The Top 5 Most Expensive Cars Owned By James May
James May, the co-host of "The Grand Tour," is a renowned car enthusiast and journalist. He resigned from "Top Gear" in 2015, alongside Richard Hammond, after the BBC fired Jeremy Clarkson. The three British presenters later signed a deal with Amazon Prime to produce "The Grand Tour" — an automotive TV show similar to "Top Gear."
Apart from hosting "The Grand Tour," James May has starred in other series produced by Amazon Prime while touring in Japan and Italy. James May's co-hosts also got the same deal with Amazon Prime — Jeremy featured in "Clarkson's Farm," and Hammond starred in "The Great Escapists." At the moment, it's unclear if May and Hammond will continue starring in Amazon Prime shows after it was reported that Amazon is cutting ties with Jeremy Clarkson.
However, James May occasionally appears on the DriveTribe YouTube channel to tell exciting stories about his car collection. Here are the top five most expensive cars owned by James May.
Ferrari 458 Speciale
James May showed off a bright orange Ferrari 458 Speciale in a DriveTribe YouTube interview. He bought the bespoke supercar in 2015 for £208,090, equivalent to almost $250,000 at the current exchange rate. It's a V8-engine Ferrari that can produce 605 horsepower at 9000 RPM (via Ferrari). It can also achieve a top speed of 200 miles per hour and accelerate from 0 to 60 in about 3 seconds.
James May probably wouldn't have owned the 458 Speciale if he didn't convince Ferrari to sell it to him. "I rang my dealer — and I use that expression deliberately, because we are talking about a drug of sorts here. No chance, because the order books for the 458 Speciale were now closed. But then he rang the factory, which agreed to make one more — for me. Imagine that," James May disclosed in his Sunday Times article published in 2015.
How much does it cost? According to Classic, if James May were to sell it right now, it would probably fetch almost $500,000.
Porsche 911 997 Carrera S
James May also owns a white 2010 Porsche 911 997 Carrera S valued at about $67,195 (via Classic). Interestingly, the 2010 Porsche 911 997 Carrera S has depreciated since it was sold for $88,800 when it was a new model almost 13 years ago. Its 3.8-liter engine can deliver 385 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque (via Carbuzz).
"You can spend all day walking around this car if you like. You wouldn't find a single thing, not even a dust cap, that is not OEM," May says. In another YouTube video, May said he was considering selling his Porsche 911 997 Carrera S because it was "getting a bit older" — this was after driving it 28,217 miles.
According to James May, the car is "old fashioned" because it doesn't have the latest tech features such as parking radar, reversing camera, steering wheel buttons, and adaptive cruise control. However, James May didn't sell it because his wife liked it.
Alpine A110
After James May drove the Alpine A110 on "The Grand Tour," he bought one for himself. It can produce 248 horsepower and accelerate from 0 to 60 in 4.5 seconds. In his review published in The Sunday Times, May said the Alpine A110 is shorter, narrower, and lighter than his Ferrari 458 Speciale. The Ferrari has better performance, of course, but the Alpine can hold its own, especially for its size and price tag.
"This is exactly the experience of driving a McLaren or a Lamborghini. It's just been reduced by about 25 percent on a photocopier," May said about the Alpine A110 on DriveTribe. May thinks the Alpine A110 is more of a "downsized supercar" than a sports car. It's also cheaper than a Ferrari or a Lamborghini since the price tag was around $56,000 four years ago in the U.K. Unfortunately, the Alpine A110 is unavailable to purchase in the United States.
Tesla Model S 100D
In 2019, James May unveiled his Tesla Model S 100D on DriveTribe's YouTube channel. It's an all-wheel drive Tesla with a 100-kWh battery that can drive almost 335 miles on a full charge. The starting price for the Tesla Model S 100 D was $94,000 — but if you're buying the latest trim with dual motors right now, you can expect to spend almost $100,000.
Everything was fine with James May's Tesla Model S until he stowed it for a while and the starter battery depleted. This usually happens when the electric vehicle's main battery charges to 100% and disconnects leaving the smaller battery with no topping charge. To fix it, James May recommends connecting a trickle charger directly to the 12V battery if you're not driving your Tesla for a while. "Otherwise, to charge the battery, you have to dismantle the car. It was about an hour's work," May said.
Toyota Mirai
Apart from the Tesla, James May owns another zero-emission vehicle — a 2021 Toyota Mirai Limited that runs on hydrogen. This was after he upgraded from a 2019 model of the same car. The manufacturer's driving range for the 2021 Toyota Mirai is 402 miles if you're driving the XLE trim. But if you're driving the Limited trim, you can expect to travel 357 miles on a full tank. Then again, it's possible to exceed expectations considering that the 2021 Toyota Mirai holds the Guinness World Record for the most extended range covered by a hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle after driving 845 miles without topping up the fuel.
If you're buying the Toyota Mirai Limited trim like May, it will cost you at least $66,000. On the other hand, the XLE trim is cheaper at a starting price of $49,500. Despite the significant price difference, both trims have 182 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque.
Another cool thing about the Toyota Mirai is that it can purify the air. As James May put it, "the car has an air purification system. It cleans the air before it goes into the fuel cell system....if I drive along behind a stinky old diesel bus or something like that, I'm actually improving that car's emission."