After a promising start that saw a face-off between the ultimate hyper cars - The Porsche 918, the McLaren P1 and the Ferrari LaFerrari, the second episode of the Clarkson, Hammond and May trio's brand new Amazon Prime show received flak from viewers for less number of cars. The good news is that in its third instalment of the season, the Grand Tour returns as a car show.
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May are out for a grand touring in Italy in the third episode. While Clarkson and May chose sensible and touring special cars, Hammond joined them with completely impractical American muscle car for the trip. The excitement of Hammond while revving and doing doughnuts with his V8 machine that makes lots of noise and the other two getting irritated with it adds flesh to the new episode.
We have detailed the cars they have used for grand touring.
Clarkson's Aston Martin DB11
The DB11 is the newest sports car from British luxury car-maker Aston Martin. The DB11 has been unveiled globally at Geneva Motor Show in March 2016 and it is the spiritual successor of the DB9. For uninitiated, the DB10 was exclusively made for the James Bond movie 'Spectre.' The DB11 is the most powerful and most efficient 'DB' production model in Aston Martin's history. The DB11 is powered by a newly developed 5.2-litre V12 twin-turbo engine that generates 600bhp at 6,500rpm and a maximum torque of 700Nm from 1,500rpm. The engine is mated to ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox that sends power to rear wheels. The DB11 need just 3.9 seconds to reach 100kmph from standstill before reaching top speed of 322kmph. The DB11 is retailed at $214,820 (Rs 4.2 crore in India).
James May's Rolls-Royce Dawn
Capt. Slow's choice for the tour was the convertible sibling of the Wraith, the Dawn. Rolls-Royce says 80 percent of the bodywork on the convertible is new compared to the Wraith. Dawn is based on the Wraith's platform, and the styling is also similar barring the soft top. The 2,560kg luxury car is powered by a twin-turbo 6.6-litre V12 powertrain. It develops a power output of 563bhp at 5,250rpm and a torque rating of 780Nm at 1,500rpm. All the power is directed to the rear wheels via a ZF eight-speed automatic gearbox. The engine powers the Dawn to reach 100kmph in less than 5 seconds before electronically hitting the limited top speed of 250kmph. The Dawn is priced at $337,750 (Rs 6.25 crore in India).
Richard Hammond's Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is the most powerful factory production muscle car of all time. The heart of the Challenger SRT Hellcat is a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine that produces a massive 707bhp of power and 881Nm of torque. The engine features a forged-steel crankshaft, forged-alloy pistons and powder-forged connecting rods in order to handle the massive amount of power. The engine is mated to a choice of either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic. The automatic is faster, hitting 100kmph in 3.6 seconds, while the manual is more fun and still quick doing 100kmph in 3.9 seconds. The Hellcat version of the Dodge Challenger costs $63,590.
The interesting bit of the Hellcat is that it comes with a black key fob and a red key fob. While the black fob limits the engine's performance the red fob allows unlocking the V8's full potential.
