Top Gear Botswana Cars May 2026

Here’s a useful guide to the cars used in Top Gear’s Botswana Special (Series 10, Episode 4, 2007), where the trio crossed the Makgadikgadi salt flats and Okavango Delta with cheap second-hand cars.

Let’s look back at the cars that conquered (and nearly died in) the Kalahari Desert.

• The engineering marvel: The W123 was designed to survive the apocalypse. Its suspension was robust enough to handle the rutted tracks, its mechanical fuel injection didn't suffer from vapor lock, and the chassis was galvanized against rust.
• The modifications: May famously sealed the distributor cap with a rubber glove to keep water out and taped up the door seals. While Hammond wept and Clarkson burned, May simply sat in air-conditioned comfort, listening to classical music.
• The finish line: The Mercedes didn't just finish; it arrived first, looking barely worse for wear. It proved that German "over-engineering" isn't a fault—it’s a survival strategy.

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. top gear botswana cars

The journey's difficulty forced "ridiculous as they were necessary" modifications:

The Fate: After nearly "drowning" during a river crossing—a moment that saw Hammond screaming in genuine distress— Here’s a useful guide to the cars used

The Great African Adventure: A Deep Dive into the Top Gear Botswana Special

In the pantheon of Top Gear history, few episodes are as revered, quoted, or emotionally resonant as the Botswana Special. Airing in 2007 as part of Series 10, it represented the peak of the "Golden Era" of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May.

Hammond limped over. "You know what? That car is better than all of us." The engineering marvel: The W123 was designed to

Their 1,000-mile journey from the Zimbabwe border to the Namibia border took them across the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans Okavango Delta The Presenters' Cars