The 40th time's the charm, it seems.

A British woman took 33 years, 40 attempts and spent tens of thousands of pounds to pass her driving test, according to the BBC.

Now finally at the age of 50, Venida Crabtree, of Cowley, Oxford, passed the exam in July and recently bought her first car after starting driving lessons in 1972 at age 17.

"It's fantastic. I'm very pleased," Crabtree told the BBC.

In her quest to get into the driver's seat, Crabtree went through seven instructors and spent about the equivalent of $31,000.

Her husband was finally freed from his life as her driver when Crabtree took her secondhand 980cc Suzuki for a spin last week.

"She's driving for the first time today and I'm no longer the chauffeur," Ralph Crabtree, 53, who earns a living driving for a delivery service, told the BBC

I think Patrick took the driver's test 25 times.