Some say he's got as many hairs on his head as there are dandelions on the Monza tarmac, and that he was once called "the world's unluckiest driver." All we know is, he also used to be called The Stig. He's not now, but Perry McCarthy — a former F1 driver and columnist for Crash.net — was once the shadowy figure from the BBC's "Top Gear," now known as much for listening to Greek-language-instruction CDs as for ripping up the show's test track in the world's greatest and not so great cars. McCarthy did the show's first 22 episodes — he was the Stig in black — before handing the job over to a new Stiggy, who may or may not be female. [Thanks to Ian for the tip.]
Perry McCarthy on life as 'The Stig!' [Crash.net]
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Is the Stig a Bad Influence on Angeleno Youth? [internal]