Five unlikely epic drives

From dodging bullets with James Bond to piloting the Batmobile, stuntman Ben Collins is best known as The Stig, from BBC’s Top Gear. He has tested countless priceless cars and raced in almost every class. Ben’s list of epic drives is endless, but here he picks five of his most outstanding.

For the quintessential guide to being the best driver you can be, read Ben’s latest book: How to drive: The ultimate guide, from the man who was The Stig

The Club has five signed copies to give away

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Scottish Highlands

Scotland’s scenery is breathtaking – the tarmac plays second fiddle to Mother Nature. While filming Skyfall I had the privilege of driving the Aston Martin DB5 along the A82. The whole place was deserted. Or maybe my fellow motorists had disappeared into the mist that ringed the nearby peaks of Buachaille Etive Mor and Buachaille Etive Beag. It’s that kind of place.

Car of choice: Aston Martin DB5

Photo: Getty Images

The Mojave Desert from LA to Las Vegas

Time it right and this experience is utterly majestic. As you leave the urban sprawl of Los Angeles, the world opens up in every direction. The desert landscape is barren but beautiful, and with the sun setting behind you there’s a real sense of peace – as long as you’ve remembered to fill up with fuel. There are hundreds of miles of nothing between you and the faint glow on the horizon that eventually turns into Vegas.

Car of choice: Corvette ZO6

Photo: Getty Images

Melbourne to Bathurst

The Bathurst 1000 is Australian motorsport’s answer to the Super Bowl. I drove a gigantic 1950s Chevrolet all the way there from Melbourne with [racing drivers] Rick and Todd Kelly. Our pilgrimage across the outback took about ten hours and was perfect preparation for the race. The Bathurst circuit twists and turns around the rock face, and shoots up and down Mount Panorama like a roller coaster. Never a dull moment.

Car of choice: 1952 Chevrolet

Photo: Getty Images

Davos to Fluela Pass, Switzerland

An epic drive, especially if you have a helicopter tracking your progress and giving you the ‘all clear’ around every hairpin and cliff-top sweeper. I was filming Top Gear, and that was one of the perks. The never-ending sequence of corners savages the brakes and tenderises your kidneys as you crunch and swoop towards the Alpine horizon. In summer, however, the roads are teeming with cyclists.

Car of choice: Mercedes CLK63 AMG ‘Black’ Edition

Photo: Alamy

Pacific Coast Highway, California

Route 1 is the kind of place you don’t need any excuse to be. The black stuff canters along the coastline, scythes through the mountains and lives up to its reputation as an all-American treasure. The roadside diners serve my kind of food and to sniff them out you need the roof down.

Car of choice: Ford Mustang convertible

Photo: Getty Images

Ben Collins

Five unlikely epic drives

Scottish Highlands

The Mojave Desert from LA to Las Vegas

Melbourne to Bathurst

Davos to Fluela Pass, Switzerland

Pacific Coast Highway, California

Scottish Highlands

The Mojave Desert from LA to Las Vegas

Melbourne to Bathurst

Davos to Fluela Pass, Switzerland

Pacific Coast Highway, California

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