, free from the threat of some pedantic bloke on the Internet having a moan? I’m curious to hear your thoughts…
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
Like girls, there are more fish in the sea
It wasn’t a lotus Elise, it was a Lotus Espirit.
They murdered one on Top Gear, how is this any different? And besides, it never was that good of a car. Freaking out about killing a Bi-Turbo is like going mad because the Mythbusters destroyed a Jeep Grand Cherokee.
Mythbuster blow up a cement truck as well.
Did you really have to ruin it for me? That’s the real question XD
answer is yes Matt, as I Fed up off car guys taking car seriously it was a silly stunt that all some petrol head have an unhealthy love of cars it a stunt in a film not to be taken seriously.
that why Top Gear season 23 when up it own exhaust pipe, too much car love it meant to be fun that stunt and found it fun to watch grow up will you car guys.
that why it works for those guys, there happy not to take cars seriously if it helps the film and it did inmy view remember James was injured so they needed a different end to what they probaldy had.
Y3s
Come on, move on to new cars already! There are more vehicles to be desire out there.. FF-91 from Faraday Future for example..
these films were done months ago, Faraday future has just come out so that an FF-91 has not been reviewd because off it.
Im kind of sick of all the destruction nowadays on TG and TGT
i not it sell more than the cars right now in my view.
Episode 10? All it was abou was the coral thing
not true Jeremy did an excellent review of the Alfa Guila as well. after a car been reviewed why review another one as that get boring quick the car do not sell TG or GT. it the action adventure that sell it, always has done alway will do as that where the money is in that why Top Gear is valued at 1.5 BIllion Dollars US by CNN Money because of Clarkson action antics.
GT has sold around the world on the back, off the Action Adventure style of Clarkson and Amazon will get their money back on it cars do not sell anymore for me that my view.
Why didn’t anyone critique Top Gear so much when the original three were presenters? I feel like every single episode has to be ripped apart bit by bit. What was everyone expecting from this new show? The second coming of Jesus Christ to be a guest star? I mean come on people. The show is fantastic and has so much humour and fun in it. I don’t think we need an article every single week about what could of changed about the episode… Sorry everyone
Actually we haven’t reviewed a Grand Tour episode in nearly two months, and the last time we did it was a positive review…
if were honest Under Evans Top Gear Jumped the Shark, according to the Belfast Telegraph this was denied by Former Top Gear host Jason Barlow.
he reckon Top Gear can be saved, if it become Fifth Gear like and become a full on car show as Mr Barlow told his local paper he right but will the BBC allow it.
it the end of January and no sign of Top Gear yet, as Dragon Den is getting first shot at the BBC 2 eight o clock slot as it got 5 shows left in it season. it seem Top Gear will return Ferbuary to march time, that late for a car show on BBC2.
it seem Auntie has no confidence in Harris and co, if they did they be on air last show of January like Clarkson not late February like it seems to me.
Yeah man. Grand tour has been great. I think the maserati episode is the funniest one from this series and also the entire run of top gear