Jeremy Clarkson is well known for his love of cars. So, it's no surprise that he has amassed an impressive collection over the years. Here, we take a look at some of his most notable vehicles and see how they stack up.
Clarkson's first car was a Ford Escort Mk II. He bought it second-hand in 1987 for £1,500. It wasn't the most exciting car, but it got him from A to B.
Next up was a Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 GSI 2000 16v. This was a bit more of a performance car and Clarkson enjoyed driving it around. However, he sold it after just six months because he couldn't afford the insurance.
In 1992, Clarkson bought a BMW 325i Sport. This was his first brand new car and he loved it. He even wrote a book about it called 'I Bought a BMW'. However, he sold the car after just two years because he needed the money.
Clarkson's next car was a Porsche 911 Turbo. He bought it in 1995 and kept it for six years. He famously wrote about how much he loved this car in his column for The Times.
In 2001, Clarkson bought a Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG. This was another performance car that he enjoyed driving. However, he sold it after just two years because he didn't think it was practical enough.
Finally, in 2009, Clarkson bought a Ferrari 458 Italia. This is his current car and he has said that it is his dream car. He has also said that he would never sell it. You can also check out Golf legend Rory McIlroy's collection for some really cool cars!
So that's an overview. Now, we are going to be taking a deep dive into the other cars in his collection - there are 28 of them after all.
Who is Jeremy Clarkson?
Jeremy Clarkson is a British journalist, TV broadcaster, and writer, better known as a motoring journalist. He became a known face after appearing as a presenter on BBC’s Top Gear, from 1988 to 1998 and then from 2002 to 2015. His bold and controversial opinions on several brands made him a widely popular figure in motor journalism. He is known for his hatred of diesel cars, as he famously calls them “Diseasel” cars. Since his early days at the BBC, he has played a significant part in Top Gear's success.
Jeremy Clarkson's Car Collection
In today's blog post we are going to be looking at the following cars;
- Aston Martin Virage
- Jaguar XJR 4.0
- Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster
- Bentley Continental (Rally Style MFB)
- Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
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Aston Martin Virage
The Aston Martin Virage is a grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Aston Martin from 1989 to 2000. It was the successor to the V8 Vantage Zagato and was replaced by the Vanquish in 2001.
The bodywork was made entirely of aluminium, with a steel subframe at the front. The Virage was available as either a coupé or convertible. The engine was an enlarged version of the unit used in the Vantage, with a bore increase from 85mm to 90mm and a stroke increase from 70mm to 71.7mm. This gave a displacement of 5,340cc and an output of 326bhp and 361lb-ft of torque.
The Aston Martin Virage was discontinued in 2000, with a limited run of 50 convertibles being produced to mark the end of production.
Jaguar XJR 4.0
The Jaguar XJR 4.0 is a grand tourer produced by the British manufacturer Jaguar from 1995 to 1997. It was the successor to the XJR 3.6 and was replaced by the XJR 8 in 1998.
The XJR 4.0 is powered by a 4.0-litre version of Jaguar's AJ-V8 engine, which developed power outputs of up to 322bhp and torque of up to 363lb-ft.
The XJR 4.0 was produced for just two years, with a total of 1,631 examples being built. Lucky Jeremy.
Mercedes SLS AMG Roadster
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG is a grand tourer produced by the German automaker Mercedes-Benz from 2010 to 2015. It was the successor to the Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren and was replaced by the Mercedes-AMG GT in 2015.
The SLS AMG was powered by a 6.2-litre V8 engine, with an output of 563bhp and 479lb-ft of torque.
The SLS AMG was produced for five years, with a total of 2,764 examples being built.
Bentley Continental (Rally Style MFB)
The Bentley Continental is a grand tourer produced by the British automaker Bentley from 2002 to 2018. It was the successor to the Bentley Continental R and was replaced by the Bentayga in 2018.
The Continental was available as either a coupé or convertible, with the latter being introduced in 2005. The engine was a 6.0-litre W12, with an output of 552bhp and 479lb-ft of torque.
Something that separates Jeremy's car from the rest is the rally cage that was installed when filming an episode of The Grand Tour. Clarkson ended up keeping the car and was spotted driving it around on his farm 😂
Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder
The Lamborghini Gallardo is a sports car produced by the Italian automaker Lamborghini from 2003 to 2013. It was the successor to the Lamborghini Diablo and was replaced in production by the Lamborghini Huracán in 2014.
The Gallardo was available as either a coupé or convertible, with the latter being introduced in 2006. The engine was a 5.0-litre V10, with an output of 520bhp and 376lb-ft of torque.
The Gallardo was produced for ten years, with a total of 14,022 examples being built. Jeremy's car is one of only 250 convertibles made in 2009, making it quite a rare piece...
Takeaways
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See you next time,
The Carmoola Team!
