The Lamborghini Huracán is a very fast sports car made by Lamborghini. It’s meant for performance driving, not everyday practicality. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as the speaker’s big, exciting purchase.
A Ford F1 is an old Ford pickup truck from the F-Series. In this story, the owner has it set up with air suspension so it can sit very low—almost like a show car.
“Air rides” means the suspension uses air-filled bags instead of regular springs. That lets the truck be lowered a lot for looks, or raised for driving.
This describes a performance fuel system: “twin-carb” means two carburetors instead of one. The “tunnel ram” intake is a special intake shape meant to move more air into the engine.
Right-hand drive means the steering wheel is on the right side. Converting a car to that setup usually requires a lot of work to move the controls and make everything fit correctly.
A digital dash is the car’s gauge cluster shown on screens instead of classic needles. It can display more info and is common when people modernize an older car.
The Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9 is a small “hot hatch” that was popular because it felt fun and lively to drive. It’s also a car people like to tinker with, so it has a big enthusiast following.
The Peugeot 205 CTI is a sporty version of the Peugeot 205 hatchback. It’s designed to be more exciting to drive than a normal family car. The podcast mention suggests it was a tempting, fun purchase.
An engine swap is when you replace the engine in your car with a different one. Here, they’re putting in an MI-16 engine to make the Peugeot 205 GTI feel different—usually stronger and more fun.
Throttle bodies are individual air intake valves (often one per cylinder or per intake runner) that meter how much air the engine gets. Using throttle bodies—especially in swaps like this—can improve throttle response and make the engine breathe more directly than some factory intake setups.
Term
dimmer kit
A dimmer kit is a gadget that lets you turn down or adjust the brightness of lights in the car. They’re using one to change how the car’s lighting looks or works.
Concept
rest on mod
It sounds like they mean a “restomod” idea: keep the car’s classic vibe, but update it with changes that make it better to drive. In this case, the engine swap and intake setup are part of that approach.
The Opel Astra is a compact car you can use for normal driving. Some versions can be made to feel more sporty, which is why it might show up in racing stories. In the podcast, it’s referenced as the kind of car someone was racing.
Term
modern engines
They’re basically saying newer engines are harder to get to and work on yourself. There are more covers and parts packed in, so it’s not as easy to tinker as it used to be.
A fan belt is a belt that helps run parts of the engine, like the cooling fan. Changing it is a common repair on older cars/trucks that use belts to drive accessories.
Car
old school mini
They’re referring to the classic Mini, a tiny British car that’s famous for feeling fun and connected to the road. Because it’s so small, it can feel more like a driver’s car than many modern cars.
They’re talking about the Audi RS6, a very fast, performance-focused Audi. They didn’t like it as much because it felt too safe and controlled, and it didn’t sound or feel exciting to them.
An electric car uses electricity stored in a battery to move the wheels. The conversation here is about how different EV brands can start to feel alike.
A “skateboard chassis” is how many electric cars are built: the battery is placed low in the bottom of the car. That shared layout can make different EVs feel more alike even if the outside styling changes.
Range anxiety is the stress of wondering if your electric car has enough battery to get where you’re going. People feel it more when they aren’t sure where they can charge next.
This was Ford’s older Escort model. “1.6” means it had a 1.6-liter engine, and “GL” is a version/trim level that usually came with more features than the cheapest versions.
This is a sportier version of the Ford Mondeo. The speaker is basically saying it felt like a nicer, more enjoyable car to drive than the alternatives.
The Lotus Elise is a small, lightweight sports car that’s built to feel quick and nimble. Because it’s so compact, tall people often wonder how they’ll fit, and the host explains how he made it work—especially with the roof off.
If a car is “burning smoke,” it usually means you can see smoke coming from the exhaust. That can point to something wrong with how the engine is running or how fluids are being burned.
The exhaust is the part that carries engine fumes out of the car. If it “fell off,” it means it came loose or broke, which is a serious problem and usually needs repair quickly.
Brake discs and brake pads are the parts that help the car stop. The pads squeeze against the spinning disc to slow the wheels. They’re usually replaced when they wear down.
“EVO” is short for the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, a fast, rally-style Mitsubishi. It’s known for strong acceleration and good grip thanks to all-wheel drive. Here, the shop had a limited-edition EVO called “Tommy Macken.”
Brake pads are the parts inside your brakes that create the stopping power. They wear out over time, so the speaker is saying they expected to have to replace them anyway.
Richard Burns was a famous British rally race driver. The speaker is joking that they looked so good driving on local roads that people thought they were as good as him.
Derbyshire is in England, and “lanes” means small country roads. The speaker is talking about driving on twisty roads where a car can feel especially fun and confidence-boosting.
The Jaguar XKR is a Jaguar that’s meant to be fast and comfortable for longer drives. It’s known for having a strong engine and a more grown-up “grand tourer” vibe than a lightweight sports car.
“21-inch wheels” means the wheels are pretty large. That usually changes the tire shape too, which can make the ride feel firmer and more affected by rough roads.
Split rims are wheels that are built in separate sections instead of one solid piece. Because they come apart, they can be trickier and riskier to handle if they’re not serviced the right way.
An engine rebuild means taking the engine apart and fixing/renewing worn internal parts. The speaker is saying the shop warned they’d likely need that kind of expensive repair soon.
The Volkswagen Jetta is a regular passenger car (a sedan). It’s meant for everyday driving like commuting and errands. In the podcast, it’s mentioned as something the speaker may have driven but can’t quite remember exactly.
The Golf TDI is a Volkswagen Golf with a diesel engine. “TDI” means it’s a turbo diesel, and it usually gives strong low-end pull and good fuel economy.
John Cooper Works is Mini’s higher-performance version. It’s set up to feel quicker and more fun to drive, and in this case it has a supercharger that makes a noticeable loud sound.
A supercharger forces extra air into the engine so it can make more power. When it’s working, it often makes a distinct whistling/whining sound you can hear from outside or inside the car.
The Audi R8 is a high-performance supercar from Audi. It’s known for having the engine placed toward the middle of the car, which helps it handle well, and this one is described as a manual V8.
A drive shaft is a key part that sends power from the gearbox to the wheels. If it breaks, the car may not be able to drive and repairs can get costly.
The Mercedes C63 AMG is a high-performance version of the regular C-Class. It’s famous for sounding great and feeling quick. Here, the car has an exhaust change (“straight pipe”) and a wider body look, so it sounds louder and looks more aggressive.
A “straight pipe” is when the exhaust is modified to be less restrictive. That usually makes the car much louder and gives it a more aggressive sound. It’s popular with car people, but it can be too loud for some places and can be annoying on daily drives.
A wide body conversion is when someone changes the car’s body panels so the wheel area looks wider. It can also help fit wider wheels and tires. In this case, it’s mainly about the aggressive, wider look.
“Black Series” is a Mercedes-AMG name for their more extreme, track-focused versions. Here, the speaker means their car was modified to look like that kind of AMG. It wasn’t the real Black Series model, just the look.
Spa is a well-known race track in Belgium. It has fast sections and big braking zones, so it’s a great place to feel how a car handles and accelerates.
This is a Mercedes-Benz C-Class C63. It’s famous for feeling fast and loud, and in the earlier versions it used a bigger engine before Mercedes later reduced the engine size and added turbochargers.
Engine capacity is basically the engine’s size (how much it can move inside). The host is saying the car used to have a bigger engine, and later versions got smaller engines.
He’s describing a car that looks and feels wild when you drive it hard. “Smokiest” means it can produce visible smoke, and “slidiest” means it’s easy to get the tires to lose grip and slide.
