Top Gear Botswana Cars
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 first major hurdle was crossing the salt pans. To the untrained eye, it looks like a hard, white desert. In reality, the crust is thin, and underneath lies deep, sticky mud that acts like quicksand.
The trio was instructed to drive across it. Hammond and May made steady progress, but Clarkson’s Lancia, with its low ground clearance, dug itself into a hole. The struggle to extract the car was agonizing. Clarkson, in a fit of desperation, stripped the car down to save weight—removing the doors, bonnet, and bumpers. He resorted to cutting up the upholstery and using the foam as traction mats. It was a desperate, ingenious move that highlighted the show's core theme: fixing cars with hammers and anger.
The Botswana Special is frequently voted by fans as the greatest Top Gear episode ever made. There are several reasons for this:
James May, known as "Captain Slow," went for the logical choice: a W123 chassis Mercedes-Benz 230E. This is widely considered one of the most reliable cars ever built. It was a tank—heavy, over-engineered, and comfortable. While Clarkson sweated in the Lancia and Hammond bounced around in the Opel, May sat in air-conditioned comfort, listening to classical music. It was a masterclass in buying a car for reliability rather than excitement.
Top Gear’s Botswana special (2007) featured three presenter-driven cars selected for durability and off-road capability across Botswana’s varied terrain. The episode tested vehicles’ performance in desert, savannah and riverine environments, highlighting practical strengths and weaknesses for remote overlanding and adventurous touring.
The Botswana Special remains the gold standard for a reason. It wasn't just about the cars; it was about the balance of the trio.
In the end, the Mercedes won the challenge, but the fans won the memories. We learned that you can drive across a country with a sewing machine strapped to your bonnet (long story), that showering in a waterfall is harder than it looks, and that a £1,500 budget can buy you an adventure of a lifetime. top gear botswana cars
What was your favorite moment from the Botswana Special? Let us know in the comments
The Top Gear Botswana Special is widely considered one of the greatest automotive adventures ever filmed. First aired in November 2007, it followed Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May as they attempted to cross Botswana in three two-wheel-drive cars bought for less than £1,500. Their mission: to prove that simple, used cars could be better suited for rugged terrain than modern "Chelsea Tractors" (SUVs). The Three Main Contenders
The presenters chose vastly different vehicles to tackle the 1,000-mile journey from the Zimbabwe border to the Namibian border.
The Top Gear Botswana Special (Series 10, Episode 4) is widely regarded as the episode that defined the "special" format: three cheap, two-wheel-drive cars attempting to cross a country to prove they are better than expensive SUVs. The Lineup: Three Unlikely Heroes
Tasked with finding a car for less than £1,500 that had no off-road pedigree, the trio selected three very different machines:
Richard Hammond’s 1963 Opel Kadett ("Oliver"): Hammond chose this small, lightweight car for its simplicity. He famously fell in love with it, shouting "Oliver!" whenever it faced peril. It was the only car of the three that didn't have its weight stripped to cross the salt flats. Jeremy Clarkson’s 1981 Lancia Beta Coupé
: Clarkson chose a Lancia because the brand was legendary in rallying. However, this specific model was an automatic and plagued by reliability issues, breaking down almost immediately at the start of the journey. James May’s 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E In a move that baffled his co-hosts, Hammond
: May banked on German engineering and the Mercedes' reputation for being "the car of Africa." Despite its age and being rear-wheel drive, it proved remarkably resilient throughout the 1,000-mile trek. The Backup: Volkswagen Beetle
: In a running gag for the special, the producers provided a Beetle as a backup car. Because the trio hated it, they were highly motivated to keep their original cars running to avoid having to drive it. The Journey: 1,000 Miles of Punishment
The mission was to drive from Botswana’s eastern border with Zimbabwe to its western border with Namibia, crossing some of the harshest terrain on Earth.
The Makgadikgadi Pan: One of the world's largest salt flats. To prevent their thin-tired cars from breaking through the "creme brulee" crust into the ooze below, the presenters had to strip their cars of almost all weight, including doors and interior panels.
The Kalahari Desert: A grueling test of cooling systems and suspension.
The Okavango Delta: The final push involved navigating through water and wildlife-rich terrain. Where are they now?
While many Top Gear cars are scrapped after filming, the Botswana trio had a different fate: In the end, the Mercedes won the challenge,
The Price: £1,500 (on the nose) The Philosophy: Style and comfort.
Jeremy Clarkson has historically hated Lancia. He once famously called them "Italy’s contribution to therust bucket industry." So, it was a shock when he arrived in Botswana with a rust-free, electric-blue Lancia Beta Coupe.
His argument was simple: for the budget of a cheap suit, he had bought a proper Italian sports car. Initially, it seemed he had pulled a masterstroke. It had a luxurious interior, it didn't leak, and it looked magnificent against the African sunset.
However, the Lancia’s fragile Italian constitution couldn't handle the abuse. The gearbox seized, the suspension collapsed, and eventually, the engine gave up the ghost. But before it died, it gave us one of the show's most iconic images: Clarkson, topless, driving a crumpled sports car through a river crossing, looking like a fashion model on a disastrous shoot. It was a tragic, beautiful end to a car that tried too hard.
"Captain Slow" Wins Again
While Clarkson bought style and Hammond bought heart, James May bought engineering. He selected a battleship-grey Mercedes-Benz W123. At the time, it looked like a grandpa’s saloon. In hindsight, it was the smartest buy in Top Gear history.
Verdict: The quiet professional. The Mercedes is the car you would actually want to drive across Botswana.
