Chapter 18

The following week, in fact the following day, the glass was replaced and Ashlee called Tony to let him know of what happened. He of course got really serious and said that he and Megan would be in town shortly. The last thing he told Ashlee was to stand away from the windows and to keep the shades drawn. She did just that.

I called Julie, our interior decorator, and she came right over and had everything removed and new stuff moved in late in the same day. When I asked her what style the furniture was, she said that it was called comfy-sheik. She thought that with three kids who were going to grow up and have friends over, it would be a good idea to have furniture that could take the abuse. I agreed and when she was done, it felt like home.

The last thing that happened was that the whole team and family all packed up and flew to Europe. I chartered a jumbo jet for us to use and had to get another cargo jet to carry over the Rally Fighter and our race truck for the show as well as the Koenigsegg. I tell you, it was an expensive trip. Not only did I pay for the flights, but also an entire floor in one of London’s largest hotel for everyone.

On the day of the show, three lorries showed up to carry the cars across town and a bus was used to move all of us to the studio.

Brenda and I were the only ones who were scheduled to be on camera so we were shown to the makeup trailer. Brenda got the least amount of work, but they had to spend close to 30 minute on me trying to get my forehead to be less shiny. I think they got it taken care of.

“Tonight on Top Gear, I eat a steak, Richard screams like a girl and The Stig races a girl.” says Jeremy in the voice over.

The credits roll and the show begins. Jeremy welcomes everyone to the show and he introduces my Koenigsegg telling everyone about it. “Tonight we have the rare pleasure of introducing one of the great cars to come across our stage. The Koenigsegg Agera XFE.” He waved his hands and the audience oooh’d and aaah’d approvingly. “the owner of this car, who you will meet later on in the show, brought this car to us and asked if he could run it around our track. He bought it in Sweden and then drove it to our office. Once we had a chance to look the car over, well, we had to drive it.”

The show cut to the tape they made of them racing it around the track. Ashlee, the kids, Kaitlyn, Elliott and the entire team sat in the ‘green room’ watching the tape. It was really good and made the car look like a rocketship. They did several minutes on the engine and even had a small segment interview with Christian Von Koenigsegg himself. I didn’t know anything about that, which impressed me even more. They had Richard doing the voice over and he was doing most of the driving and at one point, he was screaming like a girl while doing a hot lap and corner slide at full speed with all four tires smoking.

I chuckled to myself and Ashlee asked what was so funny. “Well, when i got the car back all four of the tires were thrashed and now I understand why.”

“Oh.” She chuckled right along with me as they played the power slide over and over again in slow motion.

Once the film was over, they went back to Jeremy and Richard standing next to the car.

Jeremy: Well done Richard. How was the car to drive?

Richard: It was a rocket. An absolute rocket.

Jeremy: So the shots of the power slide...

Richard: well that was real and hard to do. This car has four wheel drive, and a stability control system that makes it very hard to mess up in. We turned the traction control off in order to get it to slide even a little. When the system was on, it hooked up, took off and cornered like it was on rails. It is by far the fastest thing we have had around our track since, I don’t know, the Porsche 918 or the P1 and we had them here years ago.

Jeremy: so what about this engine? Did the high efficiency engine cause any problems for you? I hear that the engine get over 80 miles per gallon while still producing over a thousand horsepower.

The audience ooh’d some more.

Richard: no, I don’t know how they did it, but Christian has managed to reduce the engine to its pure raw parts and with his valve technology he has managed to revolutionize the internal combustion engine.

More oohs and aahs from the audience.

Jeremy: Well, with that glowing endorsement in hand we need to hand it over to our tame racing driver. Some say that he is powered by beer and sausages and some say that his left foot is redundant. We just call him The Stig!

The film of his hot lap around the track ran and I was fascinated by how he got it around the track. He used a bunch of the track, kept it tidy through the corners and when he brought it across the line even I was rooting more for my car than I was for The Stig.

When the film was done, Jeremy took over and reported how fast the car went around the track. “now for the lap time.” Richard and Jeremy were standing by the board. “We see here that the last Koenigsegg we had on our track came in at a blistering 1:17.6 seconds. From there we have an Ascari, Gumpert and the legendary Bugatti Veyron, Lamborghini, McLaren and then at the top an Ariel Atom with a time that may be there for the rest of the show at 1:15.1.

Richard: That time may never be broken, that is near the time that F1 cars would have around our track. It may never be broken.

Jeremy: Too true. Which brings me to the time this car got.

Richard motions for him to hurry up and get on with it.

Jeremy: 1...

