Amazon’s New Grand Tour Hosts Come Out Swinging with a C8 Corvette ZR1

Sep 11, 2026

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Amazon’s New Grand Tour Hosts Come Out Swinging with a C8 Corvette ZR1

Photo Credits: Amazon’s Grand Tour

Have you heard? Prime Video’s Top Gear continuation series The Grand Tour is back after the retirement of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May, the iconic presenters of both programs, in September of 2024. CorvetteBlogger favorites Thomas (Holland) and James (Engelsman) from the Throttle House YouTube channel were tapped as hosts along with a wildcard of an English kid who goes by Francis Bourgeois and apparently has more than 3.5 million followers on TikTok – though it’s not what you think, the clips aren’t of him doing the trendy and irritating dances so readily associated with the medium, it’s all about trains.

As proven by the British Broadcasting Corporation’s many attempts to reboot TG since firing Clarkson after what was described as a “fracas” on set in 2015, replacing the beloved faces of the show is a tall order. Like Comic Con Hall H reacting to a new Batman or Han Solo, Clarkson, Hammond, and May’s massive fanbase remains skeptical of changes to the show and views replacements as little more than scabs, presenting the biggest hurdle standing between Amazon and the continued success of The Grand Tour. Around here, we will sign-off on the Throttle House guys all day long, but, when it comes to the (forced?) TikTok dude, we found ourselves in league with the rest of the dubious fanbase.

Still, when we found some free time, we were immediately put at ease after hitting “play” on the first episode of the beloved automotive show’s reboot. We join the young trio in a beautifully shot and eclectic group of cars, on their way to the set of another Amazon show, Clarkson’s Farm, for an indispensable luxury never afforded to the endless Top Gear retreads; continuity.

James and Thomas… and Francis entered the farm’s butcher shop to get Jeremy’s blessing and attempt to collect the tent that was the original set piece of TGT on Prime. After a humorously awkward interaction, Jeremy turns to the camera and offers a full endorsement of this next generation. As the new guys leave empty handed – save for a pack of sausages – we’re off on a montage of what’s to come that teases segments with both “the Hamster” (Hammond) and “Captain Slow” (May) before being introduced to the premier’s premise and another tasty slice of continuity.

Before signing off from his last episode, Clarkson narrated an explanation; TGT was ending in large part because the trio had no desire to continue the propping up an entertainment property in an environment of soulless electric cars. It’s here, that Thomas picks up the torch exactly where Jeremy left it, poising “with everything going electric, [internal combustion] has been backed into a corner. Back things into a corner and they tend to fight back.”

“And nowhere is that fight more fierce than America…” Camera fades out and immediately back in on a California sunrise where James is waiting and making a lot of noise with the supercharged 5.2-liter V8 of a Mustang GTD… so far, this show looks promising! We hear a little about the Super ‘Stang before Thomas shows up on the horizon in a C8 ZR1 ZTK (in perfect Disney World-spec). It’s here that the Throttle House pair flex the kind of lived-in chemistry that couldn’t be faked in any of the Top Gear rehashes. While more beautiful cinematography flashes by, Tom quips over the radio, “are you ok being in the car that has less horsepower, weighs a whole walrus more, and costs twice as much?”

The new formula keeps growing on us, except for the remaining question mark of the third host who after chipping away at our wariness in the first segment enthusiastically crashes the other two’s drag race already in progress – the ZR1 was, of course, leaving the GTD for dead – in a Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution Evo that passes even the Mr. Universe Chevy like it’s standing still. He then continues the long process of winning us over by exhibiting the kind of unique and authentic weirdness that can be deeply endearing on TV – think Seinfeld’s Kramer, or, more accurately, Big Bang’s Sheldon Cooper.

Throughout the episode, the trio continues through the remnants Bombay Beach, to a mansion and the track at Thermal Club, and on to racing fighter jets on a runway. While the jokes don’t always land and the bits can feel overly scripted (which was a common complaint down the stretch of ClarkHamMay’s run, too), we have to say, the hook is set and overall, we just witnessed one heck of a first effort!

Prime Video is free (with ads) to all 200 million Amazon Prime members, and if that includes you, dear reader, we recommend at the very least giving Grand Tour 2.0 an open-minded shot. With any luck, this bunch will be able to iron out the minor kinks, find their own voices, and, like their predecessors, give us another 20+ years of vehicular antics and comradery before making way for the next generation.