JULIAN'S CAR HISTORY
A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE
Cars have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Long before racing, coaching or speaking, there was simply a fascination with driving and with the machines themselves.
I grew up in an era when cars still felt mechanical, characterful and full of personality. It was a time when posters on bedroom walls featured Lamborghinis, TVRs and Formula 1 cars, and when the sound and drama of a great engine mattered just as much as the numbers on paper.
I’ve never been fortunate enough to own the sort of truly exotic machinery most enthusiasts dream about, but I have been lucky enough to drive and own a wide range of memorable cars over the years. Some were brilliant. Some were questionable. A few were disastrous. All of them, in one way or another, shaped my relationship with driving.
This is a look back at some of the cars that stand out most.
WHERE IT STARTED
One of my earliest memories is of my father pushing me around the garden in a little red push-along racing car using a broom handle. It probably lasted only a few minutes at a time, but in my mind it felt like hours. For whatever reason, that memory stayed with me.
Like a lot of people, I grew up loving cars and imagining what I might own one day. As I got older, that fascination never really left. Over the years I’ve owned, leased or driven more than 35 cars, ranging from humble everyday transport to some genuinely exciting machinery.
THE EARLY YEARS
My first cars taught me some useful lessons, even if I wasn’t always ready to learn them at the time.
An Austin Allegro 1.1 was my first car, and within two months I had managed to wrap it around a telegraph pole. Naturally, I blamed the road surface rather than my driving. Clearly.
That was followed by another Allegro, this time a 1.3 Super, which in my mind at least felt like a serious performance upgrade. During my student years in Hull, it became something of a statement piece, complete with homemade “GTE” badging, a few cosmetic flourishes and the sort of confidence only a student with very little money can possess.
Not long after came a Vauxhall Cavalier 2000 saloon, which at the time felt like a major step up. It was bigger, quicker and rear-wheel drive, and gave me an early taste of what happens when enthusiasm gets ahead of actual driving talent.
HOT HATCHES AND COMPANY CARS
As work began and company cars entered the picture, so did a run of more interesting machinery.
A Vauxhall Nova GTE stands out as one of the most fun small cars I’ve owned. It was light, quick and full of character, and the sort of car that made every drive feel lively. Around the same time, friends of mine were driving things like the Peugeot 205 GTI, which remains one of the greatest hot hatches ever built.
There were others too, including an Opel Manta GTE, Vauxhall Astra SRi and Peugeot 405 GTI, all of which added to the education. Not all of them were glamorous, but many of them were memorable. Somewhere in the middle of all that came the realisation that stats on paper rarely tell the full story. Some cars that looked ordinary turned out to be great to drive. Others that promised a lot left very little impression.
DISCOVERING BMW
The first car that really changed my thinking was a BMW E36 318iS.
Until then I had always assumed BMWs would be a bit too clinical or too sensible. I was completely wrong. That car was beautifully balanced, smooth and rewarding to drive in a way that very few four-cylinder cars have ever been. It was my first proper experience of why BMW earned the phrase The Ultimate Driving Machine.
That was the start of a long-running attachment to the brand.
Over the years I would go on to own several BMWs, including multiple M3s and several 7-Series cars. They all offered something slightly different, but the common thread was always the same: they felt built around the driver.
TVRS, NOISE & CHARACTER
If BMW became the dependable favourite, TVR represented something else entirely.
From an early age I had loved the dramatic, almost outrageous look of TVRs. In my twenties I finally bought a Tasmin 350i, my first taste of V8 noise, low-slung sports car drama and the sort of ownership experience that made every drive feel like an event.
Later came a TVR Tuscan 4.0, which remains one of the most unforgettable cars I’ve ever owned. It was dramatic, fast, loud and completely lacking in anything resembling subtlety. It could be temperamental, but when it was good, it was sensational. Roof down, V8 or straight-six singing, it felt like an occasion every single time.
TVR ownership teaches you a lot. Some of those lessons are mechanical. Some are emotional. Most of them are memorable.
THE M CARS
Owning my first E36 M3 Convertible was a major moment. It was one of those cars I had wanted for years, and once I finally had one I quickly understood the reputation. Smooth engine, huge torque, lovely balance and that sense that it could do almost everything well.
Later came M3 number two, this time an E46 with the SMG gearbox. Plenty of people criticised the transmission, but I loved it. Used properly, it gave the car a mechanical, involved feel that suited it perfectly. It may not have been to everyone’s taste, but for me it added to the experience rather than taking away from it.
The E46 M3 remains one of the key cars in my motoring life, not least because it eventually became the basis for the race cars that followed later.
BIG CARS, LONG JOURNEYS AND 7 SERIES COMFORT
Alongside the sports cars and performance machinery, I’ve always had a soft spot for big executive cars.
The BMW 7-Series in particular has left a lasting impression. My first 740i showed me just how good a large saloon could be when it was done properly. Comfortable when you wanted to waft, surprisingly capable when you wanted to press on, and always a lovely place to spend time.
I’ve also owned cars like an Audi A8, a Mercedes E-Class and a Saab 9000 CSE, all of which had strengths, but none quite matched the all-round ability of the better BMWs.
That’s why I still drive a BMW 730D today. Every time I think about replacing it, I come back to the same conclusion: it does everything I need it to do, and does it brilliantly.
THE ASTON MARTIN
One of the true highlights was owning an Aston Martin DB9 Volante.
From the moment I first saw one, I knew I wanted one. When the time finally came to buy, it felt every bit as special as I had hoped. It wasn’t about outright speed. It was about the sense of occasion, the shape, the sound and the way it made every drive feel significant.
With an exhaust upgrade and some careful tuning, it sounded magnificent. Mechanically it was also far more dependable than many people assume Aston Martins are.
I hardly used it once racing became a bigger part of my life, but it remains one of the most beautiful and memorable cars I’ve ever owned. I’d happily own another one in the future.
WHAT CARS HAVE TAUGHT ME
Looking back, the most interesting thing is not simply the list of cars, but what they taught me.
Some taught me about balance. Some taught me about speed. Some taught me about comfort, compromise or sheer mechanical character. A few taught me the difference between what looks good on paper and what actually feels good from behind the wheel. The common thread in all of it has been this: I’ve always loved driving.
That love eventually found its fullest expression in racing, but it began much earlier with road cars, company cars, sports cars, questionable decisions and the occasional expensive mistake.
I still enjoy looking back through that history because every car represents a different point in life, a different phase, and a different lesson learned.
And although tastes change and priorities shift, the fascination with cars has never really gone away.
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