Richard Hammond had devastating reaction to Top Gear ending and then he ran out of fuel to top it off
Published on Aug 26, 2025 at 4:52 AM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Aug 22, 2025 at 7:53 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Richard Hammond sort of accidentally ran out of fuel when he left the Top Gear HQ for the last time.
The presenter was in tears and kind of didn’t want to stop for fuel while crying.
But he couldn’t stop crying.
So, well, he ran out of fuel, which also gave him another side problem.
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Why Richard Hammond ran out of fuel
In a recent DriveTribe video, James May and Richard Hammond raced an electric plane and electric car, respectively, and the starting point was Dunsfold, the Top Gear track.
This was their first time back since the end of Top Gear about a decade ago.
In the clip, Hammond explained that after leaving the HQ for the last time, he ran out of fuel because he didn’t want to stop with tears in his eyes.
“The very last time I drove this road on the way back from the very last Top Gear studio recording, I was a tear-soaked mess,” he said.
“It was a big moment, and I was driving a bronze Land Rover that I still have now, I love that car, and it was low on diesel.
“But I was so tear-soaked I couldn’t stop to buy fuel because it would have looked a bit odd, which meant I ran out when I got to the end of the M50 at home.”
This also gave him another side problem.
Because with a diesel car, you can’t just fill up and get back on the road, you have to bleed the system by draining any fuel residue left and then replace the fuel filter, which is kind of annoying.
Top Gear ended twice
It’s fair to say that Top Gear ended twice.
First, it ended, symbolically, in 2015.
The Argentina Special, the one with the famous license plate incident, represented what in soccer terms would be called a yellow card for Jeremy Clarkson.
Top Gear was huge, and it made Clarkson, Hammond, and May full-blown celebrities, but the BBC is an old-school broadcaster, which means tolerating Top Gear controversies has a limit.
The Argentina special was a bit of a mess – the trio had to flee the country, and the car was crushed.
And, about a year later, yet another controversial moment brought Top Gear as people knew it to an end as Clarkson, Hammond, and May left.
The show kept airing for seven more years before being canceled in 2022.
This time officially, and not just in the eyes of hardcore fans.
