My first car: AA boss Edmund King's Mini was a bit of a nightmare

It was a blue Mini Traveller and it cost him £45. “I bought it from my mum before I passed my test,” he said. “So it gave me an incentive.

“It needed some work. The sills were not in very good condition, but I guess that was normal for that era.

“I wasn’t the most mechanically minded but I gave it a go. Many young people nowadays don’t even know how to fill up the washer bottles.

“I remember driving the car downhill one day and realising my feet were wet. I looked down and my feet were in puddles of water. It was incredibly dangerous knowing what I know now.”

He later sold the car for £120. King has been president of the AA since 2008 after spells at the RAC Foundation and British Road Foundation, and has had some interesting vehicles.

One of his most memorable was a London Taxi which he used when he was living in France. “I was working in Burgundy and I used to pick up people at Dijon airport and bring them to Burgundy on visits.”

He also has warm memories of Alfa Romeos, a Volkswagen Scirocco, a Volvo V70 T5 and a Porsche 911 Carrera Sport. He also enjoyed an MGB, MG Midget and a Fiat Spider. But his favourite is the car he has now, a Porsche Taycan. “It is excellent,” he said. “It is simply outstanding.”