Blindfold Drive

When a local stage hypnotist approached Lexus Sheffield and asked to borrow a car for a publicity-seeking blindfold drive, Barry Shutt, the centre’s dealer principal was, not surprisingly, somewhat sceptical about the seriousness of the request.
Thirty-five-year-old David Bolton was, however, deadly serious. David had decided to demonstrate his skills as an elaborate plug for his forthcoming show at Sheffield’s Memorial Hall.
Not wishing to miss out on a wonderful public relations opportunity, Barry swallowed hard and agreed to provide David with a brand new IS200 valued at £22,000.
The next requirement was a large area for the ‘blind’ drive and Abbeydale Sports Club in Totley offered him their car park. And, on the Tuesday before his stage performance David climbed into the high-powered car, bravely accompanied by Jayne Brooke from the Whirlow Hall Farm Trust, and set off to sense his way through a series of cones.
Margaret Laver, marketing manager at Lexus Sheffield who checked the effectiveness of David’s blindfold before witnessing the drive, said: "It was the speed at which David drove which most impressed me. I kept thinking he wasn’t going to stop in time to avoid either a cone or a spectator but he did, then came back in reverse and at the same speed!"
David said: "I was very pleased with my performance as I don’t think I clipped a single cone."
David is one of only a very few hypnotists – Paul McKenna included – who is insured for public performance of their hypnotic and illusionary skills. He once escaped from a locked water container and last year correctly predicted the Oscar winners.
David added: "I would like to thank Lexus Sheffield for their confidence in my abilities – not many companies would have been quite so trusting!"