My first Lotus was a Type 72 Formula 1 toy car my grandfather brought home for the Metatoy factory in Swansea where he worked in the early 1970s. I was hooked.

My current Lotus is a homage to the Copper Fire Esprit in James Bond “For your eyes only” which famously had a ski rack attached to the rear, driven by Roger Moore. The car looked so cool, Bond looked cool, the location was cool, in just 30 short years I would have one.

Working with Lotus and Newtown Motors we created every detail in the car to reflect the Bond Esprit. Lotus agreed to the use of the Copper Fire paint for this creation, we did an extended tan leather interior like the original car and Mars Gold accents and wheels. I never actually saw the colour in real life before ordering the car, I just assumed in blind optimism it would look incredible and I would love it. YOLO, which was another major reason for creating this one-off Sport 410. Life is short, I have worked hard over many years and this was my reward.

Of all the cars I have owed, TVRs, Porsche and Aston, the Lotus Exige is head and shoulders above in terms of looks, certainly performance and driving experience. The ‘add lightness’ philosophy from Colin Chapman represents engineering excellence for me, and features like the exposed gear shift are exquisite examples of this.

The car is not my daily drive, but still goes everywhere and is a real event on the school run. Thankfully, my daughter loves the Exige too and is a big Lotus fan. We get involved with the Lotus Drivers Club who are brilliant, and I even organised a short drive last year. The car gets a great reception wherever we go and puts a smile on people’s faces, or maybe everyone loves Lotus