The Grand Tour Trio Raised A Bunch Of Money

It’s well known that the old Top Gear crew, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May will be making a ton of money under Amazon Prime. The Grand Tour brand has not aired a single episode but the draw of the three old British men is so powerful that Amazon couldn’t pass this opportunity up.

Now there’s more proof that Amazon made the right decision as the trio was capable of raising $5.5 million for their website, Drivetribe, from a bunch of investors like Breyer Capital, Atomico, and others.

Drivetribe is a website designed as a digital media platform for car enthusiasts. The website has been structured into different ‘tribes’, representing different cars, demographics, lifestyles, etc. Each of the ‘tribes’ will be hosted by content creators like bloggers, videographers, and writers, which will also include Clarkson, Hammond, and May. The website will then use their own algorithm to specially curate content to each of their readers.

Here’s what Drivetribe is according to Clarkson, Hammond, and May:

“GAMERS HAVE GOT TWITCH, TRAVELLERS HAVE GOT TRIP ADVISOR AND FASHION FANS HAVE GOT, OH, SOMETHING OR OTHER TOO. BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE INTO CARS HAVE GOT NOWHERE. THERE’S NO GRAND-SCALE ONLINE MOTORING COMMUNITY WHERE PEOPLE CAN MEET AND SHARE VIDEO, COMMENTS, INFORMATION AND OPINION. DRIVETRIBE WILL CHANGE THAT. AND THEN SOME.” – Richard Hammond

“THIS IS PURE DIGITAL INCLUSIVITY. SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST ENDANGERED TRIBES – VOLVO ENTHUSIASTS, FOR EXAMPLE – WILL NOW HAVE A VOICE AS LOUD AS EVERYONE ELSE’S.” – James May

“I DIDN’T UNDERSTAND DRIVETRIBE UNTIL RICHARD HAMMOND SAID IT WAS LIKE YOUPORN, ONLY WITH CARS.” – Jeremy Clarkson

The old Top Gear trio have partnered up with their former Top Gear executive producer, Andy Wilman, alongside with tech entrepreneur, Ernesto Schmitt, to produce the new website. According to Schmitt: “What we are looking to do is build a next-generation vertical that is dedicated to motoring, and that really combines content, social and commerce.” He adds “Our team recognised the huge untapped potential in the digital motoring sphere: there are over 400 million motoring fans on Facebook alone.”

The website will launch as a website and an app in the fall, coinciding with the launch of their Amazon Prime show. If you haven’t subscribed to Amazon Prime yet you can click on this link (This IS the only way to watch the show). In the meantime, click here to stay up to date with all of The Grand Tour coverage.

(Source: Irish Times & Variety & Drivetribe)