To be fair, as a french person myself, there's no point stated in this show that I could honestly deny. I can even go further as not only we have "Toutes Directions (All Directions)" signs, but we also have "Autres Directions (Other Directions)" sings as well. At least we can't be blamed for One Direction.
@@akaviri5 Not entirely wrong, most of our roundabouts you have to give way there are signs telling you to do so. But there's a seconde type of roundabouts with not roadsigns or markings on the ground, it's in those that cars already in have to give way, but they are quite uncommon. I was a driving instructor for a few years it was quite confusing for the students to understand that rule the first time, witch is understandable
My mom and sister are not car people but they do appreciate jokes about the French so I showed them this special. They loved it. I thought it was pretty darn good and it reminded me a little of the old Top Gear French episode lol. Maniac
That CX really is a marvel. 30+ years old and it's still utterly quiet and refined, without any interior squeaks, or nasty knocks. Must have been very well looked after.
Yeah my dad purchased every possible C and G (CX, GS, GSA etc etc etc) when they were 3rd/4th hand owners and so on, they went for like 300-400E at the time so he simply wanted to have fun & try them. One thing they all had in common vs JDM and other EDM of the same vintage: Those Citroens featured complete silence. That's to mean no squeaks no knocks, just... nothing, could hardly even hear the engine. Thinking back, and on the cars I've had as well as other cars I've driven, the Cit's has me super impressed. I'm more of a RWD JDM fan, but I don't mind saying those Cit's were designed, engineered and built well, with care.
@@luiginocharles9990 I can only imagine your recurring disappointment when watching the old Top Gear's intros. _"Tonight,_ I point at some fields; Richard wears a hat; and James says "Hello".
This episode is the perfect formula for them in the upcoming specials as long as they wanna keep doing these. It's not just about the cars, but the culture of that country that they're currently in or where the cars are originating. Sort of half documentary, half TV entertainment. And yes, this definitely had some hints of going back to the Top Gear-like presentation. I also liked the fact that they laughed together, that's one of the key things why people love watching these fellas.
The dry delivery of “there you go, that was from the country that gave you Debussy and Messiaen” was perfect. This trio is so good when they’re not just piling on scripted, contrived car breakdowns and explosions. Let em be smart AND funny
My Dad once took the engine out of a Renault 4 (front engined car) and put it in a Renault Dauphine (rear engined car). Everything went great until he started it up and realised he had 4 reverse gears and 1 forward. He then spent the next few days re-timing the engine to rotate in the other direction.
Kinda nostalgic to see Jeremy driving that Citroën. He made a campervan out of that in that show he did before Grand Tour. Whatever it was called... Top Wheel or something idk
This was BY FAR the best special GT have done. It was HILARIOUS, and actually really interesting with some of the wacky French laws and rules 😂absolutely brilliant.
I wouldn't say the best, but definitely one of the better ones. The comparatively short duration also helped, in my opinion. Some of the other specials sometimes felt a bit stretched in comparison.
No wonder Greeks loved French cars, our roads are uNcomFurtAble....tres horrible...nasty...fabrique playdoh. But with magic carpet suspension, none the wiser.
I remember certain cars looked way better with yellow headlights. Some BMW models just came alive with them. And there was a scientific argument for yellow. With yellow headlights you see less color differentiation (which doesn't really matter in the dark) but your eyes perceive much higher contrast which is safer when driving in the dark. Also the headlights themselves were often white and the bulbs inside were yellow. It looked real cool on many cars.
I have seen a Citroën XM a few months back. That is a gorgeous car already but it had yellow headlights, which made it look even better! And a good amount of modern cars look more fantastic with yellow lights as well! BMWs, Aston Martins, Porsches… I did not know about the benefits by the way, but it makes a lot of sense! Thank you! ^^
i'm hungarian, but i have a 607 Peugeot. In a weird way, sometimes i listening french music in the car, and i replaced the white bulbs to yellow. The french car determines me to be like a Frenchman. lol...
