Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that guests at Kaleb Cooper's wedding mistook his striking Peugeot for an Alfa Romeo. The Clarkson's Farm star drove the metallic red car to the event and found that it caused confusion among attendees.
A Surprising Choice for the Wedding
Writing in his Sunday Times motoring column, Jeremy disclosed that he had been given the keys to a 1.2-litre Peugeot 408 GT Premium Hybrid 145 e-DSC6 to review. However, for a 50-mile journey in the sunshine, he opted for an open-top Jaguar F-Type, describing the drive through the countryside as "all very perfect" until he neared the show.
He encountered fellow garden enthusiasts heading to the event and was unimpressed with their driving, labelling them "woefully slow" and "unbelievably timid", noting they would refuse to overtake cyclists on wide, straight roads.
The Peugeot's Moment in the Spotlight
The Peugeot eventually got its moment when Jeremy drove it to Kaleb's wedding. He wrote: "I took it to Kaleb's wedding one day and people there mistook it for an Alfa Romeo." The star joked that the car would be equally at home at a "beetle drive" or a Jägerbomb-filled night out, quipping: "This, then, would sit at a beetle drive as comfortably as a Jägerbomb."
Jeremy was initially taken aback by the car's looks, admitting the model was "glorious but slightly scary" before conceding: "And, whisper this, it was quite attractive too." However, his praise stopped at the exterior. He declared the steering wheel was "the size of a shirt button" and positioned so drivers couldn't see the fuel reading or speed properly. A sizeable screen also failed to win him over, with Jeremy branding the cabin bewildering. His partner Lisa dubbed it a "Lego car".
Blunt Verdict
Despite acknowledging the Peugeot was significantly more affordable than the model it replaces, Jeremy was brutally frank about its performance, labelling the car "Slow, uninspiring and dreary". His final verdict was withering: "If you would like a 1.2-litre Peugeot 408 GT Premium Hybrid 145 e-DSC6, then buy one. If you wouldn't, don't?"
This follows Jeremy's revelation that he once pitched the concept for Clarkson's Farm to the BBC, only to be turned down. In his column for The Sun, he reflected on the BBC's decision to relocate productions to Salford in 2011. He explained: "When I pitched the idea of doing a farming show to a BBC commissioner way back when, he only had one question about it: 'Where would it be produced?' I told him London, and he said, 'Well, we don't want it then'."
