Item
Top Gear: Botswana Special is a full-length, special edition episode for BBC motoring programme Top Gear, and was first broadcast on BBC Two on 4 November 2007, as part of the fou…
Read and enrich the people, organizations and context referenced in case files.
Explore the cases that include this wiki entry.
No case files include this entry yet.
Investigate this subjectBe the first to comment.
Top Gear: Botswana Special is a full-length, special edition episode for BBC motoring programme Top Gear, and was first broadcast on BBC Two on 4 November 2007, as part of the fourth episode of Series 10. The special sees hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, travelling across to Botswana with a car that each had bought in Africa for less than £1500, to prove that they can be bet…
Top Gear: Botswana Special is a full-length, special edition episode for BBC motoring programme Top Gear, and was first broadcast on BBC Two on 4 November 2007, as part of the fourth episode of Series 10. The special sees hosts, Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May, travelling across to Botswana with a car that each had bought in Africa for less than £1500, to prove that they can be better than SUVs for driving up "leafy country lanes". The Botswana Special was released as part of a 2-disc DVD boxset alongside the Top Gear: Vietnam Special on 23 March 2009. The special is best remembered for Richard Hammond developing a deep fondness for his chosen car, a 1963 Opel Kadett nicknamed "Oliver", which he brought back to the UK after filming concluded, and still owns.
To see if people in Surrey can get up "leafy lanes" with something other than a 4x4 SUV, the producers challenge Clarkson, Hammond and May to drive across Botswana in the used cars bought within Africa. Each given £1,500, the presenters are told that their choice of car had to be two-wheel drive and not have been designed in any way for off-road use—May decides to sensibly purchase a 1985 Mercedes-Benz 230E due to it being a car that Africa favoured and loved, Clarkson chooses to buy a 1981 automatic Lancia Beta Coupé because of Lancia's history with rally racing, while Hammond goes for a 1963 Opel Kadett. Arriving at the starting point near to Botswana's border with Zimbabwe (which at the time, banned the BBC from filming within its borders), the trio learn that their cars would be taken on a journey of 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometres), to Botswana's northern border with Namibia. Setting off on their first leg, the trio reveals that each of their cars have some faults to them—Clarkson points out that the dials and several components were broken, May has a minor number of parts that weren't working, while Hammond notices his brakes only work on one wheel and there is a smell of petrol in his car. Hammond also develops a immediate fondness for the car, nicknaming it "Oliver", but fearing that Clarkson and May will make fun of him for doing so. As they move off tarmac and onto dirt roads, Hammond's car breaks down, whereupon the trio learns that if their car cannot be restarted after a breakdown, they will have to complete the rest of the journey in their least favourite car of all time—a Volkswagen Beetle. With Hammond's car fixed, they continue, and soon reach the camp site on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pan.
Source: Top Gear: Botswana Special (CC BY-SA)
We label verified structured information, user opinions, and AI-discovered relationships separately.
Upon arriving before the Makgadikgadi, the trio learn that the following day they will be travelling across it for two days, and are thus advised to strip and lighten their cars as much as possible to avoid them breaking through the thin top crust of the salt pans. That night, May and Clarkson remove seats, interior trim and panels, along with the windows and other components, until their cars are reduced to basic shells, while Hammond, who has grown attached to his car, is reluctant to do so, and instead chooses to remove only the spare tyre and an unspecified part. Prior to leaving, the trio receives an informal visit by Ian Khama, then-vice president of Botswana, who is impressed with the trio's plans to drive across the pans, but not so with their cars. Crossing the pans on the first of two days travel, the trio's progress is steady, until both Clarkson and May discover that their cars are digging into the Pan's surface, forcing them to call for assistance from the film crew and support team in getting them out and cleaning out their wheels of "prehistoric gunk", before stripping their cars of further components including the doors and the boot lid. Despite further issues with the surface, it eventually becomes firmer, allowing them to reach one of the Pan's islands and their next campsite. On the second day, the trio learns that they will encounter a dust storm, which presents a major issue for May and Clarkson, as exposed to it, they are forced to re-dress themselves to avoid choking; much to their annoyance, Hammond has no need to take such measures due to his car being unmodified. After overcoming the storms, Clarkson then finds his car breaking down twice and has to repair the Lancia en route. Eventually all three manage to reach the other side and make camp on the edge of the Kalahari Desert.
Arriving at a small village in the Kalahari, the trio are told that their cars will face a time trial each on a specially made rally course out of a dried riverbed nearby, with each car to be driven by "The Stig's African cousin". Prior to heading for the course, the Lancia breaks down once again and has to be mended, before it joins the others. On the course, the Opel proves itself a good car and sets a time of 1:12, while May's Mercedes does better and achieves a time of 1:06. However, Clarkson's car fails to start after overheating, with the Stig's cousin walking off as a result. Whilst waiting for it to cool down, Clarkson discovers a new problem—both the Lancia and Hammond's Opel run on leaded fuel, and the reserve supply of it they were carrying has been used up. Because the cars of the film crew run on diesel fuel, the only option left for the trio is to cut a straight line through the Kalahari towards the town of Maun. During their off-roading, May's Mercedes becomes stuck in sand, forcing him use stones to give the tyres some traction. By the time night falls, the trio find themselves on the road to Maun, whereupon the Opel's alternator stops working and makes it impossible to use the headlights, forcing Hammond to bring one of the film crew aboard and use a lamp to illuminate the road ahead of him. Despite the issues, all three cars arrive at a petrol station in the town for refuelling before they turn in for the night.
The following morning, when the presenters are sitting outside a restaurant in the center of Maun, they are told that their cars will now proceed towards the Okavango Delta, which they will be crossin
