Which one of these cars would you save? 🤔 Here are the links to the original Reddit posts: www.reddit.com/r/carshitposting/comments/10j6e67/top_gear_africa_cars_found/? www.reddit.com/r/TopGear/comments/11iutvb/top_gear_africa_special_bmw_found_caption_and/?

@jamsacek9703

Жыл бұрын

Volvo

@petermascall1158

Жыл бұрын

Volvo. I've seen these go for quite a bit recently

@FilmingAustralia1623

Жыл бұрын

Subaru

@zanemurcha9742

Жыл бұрын

You guys at Drivetribe should save them. It's your moral obligation.

@fingersTitan

Жыл бұрын

Keep going and you'll have a full grid of 90's BTCC cars.

I can watch those old specials unlimited times and they’re still entertaining

@Xx-VSM-xX

Жыл бұрын

I watch them all the time. Never gets old

@kc8963lk

Жыл бұрын

When the tree hit the back window. Genius!

@TougherWheat

Жыл бұрын

❤

@derekstone9715

Жыл бұрын

Just like comfort food! 😊

@andypandy1114

Жыл бұрын

It genuinely the best programme ever it’s so easy to watch when i need to waste an hour I just play Russia roulette with old episodes

I find it funny how Hammond is known for destroying cars yet his rides from BOTH specials are still driving around today

@ssenssel

Жыл бұрын

HAMMOND!

@duanebailey6253

Жыл бұрын

Oliver was epic

@The_One_Over_There

Жыл бұрын

i'd say that Oliver is still epic

@kasuraga

Жыл бұрын

@@duanebailey6253 Oliver was definitely epic. Little car that never quit, despite everything it went through during that special. I'm glad he kept the little nugget.

@robbie9fow

Жыл бұрын

Only because he spent thousands restoring them.

The only BMW on earth which throttle was repaired by whacking the exhaust manifold with a hammer.

@pier11francesco

Жыл бұрын

Actually the cabin air filter

@GrindingGearsZero

Жыл бұрын

BMWs often have that error, restarting the car fixes it, not the whacking i would have say.

@Harkeilla

Жыл бұрын

He gently tapped it with a hammer and it wasn't the throttle.

@RubenALopes

Жыл бұрын

"Jeremy brought his vast and sofisticated toolkit"

@SoundShunter72

Жыл бұрын

In unison "NOT THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD"

I am Ugandan, loved and followed the Top Gear series. Truth is, the three cars were left by the trio at our Revenue Authority backyard and later auctioned off. I only saw the Volvo back on the road but haven't seen it since. Myself, I have the 92' Volvo 850 n/a and would very much be interested in getting James' 850R and restoring it to it's former glory.

@RunawayTrain2502

Жыл бұрын

Would be awesome to see that 850R back on the road. That Scorpio isn't a bad pick either btw.

@MaxxerOfPepsi

Жыл бұрын

850 R is an absolute gem, especially with the history behind it

@redfish0

Жыл бұрын

@@MaxxerOfPepsi The volvo 850R has had a previous life before even this. It used to be owned by the company I work for and was their company car for years - apparently.

@MaxxerOfPepsi

Жыл бұрын

@@redfish0 thanks for the interesting piece of information.

@kylemontano228

11 ай бұрын

i really hope that 850r gets a second chance at life. i own an s60r and absolutely love it. 5 cylinder engines are the best

The thing in the Volvo is a alarm sensor that normally sits on the window

@Dombattersby

Жыл бұрын

That’s right it’s a glass break sensor, I’ve got one in my 850

@JamesCherrill

Жыл бұрын

@@Dombattersby same in my T-5R

@evani4067

Жыл бұрын

Same here

@Gringo_smoker

Жыл бұрын

i thought the same

@ScottAndersonYT

Жыл бұрын

It doesn’t look anything like a phone 😂

I have always wondered what ever happened to the Bolivia Special Range Rover. For some reason it was the most memorable car from their journeys for me.

@mr.carguy654

Жыл бұрын

I've always wondered if Hammond's Land Cruiser is still sitting on that sand dune

@pandras8312

Жыл бұрын

@@mr.carguy654 I'm pretty sure the BBC had it removed due to pollution concerns. It would have been bad PR to leave a leaking wreck in the untouched dunes.

@Sid3300

Жыл бұрын

Yeah the Range Rover was sweet. Wanna see where the trucks from Burma are now!

