Richard Hammond takes control of classic car workshop

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 20 Oct, 19:32 · Archive

Richard Hammond has taken majority control of The Smallest Cog, a Hereford-based classic car restoration garage. The sixth season of his TV series Richard Hammond's Workshop, which documents the real-life struggles of running the workshop, will launch on Tuesday, October 27.

The garage had accumulated debts of about £700,000, prompting Hammond to inject nearly £600,000 of his own money into the venture. A Companies House document filed in December 2025 confirms that Hammond now holds 75 per cent or more of the company's shares. Hammond acknowledged in a trailer for the new series that there have been 'a lot of changes lately' since the fifth season ended in November last year.

The Smallest Cog has worked on high-profile projects, including chrome-plating a vintage tractor belonging to Oxfordshire farmer Jeremy Clarkson, which now hangs in Clarkson's Cotswolds pub, The Farmer's Dog, in Asthall near Burford.

How it is being reported

• New TV series announced as Richard Hammond takes control of classic car companyThe former host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour is starring in a new TV series after taking control of a classic car company.Oxford Mail · 20 Oct, 19:00
• New TV series announced as Richard Hammond takes control of classic car companyThe former host of Top Gear and The Grand Tour is starring in a new TV series after taking control of a classic car company.Oxfordshire Guardian · 20 Oct, 19:00

In this story: Richard Hammond · Jeremy Clarkson · The Smallest Cog · Hereford · Oxfordshire

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