Top Gear Middle Eastern Special [extra Quality] May 2026

In a moment of genuine pathos, the three men stood on the roof of Clarkson’s BMW, staring at the vast, empty horizon. There was no traffic. No sound. Just the wind and the ticking of hot metal.

What could possibly go wrong? Everything. Gloriously, explosively wrong. top gear middle eastern special

This is the oral history of the most sweaty, sandy, and spiritually enlightening road trip in Top Gear history. The formula was classic Wilman. The budget: £3,500. The rule: It must be a convertible. The setting: The Empty Quarter (Rub' al Khali), a place so inhospitable that NASA uses it to test Mars rovers. In a moment of genuine pathos, the three

"Traction," May explained, laying the carpet under the wheels. "It’s the same principle as the Egyptians using logs to build the pyramids. Except we are idiots, and the pyramids are a 1996 Fiat Barchetta." Just the wind and the ticking of hot metal

"We are going to die here," said Hammond, quietly. "Yes," replied May. "But at least the stereo in the Fiat still works." Leave it to Captain Slow to save the day. While Clarkson wanted to set the BMW on fire (a recurring theme), May produced a roll of carpet from the Fiat's minuscule boot.

Richard Hammond, ever the optimist, chose a £1,500 VW Golf Cabriolet. It was the color of a faded traffic cone, smelled of wet dog, and had the structural rigidity of a wet cracker. "It’s characterful!" he squeaked, as the chassis flexed over a speed bump.

It worked. Sort of. After 45 minutes of pushing, sweating, and Clarkson threatening to sue the entire Arabian Peninsula, the cars popped free. The BMW had a cracked sump. The Golf had no reverse gear. The Fiat smelled of burnt clutch and regret. They found Ubar (sort of). They got sunburn in places the sun should never go. Clarkson wore a tea towel on his head. Hammond tried to race a camel (the camel won). May spent 20 minutes explaining the geological history of the sand dunes while the other two threw rocks at his head.