I had a Citroën with a one spoke steering wheel in the eighties and I liked it. Having one spoke, it hardly obstructed the view at your gauges - and in those pre-airbag times, it allowed the wheel to fold away in an accident rather than hurting the driver. The only drawback was that the horn had to be operated with one of the stalks rather than a button on the wheel as most drivers were used to.
He reviewed a Citroen car like Jeremy’s. Jeremy mentioned the rocker switch indicators and stereo between the seats. Doug mentioned more than those. My favourite would be the gun trigger door latch on the inside.
I had a cx many years ago. It was great until the engine blew up! Absolutely no one wanted to do an engine swap. I ended up doing it myself using a lorry mounted hyhab in the middle of the street. Amazing discovery....depressurising the suspension system incorrectly means a volcanoe of oil shoots 20 feet into the air and comes down like green rain!
Utterly brilliant. When the French think it's time for you to have a new car, they just time the old one to explode. How spectacular is that? Quite, I imagine.
They're constantly doing flat out trial & error, instead of R&D like other countries do. The French just go "merde, faisons-le" and put it out on the road.
Tbh i was half expecting that they would put in a joke where James or Hammond would have Desechantee playing in the radio and they would sing along. xD
Loved this special, had a old Top Gear feel about it, which put a big smile on my face. The flow was perfect and the humour was spot on, not laughed so much watching a GT episode for sometime.
I once had a 2L Citroën hatchback. One day my boss asked me to tag along for an important meeting, but we were to go in my car instead of using his Mercedes with his driver. Anyway, several minutes in the ride, and he commented: "These people don't even give you a radio!" I quietly pulled and flipped up a plain smooth black panel that actually was a cover that concealed the radio/cd player inside. Then I slowly said "i thought you didn't want to listen to the radio" He on the other hand was like, "Ooooohhh... That's nice, even Mercedes doesn't have that!"
Those 'yellow headlights' are actually really good in foggt conditions, in fact far better than white lights as they don't reflect back as much and make the road easier to see. The French were on to something there.
A bit of "éducation" for the three of you: the yellow lights are illegal on the french roads since 1992 and were initially chosen in WWI by the french army to distinguish from the sky friend and foe.
For your latest special to be your maybe best on TGT shows how great the boys are. Was laughing non stop. The Forrest non 4x4 scene was unreal and the roundabout 🤣🤣🤣👏
And sometimes you can get yourself facing the perfect roadsigns dilemma: "every ways" (toutes directions) on one side and "other ways"(autres directions) to the other... Our sweet french oddness at its best
After a dodgy few Grand Tours, the boys are back to form with their French episode! The present Top Gear lot can only dream about making something like this!
If the format is now to go certain countries and have the boys give us their opinions on their cars and car culture in an entertaining manner then this is now closer to a certain show that most consider to be the "Top Gear prototype" aka "Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld". I like it.
The yellow headlights are indeed a bit strange, but at the same time they make almost every car look better. Especially old and French cars. Perfect example for the film, really…
For the radio part, I watched the rigged version first, but it was kinda brilliant I laughed a lot. But watching the original, oh my, those gonna stay rent free in my head
The trios thoughts on the french pop songs: Richard: not even a single word Jeremy: *has un morceau de pain au chocolat tombéed into my stereo again* James: *that was from the country that gave you Debussy and Messiaen*
This trio never cease to made my laugh but the roundabout scene... im having second opinion about that because holding up a traffic is not funny and i've been there with an urgent matter to attend too
Which car do you like the most: Jeremy's, James' or Richard's? 🚗
Obviously Clarkson's there's no match of his genius
True
Jeremy's genius has done it again
Obviously, Clarkson
Definitely the matra murena! 😃😃😃
To be fair, as a french person myself, there's no point stated in this show that I could honestly deny.
I can even go further as not only we have "Toutes Directions (All Directions)" signs, but we also have "Autres Directions (Other Directions)" sings as well.
At least we can't be blamed for One Direction.
Perfect conclusion, thank you for restablishing the truth dear compatriot.
The thing about cars in the roundabout having to give way to the ones coming in is wrong though
@@akaviri5 Not entirely wrong, most of our roundabouts you have to give way there are signs telling you to do so.
