A personal tribute to Quentin Willson, filled with memories, gratitude and the stories that show why he mattered so much to car people everywhere
Some news knocks the wind out of you, even when you don’t expect it to. The passing of Quentin Willson did exactly that. A motoring journalist, consumer champion, former Top Gear presenter, and one of the sharpest, driest voices ever to grace British car culture. For many of us, he wasn’t just part of the furniture – he built the room.
For me and Imthishan, the shock ran deeper because we’d spent a week with Quentin in December 2024 when we hosted him as a guest of the Mille Miglia. It meant we got to spend some time with him: conversations, long drives, and the sort of unexpected moments you only appreciate later. Now, looking back, that week feels very precious.
Quentin in person was everything you hoped he’d be: eloquent, witty, unfailingly articulate, and unnervingly knowledgeable. But he was also remarkably humble. No diva behaviour. No fuss. No entourage. Just a man who loved cars, loved talking about cars, and loved sharing that enthusiasm with anyone who cared to ask.
I first interacted with him more than twenty years ago while working on Used Car Buyer magazine. Even back then, his copy was perfect. You dropped it in, sent it off, and you knew it would land with weight. His vocabulary was unmistakable. His tone inimitable. You could hear Quentin on the page.
Over more recent years, I bumped into him at industry events. He’d always give you time. Always share an insight you didn’t expect. Always open your mind to something new. When we brought him to the Mille Miglia UAE in 2024, he was on sparkling form. Whether hosting, interviewing, or chatting to owners in forty-degree heat, he was genuinely gracious and endlessly curious.
He spoke passionately about classic cars. He spoke passionately about EVs. And he never saw contradiction in that. In his mind, you could love an classic Mercedes SL (his car for the event) and champion modern mobility with equal fervour. He had one foot in the past and one firmly in the future.
He wasn’t just a presenter. He was an advocate. A proper consumer journalist. Someone who believed in fighting for motorists, keeping cars affordable, and challenging policy when it hurt ordinary drivers. That side of him is often forgotten, but it shouldn’t be. He saved the public millions in fuel duty increases through campaigning.
Among car journalists, he was respected, feared, admired and – yes – quietly loved. He had that rare combination of deep knowledge, sharp humour, and utterly effortless delivery. There will never be another quite like him.
When the news broke, I needed a day to process it. It felt unreal. In my mind, he wasn’t someone from the distant past – he was someone I’d ‘just’ sat beside, just spoken to, just laughed with. And perhaps that’s why his loss stings so much.
For car people everywhere, Quentin was one of the heroes. One of the original voices who made cars feel exciting, clever, mischievous, and alive. A presenter who could teach you something and make you smile at the same time.
In a world increasingly obsessed with influencers shouting at supercars, Quentin represented something we’re losing: substance. Insight. Craft. Journalism with a spine and a soul.
We won’t see another like him.
If you have your own memories or favourite moments of Quentin, share them below. Let’s keep his legacy alive the best way car people know how – by talking about the cars, the stories, and the passion that bind us all together.
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