#BrownCarGuy – News, Views & Reviews!
Gotta be honest. I’m starting to feel it. It’s my birthday today. I’m 57 years old. Five, seven. Fifty-seven. How did that happen? When? Surely that’s an admin error. A typo someone forgot to correct.
Continue reading “When the Years Catch Up: A Birthday Reflection”
Some news knocks the wind out of you, even when you don’t expect it to. The passing of Quentin Willson did exactly that. A motoring journalist, consumer champion, former Top Gear presenter, and one of the sharpest, driest voices ever to grace British car culture. For many of us, he wasn’t just part of the furniture – he built the room.
For me and Imthishan, the shock ran deeper because we’d spent a week with Quentin in December 2024 when we hosted him as a guest of the Mille Miglia. It meant we got to spend some time with him: conversations, long drives, and the sort of unexpected moments you only appreciate later. Now, looking back, that week feels very precious.
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.
September came at us fast and furious – a month of breaking news, motoring drama, cultural flashpoints, and a few laughs along the way. Lotus is clinging to life, Porsche is making (and unmaking) decisions, politicians are meddling, and I even roasted some of your cars just for fun. If you missed any of it, don’t worry – here’s the complete BrownCarGuy digest from September 2025.
Continue reading “BrownCarGuy September 2025 Round-Up: Shocks, Scandals & Supercars”
In just a couple of months, I’ll be 57 years old. And honestly? Some days, I feel it. The knees creak more than they used to, the waistline’s trying to sneak past the speed limit, and let’s not even mention how often I forget what I came into the room for.
Now… where was I? Oh yes… Professionally, too, the landscape has shifted. There’s less work floating around, fewer calls coming in, and a niggling voice that asks: maybe I’ve had my time. Maybe I really am edging towards my sell-by date.
Continue reading “Ageing Out or Levelling Up? Why Older Workers Still Matter”
If you’re 70 or over and still enjoying the freedom of the open road, change is coming – and sooner than you might think. The Government has confirmed that this autumn it will launch a public consultation on proposals to overhaul licence renewal rules for older drivers. At the heart of the plan? A new requirement for mandatory eye tests every three years, replacing the current self-declaration system. It’s part of the biggest shake-up in road safety regulations since 2006, and it could mean the difference between keeping your car keys or handing them in.
Let’s face it. As we get older, our bodies don’t quite behave the way they used to. The knees creak, the back protests, and after an hour on the M1, you feel like you’ve done three rounds with Tyson Fury. Older drivers are not suffering alone – more than 6 million drivers in the UK are over the age of 70, and over 1.5 million are well into their 80s.
It’s summer in Britain. Yes, actual summer – it’s our THIRD HEATWAVE so far this year!. That means barbecues, ice cream vans, and… dangerously dehydrated drivers. Wait, what? Yes, really.
You might think you’re safe and sound, cruising along in your climate-controlled motor, cold air gently blasting your cheeks, enjoying life with the smug satisfaction of someone who ticked the “dual-zone AC” box. But while you’re sipping that fizzy drink or half-lukewarm coffee from the services, your driving ability is deterioting rapidly, you won’t even realise it, until its too late!
Remember when driving was fun? A carefree cruise with your favourite tunes, windows down, and the open road ahead. These days, though, it feels more like a battle — against traffic, local councils, your wallet, and your own rising stress levels. Driving has become a mental health flashpoint, and it’s not just anecdotal.
There was a time, baby, when chrome was king and cars were wide enough to land Hueys on. The soundtrack? Funk, soul, rubber and the rumble of lethargic V8s echoing through neon-lit nights. Oh and James Brown, obviously. Can you dig it?
Continue reading “Groovy Dreams & Greasy Spoons – the 1970s are Calling”