Top Gear Botswana Cars Jun 2026

But the real stars weren’t the presenters—they were three ancient, two-wheel-drive cars that had no business surviving the African bush. Here is a look back at the legendary machines that tackled the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans. 1963 Opel Kadett (“Oliver”)

The journey's difficulty forced "ridiculous as they were necessary" modifications: top gear botswana cars

When it arrived, Hammond and Clarkson laughed at him. It was colossal. It had bench seats. It looked like the car a Botswanan taxi driver would reject for being too boring. It had the aerodynamics of a detached garage and was painfully slow. But the real stars weren’t the presenters—they were

Sixteen years later, the image of three men pushing a flaming Lancia across a white salt flat remains the definitive image of old-school television motoring. It wasn't about speed; it was about survival. And as long as Richard Hammond keeps Oliver running in his garage, the spirit of that Botswana road trip will never die. It was colossal

“Some say”… you should rewatch it tonight.