The Central Europe Special was the tenth special episode of the Amazon Prime motoring show The Grand Tour. It is the second episode of the show's fifth series and aired on the 16th of June 2023. It is the forty-fourth episode overall and is entitled Eurocrash.
The episode saw the presenters travel from Poland to Slovenia in a range of the unusual cars.
Synopsis[]
The episode sees the presenters driving from Gdansk, Poland to Lake Bled, Slovenia, driving through Slovakia and Hungary and covering a distance of 1,400 miles. As this is a journey, no one has ever done before, the trio drove cars that were inappropriate for the trip. As well as exploring effects of the Soviet region on this part of Europe, the trio also look into some of the motoring history of this region.
Cars[]
| Vehicle | Make/Model | Driver |
|---|---|---|
 |
Mitsuoka Le-Seyde | Jeremy Clarkson |
 |
Chevrolet SSR | Richard Hammond |
 |
Crosley CC Convertible | James May |
- Other than the main cars used, May had to often use a Ford Popular Hot Rod, the show's back up car due to his Crosley proving too slow. Hammond took part in a Formula Easter Race in Poland whilst in Slovakia, Clarkson tested a Skoda 1100 OHC, May tested a Praga Bohema and trio observed Kleinvision Aircar.
Production[]
The episode was filmed in June 2022 beginning in the Nowy Port district of Gdansk, Poland, then travelling through Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and ending in Slovenia.
Trivia[]
- It is the fourth European Special that the trio have taken part in.
- During filming at the Tor Poznań Racetrack, a vital piece of Hammond's car sheers off, causing the car to leak oil across the track. The race session ended prematurely as a result of dangerous track conditions, but not after every racer crashed.
- As Clarkson becomes race director of said racetrack, he was too late to notify Hammond as he kept going, with the writing on his whiteboard deemed pointless at speed
- The marshals were also too late to wave a red flag.
- May had often missed a lot of events due to his Crosley's sluggish top speed of 43mph (69km/h). It would often be sabotaged or deliberately misplaced by his co-presenters. Although there is speculation this was intentional as May had been sick around the time of production.
- This is the first time in Grand Tour history that May opted to utilize the Back-Up car, and the second time in the trio's history since Top Gear. However this time, it was because May's Crosley proved to be so horribly slow and unreliable, rather than last time where he was forced into the Back Up Car. The Back Up Car was then later destroyed alongside the wax figure of Nigel Mansell they stole, marking the first of two times in The Grand Tour a backup car was deliberately destroyed.
- Nigel Mansell is credited as a presenter despite appearing as a wax figure.
Gallery[]
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Trailer[]
The Grand Tour- Eurocrash - Official Trailer