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108:40
Term
tyre narrative
“Tyre narrative” basically means the story people tell about tires—how grippy they are and how the car feels because of them. Tires can make a big difference in how fast and how stable a car feels.
Car
Ferrari LaFerrari
The Ferrari LaFerrari is a very high-end Ferrari supercar. It uses both a gas engine and an electric system. People mention it because it’s a special, limited car that’s known for advanced performance.
Concept
monetization
“Monetization” here means making money from videos. The host is suggesting some creators might say nice things about cars to keep earning and stay in good standing with brands.
Topic
supercar culture changed
They’re talking about how supercar culture has changed over time. The big idea is that it’s become easier to get involved and there are more different models people can talk about.
Term
hypercars
Hypercars are the most extreme, rare, and expensive performance cars. The host is saying they used to be much harder to see and talk about, but now there are more of them.
Car
Ferrari F50
The Ferrari F50 is a super-rare, very expensive Ferrari from the 1990s. The host is using it as an example of the kind of “big deal” Ferrari people only saw when they were already very wealthy.
Car
Ferrari Enzo
The Ferrari Enzo is one of Ferrari’s most famous supercars. It’s mentioned here as a benchmark for the most exclusive, top-tier Ferrari era.
Car
Maserati MC12
The Maserati MC12 is a very rare, high-end Maserati supercar. The host is using it to illustrate how uncommon these cars were to spot back then.
Car
Ferrari SP1
The Ferrari SP1 is a modern, extremely rare Ferrari supercar. The point is that Ferrari is releasing more of these kinds of cars now, so they don’t feel as rare.
Car
Ferrari SP2
Car
Ferrari F80
The Ferrari F80 is a new Ferrari supercar model. The host is saying that because Ferrari is launching so many extreme cars, people may not be as impressed as they used to be.
Car
BMW M3
The BMW M3 is a sporty BMW made for fast driving. The F80 is one specific generation of the M3 that many enthusiasts remember. People mention it when they’re comparing what performance cars were like in that timeframe.
Concept
desensitised
“Desensitised” means people stop being as impressed because they see the same kind of amazing thing all the time. The host thinks that’s happening with hypercars because there are more of them now.
Term
V6
A V6 is an engine with six cylinders arranged in a V shape. The host is suggesting that if a hypercar uses a V6, some people might not feel as wowed as they would with a more traditional “big” engine choice.
Concept
viral opportunities
“Viral opportunities” means chances to make a video that spreads quickly online. The host is saying it’s easier now because there are more cars and more people posting about them.
Concept
social media
Social media is where people post and share things online. The host is saying that back then, there wasn’t a platform that made it easy to find out where rare cars were and who had them.
Place
London
London is the city the host is talking about. They’re saying that when rare cars keep appearing there and being posted online, it becomes less exciting.
Place
Monaco
Monaco is a glamorous place in Europe. The host is saying that seeing expensive cars there used to feel like a special moment.
Car
Bugatti Veyron
The Bugatti Veyron is an ultra-rare, extremely fast supercar. It’s known for being a top-tier performance car and a luxury status symbol. People bring it up because seeing one in real life is a big event.
Term
convoys
A convoy is a group of cars driving together. The host is saying people now organize big groups of supercars to go somewhere like Harrods, which makes it feel less rare.
Term
paparazzi culture
“Paparazzi culture” means people constantly filming or photographing something/someone to get attention. The host is saying that when rare cars become part of that constant attention cycle, they feel less exciting.
Concept
car spotters
Car spotters are people who go out looking for cool cars and film or photograph them. In this story, their filming encouraged owners to act more “for the camera,” which caused problems for residents.
Place
Night's Bridge
They’re talking about a specific spot in London where supercars were constantly driving around. Local residents complained, especially because people were filming and posting the cars online.
Concept
convoying
Convoying means driving in a group together. Here it’s describing people coordinating from different cities to get to the same place so their cars could be seen online.
