Ferraris and the wind rushing through your hair

Photos©Warren King

Some years ago when City boys dreamt of curves, Ds, and a sleek body as they left the gym, the man in this picture was already puckering and showing of his new exoskeleton.

Kevin Haggarthy tests cars for a living. What he knows about cars is just plain selfish. He's so sought after that the big names in sports and luxury will have him up at their workshops; the place you and I can't go and then say: "Here you go, go drive that for 6 months".

On a couple of ocassions he's called me up

Kevin: Hey David I'm picking up a DB, d'you want to come along?
David: Ah Kevin I'd love to but I'm working

Kevin: Hi David I'm picking up a concept Porsche Where are you?
David: Damn it Kevin.. You picked a day when......

On one ocassion he says:

Kevin: D'you want to meet this young driver who's going to be a formula 1 driver one day. He's still in Go-Karting, but Ron Dennis has expressed an interest. If you want to do a doc, I can get you an intro.

David: All the networks have gone off sports progs. I have just been with Lennox (lewis) and I can't get anything sold for toffee.

Last week that young former Go-Kart Driver won his second Grand Prix. I have been foolish in my life.. Tres imbecile. We did do one programme together. I was at Channel 4 News and needed a car to test a premise. Will the police stop two black guys in a swanky car?

So we decked out the car with multiple cameras and sound courtesy of ITN's secret camera unit. Got all the necessary papers signed off. Yep that kinda thing has to go to the Chief Exec and then off we went. Nothing. For three days driving around with purpose, nothing.

It could be, I told Kevin, that you look and smell the part, but then again this was not about baiting. It was about being ourselves. A week later however driving in my old Fiat, taking some friends home - they'd just come from Ghana, so had that look of tourists about them - I did get stopped.

So this time Kevin says hey David I'm doing Windrush and I'm picking up a Ferrari on the weekend, want to come?. Guess what my response was..... You can only strive to be stoopid a couple of times.