Vicki Butler-Henderson

Vicki Butler-Henderson, 37, was born in Cambridgeshire, and is currently presenting Fifth Gear on FIVE as well as contributing to MSN Cars.

WHAT DO YOU DRIVE?
I've got a second hand Range Rover. I bought it just over a year ago when everyone was getting rid of their 4x4s and I picked up a bargain. It's actually gone up in value since then, which is perfect for the baby on the way.

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
An MG Metro. Happy memories, though I've not actually seen one on the road for a couple of years so I think they've all probably died and gone to Metro heaven. Mine probably went quite a while ago.

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST AND WORST CAR?
The best is the Diablo GT, which is incredible because I drove it over 10 years ago in 1999. It has remained a solid number one for that long.

Companies that make supercars like Lamborghini and Ferrari, they now put so many safety devices into the car, whereas the Lamborghini Diablo back in '99, you really had to know what you were doing. The talent was all in the driver, whereas now the talent is very much within the engineering and the technology of the car. I don't even think the Diablo can be topped in my book because everyone's making their car so safe.

My worst has got to be the Rover MGF, which also makes it into my book, 100 Sexiest Cars, under my Top Three Worst Cars.

WHAT IS YOUR DREAM CAR?
I would love to get behind the wheel of a Bugatti Veyron, but I would also love to have a go in the latest Red Bull Formula One car. Highly unlikely that I'd ever get to go in one, unless it was in 10 years' time when the car is old and Red Bull deem it almost useless enough to them to let a journalist out in it.

DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE A GOOD DRIVER?
I am definitely above average because I've been racing since I was 12-years-old, so I understand how a car moves and how the weight distribution alters and the handling of a car.

For example when you brake, the weight of the car goes onto the front end of the car, so the back end becomes light, so therefore I know what happens to a car when you turn the wheel and the back end is light.

I can actually induce that with my driving skills or I can drive around it. It's just stuff like that, knowing how a car behaves in all situations and being fully in control of it is definitely what makes me a better driver than an awful lot of people.

I'm not blowing my own trumpet. I've been racing a long time and had thousands of miles on test tracks and I've been on lots of advanced driving courses as well and I've taught an awful lot of people as well how to go round a racing circuit. I had a job as an instructor at Silverstone for many years when I was younger, so I know what the average person is capable of.

WHAT DO YOU ALWAYS KEEP IN YOUR GLOVEBOX?
A phone charger; money to feed the meter because I park in London quite a lot; tissues and Wet Wipes, because when I'm filming out in the middle of nowhere, it's always good to have them. Driving cars can be quite a mucky business.

WHAT DRIVES YOU MAD BEHIND THE WHEEL?
I really wish that I could teach everybody how to drive because I'd make driving lessons much more complex and I'd make sure every one had a go on a skid pan, so they learned how to control a skid.

Also I think the driving test needs to be so much tougher because a lot of people should not have a license. It frustrates me that the standard of driving in this country is not as good as it could be and if people understood how a car handles and behaves in certain situations, they would enjoy their driving so much more.

WHAT'S THE BEST MUSIC TO DRIVE TO?
Duran Duran.

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CRASH?
Just on the circuit really, which comes as a bit of a shock.

WHO WOULD BE YOUR PERFECT PASSENGER?
I'd quite like my Fifth Gear co-presenter, Tiff Needell because we have such a laugh and we have such an awful passenger, because obviously he likes to be in the driving seat. It would be amusing to me to have him squirm in the passenger seat.

WHAT'S THE CRAZIEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE IN A CAR?
I had to drive recently with a blow-up male doll in the passenger seat for an item for Fifth Gear. All you can do is stick your head up and just go with the flow, but it did get some seriously odd looks.

WHO CLEANS YOUR CAR AND HOW OFTEN?
I've got a couple of drive-through cleaning bays near me, so I get them to do it. I quite like having a dirty car. It's got that sort of lived-in look.

I'm not that bothered about how a car looks. It's important for me that a car handles well and that it's got a strong engine.

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