"Right," Jeremy said, sweating through his shirt. "The rules of the salt pan: Do not stop. Do not turn sharply. And for the love of God, do not crack the sump."
: The "hero" of the trip. Due to its extreme lightness, it skipped across the Makgadikgadi salt pans while the others sank.
The Mercedes was arguably the most practical car, but its automatic transmission was a hindrance on the sand. However, it mostly handled the challenges well, and unlike the Lancia, it suffered fewer dramatic failures.
Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were tasked with buying a car in Botswana for less than £1,500. Crucially, the car could not have four-wheel drive or any off-road credentials. The goal? Drive 1,000 miles from the eastern border of Botswana, across the grueling Makgadikgadi Pan, through the lush Okavango Delta, and finish at the border with Zimbabwe. top gear botswana cars
Lancias of this era were notorious for horrific rust and catastrophic electrical failures.
The Lancia was expected to die within the first ten miles. To survive the extreme African heat, Clarkson's car underwent aggressive weight reduction. The crew stripped out the doors, the hood, the rear seats, and the interior trim to keep the engine cool and reduce weight on the salt flats.
Similar to most of Clarkson's choices, it was designed for a quick laugh and to test the patience of the crew. 3. James May’s Mercedes-Benz 230E "Right," Jeremy said, sweating through his shirt
For travel across Botswana’s varied and often harsh terrain, rugged, simple, diesel pickups or SUVs (exemplified by the Toyota Hilux in the episode) provide the best balance of capability, reliability, and serviceability. Road-focused or small cars can be modified for short challenges but are not recommended as primary expedition vehicles.
solidified its reputation as one of the toughest machines ever built by mankind.
Lancias of this era had a notorious reputation for rust and unreliability. By choosing a cheap, rusted Italian sports car for an African desert expedition, Clarkson set himself up for failure. And for the love of God, do not crack the sump
Clarkson picked the Lancia because he believed a proper petrolhead must own a Lancia at least once in their life.
, this small car became the breakout star of the episode. Hammond famously fell in love with it, naming it "Oliver." Unlike the other cars, Hammond shipped Oliver back to the UK
Unlike the rugged SUVs driven by the film crew, the presenters chose three wildly unsuitable, cheap two-wheel-drive cars. Decades later, these three vehicles remain legendary in automotive television history. 1. Oliver: Richard Hammond’s 1963 Opel Kadett A Vehicle Overview 1.0-liter inline-4 Power: 40 horsepower Drive Layout: Front-engine, rear-wheel drive Performance in the Desert