Term
burnouts
A burnout is when a driver forces the tires to spin while the car is mostly in place, often making smoke. Here, it’s mentioned as part of the showy behavior people did for cameras.
Term
Top Gear
Top Gear is a famous car TV show. The host is saying they only knew these cars from TV or magazines before seeing them in person.
Part
de-cat Caprizo exhaust
A “de-cat” exhaust means the car’s emissions catalyst is removed. That usually makes the car louder and changes how it sounds, and “Caprizo” is the aftermarket exhaust brand being used.
Term
first gear
First gear is the lowest gear in the car. It’s meant for very slow driving, so the host is surprised to hear about someone using it at a crawl in a neighborhood.
Term
straight pipe
A “straight pipe” is an exhaust change that makes the car louder by removing parts that normally quiet it down. People do it for sound, but it can also make the car annoyingly loud for neighbors.
Term
sound cameras
“Sound cameras” are tools that measure how loud a vehicle is and can record proof of who was driving. They’re used to catch cars that break noise rules.
Term
decibel reader
A “decibel reader” is a device that measures how loud something is. Here it’s used to check whether car noise is above the legal limit.
Term
remote control the valves
Some cars have exhaust valves that can open or close to make the exhaust louder or quieter. The speaker is saying police learned drivers could control that sound remotely.
Place
Mayfair
Mayfair is another central London district, adjacent to Knightsbridge. The speaker claims enforcement effectively pushed the loud-car culture from Knightsbridge into Mayfair.
Place
Harrod's
Harrods is a very famous luxury store in London. They’re mentioning it to show how visible and “headline-worthy” the trip was.
Place
Peninsula hotel
The Peninsula Hotel is a luxury hotel in London. They’re using it as a landmark for where the police stopped them.
Place
Lanesborough
The Lanesborough is a luxury hotel in London. They’re debating which nearby hotel is the correct landmark for where the stop happened.
Place
Alderley Edge
Alderley Edge is a place in England (in Cheshire) where people in the area often spot and talk about cars. Here it’s basically the backdrop for a supercar meetup.
Car
Lamborghini Aventador
This is a Lamborghini supercar with the top removed. The “SV” version is the more aggressive, higher-performance take on the Aventador, meant to feel sharper and faster than the base model.
Car
Ford Edge
The Ford Edge is a mid-size SUV meant for everyday use. It’s designed to be comfortable and practical for regular driving. People bring it up when talking about normal, real-life car experiences.
Concept
air of politics
Paul Wallace is saying there’s often a behind-the-scenes power game between car companies and the media. It can affect what journalists are allowed to do and how they talk about cars. He’s describing that as something that never really goes away.
Term
press drives
A press drive is an organized media event where journalists are invited to drive a manufacturer’s new car before it’s widely available. It’s part of how automakers generate coverage, and Paul Wallace uses it to explain how his career started and how the industry has changed.
Car
Audi RS3
The Audi RS3 is a high-performance Audi based on the A3. It’s the “sporty” version, and it’s known for being fast and fun to drive. Here, it’s the specific car Paul Wallace was invited to drive on his first big media trip.
Car
Opel Astra
The Opel Astra is a regular compact car meant for daily driving. It’s not a special supercar, but it’s practical and common. People mention it when they’re talking about their own past cars or comparisons.
Car
BMW i3
The BMW i3 is BMW’s electric car from the earlier EV era. It’s designed to be efficient and easy to drive around town. Paul Wallace brings it up to explain what he’d already experienced before getting invited to drive the RS3.
Car
Bmw I8
The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car—meaning it can run on electricity and also uses a gasoline engine. Paul Wallace mentions it as another car he’d driven before getting invited to drive the Audi RS3.
Brand
Patek
“Patek” is a luxury watch brand. In this conversation it’s used like a stand-in for something very expensive or exclusive.
Car
Ferrari Luce
The Ferrari Luce is a new Ferrari model mentioned as being extremely beautiful. It’s being talked about mainly for its looks. The podcast is highlighting it as a standout car.
