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This particular car that Hammond bought was full of good memories for the automotive journalist, and it was actually a daily for a while.

We all know and love Richard Hammond. The Top Gear and The Grand Tour host has been on our screens for the best part of at least 20 years now, and of course he has other ventures. Not only does he have his own workshop, The Smallest Cog, but he is also one of the main faces of the DriveTribe YouTube channel along with James May, sometimes Jeremy Clarkson, and of course main man Mike Fernie. This latest DriveTribe video is a bit special too where Hammond reconnects with an old Jaguar.

Many of us have cars that we regret selling in the past. Maybe that’s our first car. Maybe it’s a car we had that soon became a classic. Or simply a car that we loved and miss dearly. Well, Hammond is one of those people, and this video from DriveTribe featuring Fernie too sees the two go and collect a car that Hammond actually used to own, and that he has now bought it back. This is the one car that Hammond really regrets selling, but things are about to change for the better.

Hammond bought the car originally from Richard Porter. He is the Top Gear and The Grand Tour scriptwriter who is also famous as Sniff Petrol and one half of the Smith and Sniff podcast with Jonny Smith of The Late Brake Show. This particular car that Hammond bought was full of good memories for the automotive journalist, and it was actually a daily for Hammond for quite a while. He instantly regretted selling it, and Porter actually sent Hammond a text recently to tell him that their old car was for sale. It was being sold by a dealer, and advertised as an ex-Richard Hammond car.

Hammond rang the dealer to say if he still had it, he did, and Hammond said “you are going to laugh…but I am Richard!” and he was able to get the car back without a premium too, as he did already own it. Hammond owned it throughout the Top Gear era, it is a 1999 model, and he owned it throughout the mid-2000s. Fernie and Hammond compare this to a bit of a rom-com and the car has come full circle. We arrive at the location, and the car is a 1999 Jaguar XJR. And it is absolutely stunning.

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Amazingly, the Jaguar has only had one owner since Hammond, and the looks to be in very good condition, so clearly it was looked after once Hammond sold it. The joy and delight on Hammond’s face when he steps back into it is so delightful. Hammond loves it as it is a pure Jaguar, with plenty of waste of space, yet it isn’t actually that big inside the car. It's from a time when Jaguars were quite lean, and it fits in with Hammond perfectly who owns a few Jaguars, including an E-Type.

Hammond says there is a bit of pretension to a Jaguar, but when they get it right, they deliver, and this is a car Hammond thinks they really delivered on. It has 67,758 miles on the clock which really is not a lot for a car from 1999. Fernie manages to speak to the dealer, Mark, as well about the car, which was sold at Absolute Classic Cars which Mark owns. It was quite surreal for Mark to answer the phone to Hammond and to find out he wanted to buy the car back. Luckily, Hammond had spoken to Mark a few years previous, so he knew exactly what he sounded like.

Hammond is delighted to have the car back in his life, and we are treated to the sight of Hammond driving his XJR behind Fernie who drives the DriveTribe Dodge Challenger back home. Hammond can’t quite understand why he sold the car in the first place, and speaks about how it is still quite a quick car with a 0-60 of just over 5 seconds. After a lovely drive home, the car goes to The Smallest Cog to see what it's like underneath.

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Neil, Hammond's main mechanic at the workshop, thinks it is in pretty good shape still, and is quite impressed initially with the car. Onto the lift it goes, and other than the expected rust, it looks pretty darn good underneath. In terms of mods what Hammond wants to do, a stainless steel exhaust system and painted brake calipers are the extent of what Hammond wants to do. Red might be the color for those, and Hammond is also going to refurbish the wheels as there are some curbside scrapes on them. A bit of paint touching up might be required too, and we can’t wait to see what this car will look like when its refurbishment is finished.

Covering anything from JDM cars to classic jets. Contributed to HotCars since the Autumn of 2018. Writes features, news and list articles.