But there's a seconde type of roundabouts with not roadsigns or markings on the ground, it's in those that cars already in have to give way, but they are quite uncommon.
I was a driving instructor for a few years it was quite confusing for the students to understand that rule the first time, witch is understandable
The worst thing was that when I was in Brittany, one sign had *both* Toutes Directions and Autres Directions.
That's just ridiculous.
C'est etrange that they didn't mention culs de sacs and dos d'anes but i really liked the rouge vache livery lmao
My mom and sister are not car people but they do appreciate jokes about the French so I showed them this special. They loved it. I thought it was pretty darn good and it reminded me a little of the old Top Gear French episode lol. Maniac
Yobbo
Jeremy, there's a corner coming up here, do take care
Omg, classic episode 😂❤️
If i press this button and hold it.....😂😂
Maniac… maniac… maniac
That CX really is a marvel. 30+ years old and it's still utterly quiet and refined, without any interior squeaks, or nasty knocks. Must have been very well looked after.
Yeah my dad purchased every possible C and G (CX, GS, GSA etc etc etc) when they were 3rd/4th hand owners and so on, they went for like 300-400E at the time so he simply wanted to have fun & try them.
One thing they all had in common vs JDM and other EDM of the same vintage: Those Citroens featured complete silence. That's to mean no squeaks no knocks, just... nothing, could hardly even hear the engine.
Thinking back, and on the cars I've had as well as other cars I've driven, the Cit's has me super impressed.
I'm more of a RWD JDM fan, but I don't mind saying those Cit's were designed, engineered and built well, with care.
This special was really really good. Laughed my bum off when they went offroading. Absolute fantastique and magnefique
Thanks for the spoiler ya weeb
@@luiginocharles9990 "they went offroading" thats not a spoiler you yobbo
Ah merci beaucoup!
@@luiginocharles9990 dont read the comments of you haven't seen it you weeb
@@luiginocharles9990 I can only imagine your recurring disappointment when watching the old Top Gear's intros.
_"Tonight,_ I point at some fields; Richard wears a hat; and James says "Hello".
Hammonds look when listening to French music is PRICELESS
"Good lord, I'm probably going to crash."
2:05 man i lost it lol...Poor James. wth is this song ? Best GT special by far.
This episode is the perfect formula for them in the upcoming specials as long as they wanna keep doing these. It's not just about the cars, but the culture of that country that they're currently in or where the cars are originating. Sort of half documentary, half TV entertainment. And yes, this definitely had some hints of going back to the Top Gear-like presentation. I also liked the fact that they laughed together, that's one of the key things why people love watching these fellas.
It was forced like all GT episodes. Turned off after ten minutes
God, what is it with modern versions of British shows and petulant folk bitching about them? xD
In conclusion, the old Top Gear style
And the French are still fair game, as nobody likes the French.
The dry delivery of “there you go, that was from the country that gave you Debussy and Messiaen” was perfect. This trio is so good when they’re not just piling on scripted, contrived car breakdowns and explosions. Let em be smart AND funny
I was hoping for some Alizee on the radio
1:50 Honestly this moment is comedy gold. It even had its own foreshadowing!
The music 👍 the face 👍 the pain au chocolat 👍
Crumbs on the suit!
That "wait... what was that?" look, lol
@@thegrandtour You know you angered half of the France using the name Chocolatine instead of Pain au chocolat? :D
@@thegrandtour Even we, the French, hate this dumb rule !
My Dad once took the engine out of a Renault 4 (front engined car) and put it in a Renault Dauphine (rear engined car). Everything went great until he started it up and realised he had 4 reverse gears and 1 forward. He then spent the next few days re-timing the engine to rotate in the other direction.
Should've just turned the engine round 😉
@@Garethprice1979 would have been quite hard to change gear though with the stick poking out of the rear bumper
@@MLB9000 only challenges, no problems
thats really funny, ive done something similar before
I am not a car guy and I always wanted to understand why would people do that?!
This is One of The Best GT episodes ever made - couldn't stop gigling like child for most of the time
1:57 “Is that how it’s supposed to be or has ún morséau dú pan aú chocolá tombeyed into my stereo again?” 😂💀
The music when it came to Jeremy for the French music had me in stitches and tears of laughter
Im French and is the first time i hear that, is not famous French music and i never hear on national Radio.
