After the special, Hammond was so attached that he shipped "Oliver" back to the UK, where he restored it. The car has since become a beloved family heirloom, even being used to teach his daughter to drive.
For more detailed breakdowns of the show's best vehicles, you can check out lists like HotCars' Best Special Cars or dive into the fan discussions on the Top Gear Reddit . Top Gear's top international gaffes - BBC News
: Stripped of interior components to reduce weight for the salt pans; holes drilled into the bodywork for ventilation. Performance on the Journey top gear botswana cars
While other specials—the Polar Special or the Middle East journey—had higher stakes, the Botswana episode is often cited as the perfect blend of stunning cinematography, mechanical brutality, and the chemistry of three friends suffering together in terrible cars.
May proved that while style is nice (Lancia) and personality is fun (Opel), absolute, tank-like build quality is the only thing that matters in the desert. After the special, Hammond was so attached that
Here’s a useful guide to the cars used in Top Gear ’s (Series 10, Episode 4, 2007), where the trio crossed the Makgadikgadi salt flats and Okavango Delta with cheap second-hand cars.
In the final leg through the Okavango Delta, the presenters were told to make their cars "wild animal proof." May was able to find spare Mercedes parts. Clarkson, unable to find anything for his Lancia, created new doors from soda cans, wood, and corrugated iron and attached a megaphone. A hilarious moment of sabotage occurred when Clarkson and Hammond hid a cowbell and pieces of meat in May's car to attract wildlife, while May painted "All Adders Are Puffs" on Oliver and "Lite Bite Cafe" on the Lancia. Top Gear's top international gaffes - BBC News
Compare the of the Lancia vs. the Mercedes. Share public link
It was the oldest car in the challenges, meaning its components were already decades old and highly fatigued.
showcased May’s love for engineering, logic, and quiet endurance.