Tiff Needell turned 70 years old today, and his colleagues over at Lovecars have put together a footage to celebrate their favorite moments with Tiff. Naturally, they selected 70 moments with the British presenter and former race car driver.
You may not know this, but Tiff Needell's surname is Timothy, and he was born in Havant, Hampshire, on October 29, 1951. Tiff Needell learned to race at a dedicated school at Brands Hatch back in 1970 but managed to progress into this world by winning a Lotus 69 Formula Ford in an Autosport magazine competition.
As the years passed, Tiff managed to race in Formula Ford, Formula 3, British Rallycross, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, BTCC, FIA GT, and many other series and championships. His best-ever finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was third place overall, in 1990, with a Porsche 962C, with David Sears and Anthony Reid.
Needell was also offered a drive in Formula 1 back in 1979 by Ensign, but his super license was declined by the sport's governing body at the time, FISA, as Grand Prix notes. That did not stop Tiff from participating in the 1980 Belgian Grand Prix for the same team, but he did not get any further in that direction.
It is worth noting that Tiff managed to track down and buy back his first-ever racing car, the Formula Ford Lotus 69 FF, which he bought back in 2015. He then used it to race in several motorsport events dedicated to classic vehicles.
Despite his racing career, Tiff Needell is most known for his work as a TV presenter. He has over 15 years of experience with BBC Top Gear, and another 17 years with Fifth Gear. Since 2018, Tiff Needell has been a presenter with Lovecars, which is co-hosted by Paul Woodman. If you are a fan of print media, you can read his work in Modern Classic magazine.
Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News