@michaelgtrxu1683

Жыл бұрын

@@mr.carguy654 I saw a photo years ago on the internet of the landcruiser in a workshop in Bolivia (?) so it may have even been fixed if the bbc decided to sell it

@mariushertel7567

Жыл бұрын

I live in Bolivia and just the other day a was rewatching the Bolivia Special and had the same thought, so I went into the National car registry and checked the license plates. The Range Rover is still registered, stating that it was imported from Germany at some point but I doubt the BBC brought it to Bolivia with them. It didn't pay taxes since 2019, but that is quite common here so it may still be in use. Generally cars a very expensive, for the same reason basically Jeremy explained in the Vietnam special. So it probably still went for over 7000$ AFTER all they did to their cars in the special. You can quite often find 80s Toyota Corollas being sold for over 6000$. The Donkey was still registered as well, didn't pay taxes since 2019, but it states that the car got a new licence plate. Concerning James' car I sadly couldn't find a still of the cars number plate. If someone saw it I would love to look it up as well

Those are the most iconic episodes 😂😂

@krystoflendel6797

Жыл бұрын

The best ever for me personally.

Would be cool to get a video going over some of the cars they used throughout top gear and where those cars are now

@CaydeSmax

Жыл бұрын

a lot of them were abandoned, scrapped or returned to the builder for parts, not very interesting for the most part. for example james may did a return to the hi lux's used in the polar special s for a volcano trip and now mike found these. and of course the sub. oliver, if they are somewhat alive and have some interesting history i'm sure they'll be filmed/ talked about.

@Offensivebeast

Жыл бұрын

@@CaydeSmax I talked to a guy who got to drive one of the polar hilux’s about 2 years ago, a lot of the cars definitely will have boring endings but there’s definitely enough of them that didn’t to at least make a video on it.

@Kay-cx5ix

Жыл бұрын

Some of the cars are in the Beaulieu motor museum there is the indestructible toyota hilux and the amphibious cars and a load more if you want to know others i will let you know if i remember more

@aaronhussain3873

Жыл бұрын

The majority are at Beaulieu Motor Museum, but it would be nice to know where the rest are at.

@sinny3696

Жыл бұрын

Patagonia special cars were destroyed by the government I've seen hotchbacks from the 21st season in the UK when I was walking with my grandma Scooters from Vietnam special are still in the Vietnam

DriveTribe 100% needs to send a team to go find these cars in the flesh! What a great series it would be!

@s1_auds

Жыл бұрын

That's what i was thinking!

Just goes to show how epic the OG trio were 😢

@dickJohnsonpeter

Жыл бұрын

​​@TwinTurbo Ray Yea and Jeremy hosted it since like 1989 but they were the Top Gear trio before and what people think of when they think "Top Gear " so sure they're the "OG" trio. They made the show from a semi-popular car show to the most watched show ever on planet Earth, The show went through a bunch of incarnations but three people made it a great show and they are the old hosts so no reason to gatekeep.

@CodeProfessor

Жыл бұрын

Thanks @TwinTurbo Ray you beat me to it 👍

@mattsheets

Жыл бұрын

@TwinTurbo Ray they’re not the original trio, but they ARE the OG trio.

@kerneldave

Жыл бұрын

Tiff nedal, Clarkson and John Bentley 💁🏻‍♂️

@mattsheets

Жыл бұрын

@TwinTurbo Ray what does the G stand for? If you use them together as OG it means something more than just "first"

That Africa special was not only one of my favourite, but i think one of the best for all Top Gear fans... It would be great to see the 3 cars back together with the trio.

850Rs will soar over the next few years. Maybe not Supra status… but certainly see some creep into 20K for immaculate models. Such an underrated car.

That episode is the reason I have an unhealthy Volvo 850 addiction 😂😂

@godzillas6301

Жыл бұрын

optional extras include a spaniel , slippers and a pipe

@mr.carguy654

Жыл бұрын

Season 19 episodes 6 and 7, enjoy!

@will_on2793

Жыл бұрын

Same for me. One of the reasons I bought my 850 T5

Great update Mike… now you know what we REALLY want is for you to bring them back and restore them.. well at least one after you’ve teased us…. What a proper trip that would be…and it would make great content.. you heard it here first😂

@CaydeSmax

Жыл бұрын

i don't think drive tribe has the budget for it :D but with this amount of info and teasing they may be in talks about it, who knows.