@@vincent9429 They deliberately chose obscure tunes and they played them off cassette tapes.
@@BBC600 top gear chose very well ugly French song .
This was a brilliant film and at the end I was just sad it was over.
Feels nice to see that the boys still got it.
Kinda nostalgic to see Jeremy driving that Citroën. He made a campervan out of that in that show he did before Grand Tour. Whatever it was called... Top Wheel or something idk
Bottom gear?
Stop Here?
Gear knobs?
Fool, I think the show went by "Over Gear"
I think it was top cog
Jeremy's "Wait, the crap was that?!" look at 1:53 kills me every time! XD LOL!
Face that speaks 1000 words lol
French song from 70-80
This was BY FAR the best special GT have done. It was HILARIOUS, and actually really interesting with some of the wacky French laws and rules 😂absolutely brilliant.
I still think Mongolia was their best overall special. The trio were definitely on point comedically in this one though.
I wouldn't say the best, but definitely one of the better ones. The comparatively short duration also helped, in my opinion. Some of the other specials sometimes felt a bit stretched in comparison.
It was terrible
@@trumpstinyhands Oh no! Anyway...
@@benn87 lol each to their own admittedly this and lochdown are the only ones I haven't loved
Jeremy’s, that suspension would be sublime on our Canadian roads
Even the Caribbean, the roads where I am is seriously bad
No french brands even in Quebec?
@@GloomGaiGar non.
No wonder Greeks loved French cars, our roads are uNcomFurtAble....tres horrible...nasty...fabrique playdoh.
But with magic carpet suspension, none the wiser.
I remember certain cars looked way better with yellow headlights. Some BMW models just came alive with them. And there was a scientific argument for yellow. With yellow headlights you see less color differentiation (which doesn't really matter in the dark) but your eyes perceive much higher contrast which is safer when driving in the dark. Also the headlights themselves were often white and the bulbs inside were yellow. It looked real cool on many cars.
I have seen a Citroën XM a few months back. That is a gorgeous car already but it had yellow headlights, which made it look even better!
And a good amount of modern cars look more fantastic with yellow lights as well! BMWs, Aston Martins, Porsches…
I did not know about the benefits by the way, but it makes a lot of sense! Thank you! ^^
1st song: Bézu - Le Tortillard
2nd song: Cindy - Danse
I don't know the 3rd one.
1:49 Jeremy's faces are killing me. 🤣
Have u got a link to the second song
the third song! its a new internet mystery absolutely no mention or anything of the song anywhere!
@@VUXofficial Yes, the quest for the third song. Someone should ask Reddit.
The third one : Brigitte Fontaine...?
@@xxdjnanixx3572you will find thé link with shazam. Its very rare song, so that was thé only way
Old Citroëns will always amaze me. DS, SM, CX. They were one of a kind.
New Citroëns also amaze me, I'm like "How could they fall low ?"
i'm hungarian, but i have a 607 Peugeot. In a weird way, sometimes i listening french music in the car, and i replaced the white bulbs to yellow. The french car determines me to be like a Frenchman. lol...
it is taking over your own cognitive functions
To be fair Jeremy’s Citroen with the block of flats was pretty interesting lol
I LOVED that rather cheeky reference
"Everything is that way, just go away.." 🤣🤣 France you guys rock! Love from SA.
This episode was so brilliant. I loved it so much. Comedic punches are so accurate, to me this is one of the best episodes of grande tournée.
I had a Citroën with a one spoke steering wheel in the eighties and I liked it.
Having one spoke, it hardly obstructed the view at your gauges - and in those pre-airbag times, it allowed the wheel to fold away in an accident rather than hurting the driver.
The only drawback was that the horn had to be operated with one of the stalks rather than a button on the wheel as most drivers were used to.
Odd innovations definitely make the cars more memorable. Even if it's bloodymindedness
These three have done more to sell French cars in this episode than French car makers have done in their entirety.
I hope Doug DeMuro watched this special, the amount of quirks and features is off the charts!
