Hammond's transport during the trip was a first-series example of the Fiat Barchetta and he was pleasantly surprised by its reliability although the missing 'buttock' didn't make for comfortable driving. The Barchetta was 'customised' in traditional Top Gear style by smearing the front end in glue before throwing desert sand at it and adding spot lights while a traditional Bedouin tent was also built onto the car. Hammond previously owned a Barchetta before his career as a Top Gear presenter.

The much loved Barchetta convertible was based on the Punto Mk1 platform and entered production in 1995. Designed in-house by Fiat Centro Stile and credited to Andreas Zapatinas, the Barchetta was initially produced by Maggiora at Chivasso. It was a pure two seater with a full, manually operated, canvas roof and an adequate boot. The design aimed to hark back to the small open-topped roadsters of the 50s and 60s, both in overall shape and in some details like the exquisite chrome door handles. Inside too, it was relatively understated, aiming to involve the driver more rather than to place barriers between him and his enjoyment of driving.

The engine was a 1747cc, dohc 16V unit with 131 bhp and 164 Nm, which featured variable valve timing (hydraulic on the inlet valves) for the first time in a production Fiat car. Other noteworthy features included a stainless steel 4-2-1 exhaust manifold, piston crown oil cooling jets, forged steel conrods and self adjusting hydraulic tappets.

After its launch the Barchetta received much praise for both its handling and performance, helped by its relatively light weight and excellent chassis rigidity for a convertible. The brakes were assisted by the fitment of discs all round and ABS as standard. Despite the lack of a limited slip diff, traction was also rarely a problem, even on tight corners. No variants were produced, all models being two door convertible 1800s, although some 'limited editions' were produced in various markets. Only left hand drive cars were built by Fiat, although these were also officially available in those markets where RHD is the norm, such as the UK and Japan. A hardtop in the body colour (originally only in black) was also available.

For the year 2000 the range was 'revised' with a variety of mostly unnoticeable detailing changes. The most visual change was the addition of a third brake light in a blister on the bootlid. Late 2002 saw a thoroughly facelifted Barchetta was shown to the public. Featuring new front and rear bumpers the car became visually much more aggressive whilst under the skin little changed. Problems with Maggiora saw the commercial launch delayed and in the end only small numbers were built in fits and starts up to 2005.

Meanwhile Clarkson's car of choice for this carefully stage managed journey was a Mazda MX5. Special features included a unique 'car of many colours' paint job, evidence that the car was once fitted with an 'axle of evil' and holes in the bodywork left behind by Clarkson's 'bulletproofing' plan. Finally May, who bought frankincense in Bethlehem during the caper, drove a malfunctioning BMW Z3 which had a camouflage paint scheme inspired by the work of the Africa Corps and the Luftwaffe.

Fans of Top Gear can now see the Barchetta, as well as the two other cars, from The Three Wise Men Christmas Special, in the World of Top Gear exhibition at Beaulieu. "We like to keep the exhibition as up to date as we possibly can and what could be better than for fans to see the show on TV and then the cars just a few days later," said Stephen Munn, Commercial Director at the National Motor Museum. World of Top Gear features a collection of cars created by the presenters for some of their most ambitious challenges on the TV show over the years. Exhibition highlights include the Top Gear 'Enormodrome' which recreates the feel of the Top Gear studio, where the TV show is filmed in front of a live audience. Regular features from the programme including the Cool Wall and the Celebrity 'Lap Times' boards are kept up to date in line with the show.