Here’s something curious about Richards Subaru, The car is on SORN and it’s last MOT( in the UK) expired 23 July 2013 which is all fair enough, BUT Date of last V5C (logbook) issued 17 March 2023. Does that mean the car was brought back to the UK after filming concluded and it has recently changed hands?

It's a shame that top gears didn't keep all the cars with them. It would be such an amazing museum to see all the cars used in those challenges.

@Arik-2103

Жыл бұрын

the national motor museum in Beaulieu has quite a few Top Gear vehicles. They've got the off-road mobility scooters, Jeremy's caravan train, the Reliant Robin space shuttle (V2, V1 crashed), James' hot air balloon caravan, Jeremy's Porsche 944 ambulance and much more

@metalheadgamer6666

Жыл бұрын

@@Arik-2103 Do they have the Invincible Toyota Pickup?

@fabulouschild2005

11 ай бұрын

​@@metalheadgamer6666 from what I've gathered from other commenters, it has indeed

I have been a wagon fan since the family got our hands of what is now mine. 2004 VW Passat GL Wagon. American Spec. 1.8T 5-Speed Manual. 230k and does not even sip any oil between oil changes. Taking steps to rehabilitate its years of use as it just wants to keep running and keep going. Have made a great amount of progress so far. Plenty more to do but overall is still in great shape. Specially in the hands of an automotive detailer. Hehe

The Africa Special. My fave special prob along with Bolivia

The best special in my opinion. Came out just as I (and I'm sure many others) were really growing into the passion of cars, this episode brings back so much nostalgia! Probably also explains why some of my favorite cars are Volvo 850 Rs, Bugeye Imprezas and E39s! Someone save them, please! Also, I'd be confident in saying the BMW is the one from the special- what are the odds of there being another E39 538i Touring in the same colour with the same assortment of wheels as at the end of the episode?

Clarkson mentioned in one of his old telegraph car reviews (surprisingly he actually reviewed the e39) that his Africa special e39 was driven all the way back to the uk by one of the production managers who I assume wanted a bit of an adventure

By Mike's logic, technically I'm driving a car with half a V8 twin turbo. LOL

The Volvo looks like it was once prepared to be painted , but never did...

I always loved when the old special or challenge cars would make an appearance in the background of TG episodes. I remember seeing the Larsens Biscuits and Peniston Oil doors from the 24hr BMW car hanging in the TG Workshop of advance motor development or whatever they called it. lol

This special is close to my heart for so many reasons! Chief among which was that it made me fall in love all over again with estates.

Surely the "cammo paint" on the Volvo is just primer after having various panel repairs?

All the Top gear specials are my favourite, got all the DVDs in a collection.

The old specials are still a great watch, I doubt I’ll ever get bored of them 🙌🏻

Bro u have no idea how happy u made me with this video thank you so much

The 850R "Mobile phone" is the original alarm system "Glass Break Sensor" they usually are attatched to the window to detect if anyone smashes any window and sets the alarm off.

the fact that these cars don’t get fixed up is just sad

@Burnhardt1985

Жыл бұрын

Sad yes...but not surprising. All vehicles used on the show are either on loan/leased (by the manufacturer or owner), or bought for use on it. As the BBC, not the presenters (usually), stumped up the cash for this the vehicles were legally its property. We saw this at the end of Pre-1982 challenge in Series 13, where Clarkson notably declared that he Hammond and May had all liked their chosen cars so much, that they had each purchased them from the BBC for themselves. Because the vehicles are owned by the BBC, unless the presenter wanted the vehicle they used (and export it back to the UK out of their own pocket if it was an overseas special), it would have probably been hard for to justify the costs of exporting the cars back to the UK to the higher ups at the BBC (and license fee payers). So at the end of filming it was likely they were just sold locally, or simply scrapped.

can you please somehow make it so that the bmw and the volvo are brought back to the uk and restored or at least just the volvo. Its really sad to see these amazing cars just sitting there rotting away! We need to make this happen!!!

I’ve been waiting for a video on this!

I owned the E39 523 for a summer tour through eastern europe. Even went to the 'Top gear most beautful road' Transfarasan pass in Romania. Those E39s are amazing cars.

One of my favorite specials from TG. Nothing like watching my favorite automotive trio going on long treks in beautiful far away lands 😊

my pitch for their last ever Grand Tour episode: a 2 or 3 hour roadtrip special across Europe or Africa where at different points on the trip they switch cars, similar to their Perfect Road Trip specials, with one exception - each car they switch to would be one they've driven in past TG specials. Either the actual restored cars or replicas, and they redo some of their past challenges along the way. Imagine the Africa special estate cars, the MIddle East roadsters, the Vietnam motorbikes, the Argentina cars, the 24 hr BMW, the Hovervan, etc. Talk about them taking us, the viewers, along with them for the ultimate road trip down memory lane. That would be the best way for them to say farewell, imo.

