I’m pretty certain he is Baby Driver’s dad.
I wrote this article at some point in 2019; seven years later, I got the chance to sit down and interview Tiff Needell. It’s about time both were combined. I hope you enjoy
Tiff Needell. Briefly a Grand Prix driver, 15 years on Top Gear, and 15 years on Fifth Gear — but most importantly, the best getaway driver a bank robbery never had.
Let me paint the picture for you. It’s the early ’80s, and a young racing driver is struggling for cash, but instead of turning to the dark arts of automotive television, he turns to the noble art of bank robbery. Now obviously, I doubt this choice was ever a possibility, but let’s say it was, and Tiff had chosen to be a getaway driver — I think he would have been a rather good one.
You may be reading this and thinking: “Wouldn’t all racing drivers make good getaway drivers?” To an extent, yes — but, to me, it’s the way Tiff can take a normal road car, whether it be a 1.0-litre 1995 VW Polo or a LaFerrari, and push it to the limit.
Imagine you are a bank robber. You can’t use a supercar because that’s far too conspicuous, and it can’t carry the heist crew and all the gear. What’s required is a fairly standard four-door saloon or hatchback, and a driver capable of threading it quickly through traffic while ducking the police, who are inevitably in pursuit. Suddenly, there aren’t too many combinations that fit the bill.
I’m sure you’re wondering why I’ve specifically picked Tiff, but it’s only after spending far too many hours browsing YouTube and watching clips of him driving road cars brilliantly that I came to this conclusion. One of these clips is the “Top Gear Car of the Year 1997” segment, and I implore you to watch it.
A Ford Puma, and a much fresher-faced Jeremy Clarkson. Tiff, and the man in the back — for those who don’t know — is Quentin Willson, who seems to have taken a step away from broadcasting of late. Jeremy, as we know, likes fast cars and is a fairly handy driver himself. But look at the absolute terror on his face as Tiff calmly hoons this little 2.0-litre toy around the airfield — it’s brilliant.
Take that video and replace Jeremy and Quentin with two masked bank robbers carrying Kalashnikovs and bags full of money, and there it is: Tiff Needell, the getaway driver.
And do you know what I think? Remove the masks from the robbers, and I think the terror would remain.
Thank you for reading. Feel free to like, comment, and share this around.
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