From ugly Ferraris and wannabe James Bonds to falling classic car prices and full-on hoarding confessions – welcome to the Therapy Session petrolheads didn’t know they needed
They say never meet your heroes – but what about driving them? In this week’s BrownCarGuy Therapy Podcast, I sit down with three of the most gloriously opinionated car nuts I know – Sy Ali (Drivers Union), Adnan Mallick (Landbeasts Automobile Classica), and Imthishan Giado (Motoring Middle East co-founder and Dubai Car Culture icon) – to unpack the messy, emotional, and hilarious world of modern car culture.
We’re talking ugly Ferraris, movie car nostalgia, the freefalling classic car market, and whether we’ve all secretly become Jay Leno-style hoarders. Strap in – this one’s pure petrolhead therapy.
When the Classics Stop Paying the Bills
The show kicks off with Adnan’s rant – and it’s a relatable one. The classic car market, he says, is wobbling like a bad carburettor on an E-Type. Post-Covid highs have crashed into reality, leaving dealers and collectors nursing depreciating “assets.”
He’s got Ferraris sitting unsold and MGBs dropping faster than a pound after a bad budget. “It’s good for new buyers,” he admits, “but painful if you’re holding stock.”
Meanwhile, Sy notes that the same uncertainty plaguing housing and finance is infecting motoring too. “Everyone’s scared – budgets, taxes, Christmas… the works. Nobody’s buying.”
Ferrari’s Identity Crisis
Sy then goes full therapy-mode – over Ferrari.
After proudly announcing its first full EV, the Italian marque backtracked faster than a 458 on cold tyres. It’s now cutting its electrification target from 40% to 20%. “They’ve lost the plot,” Sy fumes. “And the new SC40? It’s hideous!”
We all agree the new-age Ferraris look like supercar AI experiments gone wrong. Imthishan, live from Dubai, calmly counters: “They sell out here. The young buyers love them. They’re made for the Insta generation, not us old codgers.”
When Nostalgia Meets Pop Culture
Adnan’s stunning East London garage is a time capsule of 80s and 90s automotive cool – and every car has a story. There’s the Cannonball Run Starion, a Risky Business Porsche 928, and a Magnum P.I. Ferrari 308. He even admits to buying an NSX purely because of Senna.
“I buy cars that connect me to my youth,” he says, “every one of them links to a movie or a moment in time.”
Meanwhile, Imthishan recalls running the Mille Miglia UAE and keeping old Mercedes and Jags alive across a thousand kilometres of desert – mostly with duct tape and prayers.
The Jay Leno Syndrome
Here’s where it gets personal.
We all confess to our inner hoarder tendencies. “If you could, you would,” Jay Leno once said – and it’s true. Adnan admits to buying back his dad’s 1979 Datsun Bluebird for ten grand just because it was his dad’s.
“I don’t even sell cars anymore,” he laughs. “Unless someone offers stupid money – then I pretend I didn’t want to sell it anyway.”
Cars That Made Us Cool
We reminisce about how certain cars didn’t just reflect our personalities – they created them.
For me, it was my old A60 Celica Supra that turned me into my cooler, long-jacket-wearing alter ego. For others, it was the Countach, the Mustang, or even the humble Supra digital dash that made us feel like Michael Knight.
“Cars don’t just transport you,” I say, “they transform you.”
From DeLoreans to Wannabe 007s
Imthishan’s DeLorean story is pure gold. He spent years owning the only road-worthy one in Dubai – complete with Windex in the boot to clean off fingerprints from fans shouting “88 miles per hour!”
Meanwhile, Adnan confesses Aston Martins give him Bond fatigue. “Every bloke in an Aston thinks he’s James Bond. I’m sick of it.”
Sy agrees: “Even if you don’t, everyone else assumes you do.”
We conclude that only one man can pull off the tuxedo look – and it’s not us.
Hero Cars and Hilarious Confessions
In the closing therapy round, I challenge everyone to pick one “hero car” that defines them.
- Sy: The 1989 Batman Batmobile – “Ridiculous, impractical, and utterly magnificent.”
- Adnan: His Countach Anniversary Edition – “Bury me in it.”
- Imthishan: A restomod Eleanor Mustang – “Best of both worlds – soul of a classic, guts of a modern.”
- Me? The Lotus Esprit – because sometimes, just looking at a car is enough therapy.
We ended with one universal truth: petrolheads aren’t dying out – we’re just evolving. Whether you’re wrenching on a 928, polishing a Countach, or just hoarding memories in your garage, the love of cars is alive and well.
If you could, you would.
We’d all be Jay Leno if we could.
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