SUPERCAR STALEMATE: CLARKSON’S £235K MASERATI “CONKS OUT” OUTSIDE THE FARMER’S DOG
In a scene reminiscent of his most chaotic Top Gear challenges, broadcaster and publican Jeremy Clarkson has revealed a nightmare mechanical failure involving his quarter-million-pound supercar on the dark roads of the Cotswolds. The star was left stranded in the middle of the night when his Maserati MC20 Cielo “conked out” on the main road between his Diddly Squat Farm and his recently opened pub, The Farmer’s Dog.
Writing in his latest column for The Sunday Times, Clarkson detailed the breakdown of the £234,890 vehicle, an incident that turned a “jolly” drive into a frantic roadside puzzle.
A Midnight Mystery
The breakdown occurred on the transit route between Clarkson’s two main business ventures in Asthall and Chadlington. After a lengthy renovation project last year, Clarkson opened The Farmer’s Dog—formerly The Windmill—to much fanfare in August 2024. However, the reliability of Italian engineering proved less robust than the pub’s traditional British fare.
“It was late, I’d had a busy day,” Clarkson explained. “On the main road between my farm and my pub, it conked out.”
The TV host expressed particular concern regarding the logistical nightmare of recovering a modern supercar in the dark. With the Maserati’s nose sitting exceptionally low to the tarmac, Clarkson admitted to “wondering how on earth I would load it onto a trailer” without causing catastrophic damage to the bodywork.
The “Ghost in the Machine”
In a twist that Clarkson himself described as baffling, the car appeared to “heal” itself as mysteriously as it had failed. Just as the prospect of a long night on a rural verge loomed, the Maserati sputtered back to life, allowing the star to limp the vehicle back to his farm.
However, the experience has clearly shaken the motoring expert’s confidence in the high-performance convertible. “I haven’t dared drive it since,” he wrote, adding that the sleek machine now sits unused in his yard, looking “forlorn.” At the time of writing, the exact cause of the electrical or mechanical glitch remains unknown.
Prime Video Return Looms
The breakdown comes as anticipation builds for Clarkson’s television return. Fans are eagerly awaiting the fifth series of the global phenomenon Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video. Following the conclusion of filming last September, as many as eight new episodes are expected to drop on the streaming service this spring.
While the Maserati might be grounded, the local community remains focused on the “Clarkson Effect” at the pub. The Farmer’s Dog has seen unprecedented footfall since its doors opened near Burford, with fans traveling from across the country to sample Diddly Squat produce and hope for a glimpse of the man himself—presumably now traveling by tractor rather than supercar.
As the Cotswold winter continues, the Maserati remains a very expensive lawn ornament at Diddly Squat, a stark reminder that even a million-pound pub owner can’t always buy a reliable ride home.