Brand
Tesla
They’re talking about Tesla and how the company handled a negative review. The claim is that after a bad experience and a critical video, the brand didn’t want to work with them anymore.
Concept
blacklisted
They’re describing a situation where a brand might stop working with a reviewer if the review is negative. The idea is that bad coverage could cost you future access to cars.
Concept
control the entire narrative
This means the car brand tries to control what the video focuses on. They may also limit comparisons so the content doesn’t say or imply things they don’t want.
Concept
press car
A press car is a car a company lends to media so they can make content about it. Sometimes the company sets conditions on what you can show or compare in your video.
Concept
integrity of the industry
This is about whether car reviews and videos feel honest and independent. The worry is that if brands control what you can say or compare, the content may not feel real.
Concept
scratch my back / scratch theirs
This is an idiom meaning “help me and I’ll help you.” The host is using it to say that if Ferrari supports him (or pays/backs the relationship), he’ll respond in kind—otherwise he won’t.
Concept
main dealer
A “main dealer” is an official dealership that sells and supports a specific brand, typically following the brand’s sales and service messaging. The host argues that dealer staff may present each Ferrari model in the most favorable light to customers, even if their personal views differ.
Concept
boycotting Ferrari
“Boycotting” means people decide not to buy from a company. In this segment, the host claims some customers are refusing to buy Ferrari because they feel the brand’s influence is shaping what they’re being told.
Term
gearbox malfunction limited performance
That message means the car thinks something isn’t right with the transmission. To protect itself, it may reduce power or limit how the car behaves until the issue is checked.
Term
launch control
Launch control is a feature that helps the car accelerate as hard as possible from a stop. It’s designed to make starts consistent, and if the car detects a problem, it may turn this feature off.
Term
suspension lift inhibited
This message means the car won’t raise its suspension when you try to. That lift is usually used to clear obstacles, and the car blocks it if it thinks something could be wrong.
Concept
car's mental breakdown
The host is using a metaphor to say the car is acting “confused” because of electronics or warning logic. It’s not necessarily broken in a physical way—it may just be limiting features because it detected something.
Term
sensors
Cars have lots of electronic sensors that constantly “check” what’s happening. If one sensor is faulty, the car may not start right, or it can trigger warnings and weird behavior.
Term
start button
A start button is the modern way to start the car without turning a key. If the car’s electronics aren’t getting the right signals (like from sensors), the car may not start the first time.
Term
six litre V12
A “six litre V12” is a big engine with 12 cylinders arranged in a V shape. It’s known for a dramatic sound and strong power, but the host is saying that engine specs don’t answer the real question: what happens when the car’s electronics/sensors fail.
Term
naturally aspirated
Naturally aspirated means the engine doesn’t use a turbo or supercharger to force air in. It’s about how the engine breathes, not about whether the car’s sensors might cause starting or repair problems.
Place
Yellowstone
Yellowstone is a famous national park in the United States. It’s known for dramatic scenery, so filming there suggests the content is built around the landscape and travel experience.
Car
Bentley Bentagas
The Bentley Bentayga S is a sportier, more driver-focused version of Bentley’s big luxury SUV. The “S” usually means it’s been tuned to feel quicker and more responsive than the regular one.
Brand
McLaren
McLaren is a famous car brand that makes high-performance supercars. Mentioning McLaren here is about partnering with a top-tier performance name.
Brand
Rolls Royce
Rolls-Royce is a luxury car brand known for very high-end, comfortable cars. Here it’s mentioned as part of the speaker’s list of big-name brands they were working with.
Concept
go against the grain
It means doing something different from what everyone expects. In this case, it’s about making car videos in a more honest or opinionated way instead of just agreeing with the crowd.
Car
G Series M4
This is the newer-generation BMW M4. It’s the “M” version of the 4 Series, built to be a more serious, track-capable sports coupe/convertible than a normal 4 Series.
Concept
lost all credibility as a journalist
They’re talking about trust. If a reviewer sounds like they’re just repeating hype—especially for a big-name brand—viewers may think the review isn’t honest or independent.
