Tributes pour in for former Top Gear host Quentin Willson
Tributes have poured in from the motoring world following the death of presenter and automotive journalist Quentin Willson at the age of 68.
The former Top Gear and Fifth Gear host died on Saturday after a short battle with lung cancer, his family confirmed in a statement.
The statement also read: "Quentin brought the joy of motoring, from combustion to electric, into our living rooms. The void he has left can never be filled.
"His knowledge was not just learned but lived; a library of experience now beyond our reach.
“Quentin will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and all who knew him personally and professionally."
Willson’s television career began on the early iteration of Top Gear in 1991, where he co-hosted alongside the likes of Jeremy Clarkson, Vicki Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell. His presenting style and expertise on used cars endeared him to fans, and he remained on the show until 2001.
He then moved to Channel 5 in 2002, where he fronted Fifth Gear alongside former Top Gear co-hosts Needell, Butler-Henderson and Adrian Simpson, before eventually leaving in 2004.
Other presenting credits during his career include The Car's the Star for the BBC and The Classic Car Show and Britain's Worst Driver for Channel 5.
Away from the screen, Willson was a prominent automotive journalist for Classic Cars magazine and the Mirror, as well as authoring ten motoring books.
Willson was also one of the first early adopters and advocates for the use of electric vehicles from as early as the 1990s. He lobbied for better infrastructure and lower charging costs as the national spokesperson for his FairCharge campaign.
Automotive figures pay tribute to Quentin Willson
James May
Jeremy Clarkson
Richard Porter
Tiff Needell
Jonny Smith (The Late Brake Show)
Damon Hill
John Marcar
words: Mike Booth