A warranty is like a repair guarantee for a limited time. The speaker is saying they didn’t want to be stuck paying for expensive repairs once the warranty was almost over.
Concept
huge bill
They’re talking about the fear of getting hit with a very expensive repair cost. After a bad experience, they wanted to reduce the chance of paying big money for problems.
The G-Class is a Mercedes luxury SUV with a very distinctive boxy shape. It’s designed to handle rough roads while still being comfortable inside. The podcast mentions it as a choice that balances everyday practicality and strong performance.
“G-Wagon” usually means the Mercedes-Benz G-Class, a tough-looking SUV that’s known for off-road ability. Here, the host is talking about how it felt to own and how it compared to his other car in terms of appeal.
A Ford Ranger is a pickup truck. It’s designed to carry things and handle rougher roads, while still being usable day to day. People talk about it because it’s a common, practical truck option.
A rev limiter is a safety limit that stops the engine from revving too high. The host feels that modern cars hit that limit in a way that makes them less exciting.
In this context, “good exhaust” means an aftermarket exhaust system intended to change sound and sometimes performance. The host is trying to improve the car’s character by replacing or upgrading the exhaust, but says it still didn’t create the same excitement.
The Lamborghini Aventador SV is a very expensive, very fast supercar. The host regrets not buying one when they had the chance, because the price has gone way up since then.
A “V12” is an engine with 12 cylinders. The host is saying older V12 cars are special because they sound amazing, and that’s part of why people still want them even as cars go electric.
They mean the future of cars is electric instead of gas. The idea is that if electric cars take over, older gas cars (like V12s) might become more desirable to own.
Term
suspension's got a sort of deviate
They’re saying the car’s suspension is set up in a way that makes it feel weird or hard to control. That can change how the tires stay planted and how the steering feels while driving.
Term
range of being flattened
They mean how much the suspension can “give” and settle when you drive. If it can’t compress enough, the car can feel bouncy or hard to control.
“Aired out” typically means the car’s suspension uses air to change ride height. If it’s set too high, the car can feel unstable and you may have to keep correcting the steering.
The Mercedes-Benz C63 is a high-performance Mercedes, built to feel quick and fun rather than just comfortable. The speaker is saying that if they already had one, they wouldn’t need to look elsewhere.
“Twin turbo” means the engine gets help from two turbochargers to make more power. It’s a common way to turn a fast car into an even faster one, but it can be more complicated to maintain.
The Lamborghini Countach is a famous high-performance sports car. It’s known for its bold, unusual shape and for being a classic supercar. People mention it because it’s one of the most recognizable Lamborghini models.
The Alps are big mountains in Europe. People imagine driving there because the roads twist a lot and the views are amazing, which makes the drive feel more fun.
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ is a very extreme, high-power Lamborghini supercar. It’s famous for sounding loud and “backfiring” a bit—those crackles and pops you hear from the exhaust when you lift off or change throttle.
Those “pops” and “crackles” are the loud sounds you hear from a car’s exhaust. On some performance cars, it happens when you lift off the gas or change throttle, and the exhaust system produces extra noise.
LIVE
What was your first automotive crush?
Vicky Bucklandersen.
I'm not the world's best driver,
but you can't not look great in one of those cars.
It gets worse, gets worse.
And he said I'll do you a really good deal
because it's not shifting.
So I bought it and by the time I got back to Sadampton,
so maybe a 34 hour drive,
I called him up and said, can you take it back?
Think you're all going to hate me for what happened next then?
Then I went silly.
So I went and bought a Huracan.
I'm just a petrolhead.
I'm addicted to cars.
Hello and welcome to Fueling Around.
I'm Vicky Bucklandersen.
And I'm Dave Vitti,
bringing you the very best in mototainment
every single week.
Fueling Around is powered by Adrien Flux.
As the UK's largest specialist insurance broker,
Adrien Flux will tailor a quote to exact needs
and help you save money on your car,
your bike or even your home insurance.
Don't forget to press subscribe on YouTube
so that you never miss an episode
or press follow on Spotify or Apple
or wherever you get your podcasts from.
Now then, today's special guest is a highly trained
and highly decorated elite athlete specializing in 400 meters.
He's represented Great Britain at the Olympics
and the Commonwealth Games.
He still runs for fun.
He's dad to three kids, three boys,
and has a podcast as well
and is generally an all-round lovely bloke.
He is you and Thomas.
Apparently, I'm an elite.
I've never been called elite.
I thought you were elite.
I thought they just...
Well, I'll take it.
I thought...
Maybe once upon a year,
I might have been an elite athlete.
Exactly why we're giving you the title.
Okay.
I think once elite, always elite.
Do you think so?
It's a little bit like when people say ex-Olympian,
you say, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Apparently, you're never an ex-Olympian.
Once you're an Olympian, always an Olympian.
Exactly.
So always elite.
So I'm going with, I'm elite.
Yes, stick it on your email signature or something.
Thank you very much for joining us.
Thank you for coming in.
You have been on the show many, many moons ago.
Five years ago, I think it was,
at which point you had one son called Teddy.
You now have three sons.
That's how much has changed
since you were last in one of these chairs.
Three sons aged 74 and two.
Correct.
If my memory and my math serves me right.
So first of all, you've obviously been busy
since we saw you last.
And secondly, how on earth does Mrs. Thomas
cope with looking after four little boys every day?
I know.
I know.
It must be tough.
The thing is, I've never really grown up.
And I actually think that makes me a better dad
for being that way.
Because I'm not the strict one.
I'm sort of like good cop.
And I do all the fun things.
And I just walk away when it gets a bit heated.
So no, I love it.
And my boys are just proper boys.
The seven-year-old plays football
and he's really into it.
And the other two are just crazy.
They're just mini-means, really.
So if they were here now,
they'd be hanging off things and jumping over bits and pieces.
And yes, I think it's how I was.
But this is it.
You know, I'm only half-joking when I say about your wife
having four little boys to look after.
Because in terms of the mentality
in that crazy household of yours,
it must be for her like four little boys.
It must be.
And we had Frank Matank no longer with us, sadly.
Our little Frenchie.
So imagine when he was still around.
Chaos.
The house is pure chaos.
My heart absolutely goes out to Mrs. T, may I say.
And also, because you aren't often home either.
So she's definitely left to deal with things
because you are busy co-hosting a podcast as well.
So tell us about that so if anyone can,
after they've listened to you on this podcast,
they can find your other one.
Well, if you enjoy four wheels like I do
and you like two wheels, then tune in to full chat.
So it's myself and David Pratt and ex-footballer.
And just talking about our love of motorbikes.
And I was into bikes before cars.
Like I asked my dad's fault, he's into motorbikes.
And yeah, we have wonderful guests every week
where we just talk about their bike history,
what makes biking so unique and so special.
It's a hard one to explain if you're not into bikes,
but there's something very beautiful about
putting that helmet on, shutting the visor,
being at one with yourself and just going wherever you want to go.
For me, I feel for a lot of people, cars are a mode of transport.
Long gone are the days really where I still do, to be fair.
But long gone are the days, perhaps,
where people go, I'm jumping in the car,
I'm just going to go for a drive.
I was with a bike quite often.
Do you know I've got a spare after that,
I'm just going to go on the bike.
Where are you going to go?
Did I?
Yeah.
And that's how I see bike and just escapism.
I ride a bike, I mean, badly.
I mean, I'm brilliant in a straight line,
but I have to get up around a corner.
But there's something very mindful about being on a bike
because you have to be so present because everything,
you have to be so alert and aware.
