Ben Collins (1) (1975–)

When Ben Collins first outed himself as The Stig, I remember it causing a bit of a public kerfuffle with the Top Gear production team. I remember reading producer Andy Wilman's open letter on the subject and finding myself agreeing with him. However, in the years since, with Top Gear still motoring along nicely and with a brand new shiny Stig behind the wheel, I find myself leaning more towards Collins' corner.

The whole "who is The Stig?" speculation was fun for a while, and Collins himself show more seemed to enjoy the anonymity and the secrecy. One anecdote recounted here in his autobiography has him running through the backstreets of a Spanish town to meet up with Jeremy Clarkson in a Lamborghini, so that he could have a few beers and then slip out separately and meet up to drive back. Another has him amused at Top Gear fans barrelling past him in order to meet the presenters Jeremy, Richard and James, not realising that the bloke they just blanked is the same person they'd been speculating endlessly about on internet message boards.

But the constant need for secrecy clearly took its toll (in a rather sad moment – although Collins doesn't milk it – he notes that during lunch breaks on the filming of Top Gear he ate in solitary confinement) and the knowledge that he could be fired if the relentless tabloid press unmasked him probably had him thinking about his long-term future (Wilman was notoriously ruthless about The Stig's identity: the first Stig had been fired off an aircraft carrier when he blabbed). Most importantly, this man who lived for speed couldn't trade on his experiences in the way that Jeremy, Richard and James could. In a telling passage on page 255, he tells us: "Top Gear gave me a cracking CV; the only problem was I could never show it to anyone. I'd put too much effort into keeping The Stig undercover to use him as currency." He had all this experience in racing, filming and stunt-driving from the show, but couldn't use a single lick of it to get him work under his Clark Kent alter-ego Ben Collins. In light of this, Wilman's arguments – though no doubt intended to preserve the show's integrity – fall a bit flat.

Of course, it is his experiences on Top Gear which readers no doubt wish to read about, and Collins obliges. His behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show is interesting, and we hear much more from Collins about the various cameramen, directors, producers and crew than we do about Jeremy, Richard and James. He does have a stab at covering a number of the show's great moments, even if the show has had so many that he couldn't possibly account for them all. His account of Richard's infamous jet-car crash is interesting, and reminds you once again just how lucky Hamster was to survive. And his portrait of brash Jeremy is surprising: "behind his brusque façade was a man working tirelessly and fastidiously to put on a good show, a man who wanted everyone pulling in the same direction." (pg. 80).

Collins' account of his other non-Stig racing endeavours and his time mucking about in the Army Reserves are less engrossing, but do at times make a welcome change from the Top Gear stuff which fans will already be broadly familiar with. That said, I found the constant petrolhead action a bit repetitive, even as a long-time Top Gear fan. Indeed, there won't be much to recommend here for those who aren't already fans. You need to have already built up an immunity to motoring jargon in order to make it out of this book alive. show less

There's a lot of performance / advanced driving "how to" books on the market, and I have a few in my bookcase, several of which cover more than is discussed here, but none in such an entertaining manner. While there was nothing new here that I hadn't read in other books or picked up at the couple of performance driving days I've been lucky enough to attend, it was a good solid refresher and a reminder that I still need to work on breaking a few bad habits. - However unlike the more show more specialist books on the subject this one will have a wider appeal due to Collins' Top Gear, various movie, and racing connections. The lighthearted banter approach (more like a fun conversation in the pub) rather than the typical racing school lecture makes the book very readable and far more applicable to everyday driving situations. show less

A detailed and stimulating guide to an activity most of us engage in but probably don’t know enough about – driving. Ben Collins has the experience and credibility to write this book – and it is well written. There’s a lot of knowledge here that can help everyday drivers – most of us – in situations from normal driving to those involving extreme weather conditions.

“The goal for everyday driving is to be as smooth and progressive with the pedal as possible, and to moderate your show more speed in a single, graceful exercise.”

“Anticipation replaces a reaction to an event with a true action. As for the unexpected, it pays to be decisive and controlled.”

Collins covers things we may not think about enough: tires, sleep, braking, road conditions, and the like. He understands the forces that affect a car and its movement on the road and explains this simply and effectively. There are informative diagrams and illustrations that help with visualization of the concepts he explains. There are also enough racing and fast car tidbits sprinkled throughout the book to keep it interesting. And timely bits of humor.

This book is good for anyone that drives. The value is in how Collins stimulates thought about the driving process – something we probably take for granted. show less

Usually when I finish a book I donate to the local library, I’m considering donating it to the DMV or a local dealership, maybe people could pick up a few things while they wait. Ben uses his vast experience as a race and stunt driver to show what to do and when to do it, and more importantly what NOT to do, and living in an Air Force town with a bunch of fly-boys zooming around I have seen a lot of the not to do side.