He reviewed a Citroen car like Jeremy’s. Jeremy mentioned the rocker switch indicators and stereo between the seats. Doug mentioned more than those. My favourite would be the gun trigger door latch on the inside.
Jeremy's -> superior suspension and the chocolade treat container, in which you can even put cassetes (not sure for what reason, but it's a feature).
Hahaha that container thing is made by blaupunkt, okay! Been awhile since I last saw that brand featured inside a car...
I loved the heap of crumbs on his cardigan 🤣🤣
I had a cx many years ago.
It was great until the engine blew up!
Absolutely no one wanted to do an engine swap.
I ended up doing it myself using a lorry mounted hyhab in the middle of the street.
Amazing discovery....depressurising the suspension system incorrectly means a volcanoe of oil shoots 20 feet into the air and comes down like green rain!
Utterly brilliant. When the French think it's time for you to have a new car, they just time the old one to explode. How spectacular is that? Quite, I imagine.
1:11 Couldn't have said it better. Innovation is all about trying new things, even if many of those new things end up not working.
They're constantly doing flat out trial & error, instead of R&D like other countries do. The French just go "merde, faisons-le" and put it out on the road.
Finally a return to form. This was a truly spectacular and entertaining special. More of this.
They find the 3 worst french songs ever 🤣
The only french songs
Tbh i was half expecting that they would put in a joke where James or Hammond would have Desechantee playing in the radio and they would sing along. xD
The yellow headlights are better, they just are, less blinding and easier to see with.
Yeah because every country in the world use yellow headlights on their cars...
@@AdamTheMan1993 They did.
Diving the French cars uphill segment... I was laughing so hard I had bloody tears in my eyes. Brilliant.
What a brilliant episode this was !I'm French and nothing makes me happier than watching those three mock us !
Loved this special, had a old Top Gear feel about it, which put a big smile on my face. The flow was perfect and the humour was spot on, not laughed so much watching a GT episode for sometime.
So happy to see the trio back to what made them so great all those years ago :)
Did anyone else think for a moment, upon seeing James’s Avantine, that they’d borrowed the Top Gear “guys improve the lap time” Avantine?
And Jeremy's was the block of flats in their dyi campervan challenge
@@GloomGaiGar That Citroën is smashed to bits because Hammond and May pushed it off a cliff in Cornwall 🤣
Best special from the GT in my opinion, classic just fun laughs and cars, what we all love from the boys.
This special was as good as always and bloody hilarious
That citroen driven by Jeremy looks kind of wrong without the 3 storey building from old TopGear campervan challenge on top of it 😂
I've always liked that french engineering is so unique & particular. It makes one forgive the things that perhaps don't work as well.
I absolutely adore the old Twingo, its just such a cool lil car
I LOVE MY PEUGOET 406V6. FANTASTIC. THANKS FROM NEWZEALAND 😊
I had several Citroën CX's, great cars.
I once had a 2L Citroën hatchback. One day my boss asked me to tag along for an important meeting, but we were to go in my car instead of using his Mercedes with his driver. Anyway, several minutes in the ride, and he commented: "These people don't even give you a radio!"
I quietly pulled and flipped up a plain smooth black panel that actually was a cover that concealed the radio/cd player inside. Then I slowly said "i thought you didn't want to listen to the radio"
He on the other hand was like, "Ooooohhh... That's nice, even Mercedes doesn't have that!"
My dad had a Citroën BX when i was growing up the suspension always amazed me as a kid
The BX is the most underevaluated classic.
Those 'yellow headlights' are actually really good in foggt conditions, in fact far better than white lights as they don't reflect back as much and make the road easier to see.
The French were on to something there.
After being constantly blinded by the blueish HID and LED headlights that are so common on new cars these day I'm inclined agree with the French.
A bit of "éducation" for the three of you: the yellow lights are illegal on the french roads since 1992 and were initially chosen in WWI by the french army to distinguish from the sky friend and foe.
Ty.
Illegal?? I'm pretty much sure old cars still have them
For your latest special to be your maybe best on TGT shows how great the boys are. Was laughing non stop. The Forrest non 4x4 scene was unreal and the roundabout 🤣🤣🤣👏
I LOVED this episode!!
