I’ve always been mad about cars; some of my earliest memories involve cars and that’s thanks mainly to my dad. He would have a seemingly endless stream of Daimlers, Jaguars, and – above all – Ford Capris during my formative years in the 1980s.

I would literally count down the years until I was 17 so I could start working towards the holy grail: my licence, ergo freedom. At 16 I would reverse the Austin Metro I’d been gifted as my first car up and down my mum’s driveway, sometimes for hours. Maybe I should have prioritised my schoolwork a touch more.

The Metro wasn’t long for this world unfortunately and so my ‘proper’ first car ended up being a 1967 Beetle. Peppermint green, no heating, too low to be practical, a hole in the floor and a devil-may-care attitude towards starting.

Regardless of reliability, the VW bug (pardon the pun) stuck with me, as did my passion for cars in general. Amongst many other marques including a Subaru Impreza WRX, a Saab 900 Turbo, and a couple of Volvos, I’ve owned two MK2 Golfs, a Mk3 Golf GTI, a Corrado VR6, a 1974 T2, and a T5.1 – I still own the last two.

After leaving university I joined Greater Manchester Fire Service but I knew I had things to say about cars, I just needed an outlet. And, thanks to a friend with far more IT knowledge than me, in 2011 Driving Torque was born. As a total unknown things started slowly, but after one or two manufacturers were good enough to take a chance on me the press car bookings and car launch invitations started rolling in thick and fast.

Some freelance work also followed, mainly for online resources in the UK but also for one of the world’s largest automotive websites based in the USA. I’d actually gone international.

I left the fire service after 15 fantastic years and I’ve been a train driver since 2016. Both jobs involve working shifts, thereby leaving time for me to run Driving Torque. Oh, and to spend time with my wonderful wife, two teenage daughters, and our delinquent Rhodesian Ridgeback, Steve – mustn’t forget them.

Away from cars, my other passions include music and sport. I get to as many concerts as time and money allow and I’m a Manchester United and New York Giants fan.

Contact email: [email protected]
Website: DrivingTorque
Twitter: @DrivingTorque
Facebook: @DrivingTorque
Instagram: @driving_torque
YouTube: DrivingTorque
LinkedIn: Ben Harrington