'Grand Tour' host James May has one request for Elon Musk

Ever since the Tesla (TSLA) Cybertruck turned into released in November 2023, every automotive reviewer on print, video, and social media worth their salt has voiced their opinions about the polygon-shaped pickup truck.

Storied late-night talk show host and car collector Jay Leno has driven one on camera, as has tech review giant Marques Brownlee.

Additionally, YouTuber Jason Fenske, better often also is termed the face on the back of the well known channel Engineering Explained exposed the fact on the back of CEO Elon Musk's claim that the Cybertruck "can tow a Porsche 911 across the quarter mile faster than the Porsche 911 can go by itself," earlier than auto authority MotorTrend brought out Fenske for a test confirming the consequences.

Nevertheless, one particular well known automotive figure has been absent from every of the hoopla about the Cybertruck, but he has recently weighed in on Elon's creation.

James May tries the Cybertruck

In a brand new video on his YouTube channel, storied automotive journalist and former host of BBC's 'Top Gear' and Amazon Prime's 'The Grand Tour' James May traveled to California to weigh in on the oddly-shaped electric vehicle.

As a proud owner of a Tesla Model 3 and a past owner of a couple of other-fuel cars, including a hydrogen-powered Toyota Mirai and a Tesla Model S, May spent little time talking about how it drove. Nevertheless, he had a lot to say about the automobile's design, which is highlighted by its seemingly flat surfaces and stainless-steel construction.

On the beginning, he when compared it to some notable sports cars and concept car from the 1970s and 80s; cars from his childhood that incorporated "wedge" shapes.

"Is that this the [Lamborghini] Countach of the brand new era?" May asked. "Or even the [Aston Martin] Lagonda, or the DeLorean [...] I am talking about things from my childhood that made us go 'wow!' and were angular and covered in flat planes."

May turned into very fixated on the Tesla engineer's decision to make the automobile appear to have flat surfaces. He explained that as a result of that call, "every bit piece of the automobile must be precisely made" because most cars (that have curves) can without problems disguise any imperfections within the body panels.

"Whenever you look here very closely; this piece here on the a-pillar would now not align absolutely perfectly. Or not it is most effective a millimeter or so out, but which you're ready to see that since it is a straight line and a flat surface," May pointed out. "It could well be additionally got reasonably sharp edges, I wouldn't want to be hit by it."

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The former 'Top Gear' host turned into so fixated on the express detail that he took out a metal ruler to in sorting out if the body panels themselves were appropriately flat. He found that among the body panels, equivalent to the hood and the front doors, are, appropriately, very a bit of convex or curved.

"I feel they thought of this very carefully, they knew in the event that they simply made it as a folded cardboard design, it is going to search pinched and unusual and the reflections may well be all wrong." he said. "They knew to make it a bit of [...] oblate."

As for the driving dynamics, May failed to have a truly good deal to complain about, rather he praised Tesla's idea of an ecosystem surrounding its cars and their owners.

"I feel the clever thing that Tesla has done is to reassess what may possibly be important to people in a car and even p.c. out things that other folks did not recognize as being important," May said. "I do not think people just buy them because they think 'oh, it is green transport,' it is additionally since the things that matter are given precedents. They are easy to drive, they are quiet, they are connected, and which you're ready to fuel them at home."

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James May did share some criticism about some important points, including the automobile's light bar, glare from the flat hood, and the pillars. He found that the pillars on the automobile are so thick that they obscure the view at intersections and in turns.

Overall, the storied car personality concluded that he appropriately likes the Cybertruck, calling it "reasonably humorous" and "appropriately very ballsy," but added that he's "glad it exists" and that he has no want to own one.

Nevertheless, he did make one request to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

"If I'm ready to make a little bit appeal to Elon Musk, may you make something about the scale of the [Tesla] Model Y and even even a little bit bit smaller; still like a Tesla, still with all this Tesla stuff on it, but styled like [a Cybertruck]," he asked. "I would go for that."

Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) turned into up 0.21% at last check on Sept. 13, trading at $230.29 per share.

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