Concept
being paid well
They’re raising a fairness issue: if someone is paid to talk about a car, viewers may wonder whether the person is being fully honest or just saying nice things because of the money.
Term
Ferrari lineup
“Ferrari lineup” just means all the different Ferrari models being sold. If a car is unpopular in that lineup, it means fewer people buy that particular model than other Ferraris.
Concept
rare Ferrari in history
“Rarest Ferrari in history” is basically saying that model is extremely uncommon. Uncommon cars tend to attract collectors, especially if the number made was very low.
Concept
production numbers
“Production numbers” means how many of that car were made. If only a small number were built, the car is rarer, and that can make it more valuable to collectors later.
Car
Lamborghini LM002
The Lamborghini LM002 is a very unusual Lamborghini: it’s basically an off-road SUV built by Lamborghini. The host is pointing out that it’s like a “tank” compared to their normal supercars.
Car
Lamborghini Countach
The Lamborghini Countach is a legendary Lamborghini supercar that many people associate with classic 1970s–80s supercar design. The host is using it as an example of the kind of Lamborghini people want.
Car
Lamborghini Miura
The Lamborghini Miura is a classic Lamborghini supercar from the 1960s. The host is listing it as one of the famous, desirable Lamborghinis people think of first.
Car
Lamborghini Diablo
The Lamborghini Diablo is a famous Lamborghini supercar from the 1990s. The host is using it as another example of a “real” Lamborghini that collectors chase.
Term
six speed manual gearbox
This is a manual transmission with six gears. You shift by using a clutch and moving the gear lever yourself, and in some high-end cars it’s a rarer option than the automatic.
Concept
no cost option
A “no cost option” is a factory option that doesn’t add to the purchase price, even though it changes the car’s specification. In enthusiast terms, these can still be rare because not many buyers choose them, even when they’re free.
Term
e-gear
E-gear is a Ferrari system that lets the car shift without you using a clutch pedal. It’s kind of like a manual, but the car does the clutch and shifting for you.
Concept
same concept
They mean the idea is similar: people’s expectations change as new tech shows up. What used to be fine can start getting criticized once a newer option becomes available.
Term
clutching
Clutching means using the clutch pedal to connect or disconnect the engine from the transmission. In a manual car, it helps you start smoothly and shift gears without jerking.
Brand
Chinese brand
They’re talking about car companies from China. The point is that some creators may be paid to promote them, so the promotion might not be fully independent.
Concept
exclusivity agreement
An exclusivity agreement is a deal where someone agrees to only promote certain brands. If you’re locked into one brand, your reviews may be less independent than they seem.
Place
Goodwood
Goodwood is a famous UK car/motorsport event area. When someone says they worked there, it usually means a big, high-visibility car show or test environment.
Brand
a mode of 9
They’re talking about a specific Chinese electric car model. The host is saying it feels especially “premium” compared with other Chinese cars they’ve driven.
Car
Porsche Cayenne
They’re describing a Porsche Cayenne with a coupe-style shape. It’s still an SUV, but the roofline is more sloped for a sportier look.
Term
brake horsepower
Brake horsepower is a number that tells you how much power the engine makes. It’s measured at the engine, not after the power has been “used up” by the drivetrain.
Term
hybrid
A hybrid uses two power sources: a gas engine and an electric motor. It can use electricity part of the time and also recharge while slowing down.
Term
range
“Range” is how far the car thinks it can go before you have to stop for fuel or charging. With a hybrid, that estimate changes based on your driving style.
Concept
most efficient driver
They’re talking about driving in a way that uses the least fuel or electricity over a long trip. It’s like a contest for who can stretch the car’s energy the farthest.
Company
Cherry
They’re mentioning a car company that owns multiple brands. That’s why you might see different model names coming from the same parent group.
Term
pro rata reward
“Pro rata reward” means you get paid a share that matches your portion of the situation. If you contributed less (or for less time), you get a smaller share.
