It's a remarkable personal history, told through the medium of cars Like most rulers, King Hussein loved Mercs. His favourite was an ordinary-looking 1968 300 SEL 6.3, on the understandable grounds that it twice saved his life during assassination attempts. The mabrouka as he called it (roughly meaning "the lucky one") was not armour-plated - living proof that old Mercs really are built like tanks. So is the Ford Popular he learnt to drive in, no doubt terrorising the gardeners of Amman's royal palace. To complete the story, the Mercedes G-Wagen that carried him to his grave is also there. The people loved him - it must have been like having Nigel Mansell as king. Our own Queen - who has no shame in driving a Rover - could learn a thing or two.
When King Hussein died he had more than 70 cars - most of which have ended up in a museum he built in Jordan's capital, Amman. His first car was an Aston Martin DB2. In fairness, this was the early 1950s and you would hardly expect a future king to drive around in an Austin A30 Or even an Austin Princess. But the Jordanian royal family has a passion for cars that no other monarchy comes close to emulating. King Hussein competed on rallies, races and hill-climbs, winning nearly half of the events he entered. He took part in (and won) his last race aged 61, only three years before he died of cancer in 1999.
Most people have cherished memories of their first car - often a rust-ridden hatchback that smelled like something had died in the glove compartment. The screams and swearing could rival even the most vicious reality viewing.'Baby House' is at 2.15pm weekdays on ITV1. The DB2 is there, which he drove in England before he claimed the throne in 1953, aged 18. These woefully underpowered objects of desire, held together by T-Cut and optimism, served as a glorious initiation into the pleasures of the open road. So what if your mate had a classy Volkswagen Polo? Yours may have been a geriatric Austin Maxi, but it still felt bloody fast.