My friend, Russell Bulgin

Russell Bulgin stood head and shoulders above other young motoring journalists, and not just because he was 6ft 7in. In the late 1980s and ’90s no other car writer under 40 was so admired, or in such demand. That is why, as editor of market-leading Car magazine, I poached him from Autocar, a weekly rival. In addition to Car, he also wrote for GQ, The Daily Telegraph and a host of other top titles around the world including in the US and Japan.

Like many great writers, Bulgin shone brightly but all too briefly. He died, aged just 43, in May 2002. As I write it’s almost 21 years to the day since his death from lymphatic cancer.

Russell stood out because of his superb turn-of-phrase, his razor-sharp observations, his wit and his pithiness. Like most great artists, he could paint a vivid picture using surprisingly few strokes. As with the best newspaper and magazine columnists, he was also very much an individual. Most car writers think the same. Russell always thought different.