Whereas in a car, you have so many more distractions,
unfortunately.
So there is something very pure about motoring on two wheels.
I agree with you.
I'm the same as you.
Straight line, give it some.
Yeah.
I used to do a bit of track and trail,
a bit of off-road and greelaning,
and I'd turn up at these events.
And for the first half of the day,
I'm taking it quite steady.
Now I'm getting overtaken by loads of kids
and after lunch, I've get a bit too confident.
I think, yeah, I've got this first two times out, A&E.
Yeah, hurt myself.
But never mind.
That's part of biking.
Yeah.
So full chat, did you say it was called?
Full chat.
Full chat.
So can I find this on YouTube?
Yeah, YouTube Spotify.
Right.
Get on there, yeah.
It sounds excellent.
We really love it.
Yeah, no, absolutely.
If I go on to YouTube, go for full chat
and then press the subscribe button.
Please do.
Ah, I mean, every extra listener helps.
And we would love to have you on board
as one of our fans.
Let's call it fans.
Sounds excellent.
Well, listen, back to four wheels for now,
because the reason that you are here,
I mean, other than the fact that you're elite
and we like you,
is that the main reason that you're here
is that you are a died-in-the-world virtual head.
There's no two ways about it.
You always have been, you always will be.
Tell Vicki, if you will, about the American toy,
which is currently residing in your garage,
which only comes out of the weekends,
because I'm not sure that she knows about this.
But also, it's going to be joined by a new little friend.
It is.
A new little continental friend, I believe,
in a matter of weeks or months.
So I have, like, a 76-year-old Ford F1.
So 1950.
It's on air rides.
It was slammed to the ground.
Oh, my gosh.
Yeah, it's absolutely amazing.
It looks like in cars.
Yeah.
Is it not the truck in cars?
It does look a little bit mated.
It looks like that.
And the best bit is, I told the missus, a massive lie.
How much you paid for that?
And I said what I told her I paid, which was not true.
And she goes, I'm surprised you paid that much.
It's rusty, because basically, it's the patina.
It's obviously made to look that way.
That's brilliant.
A lot of the fiberglass panels, they've been made to look old.
But the actual main shell of the car is, like, 76 years old.
So, yeah, it's got a Chevy 5.7 small block.
It was supercharged.
I've changed that now.
It's got a tunnel round twin-carb set up.
Spits flames.
Oh, my gosh.
I've stripped it out.
So it's converted to right-hand drive.
Imagine Ratty on the outside, race truck on the inside.
So it's all carbon-fiber inside or digital dashy.
It's, I, honestly, she won't see this.
I have spent way too much.
And the whole thing was, when I turned 50,
I thought I'm going to go and get myself a silly car again.
And I've had a Lamborghini Huracan, for example.
I loved it.
I said, do you know what?
With all due respect, anyone with deep pockets can go and buy,
you know, a McLaren or not.
Do you know what I mean?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Anyone can get it.
To an extent, to anybody can.
I'm just saying, you know, there's a lot of people
with too much spare cash who can go and buy that kind of car.
I thought I'm going to get something that's been built, not brought.
And I also thought it cost me a fraction of the price.
I've now ended up spending more on that
than I probably would for getting another Lambo.
But it is brilliant.
And when I take it to any car show,
genuinely, people flock around it because it's so different.
Yeah.
And you do see a lot of super cars.
And they all serve a purpose, and it's amazing.
But I like something with a bit of character.
And I've also, as Dave said, just got something else,
which I'm rebuilding because it really takes me back to my youth.
My second car I owned back in the day, when I was at uni,
I started to run quite well.
And I got like a grant towards warm weather training costs.
I got like a three grand grant to pay for medical bills,
warm weather training.
Where did I go?
I went to buy a Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9.
All the money went straight on that.
And I absolutely loved it.
And I drove around uni like I was the king.
And when I sold it, I genuinely have really missed that car.
So I've got another one.
So I've got a 205 GTI.
But this is an MI-16 engine swap on throttle bodies.
And I've got a dimmer kit, which has come over from Belgium.
And they will not be happy when they hear this.
But I've totally cut the dimmer kit up.
I'm just going sort of rest on mod.
Yeah, it's going to look really cool.
So at least it's more usable than the truck.
So, you know, I kind of, and this is a bit sad.
The reason why I got the truck as well is,
you know that JCB song about the guy sitting in his dad's lap
in the JCB?
Yeah, and it's lucky, wasn't it?
Yeah.
And I really felt like I want to build memories with my kids.
Yeah.
And I just thought, my kids would not remember the Black RS6
or whatever shiny car I'm at.
But they're going to remember this truck.
Yeah.
So I bought it to do the school run.
Oh, my God.
It's so loud.
I was going to say, do you know who else will remember the truck?
It's your neighbors.
Yeah, it was as well.
I imagine we love that on the school run.
It's a bit loud.
But that's why I've gone for the 205,
because it's a bit more usable.
Yeah.
So it's all about memories for my kids,
because genuinely, my favorite memories with my dad growing up
are either on the back of his motorbike,
or him taking me out in his Alfa Romeo at the weekend,
seeing a boy racing an LL Astra or something,
saying, let's have it.
And it's really sad, like, without getting too nostalgic.
I look at my dad now as an 82-year-old,
and it doesn't really drive as much as he did.
And I thought, you know, he was my hero when I was younger.
He loved cars, got me into cars.
I just think to a certain degree, yes,
you've got to be sensible in life,
but you also have to live for the moment.
Hence, I've got some silly toys.
Where did that passion actually come from?
You say you're dad, but was there a particular journey
or a particular car that suddenly sort of tripped the switch for you?
I just think generally growing up,
my dad was really into cars.
I can't say it wasn't because I watched Formula One
or anything on TV.
I just really like the smell, the noise,
everything that comes with being around cars.
My dad used to get me to help him with really basic mechanics,
and I just don't know.
It's not even like I'm into engineering.
I just love cars.
I just, everything about them.
In fact, on the way here,
I started going through the cars that I've had, and like...
Would you know what, I wrote, I went through,
and there's been some really silly mistakes,
and I've never made money on a car of, you know,
but it's brought me enjoyment.
Yeah, well, we want to actually run through the list
because it is an extensive,
I mean, even just from the flash of your phone,
then I can see that it's an extensive and exhaustive list.
We'll do that in a minute.
I think what you said about your dad is actually really interesting
because, you know, I've seen your truck at your house,
and I always think about your three little boys
and think it is like they've got,
you know, daddy's got a real life toy truck, essentially, isn't it?
Which is, you know, something that they will never ever forget.
But it sounds like your dad was a bit like my dad as well
of that generation whereby my dad was into cars,
and he was never a mechanic or whatever,
but he could do all the basics,
and I can still remember him sort of dragging me out
on a Sunday afternoon in the pouring rain or whatever, saying,
right, come on in, I'm going to teach you how to change your tire.
I'm like, oh, dad, it was raining, whatever.
But, you know, these life lessons that I'm not sure
whether all kids kind of get taught those now,
but, you know, just all those basics about, you know,
how to change your tire, just those basic life skills,
which I'm sure your dad did for you as well,
you know, and the things that you need.
I think the problem now is all these modern engines,
you can't even get to them, you know,
they're all just covered up and I'm their mechanic,
but I do go out and tinker with my truck from time to time
and adjust the carbs and just play with bits and pieces
and, you know, change the fan belt the other day,
and I thought, oh, I can remember it from my childhood,
and honestly, the best memories with my dad are helping him
with cars and being with him associated with vehicles, 100%.
