Top Gear Botswana Cars -

A staple of early Top Gear specials was the "punishment" car. If any presenter's car broke down permanently, they would be forced to drive a vehicle they all universally despised. For the Botswana Special, the backup car was a 1968 Volkswagen Beetle, painted in a bright safari camouflage.

For the Okavango Delta, cars were "fortified" with wood, corrugated metal, and even soda cans to deter predators. top gear botswana cars

In the 2007 Botswana Special, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May were tasked with driving across Botswana in used, two-wheel-drive cars bought for less than £1,500. Their mission was to prove these cars could handle rough terrain just as well as expensive SUVs. The Main Vehicles Opel Kadett A staple of early Top Gear specials was the "punishment" car

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. For the Okavango Delta, cars were "fortified" with

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And that, as Jeremy would later write, "was the moment we learned that you don't buy a car in Botswana. You adopt a god."

The climax of the episode saw the trio racing against the sunset. Clarkson’s Lancia was held together with duct tape and hope, May’s Mercedes was cruising effortlessly, and Hammond was pushing the little Opel to its absolute limit.