Which classic cars do Top Gear presenters own?

The Top Gear line up has changed a few times in recent years, but – for now at least – the BBC have settled on the presenting trio of Paddy McGuinness, Andrew "Freddie" Flintoff and Chris Harris.

It seems to be a winning formula with viewing figures rising to more than 5.5 million per episode (including catch-up) for the latest series (30 – can you believe it?). It’s still a little short of the six million viewers that Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May used to pull in regularly before jumping ship to Amazon, but everything is heading in the right direction.

The show is now as much an entertainment show as it is a car show – “you don't have to be a petrol head to watch,” explained McGuiness who has welcomed the increase in younger and female viewers.

Not everybody has been won over by the new trio, though. Some old Top Gear fans are tied to Clarkson, Hammond and May, and have swapped their allegiances to The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime.

But, make no mistake, Paddy, Freddie and Chris are proper petrol heads. In this article, we’re going to look at some of the cars they’ve owned over the years – in particular, the classic cars among their collection.

We’d happily provide any of them with a quote for classic car insurance should they need one – although we’d probably insist they drive a little more sensibly than they do on the Top Gear test track!

Paddy’s car history

Paddy was for a long time Peter Kay’s right-hand man, having formed a close relationship at school in Farnworth, Greater Manchester. They went on to work alongside each other in TV programmes That Peter Kay Thing, Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere.

Since then, Paddy has become something of a darling of Saturday night TV – first as the presenter of ITV’s dating show Take Me Out and more recently as the host of the BBC’s music-themed game show I Can See Your Voice.

When he was given the Top Gear gig in 2018, he called it a “real honour”. He added: “To be hosting a show I’ve watched and loved from being a small boy is beyond exciting. Top Gear fans worldwide are a passionate bunch and I consider myself one of them!”

For someone who has had an interest in cars since he was a kid, he should have an interesting car history, right? And indeed he does.

• Hillman Avenger

Paddy reveals that he learnt to drive in a Hillman Avenger. This will be a familiar story for many people learning to drive in the 1980s – they were everywhere back then.

Upon its launch in 1970, Autocar regarded the Avenger as a “good sensible family car with a lot to be said in its favour”. But Paddy reports that you needed “legs like Geoff Capes to push the clutch on that thing”.

Thankfully, for the sake of Paddy’s calves at least, the Avenger was swapped out for a Metro. However, he ended up pranging the Metro overtaking his friend. “For years, the bonnet was held down with a bungee as [dad] couldn’t afford to get it repaired,” he recalled.

• Ford Escort Mark II

The first car that Paddy could call his own was a MkII Escort having bought it off a mate for £90. It came complete with red, twin Webbers and pepper pot alloys.

Arriving in 1975, the boxy mark II Escort was little more than a rebodied Mark I, but it was every bit as successful as its forebear, both on the road and in competition.

• Ford Escort XR3i

Paddy had a couple of other modern classics in the shape of a Vauxhall Cavalier, an Austin Montego (with Recaro seats, no less) and a Ford Sierra, but it was the purchase of a Ford Escort XR3i which made him think: “Here I am, everyone.”

Complete with Blaupunkt stereo and big subwoofers in the back, he says it’s the first car which drew the right kind of attention. It even made an appearance in Phoenix Nights. He said: “I drove in with ‘Tarzan Boy’ playing, and it got paid more than me. Seriously.”

• Alfa Romeo 156

Having earned a bit of money from Phoenix Nights, Paddy then emptied the bank account on a silver Alfa 156, which came with a cream leather interior and a wood trim. However, he soon learned that what some people say about Alfas – some models have proved less than reliable over the years – was true, at least in his case.

When putting the car through the wash, the water came through the top of the windscreen. But, thanks to the car’s 144bhp 1.8 and 155bhp 2.0-litre Twin Spark 16-valve engine, he still had plenty of fun with it. What’s a little bit of water anyway?

• Aston Martin Vantage V8

A few years later, he stepped things up big time. First produced in 2005, it’s too early to call the Aston Vantage V8 a classic just yet, but, as with just about all Astons, it will be in the not-too-distant future.

He bought the car off his friend and former Liverpool footballer Jason McAteer. The 2005 Vantage and its variants became the most successful model in Aston Martin's history – but Paddy said he never felt that comfortable in it. It just goes to show, we can’t all like the same thing.

Paddy has had a number of other cars over the years, too, including a Bentley Continental GT (“What a car”) and a Ferrari California (“You could use it every day”), just to prove that he is a bona fide petrol head.

So, how does Freddie compare?

Freddie’s car history

Freddie is, of course, best known as a former England cricketer – particularly his "Man of the Series" performance in the 2005 Ashes. And the drunken antics that followed that series win. There was also an incident involving a pedalo. It’s fair to say that Freddie is quite the character – however, he’s now stopped drinking completely. Probably not a bad idea when fronting a car show.