I have this similar feeling.
My father was in the British carting team,
and he was a teenager, was also a farmer,
and through him, I sat on his knee driving tractors,
and then he opened the motorsport door to me,
and, you know, hey presto, I managed to get a career out of it.
If he'd have paid golf or something,
I think it would have been a very different story.
But for me, one of my big memories with him
was in an old school mini, and we were going around a corner,
it was icy, and the car skidded,
and I remember screaming up at dad going,
oh my gosh, let's do it again.
And I was like, I don't think so.
But for me, it was a skid that made me think,
I love this.
This is really cool.
I must have been about, I don't know, four or five.
But that's a real car, isn't it?
An old school mini.
I remember my auntie had one with a big dashboard,
and do you think how small they were compared to modern mini?
He's a tiny little thing.
But that's a real driver's car.
It's a bit like the 205.
You've got to drive it.
It's not going to start first time every time for me,
and I've got to tweak it a little bit here and there,
and the problem with modern cars, yes, they're brilliant,
and I'm sure we get onto it,
but I had the new RS6 a few years back,
and it didn't really excite me,
because it looked after me too well.
It didn't sound like I wanted it to sound,
and it was just, it didn't feel fast.
You looked at the speed,
oh my God, it didn't feel I'm going that quick,
whereas older cars, you have to drive them properly,
and to work them a little bit.
So I miss, and I feel sorry for the modern generation,
who, what are the cars going to be like in another 10,
15 years time?
They're going to be driving themselves or whatever.
Yeah, quite possibly, you know,
and the whole sort of concept of a car and the character
of a car and the individuality of the car
could be completely lost,
and we could just be in a whole load of sort of soulless,
but I mean, we're getting there now, aren't we,
in terms of electric cars.
If you were to take the badges off them,
you'd struggle to tell an Audi 4x4 electric
from a Kia 4x4 electric from a, you know, etc, etc, etc,
the same box, aren't you?
It's exactly that.
It's sort of on a skateboard chassis with batteries,
and then manufacturers put a different top on,
and it's, I mean, it's getting more difficult
for motoring journalists like myself
to come up with descriptions about, you know,
the variety of electric cars out there because...
I think soulless, does it?
Yeah, it's...
Just explains it.
I've got EVs, you know, and there's a purpose for them and...
And blistering quick, smooth, quiet, comfortable.
I had a Tesla in it for three years,
and it never let us down.
It was just point-and-shoot, drive it,
but I was so pleased when it went back.
Honestly, I'll see it later.
It's just nothing.
It means nothing to me.
But this doesn't...
Sorry, but it doesn't.
Whereas I've sold other cars, and I've let you cry over it.
And the emotion that you're tugging back to the 205,
it exactly says...
There's no soul, is it?
There's no soul.
There's no character, and these things are really important.
And I get...
Sorry, I get really bad range anxiety as well.
So last week, I was working in Cardiff,
and we'd have to go from Cardiff.
Crikey, I was all over the country last week,
and from...
So I jumped into Cardiff, Cardiff to Birmingham,
Birmingham home, and all through my mind,
when you were saying 90 miles left, I thought,
that's not true.
I'd better find some of the charge soon.
Whereas, you know, with a petrol combustion engine,
you're just costing your fortune,
take a bank loan, fill it up, you're off.
Well, you can get electric cars that do 500 miles now.
There are a couple.
Yeah, I need one of those.
So they are...
But I always knock at least 100 miles off of my...
Well, for the way you drive.
...start of driving.
Yeah.
And in fact, I like my heated seat,
and I like my heated steering wheel,
so that all sucks it up.
Yeah.
So listen, take it back to the beginning then.
First cars are always something that we all...
You know, you always remember your first, don't you, you?
Yeah.
So what was it?
What first got you behind the wheel of your own, you know, volition?
First car was very lucky, because basically,
with my athletics career, it happened quite quickly.
I went to the World Junior Championships in 1992,
and everyone said, who's your coach?
I haven't got a coach.
What club do you run for?
I don't run for a club.
And when I got back, I went to uni,
and this weird bidding war started,
where Belgrave Harries wanted me to sign,
and they called me up, said, you haven't got a club?
I said, no, no, I'm a student.
And they said, well, what would it take to sign?
And I said, I don't know.
And they said, Ford Fiesta?
And I went, oh, okay.
And then literally the next day,
I got called from Newman Beagles,
and they said, what are they offered you?
I said, they've offered me a Ford Fiesta.
He said, meet me tomorrow by your Ford Escort.
So my first car was a Ford Escort 1.6 GL.
Lovely.
And I was like 18 or whatever, you are at uni.
And I was just like, oh my God, someone just bought me a car.
I can't believe it.
And the car came before any chat about money?
Any chat, it was just like, yeah, obviously,
it's an amateur sport, but it was just like,
I need a car to get around.
And that happened.
And then, as I said, the grant came through,
because I'd started to run quite quickly.
And I said, oh, to the club.
I said, thanks so much.
Give the car to someone who needs it.
I've got a 205 now, and I've bought the 205.
With the money that you should have been spending on?
With money, I should have been paying for warm weather and medical bills and all that.
It just went straight on a car.
Can I just ask, why were you running on your own
without any support to start with?
So basically, it just really happened quickly in my career in athletics.
I kind of, one minute, I was doing school sports day.
I broke five school records out of five events.
The schoolteacher pushed me along to the county championships.
I won that.
Then I went to the English schools, and they said,
right, the world juniors are in Seoul career later this year.
You're going to be selected.
And I went, what?
And I knew nothing.
It was just like a blur.
It happened really quickly.
So within the space of what?
Oh, that one summer.
One summer.
Oh, literally weeks.
I mean, so a life-changing couple of months.
Yeah, to a certain degree.
But just because you've done well at junior level,
it doesn't necessarily mean that's going to follow
through to the senior level.
In fact, it can be really hard.
You might be one of the top ranked athletes in Britain
as an under-18 year old, or under 20.
And then all of a sudden, you're 21,
and you're up against the big boys,
and you're ranked 10th in the country.
So people quit.
But for me, it just sort of continued to go well.
And yeah.
And that's how I got my first car, which is bizarre, really.
I love the bidding war between the Fiesta and the Escort.
I should have lied.
I should have said they offered me an Escort.
What have you got?
They offered me a Cosworth.
So, you know, higher or lower than a Cosworth.
What came after the 205?
Oh, crikey.
You might get your list down.
Get your list down.
Yeah, I think after the 205,
oh, it kind of went downhill, and I shouldn't say this,
but then I got sponsored by a Ford garage.
And they gave me, do you remember the Ford Probe?
Yes.
Oh, it wasn't good.
It was not a good car.
This was kind of late 90s Fords, wasn't it?
There was the original Puma.
There was the Probe.
There was the Cougar.
Yeah.
This is kind of like 98, 99, something like that.
It must be like 96, 97, I think.
OK, all right.
Did, what color was it?
Because they did do quite a nice purple Probe.
No, it was black, but the worst bit is,
and this is so embarrassing, because it was a sponsor car.
I had to have my name and everything on the side,
and you feel like a right, you know,
you feel like a right pro, don't you?
Yeah, please don't, I didn't feel elite then, seriously.
Did you have you and Thomas down the body work
at the side of the car?
Yeah.
You and Thomas, because I think I'd just got an Olympic silver,
so you and Thomas had Olympic silver memories.
Oh, brilliant.
And, you know, honestly, it wasn't great.
It wasn't.
Because all of a sudden, you can't, like,
you flip someone off at the lights, or anything.
