In last night’s episode of Top Gear (3 March), presenters Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May once again modified their cars – this time by converting them into mini motorhomes.
In a special two-part episode, the Top Gear trio travelled to Africa in an attempt to find the true source of the river Nile.
Purchasing three second hand estate cars for no more than £1,500 (a BMW 528i for Clarkson, a Subaru Impreza 4WD turbo for Hammond and an unconventional Volvo 850R for May) they proceeded to transform them into mini motorhomes in funny, silly and slightly ingenious ways.
Hammond took charge of cooking, kitting out the back of his Subaru with a small countertop stove complete with a kettle, pots, pans and even cutlery.
A small leopard print sleeping area took up the passenger seat, while an upstairs sitting area was created by tying an armchair to the roof of the car.
James’ car was not much better – as he transformed the back into a portable work shop for any mechanical problems with a camp bed and a “gentleman explorer’s quarters” at the front, complete with books, a globe and a telescope.
Finally, Clarkson definitely had the most useless offering to aid their trip – with a mini fridge full of beer in the passenger seat, while the back of the car was turned into a Miami Beach themed sleeping area complete with white Egyptian cotton and duck down.
The trio proceeded to venture into the heart of darkness in their unsuitable motorhomes before getting quite literally stuck in the mud.
With help from the Ugandan Army and a length of rope, the three presenters spent the first part of their 600-mile journey battling very difficult driving conditions, with Clarkson stating:
“This has to be one of the toughest days we’ve had on Top Gear. There hasn’t been a moment where one of us wasn’t stuck. No car is built to endure conditions like this.”
Caravan-lovers may be interesting to see how well Hammond’s Subaru Impreza (which he called his “house on wheels”) dealt with towing in thick mud, while May’s Volvo floundered hopelessly due to its low ground clearance.
The first part of the Africa special is available now on BBC iPlayer with the second episode debuting on Sunday 10th March at 8pm on BBC Two.
