STYLISH
Know Parking
The same goes for his parking show stopper, and while Paul is unlikely to trouble the pre-parked cars, one of his celebrity partners might just prove spatially challenged and try parking by ear - so two inflatable Astra VXRs flank the parking space rather than two real ones, and the worst damage clumsy parking might do would be to the driver's pride. Paul, meanwhile, repeatedly rehearses the same manoeuvres between a very real Monaro VXR and a second between all the MPH drivers, and Paul likes to work with other Autotesters - in different circumstances his rivals. 'I know they're the very best…I wouldn't ask anybody else'. 'Ninja' Simon Donnington has other concerns: 'I like the idea of fighting a car, but I've never done it before and it's a bit intimidating!'
The martial arts expert and choreographer entertains the crowds with a parody of the kind of cult 1970s martial arts movie that made Bruce Lee a superstar, but with the unusual twist of the Monaro VXR as one of the combatants - with lurid tail-slides and spectacular manouevres for the Monaro VXR and a great deal of running, jumping and flashing sword play for Simon.
Top Gear producer Rowland French had the idea 'to ramp up the show's theatrics', and dance and circus expert Abigail Yeates planned every move for man and Monaro VXR, to Rowland's storyboard (including a classic 'it's behind you!) moment. Watching the twists and turns of man and metal, he paid Abigail the ultimate compliment - 'she understands how cars move'.
By the time you read this Paul Swift will certainly understand how the Astra VXR moves - after more than twenty appearances at the MPH shows, holding the hands (if not the handbrakes) of a gaggle of people famous for anything other than their parking skills, as they try to slot an Astra VXR into tight corners and emulate his ability to drive very quickly in very small spaces. But will the fun have worn off? Paul Swift doesn't think so. 'Oh no, I love it. It's much better than working for a living!'