Driving ambition

FEW cars swivel heads faster than the gorgeous dark green 150mph Jaguar E-Type owned by London solicitor John Hume. Few pump adrenaline quicker than the intriguing Nissan Micra hot rod that is Surrey teenager Gemma Trotter's 130mph weekend racer.

You probably wouldn't even guess how special and unusual these cars are, unless you looked inside them. For both these high- performance machines have been specially modified with hand controls to accommodate their drivers' disabilities.

Next week, both cars head north to lap Donington race circuit in Derbyshire, and take part in an exhibition that the organisers have called, Mega Motors.

It is a display of the fastest adapted vehicles in the UK, assembled following a nationwide search, and is part of the three- day Mobility Roadshow being staged from 20-22 June.

The 1970 British Racing Green E-Type is one of three Jaguars owned by Hume, 56, who was paralysed 40 years ago in a riding accident when he was a teenager.

Fears that his motoring horizons would be limited before he had even learned to drive were swiftly thwarted. He recalls what happened after his rehabilitation at the famous Stoke Mandeville spinal injuries hospital.

"We were talking about my driving prospects and they suggested that something like a nice Ford Consul was what I'd need. I said, 'Sod that, I want something more interesting.' " So his first car was a Triumph Herald Convertible, swiftly followed by a succession of charismatic models, all of them converted with hand controls to enable Hume, who is paraplegic, to drive them. There was an MGB, a Lotus Elan SE and an assortment of Jaguars.

His E-Type has had to dispense with its spare wheel to allow space for his wheelchair to fit in the boot. "Someone else has to lift it out for me, but that's the only problem," he says. The car has been equipped with a smaller than normal steering wheel to allow room for the hand controls.

He has competed in five Euro Classic rallies, and driven on most of the best European race circuits, including from France to the Czech Republic.

He clocks up around 25,000 miles a year and drives his E-Type roadster for fun. A Jaguar XJ-S is his everyday transport.

Gemma Trotter, 19, is similarly passionate about fast cars. She comes from Wallingford and had her left leg amputated five years ago after she was injured in a car crash.

Gemma learned to drive at 16 and was immediately attracted to motorsport.

"I was really into rallying, but went into hotrod racing as a cheaper alternative." She is a trained mechanic, and so able to keep down costs by maintaining her car herself.

She races her Micra in Super Saloon Hot Rod competitions and she already has an impressive array of trophies. The car is powered by a 190bhp, two-litre, 16-valve Vauxhall engine, and has normal brake and accelerator pedals, but no clutch. Instead, the gearstick has been specially equipped with a button to electronically operate the clutch.

Her ambition now is to become a national hod rod champion.

"You can do anything if you put your mind to it," she says.

The Mobility Roadshow, the world's largest outdoor mobility event, is at Donington Park near Derby from 20-22 June, 10am to 6pm daily. (The one-day Mega Motors exhibition is on 20 June).

Entrance is free, and there is a free shuttle bus service from Derby rail station. More than 100 vehicles with a variety of adaptations will be available for test drives. Call 0870 7703222 for more details or visit www.justmobility.co.uk/ roadshow

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