Ben Collins (racing driver)
A versatile British driver who secretly became the face of BBC's Top Gear for years, thrilling millions as the anonymous Stig.
Born 1975 (age 51)·British racing driver·Birthday: February 13·Generation X
Biography
Ben Collins's career is a story of speed pursued across a staggering variety of machinery. From the single-seater precision of Formula Three to the brutal, door-to-door combat of NASCAR and Le Mans prototypes, he built a reputation as a driver who could master anything with wheels. His breakthrough into public consciousness, however, came from a role defined by anonymity. For seven series of the globally popular BBC show 'Top Gear,' Collins was the man behind the iconic white helmet, known only as The Stig. On the show's test track, he turned setting lap times into an art form, his skill providing the definitive performance benchmark for every supercar that arrived. When his identity was revealed in a legal battle, it launched him into a new phase as a stunt driver for James Bond films and a commentator, but his legacy remains that of a pure, immensely capable driver whose work was felt more than seen.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Ben was born in 1975, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ben Was Born
The biggest hits of 1975
#1 Movie
Jaws
Best Picture
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
#1 TV Show
All in the Family
Ben's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1975Born
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1980Started school
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1988Became a teenager
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Could drive
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1993Could vote
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
1996Turned 21
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2005Turned 30
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 40
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 50
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 51 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the primary performance driver 'The Stig' on BBC's Top Gear for seven series, setting the iconic lap times for the show's 'Power Lap Board.'
- Competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans multiple times, finishing as high as fifth in the GT2 class in 2009.
- Drove for Team Great Britain in the A1 Grand Prix series, a 'World Cup of Motorsport.'
- Performed stunt driving for major film productions, including the James Bond movies 'Quantum of Solace' and 'Skyfall.'
Did You Know?
He trained as a paratrooper with the British Army's Territorial SAS reserves before focusing full-time on racing.
Collins once raced against a fighter jet in a Volkswagen Scirocco for a Top Gear segment, driving on a runway.
He authored an autobiography, 'The Man in the White Suit,' detailing his time as The Stig.
He holds a Guinness World Record for the fastest lap driven in a stock car on a UK circuit.
“The car is an extension of your mind; you think, it reacts.”
