Simon Heptinstall

Former taxi-driver and garage manager Simon claims he is the only writer to have appeared on the cover of BBC Top Gear magazine, been stopped by the police for having flames shooting out of his exhaust pipe… and is still slim enough to fit through the sunroof of a 1950s Fiat 500.

He is now a leading journalist, author and broadcaster who famously controlled a Zastava Yugo during a roadtest as the steering wheel fell off in his hands and once held the world record for most countries driven to in one day (12). He lives in England’s westcountry with an old Volvo, two palm trees and a view of the sea from his kitchen sink.