You can't cut someone up, because they know who did it.
But the people used to beep you and stuff
when you had that on the side.
Who are you mate?
Aren't I right?
Nice, yeah, yeah, yeah.
You just get loads of grief.
But then they took that back, and then I got an escort cabriolet,
which I thought was quite cool.
And then I went up to the Mondeo ST24.
Nice.
Which was good.
Yeah, lovely chassis.
And then I think it was 1997,
and I started to do all right for myself,
and I severed my ties with the Ford garage,
and I bought a Lotus Elise.
I jumped the queue.
How on earth do you, what size are you?
I'm 6'2.
6'2, and how did you fit in an Elise?
Jump with the roof off.
Yeah.
Yeah.
But I just, but I loved it.
What about your feet?
It was a go-kart.
You know, it was all right.
Because they got a little pedal.
Yeah, yeah.
I loved it.
I loved that car.
But I then kind of was a bit frightened that
I was going to lose too much money on it.
So I only kept it for like about a year,
and sold it.
I'm trying to see what my, oh, oh, yeah.
But you didn't make money on it,
because you've never made money on a car.
Never made money.
Then I went through the TVR stage for a bit.
Oh, no, no, no.
And then when you definitely lose money.
No one's ever made any money on a TVR ever.
No, this is the thing.
So I got the TVR.
Is it Sabira?
Sabra.
Sabra.
So I had the Sabra, and I loved it.
It was British Racing Green, and it was amazing.
And believe it or not, I never had a problem with it.
Until my ex-boyfriend's boss.
So I think-
Your ex-boyfriend?
My ex-girlfriend's boss.
Sorry, I think that came out a bit weird.
I'm going to come out right now.
I've got something to tell you all.
Welcome to the podcast.
My ex-girlfriend's boss,
she's an old TVR that is breaking down all the time.
And literally the next day after he sent it to her,
I started getting issues with it.
What, engine-wise, or mechanical?
The exhaust fell off, and then it started to burn a bit of smoke.
Smoking a little bit.
And then I remember I went into a garage to get a service
in a beautiful part of the world.
Malmsbury, I think it was?
Malmsbury.
Yeah.
Wiltshire.
Yeah, it was a TVR dealer and a Subaru dealer.
And he had a Subaru Japanese import STI,
and it looked chunky, it looked wicked.
Oh, yeah.
And I went, oh, I quite like that.
And he just straight off with a swap if you want.
So I was going in for a service.
I didn't even know if it was a good deal or not.
And then he gave me the usual, your TVR needs a bit of work here.
And then I just thought, OK, I'll swap.
So I literally came out-
No way with the STI.
And someone recently sent me a picture of my car online.
Someone who owned it after me said,
in case you want to see pictures of it, it's still alive.
And how did it make you feel when you saw the pictures?
Oh, yeah.
Alive still, just missed it.
Yeah.
That noise of that engine.
Oh, yeah.
It just, yeah, it was brilliant.
And then I did something a bit stupid with that.
I then moved to the Midlands, and I went into,
like, a Japanese import place near Castle Donington,
because I needed some new brake discs and pads.
For the Subaru?
Yeah, for the Subaru.
And he had an EVO, Tommy Macken, a limited edition.
No, one of the best cars ever.
So good.
And it had these really beautiful, they don't sound it,
but brownish wheels, and it was a silver car.
Like a sort of, like, sort of brownie gold,
like almost like a bronzy, bronzy color, isn't it?
It was so nice.
And I just said, how much is that?
And he said, and I said, Park Exchange?
He went, yeah, you're going to have to chip in.
And I had to, I got ripped off,
but I thought I'd have to spend a bit on brake pads
and discs anyway.
Yeah, but not that much.
Yeah.
So that, and I reckon that was one of the funnest.
And also, I'm not the world's best driver,
but you can't not look great in one of those cars.
They totally look after you.
So my mates around the Derbyshire lanes
thought I was literally Richard Burns, honestly.
Oh, do you know how much you paid for that?
Do you recall?
I think it was around 17 grand.
Okay.
But so that would have been about 2003, 2004.
So I don't know.
So what, 17 all-ins?
And you had the Subaru to par-X?
Oh, no, in total, I think it was.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Okay, I think.
Okay, so that's, it wasn't too bad.
Don't feel too ripped up.
It wasn't too bad.
It's probably worth a fortune now.
Yeah.
And then something came all over me,
and I went, I went old man.
I went old man.
I got a Jag XKR.
See, I liked those though.
Yeah, but yeah, I was too young for it, Dave.
I think I was only like late 20s then.
You don't like them either, do you?
Well, it's just, it's a big, big old beast.
It's no Lotus Elise.
No.
It's a continental tour, isn't it?
In the 90s.
You know?
I think if I recall it,
it had 21-inch wheels and split rims.
It was a nice looking car.
So the five-litre Supercharged.
I don't know if it was five-litre or 4.2.
But it was V8, and it sounded great.
But then I went to training in it,
and everyone started calling me old man.
Right.
And bearing in mind, I was the oldest person
in the training group.
I got a bit paranoid.
So I took such a hit.
I think I had it three months,
and I stupidly sold it to a dealer.
And I think, I think I sold it for 21,
and I think I paid about 27 for it, I think.
And you got out of a Tommy MacKinnon.
I don't, please.
I know.
Mitsubishi.
I know.
That's quite a bit.
You'll be pleased to hear I went next, I think.
Come on, then.
Well, you might not.
Come back to mama.
There's peaks and troughs in this story.
I went back to TVR.
I got Tusken.
Oh, did you?
Yeah.
I really liked pearlescent blue.
I'm surprised you went.
Because I was getting called old.
No, I know I get that.
But having been down the Evo route.
Yeah.
I'm surprised you went back to TVR.
It sounded great, though.
I know they sound great, but.
Yeah, I loved that.
Any mechanicals with that?
No.
But I had to get it serviced at a place called TVR Power
in Coventry.
Oh, yeah.
And it was costing a lot to service.
I remember it was every 6,000 miles.
And I think it was about 1,300, 1,400 pound of service.
Yes.
And I think they put the fronters up and they said,
you're going to need an engine rebuild soon on this.
And when I heard that.
Those are the two words you don't want to hear at the garage,
are they?
Engine and rebuild.
Yeah.
But and I once again, I took a big hit on that.
Put it on auto-trader.
I feel I'm coming to you needs.
By the way, by the way, this is why he's not
doing the Martin Lewis money.
By the way, I've done all right with property in life,
but not cars.
And then and then it went really boring.
I moved back to Southampton because I was living
in the Midlands and I got sponsored by VW Garage.
And I just thought, great.
They're going to give me a Golf GTI.
They gave me a diesel Passat.
Or was it a Jetta?
No, it was a Passat.
And it listened Freeness's goodness.
And I was really grateful.
But it wasn't where I wanted to be.
But luckily, they soon changed that for a Golf TDI,
which was great.
OK, great car.
Then I was sort of in between cars
and I got probably one of the best cars I've ever owned,
I think, in terms of smiles for miles.
I got a John Cooper Works Mini.
And I absolutely loved it.
The supercharger wind on it.
It was loud and it was really quite strange.
So I got it from a guy in Harrogate
and it was on auto-trader.
And I flew up to Leeds, Brad, for whatever,
met the guy.
Most people drive up, by the way.
I knew I was driving back.
I knew I was driving back.
So I went and waited.
OK.
I knew I was going to buy it.
Let you off.
And I got there.
That, by the way, completely diminishes any bargaining power
that you have, though.
Exactly.
