Top Gear Botswana Cars ((link))

In the 2007 Botswana Special, the presenters were tasked with crossing 1,000 miles of rugged terrain from the Zimbabwean border to the Namibian border using only two-wheel-drive cars bought for less than £1,500. 1963 Opel Kadett ("Oliver") : Driven by Richard Hammond

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Almost immediately, the Lancia proved to be a disaster. It was heavy, fragile, and plagued by electrical gremlins. When the trio hit the Makgadikgadi Salt Pan, the thin crust of salt broke under the Lancia's weight, forcing Clarkson to engage in a desperate act of "superleggera" (lightweight) modification. He stripped the car down to its bare shell, removing doors, trim, and panels to shed weight. To keep the car going, Clarkson famously jury-rigged new doors from soft drink cans, wood, and corrugated iron. top gear botswana cars

James May lived up to his "Captain Slow" persona by selecting a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E (W123 generation). Universally praised for its bulletproof engineering, the W123 Mercedes was the vehicle of choice for African taxi drivers for decades. May’s strategy was pure logic: buy the most reliable car ever built. The Ultimate Survivor

Richard Hammond picked a 1963 Opel Kadett, which he immediately nicknamed "Oliver". In the 2007 Botswana Special, the presenters were

James parked. Killed the engine. The silence was profound.

Clarkson picked the Lancia because he believed a proper petrolhead must own a Lancia at least once in their life. If you share with third parties, their policies apply

: The cars had to cross one of the world's largest salt flats. To prevent breaking through the thin crust into the mud beneath, the hosts stripped their cars of all non-essential weight, including interior trim and even doors.