This hardcover book is packed full of facts and figures about the super cars most of us can only dream about owning. Although keen adult car fans will enjoy this well-presented 208-page book for its statistics and photographs, it would also make a great gift for younger fans of the popular BBC television programme as it is written in an accessible style familiar to the show’s many viewers.

The book covers all the expected fast cars, such as Ferraris, Maseratis and Audis, but also has some surprise inclusions. For example, who would have guessed that the VW Golf MkII, when stripped down and lowered, would be one of the speediest cars around?

The top ten includes some familiar favourites but there are a number of wildcards. For example, the 1970s Ford Falcon XB GT and the old-school racer Peugeot 205 GTi both feature in the list. As you might expect from Top Gear, the top spot is reserved for a truly cheeky choice – the borrowed car.  The narrator ends this homage to the boys’ toys of your dreams by concluding: “You can do anything you want in a hire car as long as you always remember one crucial thing – it’s not yours.”

The book is peppered with amusing quotes from the TV series itself, and shares the excitable, boyish language of the show.  It would make a fun addition to any petrol head’s bookshelf while having enough facts and figures to act as a decent reference book too.