When you fly up there or you get the train up there,
because the guy knows you're going to take the car anyway.
It gets worse.
It gets worse.
So basically...
You can't do the whole,
oh, I'm going to walk away thing.
Because he knows you've got no car.
But you could say I'm going to run away
and look how fast I can go.
Oh, yeah.
You're all going to hate me for what happened next then.
Oh, gosh.
So basically, I'm in the guy's kitchen
and the car's mint.
It's lovely.
It's got these.
It's got bigger wheels on it.
It's been lowered.
It sounds great.
And he said,
if we're going to do a deal,
you're going to have to fill this form out.
And I said, I don't recognize that.
It's not the logbook.
He said, I'm selling it on behalf of my dad.
And I said, where's your dad?
He said, he died.
And I don't know what made me do it.
I knocked him down.
Yeah, I know.
Are you in?
No, I didn't knock the...
I just...
You knocked the price down.
No, you didn't knock him out.
No, I didn't.
I got that.
While the guy was down, like it was fresh.
You are the man who's losing money, left, right, etc.
And then you're taking money from him.
He just basically said,
me and my sister need to sell it.
You know, it's in my dad's name though.
You are going to have to sell it.
You were in the powerful seat.
I think I only took off about 500 quid or so.
But you know, when you're buying something,
you want to walk away feeling that you've got a bit of a deal.
I go away from a deal feeling that I've been good and wholesome.
You're just too nice a person, essentially,
is what this is all about.
And just pause for a second there
while we just do some quick mid-show
housekeeping.
Please press subscribe on YouTube if you haven't already
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or Spotify or wherever you get your podcast from.
So back to the story.
I feel bad now.
You've just taken 500 quid off the car
because of the sob story about the dad.
Well, I was going to knock him down anyway.
And I think in my head,
I was going to try and knock him down like 750.
So in my own mind, I wasn't a bad person.
You gave him 250 in your own head.
Because surely if you turn up to buy,
you're going to try and haggle a bit, aren't you?
Oh, that's a vicky.
You're making me feel really bad.
Yeah, I will.
OK.
Well, I'm sure Karma's got me after that
because there's some big losses coming up.
Come on, rattle through the big ones.
OK, rattle through.
Do you want to just leave some of them out?
Because honestly, I'll prop the picture ahead.
Right, OK.
So a few years where I had some Alfa Romeo's,
a couple of BMW's.
Then when I was 40, I bought an R8.
So when I was 40, I'd be an Audi R8.
Yeah.
Manual.
Lovely.
V8.
It had taken the big hit.
It was second hand.
So actually, I said I've never made on cars.
I did really well with this one.
So I paid 50 for it.
Just before the year warranty was up,
I blew the drive shaft on it.
And the guy said, you do realize this would have been
about a 10-round bill.
So then I sold it for 50.
Lovely.
So I've got a free car.
And had a lovely year.
An amazing time in it.
And that car's still going.
So the dealer I sold it to tells me the guy who bought it
still kept it.
Lovely.
So I absolutely loved that.
And then came probably, I would say, my favorite car.
No, it's not the best car.
But I kept this car for nine years.
C63 AMG.
AMG.
Straight pipe.
You haven't got that anymore, have you?
No.
Got rid of it.
But I mean, only fairly recently.
Fairly recently.
35 years ago, maybe?
That was my, I loved it.
Honestly, that car did absolutely everything,
the sound of it.
Because it also had a wide body conversion on it as well.
So it looked like the Black Series.
But it wasn't.
But it wasn't done like boy race.
It just looked really good.
And you didn't have your name written down the side, did you?
No, I paid for this one.
I drove one of those to the Belgian Grand Prix and back
in Spa, which was just phenomenal.
It was a C63 Black.
And it was just incredible.
It was one of my favorite drives of all time.
Every time I started, the hair's on.
Oh, yeah.
And it was before they reduced the engine capacity.
When they were still six liters before they brought them down
and stuck turbos on them.
I've been around a racing circuit.
And it was one of the smokiest, slidiest cars.
See, I would have loved you to take me out in some of my cars.
I'd have loved to have done that.
Me too.
That list, I'm all over it.
Even if I'm about to sell them, because you would arrive.
But then we could have put one careful lady over there
somewhere along the line.
Careful lady owner with a heavy right foot.
And then I went silly.
Then I went silly, but I kept the C63.
This is going to sound really weird.
But I found a bit of money, not under the sofa.
Don't ask, but I genuinely found some money
that I didn't know I had.
And my financial advisor says nothing to do with me.
And if it was something that I'd invested such a long time ago
that I totally forgot about it.
Oh, good for you.
So I went and bought a Huracan.
A Lamborghini.
Yeah, I could have reinvested it.
But yeah, it was so nice.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I love that.
I mean, most people, that would have been a real bonus windfall kind of thing.
Do you know what?
Let's stick back.
Stick it in them, get some up off the morgue.
Stick it in a trust for the boys.
Or you know what I mean?
Whatever.
I bought a Huracan.
I was like, I love that.
That's how I sort of sold it to my dad.
I went round.
I said, I've got some good news and bad news.
And I said, the good news is I found some money.
Oh, brilliant.
What's the bad news?
I bought a Lamborghini.
But to be fair, my dad was really angry at me.
And then when I visited and showed him,
my mum called me up.
She said, you do realize he's emailed the Scandal Breeze.
He's emailed the Sullivan's.
Everyone, he said, my son's got a Lamborghini.
And he was so proud.
It was like titanium gray.
Oh, nice.
It was really nice.
One careful owner.
And I had that for a year as well.
Did you do many sort of short trips in it?
Or did you?
I used it every day.
Did you?
It was my daily.
Although I had a C63, the Lambo was my daily.
Wow.
I loved it.
And I only sold it because the warranty,
I had a one year warranty remaining on it.
And I just thought, because of what happened with the RA,
I just thought I can't afford a huge bill.
So I sold.
And also, Teddy was expected as well.
So I thought, I better be sensible.
So I went and bought a Bravers G-Wagon.
Now there's practicality and performance wrapped
in one package there.
I'll be honest with you, the worst car ever.
Because of the ride?
Yeah.
So it wasn't the new shape one.
It was the one before.
And this is how it was sold to me.
So my mate Dean, who used to work at Redline up at Harrogate,
he said, we got a G-Wagon in, previously owned by Stephen Gerrard.
So I was quite, I love football.
I was going, oh, OK.
And he said, I'll do you a really good deal,
because it's not shifting.
So I bought it.
And by the time I got back to Southampton,
so maybe a 34 hour drive,
I called him up and said, can you take it back?
And it was like driving a tractor.
Honestly, it sounded amazing.
It looked a bit pimpy, but it was not nice to drive.
But I kept it.
He said, I'll get it back off you,
but you have to keep it at least six months.
So I kept it.
Teddy was born.
So I felt safe with the boy in the back.
He was a big, sturdy car.
And on a genuinely, it had presence about it.
It was good, but it was a bit too,
maybe a bit too showy.
I don't know.
But it was like.
Since the man who had Lamborghini.
Yeah, I mean, exactly.
Do you know the best Lambo store I've ever had?
So where I live, my little village,
is you go down Hamble Lane,
and it's always terrible with traffic.
And I'm in my Lambo one day going home.
And his traffic jam's all the way along the lane.
And the school kids all come in the other way.
And this slightly larger boy in a mountain bike
chucks his bike down.
He comes up and goes, sir, sir, sir,
give me a lift home, give me a lift home.
I said, mate, I can't just take a school.
But he goes, just pretend you're my dad.
