I was eight when I had my first crash
Above: Bob Norton
At his mansion in West Sussex, Bob Norton plays down his success. “I’ve just been a very jammy bloke who’s made a few quid along the way”, he says, rather bashfully.
Modesty aside, he owns a not-so-insignificant property portfolio of around 650 houses and also manages the legendary rock group Status Quo. He’s a collector too. Apart from several prized musical instruments that include John Entwistles guitar and a ukulele which once belonged to his old mate George Harrison (he and the late Beatle both collected George Formby memorabilia and Norton now owns the worlds largest collection), he also owns a stable full of cars including the Holy Grail of all supercars, a black £320,000 Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren. There’s only a handful in the country.
When did you first fall in love with cars?
From my earliest recollection cars were always a part of life. My dad had a motor museum of twenty vintage vehicles and regularly took part in the London to Brighton old crock race. He actually bought me my first car when I was seven, it was an Austin 7. I learnt to drive it on the fields behind my parents’ home, and it served me well until I crashed when I was about eight years old.
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So that was your first crash?
I guess so. I was trying to impress a much older girl at the time – she must have been thirteen! Looking cool with a cigarette in my mouth I wanted to show her my motoring prowess. We went for a drive in the field, perhaps a little too fast, and I completely lost control and totalled the Austin. Suffice to say I never saw her again.
When did you first drive legally on the road?
When I was 17 I passed my test and brought a slate blue Triumph Vitesse. I can still remember the registration number; 57 EBC. It was the hardtop as I couldn’t afford the convertible.
What cars do you currently own?
There’s my baby, the Merc SLR which will do 0-62 mph in 3.8 seconds and I believe to be the twentieth ever to be built. I’ve also got a Bentley Continental GT, a VW Toureg and my run-around Audi RS4 which I tend to use everyday. I’ve just ordered the new Mercedes CL67 which I think is stunning and the performance it offers is phenomenal.
Will you be trading in the Mercedes SLR for it?
No way! I have been very fortunate to have owned several Ferraris, Porsches, BMW’s and Mercedes but as far I’m concerned, the SLR it is the ultimate, and it stays.
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