Top Gear Desert Direct

The three hosts each chose a vehicle suited to the task:

| Special | Desert Location | Key Challenge | Iconic Moment | |--------|----------------|----------------|----------------| | (2009) | Salar de Uyuni (salt desert) + Atacama | Cross from Bolivia to Chile using cheap 4x4s | Driving across the world’s largest salt flat; running out of water | | Botswana Special (2007) | Makgadikgadi Salt Pans | Cross the Kalahari with cheap used cars | Hammond’s Opel Kadett (“Oliver”) | | Africa Special (2013) | Namib Desert, Namibia | Find the source of the Nile using estate cars | Sleeping on car roofs; sand dunes that swallow vehicles | | Patagonia Special (2014) | Argentinean desert plains | Reach Tierra del Fuego | Run-in with protesters (not sand-related, but desert terrain) | top gear desert

To add difficulty, the producers created the a deep muddy trench. They also added a time constraint: if they didn't reach the Namibian border by sunset, the cars would be left behind. The three hosts each chose a vehicle suited