Middle East Top Gear Special

A Fiat Barchetta decorated to look like a Bedouin tent.

You can’t have a special without a Stig appearance. In a bizarre and hilarious detour, the boys were challenged to a drag race against "The Stig’s Middle Eastern Cousin." He looked exactly like the Stig, but he was wearing traditional Arab dress. The race was short, confusing, and utterly brilliant.

The premise was simple: The Three Wise Men traveled from the East to bring gifts to the newborn Jesus. The Top Gear trio would do the same, starting in the war-torn deserts of Iraq and driving through Turkey, Syria, and Jordan to reach Bethlehem. middle east top gear special

In Jerash, Jordan, they invented a new sport, racing their battered roadsters around a 2,000-year-old Roman chariot circuit.

When you think of the perfect car for a road trip, what comes to mind? A comfortable grand tourer? A rugged Land Rover? Well, the producers of Top Gear had a different idea. For their Christmas special, they sent our three favorite idiots on a journey to find the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. The catch? They had to drive there from Iraq. And the cars? Well, they were… questionable. A Fiat Barchetta decorated to look like a Bedouin tent

The journey was a masterclass in beautiful cinematography and classic banter:

They reach the Omani coast after three days. The cars are barely alive. May’s Saab is held together with zip ties and hope. Hammond’s MX-5 has no roof left. Clarkson’s BMW sounds like a bag of spanners. The race was short, confusing, and utterly brilliant

But because this is Top Gear , they weren't given sensible SUVs. They were given two-seater convertibles with virtually no luggage space and zero off-road capability.

The premise was "appropriately seasonal": follow the path of the Three Wise Men from Northern Iraq to Bethlehem. To make it a true Top Gear challenge, the trio was given a budget of to buy a second-hand, two-door convertible sports car—perhaps the least practical choice for the warzones of Iraq and the deserts of Syria.