With the latest ‘The Grand Tour’ episode premiering today on Amazon Prime, we got a chance to shine a spotlight on the Polaris RZR, the car used by the crew to film the Madagascar special.
Modified by CT Motors, which is the official Polaris distributor locally, with a poly roof, secure cargo boxes, LED light bars, windscreen and larger 15-inch wheels, accompanied by a spare, this camera car had over £200,000 (~$270,000) worth of equipment rigged to it.
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Subsequent to being prepped for the journey, the RZR was tested in Antananarivo and was then taken on an 8-hour journey across Toamasina, to the start of route RN5. The 240-km (149-mile) road, regarded as one of the most dangerous in the world, runs alongside the Indian Ocean and includes river crossings, deep sand, slippery red clay, steep gradients and rocks.
“With its combination of mud, rocks, sand, steep gradients and continual flooding, the RN5 is the most challenging road I’ve ever driven on,” said The Grand Tour’s series director, Phil Churchward. “Quickly realizing that a normal 4X4 wouldn’t work – no matter how trick the suspension – we chose the Polaris RZR.”
Warning: Spoilers Below
The Grand Tour’s Series 4, Episode 2, which is named ‘A Massive Hunt’, follows Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond as they search for a real pirate treasure, once owned Olivier Levasseur, nicknamed ‘La Buse’ (‘The Buzzard’), a French pirate born in the late 17th century. The journey starts on Reunion Island, in the Indian Ocean, and then moves to Madagascar.
An old Bentley Continental GT was chosen by Jezza for the trip, whereas The Hamster went for a Ford Focus RS and Captain Slow sat in the driver’s seat of a Caterham. As you can imagine, all three vehicles were heavily modified, with the most extreme part, a set of tracks, being received by Hammond’s hot hatch.
