Botswana Cars |verified| — Top Gear
In the 2007 Botswana Special (Series 10, Episode 4), Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were tasked with buying a two-wheel-drive car for less than £1,500 to drive 1,000 miles across Botswana. The journey spanned from the Zimbabwean border, across the Makgadikgadi salt pans, through the Okavango Delta, and finally to the Namibian border. The Main Vehicles Richard Hammond Opel Kadett ("Oliver")
Botswana Special (Series 10, Episode 4) is legendary for proving that cheap, two-wheel-drive "bangers" could survive 1,000 miles across some of Africa's most punishing terrain. The Core Trio top gear botswana cars
- Buy a cheap, unloved car off Facebook Marketplace.
- Drive a route with no phone signal.
- Fix something with a tool you barely know how to use.
- Name the car. (Yes, really.)
It was during this leg that the Lancia finally began to die. The heat was too much. Yet, in a display of mechanical sympathy that defied logic, Clarkson managed to keep it running. He famously discovered that the car would only start if he poured water over the starter motor, a routine he performed daily. In the 2007 Botswana Special (Series 10, Episode
That’s the magic. That’s why people still talk about Botswana. It’s not about the destination – it’s about the dumb, stubborn, beautiful bond you form with a machine you probably shouldn’t have trusted in the first place. Buy a cheap, unloved car off Facebook Marketplace
Chosen for its style rather than its reliability, the Lancia was the most "Top Gear" choice possible. Throughout the 1,000-mile trek, it suffered catastrophic suspension failures and constant overheating. Despite Clarkson’s insistence that it was a "supercar," it required more maintenance than the other two combined.


