Ms Baker was also the vice president and a former chair of the Guild of Motoring Writers in the UK.
The guild said few motoring journalists have made their mark on the industry as did Sue.
“While she found fame with an 11-year stint as a presenter on the BBC’s Top Gear, she was also a pioneer and lifelong advocate for women in journalism,” the guild said in its tribute.
“The fact that her passing was marked in most national newspapers speaks volumes for the enormous role she played in the motoring media for many years.
“Sue got the motoring bug at an early age and when she started work as a trainee on the Kentish Times she managed to persuade the editor to publish her reports on races at Brands Hatch.
Strong voice: Sue Baker was an advocate for female motoring journalists, former chair of the Guild of Motoring Writers and longstanding newspaper columnist.
“She was soon after employed to run the Motor Racing News Service based at the circuit.
“Her next step in the world of journalism was to the Evening News, where she was taken on as a general reporter but soon graduated to motoring correspondent and became, with Judith Jackson and Anne Hope, one of only three women in Fleet Street specialising in motoring.”
Ms Baker was elected as the guild’s first first female chair and soon after started on the BBC’s motoring program, Top Gear, eventually appearing in 100 episodes.
In 1982 she moved newspapers to The Observer, where she was motoring editor for 13 years before establishing herself as a freelance writer.
She worked in Fleet Street for 23 years and was at the BBC for 11 years.
Having gained a racing licence early in her career, Ms Baker was an experienced rally co-driver, notably winning the 1983 Audi Sport National Rally with Michelle Mouton in an Audi Quattro.
A statement from her family said that she “was a talented and prolific writer, a charismatic TV presenter, and a passionate animal lover. She had a life and career that many would envy, but did it all with such grace that she was admired and respected by all who knew her. We know she meant so much to so many.”
By Neil Dowling
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