Jeremy Clarkson, 65, breaks silence on huge Clarkson’s Farm U-turn as he concedes ‘I took a big financial hit’
Jeremy Clarkson, 65, has spoken publicly for the first time about his decision to U-turn on his new tractor – despite spending an episode of the latest series lauding the new addition to Diddly Squat.
The former Grand Tour host decided to sell the £85,000 Lamborghini tractor at an auction in Cambridgeshire, just months after buying the vehicle and just days after it appeared in his Amazon Prime Video series.
The 65-year-old offloaded the green tractor at Cheffins auction house in Sutton, near Ely, on Monday, June 9, telling attendees that he decided to sell the vehicle due to numerous electrical issues.
The issues had become apparent even in the brief appearance the tractor made in the newly released fourth season of Clarkson’s Farm, with both land agent Charlie Ireland and farm manager Kaleb Cooper accosting Clarkson for the purchase.
It’s not known exactly how much Clarkson managed to rake in for the sale of the vehicle, but judging by a recent social media update, it didn’t come close to the original £85,000 purchase price.
Taking to X, Clarkson was quizzed by a shocked fan who expressed their surprise at the U-turn on the vehicle so soon after getting the keys.
“@JeremyClarkson You had to let the beast go? No way?! Dude, what happened?” they put to the former Top Gear star.
Clarkson began: “I’m starting to understand that when it comes to farming, you have to be sensible.
“Took a big financial hit on that tractor as well,” he conceded in the post.
It’s believed Clarkson had reverted to his other Lamborghini tractor that featured prominently in the earlier seasons of Clarkson’s Farm.
The decision to get rid of the vehicle isn’t the only bit of backtracking Clarkson has had to do recently following the purchase of his very own pub in the Cotswolds.
During the fourth season of Clarkson’s Farm, fans got particularly irate about pub consultants Sue and Rachel Hawkins and their financial demands on Clarkson to try and get The Farmer’s Dog pub up and running.
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The two came under fire for supposed “condescending” and “unprofessional” clashes with Clarkson, regularly putting pressure on him to commit to costly changes and additions to the Cotswolds establishment.
Despite the pair having spent a career turning rundown pubs into thriving businesses, Clarkson had to turn down their requests a number of times, most notably with the £40,000 “jumbrellas” that the duo wanted to adorn the decking.
Earlier this week, almost a year on from the “disaster” opening weekend that ultimately resulted in Sue and Rachel walking away from their roles, Clarkson conceded they “had a point” about the “jumbrellas” and has now had them installed at The Farmer’s Dog.
“Turns out Sue and Rachel had a point. @thefarmersdogpub did need big umbrellas after all!!” Clarkson penned on Instagram alongside a snap of the “jumbrellas”.
The decision certainly caught the eye of the Clarkson’s Farm fandom, and even led to a rather sarcastic celebratory post from Rachel as well.
After being snubbed by Clarkson and facing a flood of backlash from viewers for their clashes with Clarkson, Rachel took to Instagram to share the news of the “jumbrella’s” installation.
“AND BEHOLD..” Rachel began on the social media site. “The EXACT 40k umbrellas that have been the topic of so much discussion.”
She included a laughing emoji before continuing: “Not blocking the view & providing a year-round weather solution with heating & lighting in order that 75 guests can dine comfortably on the terrace all year round…
“Seems like 40k well spent? (Just 10 months, 2 stretch tents & 30 sun brollies later… [laughing emoji]),” she signed off. (sic)
The Farmer’s Dog remains open and has managed to turn its fortunes around following a “disaster” opening weekend.
With a fifth season of Clarkson’s Farm currently filming, fans will be able to witness how the Grand Tour star adapts to being a pub owner in the long run.
And thanks to a subliminal snap in the fourth season’s finale that some deemed to be an “editing error”, the next season promises to touch upon some rather drastic political measures that have impacted the agricultural world since the cameras on series four stopped rolling.