Tag: car culture

Why Do All New Cars Look the Same?

Modern SUVs, EVs and crossovers may be faster, safer and more efficient than ever before, but somewhere along the way many cars lost the character, identity and eccentricity that once made us fall in love with them

There was a time when even children could identify cars instantly. In fact, I was one of those annoying little kids who could recognise a car from half a mile away, at night, purely from the headlights. A Jaguar XJS looked like a Jaguar XJS. A Saab looked like a Saab. A Citroen looked like it had arrived from the future after taking a wrong turn somewhere near the Eiffel Tower.

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Lotus RESET Again! Have They Finally Learned?

Lotus Cars Reset - Focus 2030
Lotus says its new “Focus 2030” plan marks a fresh start for the iconic British sports car brand, but after years of chasing EV luxury trends, has the company finally remembered what Lotus is really all about?

There was a time when hearing the word “Lotus” instantly conjured up images of lightweight sports cars dancing down B-roads with the delicacy of a hummingbird. Tiny steering wheels writhing in your hands. Barely-there kerb weights. Fibreglass bodies. A driving experience so pure and alive that you could forgive the occasional electrical tantrum, water leak, or trim piece that decided it no longer wished to participate in the journey – because the journey itself was epic (and that’s just to the shops!).

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Are Modern Cars Too Fast for Public Roads?

Is your family SUV faster than a Ferrari Supercar?
Family SUVs and electric crossovers now hit 60mph quicker than yesterday’s supercars, and that should make all of us pause

Here’s a slightly terrifying thought. Your neighbour’s school-run SUV may now be quicker to 60mph than the poster cars many of us grew up worshipping. That sounds ridiculous, until you look at the numbers. A Tesla Model S Plaid claims 0-60mph in 1.99 seconds. The MG4 XPower, a relatively affordable electric family hatchback, does 0-62mph in 3.8 seconds. The Polestar 4 Long Range Dual Motor hits 60mph in 3.7 seconds, while the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N manages 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds. Even petrol has joined the madness, with the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT claiming 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds.  

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Are Toyota and Honda Really in Trouble? How China Changed the Car Industry Forever

Japan once rewrote the rules of the car industry — now China has changed the game again, and even giants like Toyota and Honda are feeling the pressure

There was a time when if someone asked you what car to buy, the answer was almost automatic – get a Toyota, get a Honda, and sleep easy at night. These were the brands that built their reputations not on hype or gimmicks, but on something far more powerful: trust. Cars that started every morning, ran forever, and asked very little in return. They weren’t just manufacturers, they were institutions. Which is why hearing senior figures from these companies openly express concern about their future feels less like industry chatter and more like a tremor beneath the foundations of the automotive world itself.

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Why Grown Men NEED to Collect Model Cars (It’s Not What You Think)!

You’ve seen it. Shelves of tiny cars, obsessively arranged like a miniature showroom. Looks like a toy collection. It isn’t. It’s something far deeper, and slightly more revealing than most collectors would care to admit

“When will you grow up?!” an old friend once asked when he visited my home in Dubai and took one look around my front room. His eyes lingered, not in admiration or envy, but in sheer perplexity at my cabinet full of model cars. He’s not a car guy. But I’m obviously the BrownCarGuy.

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Petrolhead ≠ Politically Incorrect: I don’t Rev for the Right, but nor do I Line-Lock for the Left!

Some think that if you enjoy the sound of a V8 and a whiff of burnt rubber, you’re a climate-denying dinosaur. Time to set the steering straight

I know that I’m pigeon-holed sometimes. And I know why. I love cars, especially big hairy monstrous motors that smoke their tyres and obliterate decibel detectors. 

Yes, my name is Shahzad and I’m an Autoholic. I confess the thrum of a V8 turns me on, octane is my cologne, and a gear-snatching, wheel-twirling thrash up a twisty road is my therapy. Cyclists are annoying, traffic cameras are the enemy, and the Highway Code is a quaint little booklet that’s just the right thickness for the wobbly leg of my coffee table. 

And most damning of all, I refuse to apologise for any of this. 

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The NEC Classic Car Show 2025 – A Treasure Trove of Metal, Mayhem and Mind-Blowing Prices

From a HEMI-swapped Datsun to a nut & bolt Charger win and a pristine ’78 Corolla with 23k miles – the iconic halls of the NEC delivered one of the most eclectic classic-car weekends in years

Let me pull you into it: vast halls, thousands of gleaming machines, petrol and polish in the air – that was the vibe inside the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show 2025 at the The NEC Birmingham. I wandered the aisles with my good mate Sy (Founder of Drivers Union), trying to take it all in: club stands, traders, rare models, and some genuinely wild builds. It’s a show that doesn’t just showcase classics – it celebrates them with a roar.

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Is Zohran Mamdani Anti-Car? What New York’s Motorists Need to Know

The Mayor doesn’t drive, but he’s steering New York’s future – and motorists might not like where the road’s heading

When a man who doesn’t even drive becomes the Mayor of New York City, you just know things are about to get interesting. Zohran Mamdani’s victory has made waves across the world – not just because he’s the first Muslim, first brown and first African-born mayor in NYC’s history, but because he represents something much bigger: a changing philosophy about how cities are built, who they serve, and – crucially for us car lovers – whether there’s still space for motorists in the urban future.

Now, before you reach for your pitchforks or your petrol can, let’s take a calm, and rational look at what this actually means for drivers.

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BCG Podcast: Movie Cars, Classic Cars & Superstars! – Ferrari Fails, KITT Dreams & The Jay Leno Syndrome

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.

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