Richard: And

Jeremy: 15

The crowd oooh’s and remains excited leaning forward waiting on Jeremy’s every word. Jeremy draws it out writing on the little magnet.

Jeremy: point... 5!

The crowd explodes cheering and clapping and I jump up from the couch cheering joined by Ashlee and Brenda and the kids who I’m sure they didn’t know why they were cheering, but they were cheering since I was cheering.

Jeremy: 1:15.5, the second fastest time around our track and finally a Koenigsegg that can go around a corner.

In the green room, the cheering continued as they broke for a commercial. I finally sat down and let the joy of our engine’s performance wash over me. “Well done honey, you got yourself some real success there. That engine is going to make all of us a mint.” Ashlee said also proud of what was done.

“Yes it is. I am very happy that I got Christian to complete his work and make that engine. It is really going to change the world.”

Ashlee kissed my cheek and held my arm.

“Mr Johnson, Ms Davis, we are ready for you now.” A stagehand said coming in through the door.

“Go get ‘em honey.” Ashlee said to me then hugged her daughter and the entire team left the green room and were shown to a corner of the studio. The audience moved aside as we were brought out and the team took up position around the truck while Brenda and I waited our turn.

Jeremy: The owner of that car has an amazing story and later on we are going to see something that probably won’t happen again our lifetime, but more on that later. I welcome you, from America, Paul Johnson and his daughter, Brenda Davis.

The crowd cheered and we walked through them to take up position on the couch (a car’s back seat) on stage.

We shook hands and took our seats.

Jeremy: Welcome to the show. So glad to have you here. So glad that you let us try your car.

Me: thank you.

Brenda: Thank you.

Jeremy: Paul, let me begin with this, are you the luckiest bastard on the planet or am I totally wrong?

We all laughed at this question, especially me since I know that I am the luckiest bastard on the planet.

Me: Yes I am. For sure.

Jeremy: Now I have read your bio and let me see if I have this correct. You lost your wife and two boys in a car accident, you settle with the truck companies for some sum of money, you win the lottery and become a millionaire and then marry a woman who I have to say is the most beautiful woman on the planet who bares three kids for you and who happens to have a very talented daughter who becomes a nearly famous race car driver.

Brenda and I look at each other and I confirm that “Yes, you have it just about correct.”

The crowd laughs at the dull joke he made.

Jeremy: Well I think that all of that makes you the luckiest bastard on the planet.

Brenda: Jeremy, I have to say. My mom and I are the lucky ones. She was lucky that he asked her out to lunch, then started dating her and even kept dating her even after he found out that I was around. So many men that mom brought home ran away screaming when they found out that she was a single mom. We are the lucky ones to have him stick around and be willing to be my dad.

Jeremy: well, when you put it that way, I may have to change my mind.

The crowd chuckles.

Jeremy: You brought your whole family right?

Me: Yes, Ashlee and our kids are waiting back there in the wings.

I stand up and look around, then wave to them.

Me: Hi honey.

Brenda: Hey mom!

The crowd laughs with us and jeremy looks that way and waves as well.

Jeremy: Now, the other reason we wanted you all here was because you willingly got into our reasonably priced car and took a few laps.

I agreed with him and he went on.

Jeremy: So, do you want to see your lap and to find out your time?

Me: Sure. When we got them in, The Stig just about talked my ear off with accelerate here, brake there, turn here. He just about talked my ear off.

Jeremy: Well, he does that when we don’t put him away without draining him correctly.

The crowd and I all laughed at that one.

Jeremy: Well, here it is.

They switched to me sitting behind the wheel in the car and then taking off in the car. I managed to squeal the tires like a pro and it certainly looked like I was going fast. Jeremy talked the whole way through saying that it looked like I was taking the correct line through most of the corners and when I managed to cross the line, he made the statement that he was impressed by my driving and was looking forward to seeing my time.

Me: Me too. So come on, give us the numbers.

Jeremy: I have the time here. the good news was the that beginning is a one.

Me and Brenda: Yeah!

Jeremy: Forty

The crowd now listening intently, oooh’d as jeremy continued.

Jeremy: Three

Now I looked up at the board to see where I was. 1:43 put me toward the top of the board. Fifth down at the very least. Not in the medals, but top ten at least.

Jeremy: Point Two

The crowd went nuts and shouted and clapped as Jeremy wrote down my time on the magnet. 1:43.2 was my time and quite good if you ask me.

Jeremy: well done for a bloke with money and no driving experience.

Me: thank you. that is a very good time.

Once the audience settled down he went on to Brenda.

Jeremy: Brenda

Brenda: Yes.

Jeremy: You are not a formula 1 driver, but you are more than a normal star since you get paid to race cars.