The challenge was deceptively simple: Buy a car for no more than £1,500 that represents the "soul of motoring." Drive it from the Botswana/Zimbabwe border, across the brutal, waterlogged flats of the Okavango Delta, and finish 1,000 miles later at the Makgadikgadi Pan.
Clarkson, Hammond, and May didn’t choose sensible SUVs. They chose rolling disasters: top gear botswana cars
Jeremy Clarkson, slumped against the bonnet of a 1981 Lancia Beta Coupé, was watching the bodywork dissolve in real-time. "It's not rust," he mumbled, gesturing to a flaking door panel that crumbled like a dry biscuit. "It's a structural time-lapse. I've owned a cheese sandwich with better integrity." The challenge was deceptively simple: Buy a car
Oliver is the only car of the three that returned to the UK. Hammond loved the car so much he had it shipped back, restored it, and it has since appeared in several of his solo projects [ 0.5.2 ]. 3. The 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E (James May) "It's not rust," he mumbled, gesturing to a
The Lancia lasted three miles before its electrics surrendered. A cloud of acrid smoke rose from the dashboard. Jeremy yanked the stereo out. "It's fine," he said. "I've bypassed the ignition. I'm now starting the car with a live wire and a prayer." He touched two bare wires together. Sparks flew. The engine coughed. "SEE? Engineering!"
Halfway across, Hammond’s Opel died. Just… stopped. Fuel starvation. He got out, kicked a tyre, and immediately regretted it as his boot sank into the burning salt. "It's like a giant's frying pan!" he shrieked.
Hammond limped over. "You know what? That car is better than all of us."