After watching this I gotta admit the editing and commentary is on point, spectacular work

Speaking from experience the 528i had the same engine as the 328i Msport and it was an absolutely beautiful engine, power all the way through the Rev range and a nice smooth power delivery with no flat spots

Keep these kind of updates coming!

When I was a little kid, I remember watching this special and the Bolivia special a couple times on KZread - totally not pirated or anything xD - back in the iPod days

@mrmurder75

Жыл бұрын

Make the rest of us feel old why don't ya? 😏

I have a 528i Touring here in Australia, I purchased it for my first car in 2017. I love it :)

I always did my best to find the Africa Special Cars! This made my day!

Have you ever been to the World of Top Gear museum in Beaulieu? There's a lot of the cars from Top Gear there and I feel it would make a great video if you toured it, maybe even with Hamster.

I always wondered if they pulled the Ford out now I know and that Subie is definitely still driving around

I bought my 850R for the exact reason of seeing James in that iconic special

Considering your a car guy, that Volvo had primer on it with stopper/ fine filler, and it's green tinted cause the top coat green met is so pi55 thin. Tinting the primer helps the top coat cover more easily with less paint and it looks like it's being taken apart for its respray

Friend of mine from the car scene has the fabia vrs that top gear raced against the mini Cooper years ago. Was sat for many years before getting put back on the road

Those cars should have been preserved in a museum or something. It's sad to see them left to wither away in such poor condition. These cars are iconic to many fans.

Finally a video i was Always wondering

thanks for the reddit link you didnt put in the description

I found James May’s Rolls-Royce from the India special on Cars and Classic a few weeks ago

@mr.carguy654

Жыл бұрын

Seriously!? If it's legit then that's an incredible find! If I was a millionaire I'd be buying all these cars and putting them in a museum

@joaoramalho1409

Жыл бұрын

Yep, I read somewhere that the new owner brought the car to The Grand Tour set and James May autographed the car.

@Sid3300

Жыл бұрын

The Rolls and Mini from the India special where both brought by people in the UK. Unfortunately, the Jag still hasn't been found yet.

They belong to the museum, it´s like a movie cars.

I know the 528 are rare, but just not that special in comparison to the Subaru and 850R would love to see Drive tribe recover both Scorpio and 850R and restore the Volvo as part of a Drivetribe special. You could do a whole video/series and cover travelling by road to go and collect them… 👍🏻👍🏻 Would love to know your thoughts Mike??

@quillmaurer6563

Жыл бұрын

There could probably be an entire spin-off series, maybe one season worth of content, of hunting down and restoring "lost" Top Gear and Grand Tour special cars. They'd try to at least account for every car from the series, determine its fate (destroyed, in museum, owned by private collector, owned by presenter, abandoned, etc), and those that are abandoned intact they'd try to recover and restore. Those owned by others they could visit and tell the post-episode life.

Does anyone ever know what happened to the Bolivia special Range Rover and Suzuki? Those cars were my favourite Top Gear special cars and I really want to know what happened to them

these should be in a museum acres large full of TG cars and the snowplow combine harvester

I'm still curious if Richard's toyota Fj is still on that beach where it rolled.

I still remember this special so much so, I can't believe its 2013...

they should reunite those 3 cars

@CaydeSmax

Жыл бұрын

not worth the cost :D

The Volvo still runs. Of course it does, those 5 cylinders were absolute champs

I would love to see the cars from the Botswana special rebuilt and taken out on that adventure again.

I'm so in love with the 850R

are there any of the cars from the 3rd Africa special (or what to call it) the 4X4 special left including the follow up car? what about the Beetle follow up car from the Oliver special?

It might not be the BMW because if you watched the African Special, you may have noticed the hook behind the 528i. The picture in reddit doesn't have one. I still believe its the BMW 528i that Jeremy used.

Blast from the past. Awesome.

