Becoming The Muse

The Grand Tour: One For The Road Review

One For The Road is the final episode of The Grand Tour which was released on 13 September 2024. The Grand Tour is a British motoring television series, created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and Andy Wilman which has been running since 18 November 2016.

The Grand Tour: One For The Road marks the end of an era for Jeremy, Richard, and James in a 2 hour special episode as they trek across Zimbabwe starting in Honde Valley and crossing into Botswana to end the series where they did their first special.

The Good

The scenic journey through Zimbabwe, captures a beauty that doesn’t normally get shown or shared. The cinematography is breath taking with incredible shots that even I, who lives in Zimbabwe want to visit it… Zimbabwe is beautiful.

If one was just dropped in the mountains one could be forgiven for expecting Julia Andrews to start singing that The Hills Are Alive with the sound of music…

Full disclosure, I hadn’t watched any of the other episodes of The Grand Tour before this though I am tempted to look up the first episode where it all started, for the culture and just to see how the show has aged. I however, had been a fan of the Top Gear show and thought the trio where hilarious turning a motoring programme into so much more…. The Grand Tour does the same thing you find yourself learning some interesting facts about cars, history, geology, geography and even a bit of a maths😂

The chemistry between Jeremy, Richard and James is casually electric, with their contrasting personalities and playful banter that underlies a deep camaraderie that’s been forged over 22 years…

Of all the cars they could have picked and willfuly ignoring to do laps in electric vehicles, they chose cars from yesteyear that they always wanted to own, a 1982 Lancia Montecarlo, a 1974 Ford Capri and a 1974 Triumph Stag. The episode has a nostalgic quality that feels like an emotional goodbye as we join three friends on one last ride….

While the episode showcases Zimbabwe, they also highlight some challenges e.g. potholes and hint at the currency drama we have experienced.. So its not just a glorified advertorial.

The soundtrack was also pretty awesome and I found myself having to create a playlist of the tracks that appeared in the episode, road trip music anyone?….

The Bad

Watching the show, its easy to downplay the scale of the production which has a very large crew behind it, you’d think its just three people and their cars and a couple of cameras.

It could be a win for the production team to cleverly stay out of the frame, but it doesn’t show the impact the production made on the local community. I would have loved it if they showed a bit more interaction with locals. I am totally biased but Zimbabweans have warm hospitality ^_^ …. but in the 2 hour episode you only see us for a few minutes…

With a 2 hour run time… its a rather long watch and the pacing can feel erratic when you are used to high-octane motoring sports, this finale takes the scenic route to the finish line. One might be tempted to press the fast-forward button a couple of times, you wont do it because its entertaining but still the temptation was there…

Hang on, did they just smuggle silver or poke fun of our border security check?? 🚩

The Ugly

The show was under a contractual agreement between Amazon Prime and the Government of Zimbabwe with instructions to not disclose anything about it until after it had aired, which according to the Minister Of Tourism did not come cheap… Hang on, the government paid for the Top Gear team to come to Zimbabwe, kinda changes how one would percieve the programme. I wonder how much they paid and explains how the show stays away from controversial takes.

Whats the production budget for an episode, if they can buy cars do crazy modifications and even throw a car down a cliff just so it looks awesome in the trailer… The environmentalist in me is like… Who is going to clean up that mess?   

Final Thoughts

The Grand Tour One For The Road is heartfelt conclusion  to the crazy adventures of Clarkson, Hammond, and May. A farewell that balances humor, nostalgia, and heartfelt moments, making it a memorable end to a legendary journey… One For The Road.

Have you watched the show and are you a fan of the trio from Top Gear. I kinda miss the Stig.