- World-famous Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May make one last African adventure
- Were last here in 2007 for Top Gear Botswana Special which has garnered over 20m YouTube views
BONGANI MALUNGA
World famous British motoring enthusiasts Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May have featured a stop in Botswana for their farewell global tour called The Grand Tour.
The collective is famous for its “Top Gear” television show but they are now under The Grand Tour which features on Amazon Prime/Prime Video with an African adventure which was aired last week.
The trio embarked on a journey which saw them passing through Botswana and Zimbabwe with cars they always had on their wish lists.
22 years later
The trip brings to an end a 22-year long collaboration between the three motoring enthusiasts. The trio’s leader, Clarkson, chose to use a 1982 Lancia Montecarlo as his preferred transportation while Hammond elected to use a 1974 Ford Capri RS3100 with May choosing a 1974 Triumph Stag.
Using the classic cars they courted from a young age on an African adventure fulfilled the collective’s “bucket lists.”
In the special episode, the trio and their filming crew revisited Kubu Island where they famously posed for photos in 2007. This year they recreated their iconic Botswana photo by posing for pictures with their classic cars on the exact spot they stood on 17 years ago.
Botswana’s special place
Clarkson told South African motoring magazine “Drive Mag” that Botswana holds a special place in their hearts. Ending the Grand Tour was obviously more than just a stop for him and his partners as he explained the sentimental value they have attached to Botswana and its offerings.
“Botswana was our favourite special and ending it here just made sense,” Clarkson was quoted as saying.
The collective made their first trip to Botswana in 2007 under the Top Gear show on the BBC. The Botswana special garnered worldwide appeal as most viewers still regard it as their favourite episode in the show’s history.
One of the most viewed
Then vice president Ian Khama famously made a cameo on the show with a grand entrance through a parachute-assisted landing before having a brief chat with the crew.
Top Gear’s 2007 special is still one of the show’s most viewed shows with a total of 20 million views on video streaming platform YouTube.