Just pretend.
That's even worse.
Sounds really weird.
But I was so poor lad.
But I did used to let people sit in it.
Because it was where there was cars were.
You got to be in queue.
You come back and there's a queue of kids going around it.
You know, so it did.
The Lambo definitely had that.
But the G-Wagon, yeah.
G-Wagon wasn't great.
It was great, but it wasn't.
I feel really like it.
I hope I'm not coming across like, oh, look at me.
I'm just so petrol.
No, no, no.
I mean, I'm addicted to cars.
Listen, I've said this about you before.
You have owned in your time more silly cars than anybody
I've ever met before.
Yeah, I had some.
And I mean that with the greatest confidence.
It hasn't finished yet.
It's gone right all the way to the left.
Okay, from there, I went and got a Bentley Continental Onyx,
which is a company in Portugal.
They send it to Portugal.
They give flared wheel arches, massive wheels,
big bonnet on it.
And that is probably the best car in terms of feeling special
getting in it.
And I don't think it was obnoxious.
It just looked really cool, sounded nice, looked really good.
And that was possibly the biggest mistake because I bought it.
And then the new shape came out literally weeks after.
And I knew I was going to take a hit.
And I sold it to a Premier League footballer through an agent.
And there was a miscommunication, apparently,
of what I wanted for it.
And he sold it within like three hours.
He put it on their website.
He phoned me up.
He said, great news.
I've sold your car.
And it was within three hours.
And I'm like, amazing.
What did you get for it?
What I asked.
And he told me the figure.
I went, I didn't ask for that.
That was zero.
No, it was like, I think it was like seven less.
And I said I wanted for it.
But yeah, so I took a bit of a hit on that, to be honest with you.
But I still had a C63 at that time because it was my true love,
my real love.
And then, yeah.
And then Ranger Everavoke, rubbish, RS6, the new one, amazing.
But as I said, it just didn't give me that emotion.
I sold the C63 to get that.
And it didn't give me that thrill when I turned it on
because they've got the rev limiter now.
And I thought, I'll put a milte, good exhaust on it.
It will sound better.
And it still didn't really do it for me.
It was too, this is going to sound weird.
The car was too good.
I understand.
It didn't feel like I was driving it.
It was so refined.
It did everything.
Modern systems as well.
They do sort of cocoon you a little bit.
Would you ever go back to something like the C63 estate?
You'd be troubled to fuck.
There's not that many there.
All the good ones have probably been sold.
Yeah.
I'm just thinking something like that
because I know how much you love that C63.
And they're just so raw.
The worst thing is, the guy crashed it, I sold it to.
So I sold it to a plumber called Kevin,
who lives in the next village from me.
And for about a month or two after sold it,
I was getting direct messages left, right, and sending it.
Can you stop driving like an idiot with Shirley High Street?
I said, it's not me, I've sold it.
And then someone I wondered why the registration was B4, Kevin.
And I said, yeah, a guy called Kevin,
but the guy was looning it about.
And then I had a few problems with it.
And I said, I didn't have one issue with that car.
Mercedes-Benz serviced it every year and it was all good.
Then he sold it to someone else and he wrote it off.
Some young kid took the traction off and crashed it.
And it made me really sad.
But yeah, in terms of the good stuff,
I've gone through it all really.
Then it went to Defender, which was all right, it was good.
Then Tesla got Mercedes EQB at the moment.
Please don't shoot me.
No, I mean, listen, there's nothing because it's practical,
isn't it? And at the end of the day,
much as you are a little boy when it comes to cars,
you're also a dad of three little boys.
And there needs to be some kind of grown-up
thinking every so often.
So is there an itch that is still to be scratched for you motoring-wise?
Or have you pretty much done everything that you could ever want to do in the car world?
It's quite a comprehensive list that you give us.
It's a big list.
Well, I think my biggest regret is an Aventador SV,
because I got offered one maybe only six or seven years ago.
And at the time, it was too expensive,
but now they've gone through the roof.
They're like 300, 400 grand.
But you don't know that at the time,
though, do you?
No. But I do think perhaps it's going that way with the old V12s, Ferrari A12,
those kind of cars, which they just sound amazing.
I think if we are going electrical, whatever's happening in the future,
I think they're probably the cars to have had.
And to invest in now?
Yeah, I think I've missed the boat now, I think.
But it's a weird one, because people say,
well, I don't know if I'd ever have a Ferrari,
because my friend's got a Ferrari.
And I just think with a Lamborghini,
you do look like an obnoxious idiot,
but you're kind of cool with it.
It's so in your face, where I feel Ferrari drivers get,
you won't get let out of junctions.
People think, I won't swear, but people think bad of you.
Whereas something like a Lambo, you're so clearly,
it's kind of cool, if that makes sense.
So I don't think I'd ever really want a Ferrari,
unless I know somebody with services,
and from time to time, some good deals come through.
So my mate recently bought a 430, really cheap,
because we won't ask too many questions about,
apparently, the guy I needed 50 grand by the end of the day,
don't ask questions.
And the car was worth way more.
So there's deals out there.
There are deals out there, yeah, exactly.
There are deals out there.
But no, I'm a bit worried now that I've chatted,
like, an extensive list of cars,
I'm going to sound like a right motoring person.
I just, Dave's known me, you've both known me a long time.
I just really love cars, and I blame my dad for that.
And it's just, there's something amazing about cars,
and that's what I worry about, the future,
that we're going to lose that feel.
That's why I've gone for the two or five on the truck.
And the truck's horrible, by the way.
It's absolutely disgusting to drive.
It's built to look good.
It's not built to move.
It does move.
How is it over speed bumps?
It's on hydraulic.
No, the air rides can go up and down.
Okay, cool.
Which the kids must love.
Yeah, they love it.
But because the suspension's got a sort of deviate,
it's so high, the range of being flattened,
aired out to drive in, it's like a tractor.
So I'm fighting the steering wheel the whole time.
When you're driving it, you're actually in a fight.
You can't let go of the steering wheel ever.
So basically, it's a 76-year-old truck
that's designed to be a lot higher than what it is.
I've built it to look good rather than to drive well.
Yeah.
I sense that the Mercedes-Benz would be the one car
that you would want to keep.
Say you've got that already in the garage.
What is the other one you would pull out from your repertoire?
I miss it so much.
I think if I've got the C63, that's a day.
That's all good.
I'd go back to the Huracan, I think.
Would you?
Yeah, I'd go for something silly, like just a weekend toy.
But I'd do things to it, you know, twin turbo or something.
You're talking as if like money's not...
I'm pretending that I can do it right.
And if there were no object, I'd go back to the Huracan.
And I'd be able to afford to service it.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think.
And who would be in the passenger seat?
See, if I say my boy Teddy, then my other two
are going to get really upset.
Yeah.
Uh-uh.
If you only let Teddy listen.
I'd rotate the kids.
Yeah.
Or just let Teddy listen to this.
Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
I think that's fair enough.
No, the thing is that when you have got three little boys,
you have to just do...
You've got to do one at a time, don't you?
Yeah, you're not allowed a favourite,
but I've got a favourite.
Oh my gosh, you can't say that.
You're a favourite at the minute.
The two and two young.
Yeah.
By the way, without getting too deep into it,
my boy Teddy was really sick.
As a child, he was really, really ill.
So, like, to see him now be a seven-year-old,
fully fit boy who plays football is my angel boy.
He's my special one.
They're all special.
Clearly, I'm joking.
I haven't got a favourite,
but Teddy, there's something unique about him.
So, he would be my passenger.
