Date: 5 November 1992
Originally published in: Paris Match (France)
Written by: Jean-François Chaigneau
When the belle has entered, the beast began to roar and scared her. So the beautiful one jumped and closed her eyes. Pretty blue-eyed blonde in a helmet. The champion, he took off his helmet and blue calm the beast, who is killed in his box. So the beautiful, Kim Wilde, and the champion Nigel Mansell have their encounter. Beautiful black cloak fastened at the waist and flared heels on her boots. Beautiful with a long neck and cuffs with leopard wrists (false panther, of course, because the beautiful loves animals). She seems better equipped for a leisurely horse-drawn troika in the snow than for a visit to the stand with a Formula 1 team. Nigel Mansell has completed its first practice for the Grand Prix of Japan, Nagoya. He blinks when he sees her. He approaches. They kiss. On the cheek. He was driving his hand. He hands her. A small wheel. She was surprised, she smiled. Feline teeth.
And then he gives her a tour around the property. He invites her to ride his car, the Williams-Renault world champion. She must remove their shoes. She wears under her cloak a tight black leather pants. He hurries. Place it on the floor a paper path to protect her pretty feet. She spans the car, she fits, she sits at the edge of the fireball. He puts the wheel in place. He looks at her. He explains the buttons, joysticks. “This one for the automatic transmission …” She listens, she looks. She asks questions. She smiled. She touches everything, when he permits. Long nails. And then, with two tiny little foam cylinders, delicately, he ears. Then the beast howls. Growls, roars. Delicious vibrations. The illusion of control. The cockpit is full of his crown of hair scattered.
Finally, cut the engine. It rises. The champion said: “In the car, I always go in at the left side and I go out through the right side.” It’s like that. Superstition. (To each his own: Ayrton Senna, he wears the same driving gloves throughout the season.) He brings her boots, he is at her feet. She puts her shoes on. He wraps the coat she has. Then he gently hugged and said: “She and I would make a great team for next season.” Nigel Mansell, world champion driver, and Kim Wilde, adorable singer.
