First car more important than first kiss

Capital Radio breakfast host Denise Van Outen's first car was an Austin Metro

Forget about your first kiss – it’s the memory of your first motor which is savoured most by car-loving Brits.

And more than a third of Britain’s frisky motorists admitted to doing more than sitting in the back seats of their first car according to a survey.

Sixty per cent referred to their first car as a female with a quarter giving it a name while 43 per cent still remember their first car’s registration number.

Fords are the favoured first cars with the Fiesta and Escort topping the list ahead of the Mini and Nissan Micra.

Interesting first cars owned by celebrities include a Citroen 2CV which belonged to comedian Bill Bailey, a 1976 Toyota Corolla Liftback for Top Gear’s Richard Hammond while Denise Van Outen’s (pictured) first car was an Austin Metro.

And David Beckham, who has owned an array of £100,000+ supercars, counts a humble 1991 Ford Escort as his first motor.

Read our feature on David Beckham's cars

The survey also found most first cars were between six and ten years old, while 62 per cent loved their first car so much they wouldn’t let anyone else own it after them – taking it on a one-way trip to the scrap yard.

The results are from findings by the British International Motor Show’s organiser’s imie ahead of this year’s event.

Imie’s Kirsty Perkinson said: ”People develop powerful bonds with their cars, especially their first.

“First cars represent an explosion of independence and a gateway to untold adventures.”

The British Motor Show takes place at the Excel exhibition in London between July 24 and August 3.