Merci les gars!
And sometimes you can get yourself facing the perfect roadsigns dilemma: "every ways" (toutes directions) on one side and "other ways"(autres directions) to the other...
Our sweet french oddness at its best
The French never hesitate to overcomplicate simplicity, don't they? 😂
2:15 "There you go. That was from the country that gave you Debussy and Messiaen."
1:41 Encouraging/promoting French music in France makes total sense.
This special was 💯. I'll remember James trying to close that boot lid on my deathbed lol-ing
J'adore quand ils se foutent de notre gueule 😁😁😁😁... au niveau musique , c'est pas piquer des hannetons .
The yellow headlights for French cars were introduced during the occupation to easily distinguish by night German cars from French cars.
Always liked the CX, something nice about it.
After a dodgy few Grand Tours, the boys are back to form with their French episode! The present Top Gear lot can only dream about making something like this!
So funny. What are the crazy French songs called?!
Amazing episode ❤️
Look at all the crumbs on his shirt at 2:04 lmfao!!! Don;t know why but it's funnier than it should be lolol
1:49 this song is so catchy i’ve not been able to stop thinking about it
*I LOVE FRENCH CARS* I want a Citroen Ami - for no good reason, I just think they are brilliant...
If the format is now to go certain countries and have the boys give us their opinions on their cars and car culture in an entertaining manner then this is now closer to a certain show that most consider to be the "Top Gear prototype" aka "Jeremy Clarkson's Motorworld".
I like it.
Apparently they didn't even go to France for this series.....
The yellow headlights are indeed a bit strange, but at the same time they make almost every car look better. Especially old and French cars.
Perfect example for the film, really…
1:56 Blaupunkt.... German stero in French cars...🤣
Super video 👍👍👍
Jeremy and James both have cars that point back to their time on a specific BBC show
May in that iconic Aventine....brings back memories
French design is recalcitrance incarnate, and God bless them for it
I love their all cars oh and i really loved the French pop radio it was brilliant!
Never forget my in built Renault sat nav...didn't recognise any routes or roads but announced "Destination reached " when I eventually arrived??
I enjoyed the first half of this episode.
I love the french cars. They also make the best looking women on earth!
I am french and I had never heard those songs x)
And now I want to see this special one more time
Contention to be on the top 3 amusing episodes the trio ever produced
Isn't that the same car that Jeremy had on TG when they did the campervan challenge?
Yes. Hence the joke at the start
I remember when they did the Espace on Top Gear trying to make it go faster than an Evo X 300HP
For the radio part, I watched the rigged version first, but it was kinda brilliant I laughed a lot. But watching the original, oh my, those gonna stay rent free in my head
"Is that how it's supposed to be, or has une morceau de pain au chocolat tombé'd into my stereo again?"
In italy we have that sign too that says "tutte le direzioni". It's so useless... most of the times it makes you go the wrong way
The best of the best!
Does anyone know the background music between 0:35 and 1:03? Very curious 😄
Would like to know this myself
The trios thoughts on the french pop songs:
Richard: not even a single word
Jeremy: *has un morceau de pain au chocolat tombéed into my stereo again*
James: *that was from the country that gave you Debussy and Messiaen*
Love the Messiaen reference!
The steering wheel and wiper are pretty good and i wish more cars adapted that.
This almost 3 min vid will get more views than a top gear episode currently lol
The headlight were made yellow to avoid blinding the opposite car at night on a poorly lit country road.
I think this episode was the only time I heard of Kamchatka on TV
Shout out from Tomsk to my eastern bros ;)
This trio never cease to made my laugh but the roundabout scene... im having second opinion about that because holding up a traffic is not funny and i've been there with an urgent matter to attend too
ill need some more grand tour or clarkson's farm cause i've binged em all already ... twice..
Can anyone please tell me the song names Jeremy and James were listening too?
“Kamchatka peninsula” 😂😂😂
Funnily enough my 1979 Lincoln had the washer right in the windshield wiper arm.
I had a late 90s Oldsmobile with the same, if I remember correctly.