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Tafadzwa Zimoyo, Entertainment Editor

The Grand Tour: One for the Road, television series premièred on Amazon Prime Video over the weekend with excitement of many as it put Zimbabwe tourism on the global map.

The Grand Tour is a British motoring television series created by Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, James May and Andy Wilman.

It brought an emotional end to more than two decades of collaboration between Richard Hammond, James May and Jeremy Clarkson as this was the last series.

The last episode was shot in Zimbabwe and the trio of (Richard Hammond, James May, and Jeremy Clarkson), took the challenge in Harare — Mbare, Eastern Highlands, Victoria Falls, and Kariba with their classic cars.

May was driving in a Triumph Stag, and Clarkson journeying in a Lancia Montecarlo, while Hammond was accelerating the engine of a Ford Capri GXL.

On the series they had a good time sharing the magnificent scenery and wildlife of Zimbabwe, the history of Zimbabwe’s car assembly industry such as the Alfa Romeo in the early 60s, touring Victoria Falls, driving through the boulevard road of Leopold Takawira admiring the Jacaranda trees — the purple haze, along Parirenyatwa hospital, showcasing and having fun in Mbare, giving prominence to the railway network, and showing the world the local mineral wealth such as lithium, gold, and silver on offer.

They also drove to Kariba Dam among other places.

Again, one of the presenters Hammond was dressed in the local brand.

Local designer Takudzwa Ricky (Jnr) Mubvumbi of the “Dapperkings” brand, was happy to have worked with Hammond on the set.

“I dressed Richard Hammond and his look was inspired by the tour around Zimbabwe,” he said.

“I gave him a safari look which fitted him well and matched the vintage style of their cars. One of my clients Alex Mavros, whom I make linen safari clothes, was part of the grand tour finale team, and he asked me to make one safari for Hammond. We worked with measurements that Hammond sent while he was in United Kingdom.

He said he watched the show and was happy with how Zimbabwe was put on the map.

However, viewers who have been following the motoring enthusiasts since their Top Gear days may also recognise their final destination, which puts a fitting bow on more than two decades of outrageous adventures.

As said, Jeremy Clarkson opened up about emotions running high as they wrapped up filming.

He described his friends as strong and determined.

“I am not saying this in a derogatory way by any means, but James has the emotions of a stone. He just doesn’t do emotions, so there were no tears from him,” he said during one of the interviews.

“Hammond, yes and I was surprisingly unemotional in a weird way because I can see James and Hammond any time I want to, they are just a phone call away. I have done enough of the travelling, I was worn out by it.”

Clarkson said that “the whole trip” was touching for the presenting team, including hours of “pondering” — much of which had to be cut for time — although the broadcaster wasn’t overly misty-eyed by the end of the shoot.

“I was surprisingly unemotional in a weird way because I can see James and Hammond any time I want to, they’re only a phone call away, and I’m sure we will,” he told Radio Times press.

He also acknowledged that his other Prime Video hit, Clarkson’s Farm, helped soften the blow of ending The Grand Tour as the two productions share a number of the same crew members.

The trio who has previously filmed in extensive locations such as Vietnam, Colombia, and Switzerland had a different feel on the last set as they embarked on Zimbabwe, adding flavour to their African taste.

In February they visited Mauritania.

Commenting on location selection, Clarkson said he loves deserts.

Liking and loving Zimbabwe, Clarkson said, “the best for last.”

“I’ve always wanted to do the Sahara, but it’s difficult to go there; you can’t go to Mali or Libya or Algeria or Chad. You can’t go to the top of Nigeria,” he said.

Clarkson, Hammond, and May finished filming their final episode in September 2023, and it was released a year later in the same month. The show has also featured numerous celebrity guests, adding to its entertainment value.

The decision to end the series is part of a natural progression, as the trio looks forward to new projects, including Clarkson’s Farm and DriveTribe.