Jeremy Clarkson has claimed he is “too old and fat” to get in the cars he likes in a candid confession ahead of the final episode of The Grand Tour.
The former Top Gear host has become the UK’s most popular car reviewer over the years and has even branched out to launch a new business and TV show, Clarkson’s Farm.
However, while he may be best known behind the wheel, Jeremy Clarkson may be looking to slow down with his time on the road after his illustrious career.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Clarkson explained his motoring history, saying he started by working with a Top Gear producer at the launch of the Citroen AX in 1986.
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He then worked his way to the top by presenting Top Gear alongside Richard Hammond and James May before venturing to Amazon Prime and starting The Grand Tour.
However, he stated that he has had a change of heart in recent years when it comes to reviewing new cars.
He said: “After 36 years of talking about cars on television, I’m packing it in, because I’m too old and fat to get into the cars that I like and not interested in driving those I don’t.
“What this means of course is that my 22-year partnership with James May and Richard Hammond is now over.
“You can see our final road trip together on Amazon Prime very soon. It’s emotional.”
Clarkson, Hammond and May will be embarking on a trek across Zimbabwe in three cars they have always wanted to own in The Grand Tour: One For The Road.
Clarkson will be behind the wheel of a Lancia Montecarlo, a car he has admired since he was a child, according to James May, who also explained his love for the vehicle.
May will instead be driving a British classic with a Triumph Stag, while Hammond will be travelling across Zimbabwe in a Ford Capri 3-litre.
Although The Grand Tour is coming to an end, Clarkson will forever be known for his antics behind the wheel, with some of his older vehicles finding themselves going under the hammer at auction.
Recently, Iconic Auctioneers put his former 1992 Ford Escort RS Cosworth up for sale, which, thanks to its “superb condition” and heritage, sold for £67,500.
The 64-year-old first tested the Ford Escort in 1992, but featured the vehicle again in 2000 on his own TV programme, Clarkson’s Car Years.
When driving the Cosworth over “Buttertubs Pass” in North Yorkshire, Clarkson said: “One of my all time favourite roads meets one of my all time favourite cars, the Cossie.”
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In the original 1992 test, the TV presenter noted that the Ford Escort was a rare exception for Top Gear as he tested the car for more than a few hundred miles.
Over the course of the first six months, Clarkson said he had used 357 gallons of super unleaded fuel, resulting in 21mpg, a figure he said was good for a 140mph sports car operating in London.
