Top Gear Botswana Cars

Jeremy Clarkson chose a 1981 Lancia Beta Coupé for the journey, a choice that met immediate skepticism from his co-hosts due to Lancia's notorious reputation for unreliability and rust. Specifications and Modifications : 2.0-liter twin-cam inline-four Drive : Front-wheel drive

is usually the first words out of their mouth. It was the first time Clarkson, Hammond, and May were sent to a foreign land with a shoestring budget ($1,500 each) and a simple goal: drive 1,000 miles across the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta to the Namibian border.

The Cheap Car Road Trip: A Look Back at the Iconic Top Gear Botswana Special top gear botswana cars

Most adventure content shows you pristine Land Rovers with roof tents and $10k of gear. Top Gear showed three idiots fixing a Lancia with zip ties, a hammer, and desperation.

Richard Hammond’s choice became arguably the most famous car in the show's history. Small, lightweight, and surprisingly simple, the was perfectly suited for the sandy terrain. Jeremy Clarkson chose a 1981 Lancia Beta Coupé

After nearly "drowning" during a river crossing—a moment that saw Hammond screaming in genuine distress—

In a move that baffled his co-hosts, Hammond bought a beige 1963 Opel Kadett. It was boxy, slow, and seemingly the least capable off-roader imaginable. Clarkson and May mocked him relentlessly, calling it "boring." However, the Kadett was built with simple, agricultural toughness. It was light, easy to fix, and unburdened by complex electronics. Hammond named the car "Oliver," and over the course of the trip, a genuine love affair blossomed between man and machine. The Cheap Car Road Trip: A Look Back

Oliver survived the trip remarkably well, including being submerged in the Okavango Delta after a ferry failure. Hammond developed a deep, genuine emotional bond with the car, and it became the emotional heart of the special.

A beige, boxy saloon that May bought for £1. It overheated constantly. But by the end of the trip, May had named it Oliver , cried when it got stuck, and proved that slow and steady wins the race.

, this car was notoriously unreliable but surprisingly capable in the Makgadikgadi salt plains after being stripped of its doors and trunk to save weight. As of 2020, it was found partially reassembled in Maun, Botswana. 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E : Driven by

Jeremy chose a Lancia Beta Coupé, a decision that most car enthusiasts viewed as a death sentence given Lancia’s reputation for rust and unreliability. Throughout the journey, the Lancia suffered from constant electrical failures and structural issues. To save weight for the salt pans, Jeremy famously stripped the car of its doors and hood. Despite the Lancia being "the most unreliable car in the world," it miraculously finished the journey, earning Jeremy's genuine respect. Richard Hammond’s 1963 Opel Kadett (Oliver)