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WITH a national newspaper column to write every week, and appearances on Top Gear, Brainiac, his daytime show and Petrolheads, motoring megastar Richard Hammond is a busy bunny.

Alex Eckford caught up with Richard to ask him about Top Gear, his monstrously impressive collection of motors, and what it's like being the first motoring TV pin-up.

Richard Hammond has the best job in TV. It's the gig most car nuts would give their licence for.

"Top Gear is a dream job. It's what I've wanted to do since I was about ten. I still can't quite believe I'm doing it," said Richard when we caught up with him at his mother's house.

The programme, which started in 1977, is experiencing a golden age. A far cry from the sober review show of the 1980s, the show has made first Jeremy Clarkson then Hammond household names.

"People like the fact that there's an absolute honesty to the programme. If we weren't doing Top Gear we'd still be out there buying cars and arguing about them. When the cameras stop rolling we carry on arguing - it's what we do! Ultimately, we're three ordinary blokes who love cars," said Richard.

One of the reasons the makers of the show picked Richard for the job is because of his passion for motoring. It seems like he's owned more cars than the Sultan of Brunei, and right from the beginning has had better taste.

"My first car was a red 1976 Toyota Corolla Liftback 1600. It had a front end modelled on a '65 Mustang - just like the one in The Blues Brothers. I crashed it," said Richard.

Despite his youthful looks, Richard has been in broadcasting for 17 years. But after a decade working in local radio, he'd had enough of the airwaves and hung up his headphones.

"It wasn't working out, so I got out for a bit. I got a job in the press office of a big corporation. And that's when I met my wife. I'm really lucky because she loves cars more than I do - she's bonkers," said Richard of Amanda, his wife of four years.

But the lure of broadcasting was too much for Richard, and he soon found himself presenting shows on satellite TV.

"I missed being a journalist - I missed chasing stories, following stuff up. I gave up my company car (a Renault Laguna) and my pension and went back to freelancing for bugger all. Fortunately it paid off - I've been very lucky," said Richard.

There isn't enough space on the Internet to list all of Richard's cars, but there are a few choice models that stand out from the rest

"I've just bought a Porsche 997 Carrera S which is absolutely beautiful - I'm very happy with that. It's only got 1,000 miles on the clock, so I'm just running it in. I've also got a 1984 Land Rover Defender - it's fully pimped. It's got a massive sound system, chrome wheels and blue lights underneath. Then there's my 1971 Midget and my 1972 Spitfire. I've just negotiated to buy a 65 Mustang, which I'm very excited about."

"My wife won't let me sell cars, that's the problem. We've filled the garages with cars, and now they're scattered all over the place. There's a lot of them knocking about. I'm very fortunate that I have a wife who loves cars as much as I do - she never complains," said Richard.

Part of what makes being a Top Gear presenter so good is being paid to thrash around in the latest high performance cars. So out of all the cars he's test driven on the show, which is Richard's favourite?

"The Pagani Zonda F is the most staggering thing I think I've ever driven. If we know the car we'll turn up and film the piece on the day, but if we don't we get to keep them for a few days. It can be tremendous fun," said Richard.

Mr Hammond is arguably the nation's first motoring TV pin-up. Is this something that sits comfortably with him?

"It's a bit bizarre, all that stuff. It's flattering and very funny, but usually lasts until the next time you catch sight of yourself in the mirror!" said Richard.

One last question from me - has Richard ever used Auto Trader?

"Me and James May have a game we play with Auto Trader where we try to find the best car we can for £500.

"I've bought and sold through Auto Trader - hasn't everyone?"

Now it's time for Auto Trader readers to put their questions to Richard:

"If you weren't doing what you are now, what would you like to do?" asks Amanda Webster of Lincoln.

"I'd love to run a classic car garage. But I'd go broke on the first day, because I'd want to keep all the cars. I'd just collect classic cars."

"What's your dream car?" asks John Burnham of Plymouth.

"My Porsche. I think it's the best sports car ever built. But if I was going to have something to play in, it would be a 1960s Ferrari. Something that might fall apart."