Ever since Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May move to Amazon and created The Grand Tour, they have kept up the tradition of epic specials such as the ones they did on Top Gear. There has been Seamen, where they took three epic boats across Asia. There were the two lockdown specials as well, keeping us entertained during the Covid-19 pandemic and as we came out of it. And of course, who can forget Mongolia where they built John, an epic off-roader.
That Mongolia special was perhaps the best of the lot, until however A Scandi Flick came to our screens. Launched recently, the special sees Hammond in a Subaru Impreza, May in a Mitsubishi Evo and Clarkson in an Audi RS4, as they take their rally derived machines across the Scandinavian landscape including Sweden, Denmark and Finland. It's an epic road trip, with some brilliant scenery, great laughs and a heroic machine at the heart of it. This is perhaps the best Grand Tour special yet, and certainly one of the most enjoyable to sit down and watch.
The Story Of A Scandi Flick
If you don’t want the plot ruined, then look away now! But we are giving you a bit of an overview of the story. The trio start at the top of Norway, get their three cars on a football pitch and then set off. One of the first places they go to is an old submarine base from the Cold War, where they play a top speed test. This is where the Evo May brings gets its first big douse of damage, and is the crash May had that we had all heard about. It is a big one, but May does manage to climb out on his own with just broken ribs.
The Evo gets repaired, Hammond and Clarkson modify their cars and the trip continues. The trio later build their own small sheds to live in and tow behind their cars, although they don’t last that long. Near the end of the adventure, the Evo gets a dunking in an icy lake but incredibly, the car is brought back to life by May and the Grand Tour team and it is back in action before the end of the adventure.
What Makes The Special So Enjoyable
First of all, there are the cars. These three cars are some of the finest there is, and everyone loves a rally homologation special. True, Clarkson’s RS4 is not a true Quattro. But its DNA goes right back to that first Quattro, and it shows itself to be a truly brilliant car in the special. Fast everywhere and a hero for dragging the Evo out of the water later on. It’s a bit of a geek fest really, as we know the three presenters love their rally cars and rally specials.
Then there is the scenery. Every single country the trio visit offers snow capped majesty, with hills, forests, quaint towns and more. It’s a feast for the eyes, and we are jealous of everyone that is able to enjoy this special in glorious 4K resolution. The adventure itself isn’t the most grueling for the three, but sometimes it's nice to see them not get bogged down in swamps or on truly dangerous roads. Just three mates, in three very good cars, enjoying the scenery. When one of them isn’t crashing one of their cars anyway.
A Truly Enjoyable Scandinavian Trip
What else helps to make the trip so enjoyable to watch is the trio themselves. The three mates offer plenty of laughs throughout the adventure, and it feels more much honest and genuine than other Grand Tour specials have. Above all else, this is just very enjoyable and pleasant viewing. Perfect for a quiet evening in, perfect for a lunchtime bit of TV and just perfect to watch whenever you have the time. It's one of those classic specials that we could watch multiple times, like the Botswana and USA specials from the glory days of Top Gear.
A Scandi Flick Is A Must Watch
If you love the trio and haven’t seen it yet, then you must go and watch it! Just for the Evo itself, which really becomes the hero of the trip and the car we all love and grow fond of. The best bit about it is, it's nearly two hours long! So to sum up, we have three great rally derived cars, a wonderful landscape, plenty of laughs and a truly epic adventure. This feels like a good old return to some of the classic Top Gear adventures, and with more trips from the trio no doubt on the way, we can’t wait for the next one.
Source: Amazon Prime