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Chances are that if you’re reading this you’re a fan of The Grand Tour, which means you’re aware that the trio’s show on Amazon is currently on Season 3, and it finally feels like it’s gotten its groove back. One particular episode in the season features a trip through the European country of Georgia, which randomly features an unexpected guest: a street drifter in an E46 BMW.
During episode 11, the boys find themselves with three separate Grand Tourers; Clarkson in an Aston Martin DBS Superleggera, Hammond in a Bentley Continental GT, and May driving the brand new BMW 8 Series. Partway through the film, while making their way from Georgia to Azerbaijan, the BMW appears spitting flames from its hood-mounted dump exhaust and making all kinds of great turbo noises.
That’s where Akaki Khmaladze, a Georgian drifter who just happened to run into the film set of The Grand Tour while out for a drive. Khmaladze posted a video to YouTube last month to describe the experience, letting the world know some behind-the-scenes details of just how the car made it onto the show.
But that’s not all, there’s also some in-car footage on the drifter’s YouTube channel of him having a bit of fun with the stars. In fact, he manages to muster up some rare footage of James May being a “hotboi” in the streets. In the words of Khmaladze:
“James May want some race. So, I gave him race.”
And in case that wasn’t enough, Khmaladze also posted a few more photos on Instagram of the stars and their crew.
As a fan of old, turbocharged BMWs, watching Khmaladze enjoy his car and humbly speak about the experience gives off a certain positive vibe for the car community. These kinds of experiences are once in a lifetime, and not only am I excited that Khmaladze had this opportunity for himself, I’m also happy that he gave the internet the chance to live vicariously through him.
Today also happens to be the release day of the Season 3 season finale, so if you haven’t watched any episodes yet, it’s time to binge.