Signing up as a Top Gear host, Freddie said it meant he is one of the few people to have the opportunity to do both of his dream jobs (cricketer being the first, of course). “I’ve always been passionate about cars and I’m so excited to be joining the Top Gear team,” he said at the time.

But just how passionate is Freddie about cars? Let’s take a look…

• Rover 216 Coupé

Freddie didn’t have to buy his first car, thanks to his team Lancashire County Cricket Club having a partnership with the local Rover dealership. But the new driver didn’t get his pick of the cars off the forecourt – he wanted a 220 Turbo but had to settle for a 216 Coupe because of his age.

However, being so young – 17 at the time – he said the car was still “like the equivalent of driving a McLaren in Chelsea”. It often attracted the attention of the police, even if he wasn’t breaking any laws.

Fitted with a naturally aspirated 1.6-litre 16v Inline 4 petrol engine, producing 120bph, the 216 Coupe could shift. But it wasn’t long before Freddie was looking to upgrade.

• Rover 620ti

Naturally, Freddie’s next car was even quicker across the tarmac. The 197bhp 2.0-litre turbo engine meant the 620ti could do 0-60 in less than seven seconds, making it every bit as fast as a Ford Sapphire 2.0i Rs Cosworth. Not too shabby. In many ways, the car represented the heyday for Rover, which, of course, went bust in 2005.

• Porsche Boxster

You’ve really made it when you can go out and buy a Porsche out of boredom, haven’t you? But, sadly, Freddie’s Boxster love affair lasted about as long as it took to purchase it.

Not because it wasn’t a great car. But he was driving down a back lane one day and hit a Metro head on. Explaining the incident, he said: “I stopped, but the Metro couldn’t. He hit me. Back then, the Metro had metal bumpers. Nothing, no damage. The whole front end of my Boxster fell off.”

But that didn’t put him off Porsches for life. He went on to buy a Porsche 997 Turbo which he says is “everything I wanted”.

• BMW M5

The car he talks about the most is a BMW M5 which he bought off the golfer Darren Clarke. He said it was a “car and a half”.

The BMW M5 (E39) that Freddie owned had a 0-60 time of 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 155mph. So, it’s easy to see why he had so much fun with it. Of course, the M5 – first released in 1984 – remains in production to this day.

Freddie has had plenty of other cars over the years, too, including an Overfinch Range Rover (“Worst car I’ve ever had”) and a VW Touareg (“Didn’t realise how good that car was until it was gone”). Quite a diverse collection.

What about Chris – the only professional racing driver of the trio?

Chris’ car history

Before being a presenter on Top Gear, Chris Harris built up a fair following on YouTube making slo-mo-infused drive review films. Prior to that, he was a professional racing driver, driving Astons and E-Types and taking part in races like the Nurburgring 24.

So, it’s fair to say that Chris – known as “Monkey” to his friends – had cut his teeth in the world of motoring journalism before getting the Top Gear job in 2017 (a year prior to Paddy and Freddie). He can drive, too, as Top Gear viewers will know.

But how does his personal car collection stack up?

• Citroën AX GT

Chris is such a fan of the Citroën AX GT, he bought two of them. However, as he explains to GQ magazine, one of them acts as a “rolling donor”. Straight away, you know Chris is a proper classic car enthusiast.

You might be thinking why he’s so invested in the Citroën AX GT. It wasn’t that quick and steering was pretty heavy. But all the same, you could have plenty of fun in one at sensible speeds.

• Peugeot 205 Rallye

We’ve eulogised many times about the Peugeot 205 GTi on this blog – but that’s a bit too obvious for Chris, who prefers the slower Rallye. But he explains it’s not all about speed – after all, most cars are only for road use.

He told GQ: “They (Rallyes) are so immediate, so ultimately not fast, but so exciting at not going fast. That’s the key to motoring going forwards – being excited but not needing to go superfast.”

• Ferrari 512 TR

Chris’ car collection is always being chopped and changed – but his Ferrari 512 TR is the car he can never imagine himself parting with. Not only does his daughter love it, so did his late mother, also a racing veteran.

It’s not an easy drive, he says, but it “ticks the boxes” of what a Ferrari experience is meant to be.

• BMW M5

Like Freddie, Chris has also owned a BMW M5 – but the earlier E28. The 278bhp, 151mph E28 is the original M saloon, with less than 2,500 models made, making it a rare (and rapid) beast. Again, Chris has a spare one for parts.

Chris’ car collection is vast and also includes Citroën 2CV (which appeared in Top Gear) and a Porsche 911 GT3 Touring. But what we’d love to know is how much it costs to get these cars on the road – we’re talking a fair amount in classic car insurance premiums here!

Choosing the right classic car insurance

Speaking of which, if you own a classic car, you’ll want classic car insurance that doesn’t cost the earth. As we’re specialists here at Lancaster Insurance, we have access to competitive classic car insurance and vintage car insurance schemes in the UK.

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To get a quote for your classic, call our team on 01480 484826 today and you’ll be on the road in no time!

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.