In his line as an automotive journalist and a celebrity host, Richard Hammond has owned several cars in the past. The least tall of the Grand Tour trio has a huge appetite for classic cars, so it's understandable if the list of cars he's owned before includes many old ones.
Unlike the collection of cars he sold before, there's one particular one that Hammond has admitted to regretting selling – the Jaguar XJR, specifically a black one from 1999. Powered by a supercharged 4.0-liter V8 and comes in a tasteful exterior package, we understand why Hammond adores this British sedan.
Gallery: Richard Hammond Car Collection For Sale
According to him, it was sold to him by Top Gear writer Richard Porter. He owned it for several years but sold it because he ran out of space – which turned out to be an instant regret.
Thankfully, that particular Jaguar XJR came up for sale through one dealer dubbed Absolute Classic Cars. It was even advertised as Hammond's old car, and only had one owner after the celebrity car host, so just imagine the situation the dealer was in when Hammond called to actually buy the car.
The video above captured Hammond's reaction as he reconnected with his old car. You could totally see his face as memories came rushing back in as he sat on the driver's seat.
After driving away, Hammond immediately brought the Jaguar XJR back to the Smallest Cog and set out to start the restoration work on the sedan. He wanted it back to its pristine and crisp condition, though notably the car only had a few blemishes despite living for over 20 years. That restoration work wouldn't be hard at all.
That's yet to be seen in the coming weeks or months but yes, we're actually excited to witness the final work done on this XJR. It's a thing of beauty, to say the least, and congratulations to Hammond for getting it back.
