Ex-Top Gear host Richard Hammond’s Grand Tour Aston Martin ‘saved’ by collectors
Former Top Gear star Richard Hammond's Aston Martin machine used in a recent Grand Tour special has returned to the UK.
Watch the trailer for Amazon's The Grand Tour: Sand Job
Richard Hammond’s Grand Tour Aston Martin used in the latest TV special has been “saved” by motoring collectors.
YouTube channel DRIVETRIBE has secured the iconic V12 Volante which featured in the recent ‘Sand Job’ episode.
The show saw former Top Gear stars Richard, Jeremy Clarkson and James May reunite for an epic road tour across the Sahara desert.
DRIVETRIBE host Mike Fernie said: “Yes Richard asked Amazon very nicely and now we have the DB9 Volante from Sand Job.
“And it's actually quite well preserved having come from Mauritania. It is still caked in that desert dust.
“I expected having been transported over here it may have lost it or got loads of finger prints or strapping and wiped it off. But it looks like it has just come off the boat from Mauritania.”
In the latest episode, the trio head to Mauritania and follow the route of the Paris-Dakar rally in three modified sports cars.
Richard opted for an Aston Martin Volante for the journey with James behind the wheel of a Maserati GranCabrio.
Jeremy selected a stylish Jaguar F-Type to take on the others on the grueling trip.
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DRIVETRIBE said there were three things they could do with the Aston Martin in the future.
They said the model could be completely restored back to its original self or turned into a “crazy mad Max off-roader”.
Finally, the channel said they could preserve the car exactly how it is, fixing certain parts but retaining the spirit of the show.
In the DRIVETRIBE garage, Mike was quick to show fans the extent of the damage to the Aston Martin.
Front outlets have been ripped from the front of the vehicle to allow extra heat to escape out of the engine bay.
Also, there is a prominent white scuff on the bodywork and a crack on the windscreen after Richard crashed the car into barricades on the show.
At the rear of the car, Mike pointed out lots of scrapes while holes were screwed in to install a pedalo system used at the end of the show. Mike added: “The smashed windscreen, that was I think a genuine surprising moment for Richard.
“The car, it was having loads of electrical issues but it seems to have thought it’s rolled over and been in an accident and its raised up that safety bar that most modern convertibles have and it's completely shattered the rear window.
“And then one final thing you have to look through the dirt and other scuffs but you can see big gouges along here from that Mercedes that just clouts into Richard. He cannot get through a Grand Tour special without some sort of shunt can he.”