Me And My Car: Beverley Turner

Beverley Turner is a TV Presenter and author of 'The Pits: The Real World of Formula One'. She tells Dan Poole about her champagne-hued Mitsubishi

FIRST CAR

It was a yellow Austin Allegro - nice! My dad owns a garage business, which meant we drove old bangers that he took pride in keeping on the road for years. On the day that I passed my test I drove from Manchester to Blackpool with my best friend. It was the summer of 1991 and I painted the interior yellow with huge daisies on the ceiling and clocked up the miles, including a trip to the World Surfing Championships in Newquay.

WORST CAR

A bog-standard Mitsubishi Lancer that my dad bought for me when I went to university. My friends said it was beige but I insisted it was the colour of champagne! It looked like a dodgy taxi - students regularly tried to flag me down at midnight in Moss Side in Manchester - but it was so reliable that I couldn't get rid of it for years. It was eventually towed away for being parked illegally in London but by the time I realised it was missing I had racked up a huge bill, so it was cheaper to give the car to the council.

FAVOURITE CAR

I love the Toyota RAV4 that I drive now. However, my favourite car was a blue, convertible Saab 9-3 that I had in 1999. It was the first car that I bought and, despite the fact that the rear-visibility was virtually zero, it felt glamorous and sexy and the leather seats smelt fantastic. I had to sell it when I was pregnant because it didn't fit a baby seat in the back - pretty symbolic really!

WORST CRASH

I have had just one bump in 15 years of driving and it was entirely my fault. One rainy afternoon I was queuing on the M60 to get into Manchester's Trafford Centre - I took my eyes off the road to send a text message and slid into the car in front. I was going at less than 10mph but the noise was incredible. I learnt my lesson.