Jodie Kidd Talks Dream Cars, Motoring Memories & More

My love of driving started very young. We used to always go on family holidays driving across Europe – and we were big skiers, so every winter we would go with mum and dad across France and into Switzerland somewhere. These lovely long road trips were ingrained in my DNA from a very young age. It definitely installed this love of road trips that I still have today. 

That said, I never thought motorsports would be a part of my career. I was brought up in the country on a farm. No one in the family raced cars, only horses – my dad was a successful showjumper and polo player, my sister Gemma was on the British dressage team and my brother ended on the British polo team too. I honestly thought I might be a rider as well, until I started modelling. 

My first car was a red Volkswagen Polo we nicknamed Doris. It was a run around car for the whole family really, but we lived in the West Country with a very long driveway and I was instructed to take the bins down to the end of the road every week. I used to do it in Doris with these kangaroo hops, spilling the rubbish everywhere! That was how I learnt to drive – on my own in a manual. I actually failed my first driving test for speeding – which is quite ironic really. But once I’d passed, I felt very confident on the road. I’m genuinely the happiest behind the wheel of a car. 

From there though, modelling took off and cars took a back seat. However, I was in New York Fashion Week – possibly in the late 90s, early 2000s – when a friend of mine flew in for the Gumball rally. He said once I’d finished my modelling work for the week, I should come and sit in the back as they drove from New York to LA. I have to admit I wasn’t that interested in the cars but I did think it would be a good way to see America. The route was incredible – through Tennessee, Virginia and Texas – all these different states I'd never been to. 

It was a European series and I was doing all the big races. We were the support race for around four or five Grand Prixs every year. It was a very steep learning curve but I ended up doing that for three or four years. It’s how my motorsports career all began. It’s funny but life suddenly hands you these new opportunities and I’m very much one of these people who loves to make the most of them. But I’d never have anticipated how much it was really going to change the trajectory of my working life.

I’ve been so lucky to get behind the wheel of some extraordinary cars. One I’ll never forget was a 1950s Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder Short Wheelbase. It’s just one of the most beautifully designed cars to ever exist. It was designed by legendary Italian car design firm Pininfarina and it's just stunning. They're so expensive and quite rare, so I never thought I'd get the opportunity to drive one but it did happen and it was one of the best filming days of my life.

If there’s a dream car I’d love to own, it would be a Lamborghini Revuelto. I suppose it's even a hypercar. It blew me away – it wasn't a usual Lamborghini either – not noisy, brash or ridiculous, just very well put together and an extraordinary drive. The power is unbelievable. It’s one of the best cars I’ve driven in a very long time. 

The car I’m driving right now is a very practical one – a Ford Ranger Raptor. It’s a big, amazing truck that I can get all my horse feed into! 

There’s actually incredible crossover between cars and fashion. It’s all about great design at the end of the day – something that’s well made, uses amazing materials and the quality of the workmanship. Adrenaline is something I’ve experienced in both industries too – when you’re about to walk the Alexander McQueen runway or when you’re behind the wheel of a car, especially on a racetrack.

I’m also an M&S ambassador at a time when M&S has become a sponsor of the Williams F1 race team. It’s the first time the company has gone into motor racing in any way and I've been very much working on that side of things. We did an amazing runway show along the pit lane at Silverstone recently – it’s just brilliant to see a British company supporting a British Formula 1 company. I'm so proud to be part of M&S and to get to do some great campaigns with them.

Everyone who enjoys driving or road trips needs to download New Roads. It’s an AI-powered app that helps you plan road trips – you can tell it: I want to go to Cornwall, stopping at Polzeath, visiting some great vintage clothing stores and an amazing restaurant before staying at a five-star hotel. It will just give you the whole itinerary, telling you how much fuel you need and where to stop.

My dream road trip would be in an Austin-Healey 3000. As for my dream driving companion, it’s difficult. I want to say my partner Jo or my son Indy but they’ll fight between them if I say one or the other! So I'm going to say David Attenborough. Then we can talk about the animals, trees and nature – I’d love to drive the Jurassic Coast  with him and he can just talk to me about where we are and how beautiful our beautiful country is. I know it's boring but if I’m on my own, I just like listening to the engine most of the team – such a car geek! But I do like audiobooks sometimes…

The best driving advice I’ve ever been given is to look after your car. Nothing is more frustrating when you're on the side of the road broken down or with a flat tire. Make sure you know how to change your tire! Make sure all the levels are where they need to be before you set off. All these little things are so important – especially if you’re driving an older car.