Over in Dubai, 35-year-old Alex Hirschi, better known as Supercar Blondie, has been permanent fixture on the social scene for over a decade thanks to her radio job, bubbly personality and love of cars. But in the past three years, the Australian expat shot to international stardom after swapping the airwaves for social media.
Here’s what you need to know about the small town girl from Queensland who has become the most famous female car vlogger on the planet.
Her hubby is her sidekick
Alex is married to Nik Hirschi, who doubles as her manager and cameraman. A former banker, Nik started working full time on his wife’s content in 2018 and has been instrumental in her success.
While he does pop up in some of Alex’s videos and social media posts, Nik largely takes a back seat and lets his wife soak up the fame and glory stemming from their hard work and shared passion. What a guy, eh?
She’s an Aussie expat in the Middle East
Hirschi originally hails from Queensland, Australia, but relocated to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates in 2008 where she worked as a newsreader and presenter for the radio station Dubai Eye 103.8.
Known then as Radio Blondie, she interviewed various celebrities about their love of cars, including the likes of John Travolta and Jake Gyllenhaal.
She’s made millions out of a hobby
In 2018, Hirschi left her radio show job and became a full-time video creator. And it’s worked out pretty well for her.
A 2020 survey, compiled by British financial services comparison website GoCompare, says Hirschi is estimated to be able to command US$1.4 million a year from sponsored social media posts.
As of 2021, Supercar Blondie’s net worth is estimated to be US$17 million. Not bad for a car-loving girl living out her fantasies.
She’s one of the most-followed women in the world
Hirschi first started posting automotive stories on Instagram to her then 300 followers in 2015. In 2021, she’s at an impressive nine million followers. And that’s only the start of it.
She also has 6.5 million YouTube subscribers while her Facebook following has reached 39 million.
She raced against The Stig
When Britain’s iconic TV show Top Gear filmed an episode in Dubai in 2019, it was only right that they invited along the city’s most famous car enthusiast.
Not only did she appear alongside hosts Richard Hammond and James May, she also got to race the McLaren SLR against a 1,600hp Dune Buggy driven by The Stig for Top Gear France in the same year.
She gets to drive really rare rides
For someone who loves cars as much as she does, Hirschi has sure hit the jackpot with her job, and gets to drive some of the most exciting cars in the world.
These have included the BMW 3.0 CSL Hommage R, the Ferrari 599 GTZ and the uber outrageous Lamborghini Terzo Millennio.
She was the first person to drive the Devel Sixteen, a planned 5,000bhp hypercar that is the brainchild of a UAE businessman, and the one-off Bugatti Veyron L’Or Blanc, which was especially flown from Berlin to Dubai for her to review.
Oh, and she’s even driven the actual Batmobile from the 1989 feature film Batman.
She has an impressive car collection of her own
Last year, Hirschi told Britain’s GQ magazine that she had sold her beloved Lamborghini Huracan before lockdown, and didn’t even have her own wheels when the pandemic struck.
“I didn’t actually have a car at all for three months,” she revealed. “But I just got the new Rolls-Royce Wraith Black Badge. And I also just got a new car delivery … a McLaren 720S. We also put a deposit down on a Tesla Cybertruck, but that won’t be out for a year or so.”
And just like that, she’s got a garage that most people can only dream of.
She’s all for electric cars
Hirschi is passionate about sustainability and also loves electric cars: “I love where we’re headed with electric cars,” she told the UAE’s Ahlan! magazine.
“Electric cars don’t have to be sterile and boring: some of the coolest looking and fastest cars to be released this year are actually electric, so I’m excited about that,” she added.
Note: This story was originally published on SCMP and has been republished on this website.
