The man who owns both Jeremy Clarkson and James May's Grand Tour special cars reveals what they are really like to drive

Imagine being lucky enough to own both Jeremy Clarkson and James May’s Grand Tour special cars and being able to drive them around.

Well, Zach Ascot is a man who is indeed lucky enough to claim that, as he owns the Crosley CC and Mitsuoka Le Seyde driven by James May and Jeremy Clarkson, respectively.

These two cars were stars of The Grand Tour Eurocrash special from 2023, alongside Richard Hammond’s Chevrolet SSR sports pickup truck.

Following the special’s airing on Amazon Prime, Ascot somehow managed to buy both cars, and we were lucky enough to chat to him about Jeremy Clarkson and James May’s Eurocrash cars.

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How Zach bought James May’s Crosley CC

In the special, the Crosley CC was driven by James May.

The aim had been to buy the most appropriate car for a roadtrip across Europe.

The Crosley fit that brief perfectly.

It had just a 724cc engine, around 26.5hp, and could barely manage 40mph on highways.

The car was a nightmare for May.

It spent most of its time being carried by the backup car on a trailer.

After the show, the cars ended up back in the UK, and Zach said he spotted the Crosley in a DriveTribe upload.

It was in the background of a video filmed at Richard Hammond’s workshop, The Smallest Cog.

The company next door now owned the car, and having got in touch, he said he was open to selling the car.

“I’m a very irritating person who wants to buy your Crosley,” Zach said of how he opened the conversation.

“We called it a Crosley for Christmas, because I got the deal done just before Christmas 2024.” Zach continued.

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What the Crosley is really like to drive

In terms of driving the Crosley, it really did live up to how it looked on the TV show.

Zach stalled the car straight away when trying to get it into his garage after getting it delivered.

But even after preparing himself for his first proper drive in the car, he was still amazed at how it drove.

“It doesn’t have snychromesh, so you have to double-d-clutch every gear. It’s a lot.

“That was a new thing for me, but I ended up becoming reasonably competent with it,” Zach said of his first drives.

The interesting experience does not end there, however.

“The first thing you notice is the bounciness, with the simplest suspension going.

“In every corner, you tilt and feel like you are going to fall over!” he revealed.

Ironically, thanks to its straight-pipe exhaust, it has a fast and throaty sound to it, when the Crosley is anything but fast.

The small CC is a real gem of a car

Despite being wildly inappropriate for the roadtrip, Zach clearly loves the car based on our interview.

He hasn’t done 1,400 miles in it, but with lots of quiet 30mph roads near where he lives in the UK, Zach has taken it for some nice little drives.

“It really isn’t something you want to take on the main roads,” he confirmed.

In terms of what he’s done with the car, Zach has managed to put it on display in a showroom of a company in Southampton.

“I am allowed to get it out anytime I want,” he said, and it’s seen by 300 people a day while it’s on display.

The Mitsuoka Le Seyde was acquired in a very different way

Zach also owns the Mitsuoka Le Seyde that Jeremy Clarkson drove in the special.

Ironically, he had this car before the Crosley.

Jeremy Clarkson initially kept the car on his farm for around a year after it had aired.

The car was then raffled for charity.

The winner in Scotland ended up having no idea what to do with it, and after a couple of months, they put it up for sale.

“It sat in a garage, and he decided to put it up for auction, and that’s how I saw it,” confirmed Zach.

After it had been delivered, Zach said he was in awe of it, as it sat outside his house.

Not long after, he was able to take the car out for a first drive.

Driving the Le Seyde was a different kind of experience

Compared to the Crosley, the Le Seyde Jeremy Clarkson drove was great for a 1,400-mile Grand Tour roadtrip.

“It was my first ever automatic car, and I didn’t even miss the clutch,” said Zach.

Based on the Nissan Silvia S13, the Le Seyde has a 1.8-liter inline-four under the hood, making around 131hp.

Even though it is based on the Silvia, Mitsuoka massively extended the wheelbase of the car.

“As a result, you can really feel the extension in the steering rack, you feel the distance in the rack,” Zach said of driving it.

In short, steering the car felt like he was steering something several miles away.

“You learn to compensate for it, but the ride’s pretty decent,” said Zach.

A lot of the car does need sticking out at junctions, however, for you to see what’s coming.

Zach has kept the Mitusoka as original to the ‘Grand Tour’ show as possible

One thing Zach is proud of is how he has kept them as close to The Grand Tour special as possible.

It still has the dalmation-style interior, and the outrageous candelabras May fitted to the car as a prank.

“These are the things that make the car even more special,” said Zach, hence his desire to keep them on the Le Seyde.

In The Grand Tour special, they were wired to the headlight stalk and the side lights.

But when at a car show, Zach would have to leave the engine running for 20-minute intervals to have the lights on.

However, he soon found a way to get around this.

“They are no longer operated by the headlight stalk, but a leisure battery in the wheel-holder.”

So underneath the fake wheel covers, they have their own battery, which can last eight hours.

Crucially, Zach can leave them on at a show, with the car locked and turned off.

This Grand Tour car is much more usable for Zach

Zach confirmed in our interview that the Le Seyde is living at his home, and is much more usable daily than the Crosley.

At the time of the interview, it was having its winter prep done so he could take it out in the colder weather with things such as the underside protected.

Ironically, having bought these two cars, Zach nearly ended up with Hammond’s Chevrolet SSR.

The company that helped Zach take the Crosley to a car show also owned a Land Rover restoration company.

They had recently done work for Hammond on his Land Rover, and suggested to Zach that he buy it too.

“The owner said he’d send Hammond a text and ask if he would sell you the truck,” Zach said after this coincidence.

Hammond was up for selling the truck.

But he ended up giving it to his daughter, Izzy Hammond, after she took a shine to it.

Izzy is, of course, doing great things herself for DriveTribe.

Not many people can say they own two ‘Grand Tour’ special cars

Zach is probably the only person outside of the presenters who owns two of The Grand Tour special cars.

Both are still in his care, and he has his own YouTube channel where he has showcased the pair.

They’ve clearly gone to a loving, caring owner who wants the best for two significant cars in automotive culture.

Zach’s YouTube channel is well worth checking out.

The Grand Tour Eurocrash special is still available to watch on Amazon Prime.

Hopefully, Jeremy Clarkson and James May both know the cars are now in safe hands.

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