Jeremy Clarkson shares real reason for subdued The Grand Tour ending as fans 'weep' over handshake farewell

But in the final moments of One for the Road, the trio's last-ever special, the three men drove to the iconic Kubu Island in Botswana to bid farewell to the show.

All three delivered heartfelt messages to the camera when inside their respective cars, thanking fans for their support over the years and branding their time working together as a privilege - prompting viewers from around the globe to admit they were left "weeping" at the scenes.

When they arrived at Kubu Island, the trio recreated the walk they embarked on in their first-ever Top Gear special 17 years ago as they made their way to the same tree they visited many years ago.

Drone cameras captured the three men standing soaking in the scenery but rather than any of the three delivering a grand farewell speech or planting emotional hugs on one another, Clarkson simply unplugged his microphone and they all shook hands.

"That's it," Hammond remarked as Clarkson unscrewed his microphone from its pack before he reached his hand out to both his co-stars.

My Sweet Lord by George Harrison played out over the footage as the three men applauded the production crew around them and members of the team congregated to mark the end of filming.

The ending was a diversion from the usual manner in which Clarkson typically ends each Grand Tour special but taking to Instagram, he recently told a fan exactly why he did so.

In response to an Instagram post shared by Clarkson of a photo of the car he was reunited with from the Top Gear special 17 years ago, one fan said of the ending: "Loved how there was no profound speech at the end. Just proper stiff upper lip, REAL MANLY MEN stuff!"

Delving into the thinking behind the move, Clarkson replied: "We just didn’t want to do anything American."

The comment struck a humorous cord with his followers, with several replying with laughing emojis and applauding the 64-year-old for his reasoning.

The decision to go out without a literal bang was always the plan for Clarkson, May and Hammond's send-off.

Producer Andy Wilman told Amazon before the special's release: "This show is deliberately gentle because it's about them, and I think we wanted to close the circle.

"When we’ve done things like cars racing down runways and driving onto huge planes, there’s the pressure of, 'What next?'. We didn’t want any pressure on this one.

"Like I said before, no Avengers: Endgame. The ending is quite something, from the moment they start saying their goodbyes to when they've got into Botswana."

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Clarkson echoed Wilman's remarks: "I didn't want anything big at the end. I didn’t want that 'Michael Bay' thing of - let's have some jet fighters crashing into you – no, just end it.

"Just pull the plug out and move on. I think what Andy’s created is really, really good. You’ve got to care about the fact that we’re not doing this anymore, and he’s done that."

And Hammond was full of praise for the way the show came to a close, saying: "It’s moving. It’s Wilman’s ability to weirdly not overdo it.

"You wouldn’t think it possible from the loud, crass idiots we’ve been over the years, which was our stock in trade, but he’s temporarily made us very measured, and as a result, it’s fabulously done."