Though The Grand Tour may have officially ended, fans now have the chance to own a piece of the show’s history, driven by James May in one of the show’s final episodes.
Featured in The Grand Tour’s ‘Sand Job’ special – released on Amazon Prime Video in February this year – Mr May’s 2010 Maserati GranCabrio is being auctioned on eBay with no reserve and a current bid of £13,200 (A$26,306).
It’s by no means the finest example of a GranCabrio though, because – as with Jeremy Clarkson’s Jaguar F-Type and Richard Hammond’s Aston Martin DB9 Volante from the same special – it’s well-used and extensively modified as a result of the harsh desert conditions of Mauritania.
In a fitting harmony, the GranCabrio is the third and final car from the Sand Job special to have been saved, with Mr Clarkson’s F-Type now in the hands of a private mechanic, and Mr Hammond’s DB9 on display at the Haynes Motor Museum – both in the UK.
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The Sand Job special aired as the third episode in the fifth season of The Grand Tour.
It was intended to appear as a homage to the iconic Paris-Dakar Rally, though instead of tackling Mauritania’s deserts in off-road ready supercars like the Porsche 911 Dakar or Lamborghini Huracán Sterrato, the show’s presenters modified more affordable sports cars to go off-road.
Modifications to the Maserati include thick underbody protection with recovery tow points, wheel arch extensions, larger front brakes, larger wheels with chunky off-road tyres, mudflaps, extended rear subframe, and rear side-exit exhausts.
As evidenced in the special by its poor fitment, the GranCabrio also received a custom fibreglass bonnet intended to direct as much air as possible to its Ferrari-derived 4.7-litre V8 engine.
Its cream interior was one of the areas spared from most major modifications, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t touched at all. Those familiar with the special may remember Mr May’s colleagues filling it with sand while he was elsewhere –likely resulting in a long off-camera clean-up job.
The Clarkson-Hammond-May-founded YouTube channel DriveTribe uploaded a full video breakdown (above) of the car earlier this month, which preceded the eBay listing.
While the modifications were practical and protected the car from direct impacts, there was little to be done about the metal-unfriendly sand and salt found in Mauritania – even if the show’s route had to be adjusted to avoid soft sand dunes.
As with the other two cars, the GranCabrio’s metal frame and suspension are severely corroded, and, as presenter Mike Fernie points out, its aluminium exterior components like badges and air vents are beginning to turn green.
DriveTribe’s video showed the car had a serious oil leak too, though the eBay listing outlines this was caused by its oil filter puncturing during filming.
As no maintenance had been carried out since the car returned to the UK, the filter was said to be weakened by heavy corrosion, however a new one has been installed
Its interior is also caked in red sand, evidenced by the Maserati’s power-adjustable seats producing a crunchy sound as they operate. It’s still full of Grand Tour memorabilia too, like glasses lenses for Mr May, zip ties, and cigarette butts.
The engine bay is similarly caked in the same dust, though it’s still reported to be in good mechanical condition. The Maserati will likely need a full suite of new suspension components though, judging by the sounds heard on DriveTribe’s video.
Mr May’s Maserati was the most expensive of the three on the special, ringing up at £26,000 (A$51,799) in total. Mr Clarkson’s F-Type, meanwhile, cost £25,000 ($49,810) while Mr Hammond’s DB9 cost £22,000 (A$43,833).
The eBay auction ends in two days, with 44 people currently having placed bids at the time of writing.
Click the images for the full gallery.
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