What a classic Vauxhall, well, Opel. The Opel Kadett is a bit more than just a car to Hammond. Getting him through Botswana as part of a Top Gear special, Hammond grew attached to the little Kadett, naming it Oliver and even having it shipped back to the UK to have it restored and added to his car collection.
It has since appeared on Top Gear again as part of a lorry challenge where it was used as an obstacle. Before Range Rovers were synonymous with footballers and their wives — like Victoria Beckham — they used to be all about class.
A car that offers the utilitarian personality of a Land Rover, but the comfort and sophistication of a saloon? Surely not. Well, Land Rover cracked it with the Range Rover. Okay, it may look a little boxy and ugly now, but through the 70s, 80s and 90s, it was one of the coolest, out-there cars to own. He essentially pieced it together and customised it himself — like some sort of awesome, mechanical Frankenstein that has a raised suspension, rear axle from a Land Rover Discovery and an internal roll cage, fulfilling his childhood dream of owning a proper go-anywhere Landie.
Turns out, not everyone thought this was such a good idea. Got a tip for us? Email: tips motor1. Car Buying Service Get upfront price offers on local inventory. Search for: New Cars. When it came to crossing the Makgadikgadi Salt Flats and Jeremy Clarkson and James May were required to lighten their cars Richard did not "modify" the car in any way to adapt to the desert.
Despite the mechanical problems Oliver suffered, it managed to travel the full length of the trip. The only real problem it encountered was fording a river, where Oliver sank. Hammond worked into the night to fix it, and he managed to repair the water damage, proudly displaying Oliver's fixed horn. The car was later seen on the Top Gear awards as the best noise of the year, and then in the Lorries Challenge, where it is shown that Richard gave the car the personalised nameplate, "OL1V3R".
They were each given pounds and told to find a car in Africa. The only caveats being that they could not be four-wheel-drive or be made to go off-road in any way. After only a few miles of driving, Richard was completely besotted with the little car and decided to call it Oliver, much to the amusement of his colleagues. It seems that the bond of man and vehicle stops at giving it a name. Still, at the end of it all, their backup car, a VW Beetle was named the best non-four-wheel-drive vehicle for the people of Surrey.
Even so, Richard arranged for Oliver to be transported back to the UK, where he was restored and became a part of the family. Hammond even taught his eldest daughter to drive in it last June.
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