At 66, Jeremy Clarkson remains a vibrant yet distinctly old-school figure, often reflecting on eras when attitudes toward food, farming, and automobiles were very different. His passion for tradition shines through in his excitement over the new Porsche 911 GT3 Touring—a car that defies modern trends.
“It’s not just a sports car,” Clarkson proclaimed. “It’s the best sports car I’ve ever driven.” Priced at £204,000 and featuring a six-speed manual transmission, the Porsche offers an exhilarating experience but comes with quirks.
Clarkson noted a tricky trait: “Unless you give it a bootful of revs when pulling away from the lights or manoeuvring, it is ridiculously easy to stall.” This flaw led to an awkward moment for Clarkson. “It’s especially embarrassing when you’re trying to reverse into a parking space at your local crematorium during a very upsetting funeral,” he revealed. “The mourners were gathering solemnly, and here I was, making sports-exhaust revving noises like a teenager in a souped-up Vauxhall Nova.”
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Beyond the stalling issue, Clarkson pointed out other annoyances, such as a slight delay switching from dipped headlights to full beam and extra tyre noise that makes conversations inside the car difficult. Still, he praised the Porsche’s driving qualities, acknowledging it feels like a vehicle from a bygone era—much like himself. “It’s as if Porsche has engineered a car for a world that no longer exists. It sits in the market today like a four-piece rock band would sit in the charts.”
Clarkson’s column also took a sharp turn toward his former colleague and fellow motoring enthusiast Richard Hammond. Hammond is famed for his impressive classic car collection, including two Jaguar E-Types: a 1969 silver-blue model valued at over £72,000 and a rare 1962 model worth more than £220,000.
Despite Hammond’s prized collection, which spans Ferrari to Lagonda and is reportedly worth around $2 million (£1.5 million), Clarkson couldn’t resist a cheeky dig. Reflecting on his envy during their Top Gear days, Clarkson wrote, “When Richard Hammond bought a Series 1 E-Type Jaguar back in the days when we were doing Top Gear, I must confess I felt quite jealous.”
He admitted his jealousy grew as Hammond’s investment soared in value, helped by meticulous restoration work from Neil Greenhouse of The Smallest Cog. “My money was in the bank earning sod all,” Clarkson lamented. “He was driving about in his money and it was going up in value at about 100% a year. And there’s no capital gains tax on a classic car, which filled me with even more despair.”
However, the classic car market has recently cooled. The value of Hammond’s E-Type has reportedly dropped back near its original purchase price after he missed the chance to sell high. Clarkson found a silver lining in this shift: “I’m not punching the air as I write this, I promise, but I am smiling.”