Jeremy Clarkson to 'Grow a Car' in New Prime Video Special

Jeremy Clarkson's upcoming television experiment will merge his interests in motoring and farming as he attempts to "grow a car" for a new Prime Video special. Titled "Jeremy Grows a Car: A Clarkson's Farm Special," the project will see the presenter, 66, endeavor to construct a Jaguar F-Type using only materials produced on his Diddly Squat farm.

The documentary aims to create the components for a car from the farm's produce, driven by Clarkson's frustration with modern vehicles' technology. "Frustrated by modern motoring's endless beeps, bongs and nanny-state technology, Jeremy has decided that if he wants a 'new' car, he won't buy one – he'll build one," Prime Video stated in their announcement.

The base for his project is a Jaguar F-Type V6S, a model Clarkson believes strikes a balance between analogue driving and modern practicality. The special will explore creating a "Diddly Squat leather interior and wool carpets," alongside an attempt to grow flax fiber and transform it into a flax composite, a sustainable alternative to carbon fiber that has garnered interest from major car manufacturers.

Clarkson will collaborate with car designer Ian Callum CBE, founder of the design and engineering firm CALLUM, who was responsible for the original F-Type's design and the Aston Martin Vanquish. The show is slated to premiere on Prime Video in 2027. Meanwhile, a new season of "Clarkson's Farm" is scheduled for release next year.

Clarkson recently spoke at the Tory conference, where he expressed concerns about the challenges facing the farming industry. He criticized government policies, particularly the inheritance tax, for impacting family farms. He also mentioned the difficulties in running his Oxfordshire farm, noting that this year's harvest yielded minimal results. "We worked really hard all year and we ended up with, I think I'm right in saying, three ounces of hen food. It was an absolute disaster on the farming side," he said.

Clarkson highlighted that while he has other income streams, such as his quiz show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" on ITV and newspaper columns, many ordinary farmers do not. He also touched upon the rising costs and external pressures faced by businesses, including his pub near his farm. Clarkson, who revealed he had undergone treatment for prostate cancer, bought his farm nearly 20 years ago. He renamed it Diddly Squat Farm after deciding to run it himself in 2019, due to its perceived lack of productivity. He has become an advocate for farmers, attending protests against government policies affecting the industry.