One of my all time favourite episodes if not my favourite 🗿🍷

This was my favorite special things brings me so much joy

That was my favorite special. I've watched it so many times 😅

One of my favourite Top Gear specials

The state of that 850R is breaking my heart! 💔

@tecguru100

Жыл бұрын

I know the person who owned it before they had it. His name was Dave Reid

I love how Mike says "wheels" with the same oomph as Stewie says "coolwhip" in Family guy🤣

It's not a phone in the volvo. It's the glass breakage sensor for the alarm 👍

My man annihilated that clutch leaving in the last shot

What happened to the cars in Argentina ? Last report was they were left on the side of the road as the camera crew escaped. And how did our boys get out? With the camera crew, or some other way.

@whatamisupposedtoputhere

Жыл бұрын

They were destroyed in 2017 by Argentinian authorities to prevent further riots from occurring. Very touchy subject matter and I suppose they’d prefer not to further discuss it. What I really want to know is what happened to the cars in Syria, although I know the answer to that is probably very obvious.

@FastDriver318

Жыл бұрын

@@whatamisupposedtoputhere The Z3, MX-5 and Fiat? They were in the Beaulieu Motor Museum here in the UK not too long ago, but I suspect have recently been destroyed because the BBC is trying to disassociate with Jeremy/ that era of TG.

@whatamisupposedtoputhere

Жыл бұрын

@@FastDriver318 I don’t think they’d be destroyed because of the rather problematic things he’s done. If they were in a museum recently I can only assume they’re in the hands of private collectors.

All the old TG cars should be kept in a museum somewhere

I think it would be cool to see a team of you at drivetribe, go out of your way, and bring these cars back, would be a cool series

The thought of a €1500 or $1500 WRX wagon is crazy. Especially here in the states. 200k mile ones go for $6000 here.

I feel also sad for the Porsche and Lotus left in Argentina under the conditions at the time!

@quillmaurer6563

Жыл бұрын

Would be interesting to know what came of those cars - were they ever recovered? Restored by locals after abandonment? Scrapped, either by locals or the crew?

@gianluca6391

Жыл бұрын

​@@quillmaurer6563 hi i am from argentina, those cars were scraped in secret by the argentinean and uk goverment to close the discussion and prevent more problems.

What about The Mini, The Jag & The Rolls from the India Special? Are they still, "...mounted on plinths high in the mountains by the road connecting India and China."?

@H.K_R

Жыл бұрын

Did you not hear about the fact that they got told straight after the special that they would have to take the plinths down and they were now in Hampshire?

@FastDriver318

Жыл бұрын

Rolls and Mini are in private hands in the UK. The Jag was in the Beaulieu Motor Meuse here in the UK but I suspect has now been crushed due to the BBC trying tp disassociate with Jeremy/ that era of TG.

Wow the list of all the cars the had o tip gear will be huge. I'll like to see more of what happened to them

My favorite special! That BMW was so nice after Jeremy did the interior. Probably his most comfortable camping setup. Can anyone tell if the rear window looks like its from a Subaru?

That was a great special

I REALLY want to know what happened to that focus RS from a massive hunt

I am from Uganda, If you can direct me to where these 2 were found, I can try and track down the Impreza wagon. They are not very common so it shouldn't be hard to find.

I'm looking forward ti seein Martin get sorted!

Well done for keep out sponsorships

Great top gear specials 👌 And great cars

When you redo Martin give it some rumble, and get rid of that rattle.

I personally really like the idea of the cars then being driven around where the tv show left them. Its hilarious to me that Richard Hammond's WRX is still driving around the roads of Uganda! It feels like a small thank you to wherever filming occurred, I just wish that the other three cars had met the same fate instead of rotting past death.

It was before the purchase of the bmw v10 when we suggested to buy and properly do a 850R, and no one noticed. Maybe it is time?

@drivetribe that thing you thought is a mobile phone is actually part of the alarm system it detects the windows being broken i have an 850 myself and it has the exsact same thing it sits on the A-pillar

The fact that Hammond abused that Subaru and welded it’s front control arm together and it’s still running I’m impressed

Please someone save that volvo. It's painful to see such a nice car in such a poor condition

Calling Hoovie’s Garage… they need you in Uganda…

I still wonder about the cars from the Patagonia special... that Lotus was so nice... at the beginning anyway.

I would love to go out there and try and retrieve the BMW 528i

Crazy how I just thought about this special and then this pops up

Hey Mike, I’m loving the leather jacket. Where’d you get it?

My subaru has 300k on the clock. Starts first time and goes like a new car. Excellent engineering.

Love the music in this video !

I prefer the 7xx and 9xx series over the 850, mostly because the automatic transmissions in those things were practically bullet proof!