P3 6 Carnage a Trois: Did the Pluriel Reach France?

Abstract

This paper looks into The Grand Tour special episode Carnage a Trois, to see if the trebuchet used by the hosts was sufficient to send the Citroen C3 Pluriel to France. The range of the trebuchet used is found, considering drag and non-drag conditions, to be 429 m − 492 m, meaning the C3 Pluriel did not reach France in the episode. A 6.14×10²³ kg counterweight is found to be sufficient to complete the Dover to Calais distance considering drag, but resulting in a release velocity of 985c, proving the unfeasibility of using such an unaerodynamic projectile to reach France.