No, that's good.
He's a lovely little boy.
Well, they all are lovely little boys.
Right, Ewan, before we get into final question territory,
we need you to take part in our quick fire round, please.
It's called 0-60, cleverly,
because you will have almost exactly 60 seconds on the clock.
To answer as many questions as you possibly can.
Myself and my glamorous assistant here,
Vicki, we're going to ask the questions of you.
Okay, so Vicki Butler-Henderson,
if you can get ready with the first question,
I'm going to prime the stopwatch.
There's no right or wrong answer here, no?
There's not algebra or...
No, no, no, no, no.
Essentially, no, it's a no-real right or wrong.
And the other thing to say is that
when you hear this noise,
then you're out of time.
Okay?
Okay.
Right.
So, get ready with the questions.
You and Thomas, if you're sitting comfortably,
your time starts now.
What was your favourite poster that you had
on your bedroom wall as a kid?
Dunno, the A-team.
What was your first automotive crush?
Vicki Butler-Henderson.
Hot hatch or supercar?
Hot hatch.
Clarkson, Hammond or May?
Oh, May.
What was your favourite era for cars?
1990s.
What's the capital of Turkey?
Istanbul.
Dogs or cats?
Dogs.
What's the worst habit in the car?
Your worst habit.
Aston Martin or Mercedes?
I've not had an Aston Martin, so I'll say that.
Yeah, you need to give me.
Name the coolest TV car of all time.
Kit.
Muscle car or Italian flair?
Muscle car.
Do you like celery?
It's alright.
Ford or Vauxhall?
Ford.
Spice girls or sugar base?
Spice girls.
Red sauce or brown sauce on a bacon sandwich?
Crisps or chocolate?
Crisps.
French cars or German?
German.
And you are out of time, Mr. You and Thomas.
You've done very well.
Do you have...?
Is Istanbul correct, by the way?
No, it's not.
And I'm going to take a mark off for that,
because I think it's Ankara.
Here's the...
We may go to a student's enquiry.
I sound like a right Anker now.
I think it is Ankara,
which means that you've got 12345678
Er...
You were quick with your answers.
Istanbul is in Turkey, though.
I've got the right answer.
15, 16, I'm going to give you for that.
Okay, I'll take that.
Which is a real...
Oh, hang on.
There you go.
I always forget to do it at the other end.
Right, there you go.
I think you were my first crush, by the way.
I know we're of the same age, but I'm just sad.
But that wasn't being genuine.
That actually wasn't what it meant.
I was expecting you to say a car.
We thought you were going to say something
like a Lamborghini Countache or something like that.
Yeah, no, no, no.
I'm like a very esteemed driver and presenter.
Fine. I mean, you know, I didn't know that we're going to go down the road
with like Vicky Balencian or Daisy Duke or whoever it might have been.
Daisy Duke was all right.
Yeah, Daisy Duke would have had Daisy Duke over me any day.
Yeah, he won the day of the week.
Oh, yeah.
That's a tremendous score.
Yes, well done.
Well done.
It's time for your final question.
Can you believe it already?
So this is your dream drive, okay?
So we need you to paint the picture for us.
Tell us where in the world you are.
What are you listening to?
Who's with you?
And most importantly, what are you driving?
Money, no object.
I think no object.
I could say something like Route 66 or something.
It's too boring.
It's too straight.
I'm going to go somewhere twisty.
So I go, I don't know.
Maybe the Alps or somewhere where it's a real driver's route.
Yeah.
And I'm going to go for an Aventador SVJ.
Oh, check you out.
Yeah.
And I'm just going to hear those pop bangs and crackles through tunnels.
And yeah.
And who am I going to tell?
I think I'll have to take someone.
Do you know what?
He'd be surprised to hear this.
I'm going to tell my dad.
That's nice.
I'm going to tell my dad with me.
My dad's not a young man anymore.
And hopefully it will make him feel how he used to make me feel
when he used to take me out in his car when I was a young boy.
So I'll return.
I'll pay it forward.
I'll take my dad out.
We're in the Alps SVJ.
It's loud.
It's obnoxious.
The windows are open.
Yeah.
And there's no music.
The music is the car.
Here, here.
Oh, you and I love that.
It's kind of perfect, isn't it?
I actually would love to do that.
Yeah.
You can.
Do you know?
Well, you should.
I can't because they're about 500 grand.
Well.
You can hire them.
Okay.
Hire them for the day.
Or the other thing is that even if it's not that car,
you could still do that with your dad.
Yeah.
Even if it was in something else because.
Take them in the 205.
Well, yeah.
Well, but why not?
You know, because as we said before,
it's all, I mean, this is the nice thing about this.
It all goes full circle, isn't it?
Because in the same way that you're remembering
your childhood as a little boy
and how your dad got you into cars,
and in the same way that you're then trying
to pass it on with your three as well
and spending that time with them.
And that's why you've got the truck
and that's why you've got the 205
and all these things that they will remember forever more.
But then isn't it nice the fact that you can then go back
and almost repay your dad for sort of introducing you
to this world and this passion, which is great.
It's amazing that I feel quite emotional just
because I'm imagining that journey,
but you think the love of cars
is why we're in this room chatting together.
It's the memories I've built with my kids so far,
the memories with my dad.
And I'm sure lots of people listening can, you know,
think back to great times to do with cars.
And that's why your podcast is awesome.
And it's been a pleasure to be on.
Thank you for having me.
You are very, very welcome.
Yeah, thank you so much.
And I just think it's, you know, a car is a metal thing,
but it pulls the emotions from all of us.
It's fantastic.
It's not the way it is.
I know we've got to finish, but for some people,
it's just a box with four wheels to get from A to B.
It's never been, it's never been a mode of transport for me.
It's been my happy place.
It's my go-to place.
And yeah, I've lost too much money on cars,
but so what?
I've smart one.
I've done it.
I've been smiling every single pound note
that's gone out the window.
I've been loving it.
Well, listen, that's just about it for this week's fueling around.
I think we need to get out now before we all start crying
because it's all starting to get very emotional.
Well, before I go online and order an adventure.
Absolutely, absolutely.
Fueling around, brought to you by Adrian Flux
as the UK's largest specialist insurance broker.
Adrian Flux would tailor a quote to your exact needs
and help save you money on your car,
your bike or even your home insurance.
And a very big thank you to our super special guest,
the lovely Ewan Thomas.
Thank you.
Thank you.
No, it's been really good, Ewan.
Thank you very much for joining us.
Don't forget to press subscribe on YouTube
so that you never miss an episode.
Or you can press the follow button on Apple or Spotify
or wherever you get your podcast from.
Thank you very much for joining us this time.
We will see you again soon.
Bye-bye for now.
About this episode
From first-car bidding wars to “silly” supercars, the chat moves fast between childhood memories and garage realities. Iwan Thomas explains how a deal that “wasn’t shifting” led to a Lamborghini Huracán, then contrasts that with more usable choices like “the 205.” The hosts and guest also trade stories on EV range anxiety, TVR reliability and servicing intervals, and why modern cars can feel too refined. Along the way, they dig into bikes, mindfulness, and the emotional pull of cars.
Former Olympic athlete Iwan Thomas is the latest guest on award-winning podcast Fuelling Around.
Thomas is best known for winning a silver medal at the 1996 Olympic Games in 4x400m relay event. He’s also a former World, European and Commonwealth Games 4x400m relay champion.
The 52-year-old, who now co-hosts the motorcycle-themed podcast Full Chat, joined Vicki Butler-Henderson and Dave Vitty to discuss his love of cars.
