James Martin may be a cooking connoisseur but motoring is his passion with a glittering car collection to his name.
From stylish historic Ferraris and Ford GT40s to World Rally titans formerly driven by legends such as Colin McRae and Paddy Hopkirk, James has a bit of everything inside his mammoth selection.
James keeps all the models in a special garage at his home in Hampshire but even has models spilling out into his TV set kitchen.
He picked up the motoring bug after picking up a toy Ferrari 288 GTO as a youngster but things quickly spiralled when his cooking success took off.
James previously showed off his amazing collection to TV personality Jodie Kidd in an in-depth YouTube video.
Shelby GT500
The TV host secured the stunning Shelby GT500 from Florida and has owned the model for almost 20 years.
James admitted he purchased the model damaged after colliding with the wall back in its racing days but acquired an expert to meticulously restore the model.
The bonnet alone took one guy a whopping 400 hours to build as part of the 18-month reconstruction process.
Mini Cooper
One of the rarest cars in James’ collection is a historic Mini Cooper previously driven by British world rally star Paddy Hopkirk and Rauno Aaltonen.
This particular car was also owned by TV presenter Raymond Baxter before James snapped it up at a historic vehicle auction over 15 years ago.
According to James, the model is one of the first Minis that had the hydro-elastic suspension and the only Mini to have all three variants of the engine.
Recounting how he purchased the car, James explained: “I was at the Goodwood auction and this car came up for auction and no one wanted it. The bidding sort of stalled, I flicked over the magazine looking at it and I ended up buying it.”
Ferrari 275 GTB
One of the most beautiful cars in the collection is his silver and black Ferrari 275 GTB model. James described the car as “absolutely incredible” and admitted he still got behind the wheel of the vehicle.
The TV chef revealed a lot of restoration work had been done including the installation of a new roll-off engine.
Ford GT40
As well as an avid car collector, James dabbles in historic racing and owns a series of top track models. One of his most prized possessions is the gorgeous Ford GT40 which he has partnered alongside three-time British Touring Car Champion Jason Plato.
The model has won the iconic Whitsun Trophy at Goodwood Revival and has taken part in hill climbs in Switzerland.
James explained: “It is an amazing bit of kit, Not until you fire it up and until you drive it there is no other thing on the road like it. None. There is nothing like this on the road. Nothing. The dealer went ‘there we go’, and I went ‘done, sold’. I’d never driven it.”
Ford Escort
Among his many race machines is a stunning Ford Escort which finished in second place in the 1969 Acropolis Rally.
James also owns the original race suit and trophy picked up by rally legend Roger Clark over 50 years ago.
The vehicle is in immaculate edition and has the added bonus of being the very first Escort model ever produced by the marque.
Subaru Impreza
Continuing the rally theme, James owns Prodrive Subaru Impreza models driven by Colin McRae and Petter Solberg.
James admitted that owning rally cars became an “obsession” and admitted they were “amazing” machines.
He said both Impreza’s run on high-octane fuel but were completely road legal and can be driven on UK streets despite their racing pedigree.
