20 people who changed the world

For giving us wings

The Lotus boss, one of the most radical thinkers of F1's early years, was best known for adding lightness. But he was the also the first to add wings, and sponsors' stickers. So you could say he's partly responsible for every legendary livery since the Sixties.

For fixing Detroit

When he arrived at Ford from Boeing - where he'd steered the aviation giant through the post-9/11 gloom - the American car industry was on life-support. Yet through a series of brutal cuts he weaned the Blue Oval back to fine health, and made a path for others to follow.

For making racing less lethal

When Stewart stepped into an F1 car in the Seventies there was a strong chance he'd be carried out of it. Now, thanks to his relentless work to make cars and tracks much safer places, a modern driver is more likely to injure himself in the kitchen than in the cockpit.

For not being a bloke

When Mary Barra - a lifelong employee - took over as CEO of General Motors in 2014, she became the first female in charge of a global car company since forever, proving that old gender stereotypes had finally given way to the right person for the right job.

For making F1 smart

Newey has been F1's leading brain since his days at March, Williams and McLaren, and his car designs have helped to turn the sport into a marvel of engineering, right up there with rocket science. Perhaps it's no coincidence that his mighty mind lives in such an aerodynamic head...

For putting his money where his mouth is

Some say this Californian billionaire is a real-life Tony Stark. And while he might have plans for hyperloop transportation systems and commercial space travel, you'll know him best as the man behind Tesla and the mighty Model S - the one that makes electric cars a reality.

For defining the supercar

Ferrari doesn't just make cars, and it isn't just a brand. It's a stonking great metaphor for high performance, as globally recognised as Disney or Coca Cola. And no matter how hard you try to convince yourself otherwise, it's hard to imagine a dream garage without one.

For driving in space

Only 12 men walked on the Moon, and just six of those got to drive on it. David Scott became the first to take the wheel up there, when - on 31st July 1971 - he unpacked the Lunar Rover and went for a dusty spin to Elbow Crater. And yet nobody has ever heard of him.

Because now everyone can drive a Lambo

Once upon a time, driving a supercar was a privilege for the rich and famous. Then along came console games and guys like Kazunori, creator of Gran Turismo, and suddenly every clammy teen could drive one, or at least live out the fantasy while locked in a murky bedroom.

For making hybrids fast

As race engineer for Audi Sport, Gade oversees the development of the most successful Le Mans cars of modern times. She calls the shots on the pit wall, manages the drivers and - since joining in 2007 - has been involved in many victories, including a debut win for the hybrid R18.

For making humans go faster

He called his machines Bluebird and used them to reach the horizon faster than any man had done before. In total he broke four speed records on water and nine on land - the last of which saw him become the first person to pass 300mph in a car. The year was 1935...

For making them go really, properly fast

When it comes to land speed records, Richard Noble knows a thing or two. After becoming a record breaker in Thrust 2 - 650mph, 1983 - he's since relinquished driving duties but remains the brains behind Britain's current land speed record bid: the 1,000mph Bloodhound SSC.

For sorting out the boys

The most fearless - and perhaps feared - American racing driver is not some mallet-fisted alpha male, but 5ft 2in Danica Patrick. She's the first woman to win an IndyCar race, the first to take a NASCAR pole, and she's certainly not afraid of a post-match bust up, as YouTube attests.

For being ambitious but rubbish

The man widely regarded - not least by himself - as the worst driver in Grand Prix history. Not only did he fail to score a single point in his 18 F1 starts, but he was once run over by the safety car while fetching a fire extinguisher. A Top Gear hero, if ever there was one.

For being our tame racing driver

Some say he's waterproof to a depth of 9.4 metres, and that an image of his face once appeared on some toast. All we know is... he came back from the dead and invented a wing, and that when he wrote a book it was definitely reduced to clear by Christmas.

For sticking it to The Man

In 1962 Beryl Swain entered the Isle of Man 50cc TT. Unfortunately this upset the male establishment, who revoked her race licence and banned women from entering again until 1978, on the grounds that the event was too dangerous for women. The 11 men she beat were allowed to continue.

For the McLaren F1

Murray had been dreaming of a three-seater supercar since he was a boy. So when he found himself in an airport lounge with Ron Dennis in 1988, he showed him a sketch. Four years later, the 240mph McLaren F1 was born and the world would never be the same again.

For driving to the North Pole

As well as being groundbreaking style icons, Jeremy and James can count another thing on their list of pioneering achievements: becoming the first human beings to drive a car to the Magnetic North Pole. It should be noted that Hammond also made it, after being towed by dogs.

For building 'em cheap

It's true that he used mobsters to keep his factories in order, and that he wasn't quite the cuddly granddad you see in pictures. Still, he revolutionized car making with the invention of the moving production line, and - for the first time - made cars that average people could afford.

For inventing the motor car

Without Benz, we wouldn't be making this list. Because this is where it all started, in 1886, with his Patent Motor Wagen - the world's first car. It might only have had a single-cylinder engine and was steered by a tiller, but it had wheels and a driver, so it was a car nonetheless...