#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
Somewhere in East London sits an Aladdin’s cave for car enthusiasts. On the outside, LandBeasts looks like a workshop where you might pop in to get your supercar serviced. Step inside, though, and you’re transported straight into the golden era of 80s and 90s dream cars.
Because when you get me, Naveed Hussain (aka Naveed4Speed) and my long-time mate Imthishan Giado (ex-CAR Middle East deputy editor, and my co-founder on Motoring Middle East) together, things get spicy. This episode kicks off with imposter syndrome in car journalism. Do creators feel like frauds? Are influencers wrecking credibility? Or is the whole “journalist vs influencer” debate just another form of automotive gatekeeping? Naveed gets brutally honest about being the outsider, and Imthishan doesn’t hold back on the invisible barriers brown car guys still face in the industry.
Right, listen up fellow petrolheads – it’s time for another full-fat, no-filter, unapologetically passionate episode of BrownCarGuy Therapy – and this week, we didn’t hold back. If you’ve ever shouted at your screen during a car reveal, or muttered “not again” at a reboot announcement, this one’s for you.
This week’s BrownCarGuy Therapy Session is one of the realest yet. No fluff, no filters – just a proper sit-down between me and Sy from Drivers Union, talking about the realities of being in the car world in 2025. We kicked off with the pressures of creating car content. Sy, also a brilliant automotive photographer, and me, running BrownCarGuy on YouTube, both know the hustle: hours of editing, planning, shooting, posting – and often, the payoff? Barely a blip. Creating content in a saturated space can feel like shouting into the void, and the mental toll is real.
Sometimes you just need to talk it out – rant, rave, reminisce, and reflect. That’s what BrownCarGuy Therapy Sessionsare all about: putting the car reviews and news aside, sitting down with fellow enthusiasts, and just having honest conversations about where we’re at as car lovers in a world that’s rapidly changing.
So there I was – sitting in a Morrisons car park in Queensbury, Polestar 4 plugged in, charging away and with time to kill. Time to go live on Instagram. The impromtu session turned into a fun and controversial chat with a sudden surprise guest giving us a sneak peak into some sensational classic cars. A full-blown BrownCarGuy Therapy Session for Petrolheads. I was joined by long-time friend Reza Adil, and later by David from Huxley Automotive, who casually walked us around a garage full of jaw-dropping classics.
There I was, taking a break from b-rolling footage of the car-nucopia that is the Enfield Pageant of Motoring, strolling amongst stalls of tibits, car parts and tempting dinkies, while cradling a hot cup of coffee, when I nearly choked on my cheese toastie! Smack bang between sellers of Capri instrument panels and post-war grille badges, was a bloke with a book. His modest table and roll-up banner advertised a new novel, “It Can’t See You in the Dark” by Feroze Engineer. There was a car on the cover. And not just any car!
Car S.O.S. (Car Sausage) is back for a brand-new Series 13, and once again, I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with the legends themselves – Tim Shaw and Fuzz Townshend in an exclusive interview, in which we covered everything from the cars on the show, the celebs involved (including the one that said ‘no’!) and Tim’s mid-life crisis and hair dye fiasco!
Some people dream of driving exotic cars. Others dream of writing about them. And then there’s Shafiq Abidin, who’s managed to land one of the coolest jobs, In The World – Top Gear staff writer. But the journey from a student interviewing me during Covid to being a year-in to one of the most coveted car jobs out there, has not been without challenges and disappointments. It almost never happened, but this young talent fought for his goals, pushing past cultural expectations, imposter syndrome, and countless rejections to make it happen. His story? It’s as inspiring as it is relatable.
This year marked a monumental occasion for West London Classics as the club made its debut at the NEC Classic Motor Show 2024. I had the chance to catch up with club founder Kirpal Singh Randhawa and long-time member Dave – two passionate petrolheads who brought with them not only stunning classic cars but also a true enthusiasm for sharing the classic car lifestyle.