Media reports from around the globe are reviving old rumours that Ben Collins is The Stig. Speculation on the true identity of the famous Top Gear test driver was thrown into the spotlight last week when it was revealed the man inside the white race suit wanted to out himself, only to be silenced by BBC lawyers.
Now it would appear others have done the dirty work for him. Details from the financial records of Collins Autosport were published in The Sunday Times on the weekend and revealed a sharp boost in income back in 2003 for “driving services provided for the BBC, mainly in the Top Gear programme.”
The timing is in line with the Black Stig’s replacement, following the revelation that former F1 driver Perry McCarthy was the original Stig. McCarthy is understood to have been sacked by the BBC once he revealed his true identity in his autobiography Flat out, flat broke.
Rumours of Collins’ identity first emerged following Richard Hammond’s serious crash in September 2006 when he was named in the accident report.
A tradesman also shed light on the matter some time back after doing some work at Collins’ house and seeing The Stig’s driving suit and gloves hanging up inside the home in a display cabinet.
It has been reported The Stig earns up to AU$17,000 per episode for his services to Top Gear. However, the unconfirmed driver is believed to want a larger slice of the revenue derived by Stig merchandising sold by the BBC.
[Source: Telegraph | Pic: Collins Autosport | Thanks to Sean for the tip]
5 replies on “Some say… The Stig is Ben Collins”
It would be probably the logicall thing to have his identity remain hidden furthermore. Don’t know what the issue here is, but it’s the main piece of the puzzle to the whole Top Gear hype, so it would probably damage their reputation if they revealed his identity to all of us then.
Some say that he can leap tall buildings in a single bound, others say that he couldn’t get his motorsport career off the ground, failing to win anything of note, all we know is, his name is The Ben Collins… Just doesn’t have the same ring to it 😉
Some say The Stig is Ben Cousins.
Some say The Stig is Joan Collins
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