In the end, all three cars eventually made it to the Namibian border despite the Lancia suffering two more breakdowns. Clarkson and May jointly declared the winner to be the backup VW Beetle.

After nearly "drowning" during a river crossing—a moment that saw Hammond screaming in genuine distress—

James looked at the Mercedes’ temperature gauge—rock steady. He looked at the fuel—half a tank. He looked at the salt pan—endless and cruel.

James parked. Killed the engine. The silence was profound.

James May’s Mercedes “Oliver” looked like a grandpa’s hand-me-down, but its simple mechanicals kept going. Hammond’s Opel Kadett survived salt flats that would eat a modern Range Rover’s electronics.