Coulthard Reveals He Offered London Pub to Clarkson in Unusual Deal

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has revealed that he once offered his struggling south-west London pub to Jeremy Clarkson free of charge in an attempt to salvage the venture. The offer came as a last-ditch effort to rescue a business that was failing to take off.

Speaking during a drive-along interview with presenter Jodie Kidd, the former Williams, McLaren and Red Bull driver explained how he approached Clarkson when he couldn't get the pub, The Brown Dog, to work as a business. "I bought a pub in Barnes which just didn't work," Coulthard said. "It was The Brown Dog, and we couldn't make it work."

Faced with an unviable business, Coulthard shared his proposal with Clarkson approximately two years ago. He offered the TV host a complete transfer of the property's title deeds in exchange for a share of any future profits. "I actually offered it to Jeremy Clarkson," Coulthard explained. "I said, 'Jeremy, I'll give you the pub. It's yours, title deeds, but if and when you make money, you start cutting us in.'"

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The deal did not come to fruition, though, because the pub was not ideally located for Clarkson. The former Grand Tour host and star of Clarkson's Farm has since opened his own pub, The Farmer's Dog, in Oxfordshire. "I think it was just too far from where he lives to make it sensible," Coulthard added. "It's a difficult business."

Since his step away from hosting The Grand Tour and Top Gear alongside Richard Hammond and James May, Clarkson has expanded his business portfolio. He owns and operates several intertwined agricultural and hospitality businesses, mainly in the Cotswolds. He owns Diddly Squat Farm, as seen on Clarkson's Farm, which he operates alongside the Diddly Squat Farm Shop. He also founded Hawkstone, an alcohol brand that produces premium lagers, IPAs and ciders using barley sourced from British farmers, as well as from his own harvests.

Clarkson also owns The Farmer's Dog, which is a traditional British pub. Coulthard's failed offer highlights the challenges of the hospitality business, even for a former racing driver of his caliber.