Jeremy Clarkson once drove one of the world's most expensive cars across Europe for a show that wasn't Top Gear

Jeremy Clarkson once toured Europe in a Jaguar E-Type for a BBC show that actually preceded Top Gear as we know it.

A lot of people might not be familiar with the show, probably because it’s quite old and it was then overshadowed by Top Gear, which is what made Clarkson really famous.

The show featured several European countries and one of the original E-Types, one of the world’s rarest cars.

Sadly, for at least two reasons, a show like that probably wouldn’t get made today.

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This show preceded Top Gear as we know it

Top Gear is older than we think.

It first aired in 1977, but it was totally different back then.

The show, as we know it, began in 2002, when Jeremy Clarkson and his right-hand man, Andy Wilman, decided to revive the show with a totally new format, with a stronger focus on entertainment and fun.

Right before relaunching ‘new’ Top Gear, Jeremy Clarkson and the BBC launched a different program.

It was titled Jeremy Clarkson: Meets the Neighbours.

The idea was to tour six European countries at the wheel of a Jaguar E-Type to talk about motoring habit, and cultures, but also a lot more besides.

Which is just like he did in the show Motorworld.

Clarkson drove a Jaguar E-Type across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy.

Why Jeremy Clarkson: Meets the Neighbours wouldn’t get made today

There are two main reasons why a show like this would probably not be greenlit today.

First, there are YouTubers who are already doing this, usually with significant budgets and total creative freedom.

With that in mind, production companies probably wouldn’t want to invest time and money in a format that’s no longer suited for television.

Second, and this is the key element, the E-Type would make the whole trip a lot more stressful.

The E-Type is a rare and expensive car, which means that finding one that you can use like a ‘mule’ for a show like that wouldn’t be easy or cheap.

But, more importantly, driving a car as old as the E-Type is now – generally speaking – illegal in some European cities, mostly due to various emission-related restrictions.