Term
seven iron
A “seven iron” is a specific kind of golf club. It’s used to hit the ball a certain distance with a particular angle.
Person
Clarkson
Clarkson is a well-known TV presenter, and “Clarkson’s farm” is his show about trying to run a farm. The point here is that the show gets attention partly because it doesn’t always go smoothly.
Person
Mark McCann
Mark McCann is a car creator on YouTube. Here, the host is using him as an example of someone whose videos focus on a car problem—like a gearbox issue—to keep viewers interested.
Person
Matt Armstrong
Matt Armstrong is another car YouTube creator being compared in this segment. The host is basically saying his videos can go viral fast, while other creators’ content depends more on whether there’s a big problem to show.
Concept
unreliable
“Unreliable” here means the car tends to have problems and may need repairs more often than you’d expect. The speaker is basically saying they want to show the real experience, not just rumors.
Place
Scotland
They say the car broke down in Scotland. That matters because breakdowns far from home are harder to deal with and can cost more.
LIVE
What the hell are you doing?
Creators have far more control than some may think,
but Ferrari wanted to control tyre narrative.
Paul Wallace, one of the UK's leading supercar creators.
I was one of the first people to discover this world.
Welcome to Supercars of London.
And then what happened with the nights pretty shut down?
The residents got sound cameras.
They can take photos of supercars and then find everyone.
What's the wildest thing you've seen filming cars?
Oh my god, my life flashed before my eyes.
Punched a seven-iron through a LaFerrari.
There are some of the creators just going around giving really nice reviews,
just to get the monetization.
100% when they launched G-Series M4.
Hated it.
I made a really bad review on it.
Put the video out.
Never got an invite from BMW again.
That's the problem.
What are the dirtier archer truths of our YouTube world?
The fact that...
How has supercar culture changed since 20 years ago when you got into the game?
I would say the most interesting shift is accessibility and model variation.
So when I was in London filming supercars,
they were few and far between.
It was a rare sight to see a Lamborghini or a Ferrari.
Because I think back then you had to be rich enough to be able to buy cash.
But also someone like Ferrari were probably only producing two or three models at one time.
So you were fairly limited as to what you could see.
And then take hypercars for example.
Back then you had Ferrari F50 is probably the halo Ferrari into the Enzo.
Maserati then MC12.
Now look at it.
Ferrari have got SP1, SP2, SP3.
They've launched the F80 and everyone's gone...
Is that it?
Because we've become desensitised with how many hypercars one manufacturer has.
All of a sudden their LaFerrari replacement isn't hitting the mark.
So also there's probably something to do with the fact that it's a V6.
Right, so would it be harder for you now to start up in the car content game?
Or would it be easier because there's just so many more cars?
Or is there a lot more people doing it?
There's definitely a lot more people doing it.
I think it would be easier to get into and potentially access viral opportunities.
But I would say it would be harder from a longevity point of view.
Because I think the amount of supercars that you see and the amount of pages posting content,
you know exactly the locations of where these cars are going to be.
In some instances you get access to the owners and the collectors.
Back in the day there was no such thing as social media.
You just kind of had to guess where they were going to drive.
And that then I think exposes new creators to too much too soon.
Where they become desensitized to seeing the likes of a Kernegsegg regera driving through London.
The moment they see it three or four times,
plus scrolling across Instagram seeing the other 20 accounts posting the same video doing the same thing,
you are going to get bored quicker.
So in the 20 odd years that I've been doing it,
it was quite a slower trajectory to kind of hit those heights
and those dopamine hits of being in Monaco, seeing a Bugatti Veyron getting driven around.
Now you see four of them driving down one road in London.
So that is inevitably going to impact on the way that you get excitement from seeing cars.
So I think your emotion attached to filming content is going to have less of a lifespan.
I think though, because obviously I was around in that culture at that time,
I was one of the people you would have probably filmed in London in 2006, 2007 driving a nice car.
But now I think the content that people put up is less natural
because the owners at the same time, they think, right, there's three of us.
All right, Rob, me, you and Paul, we've got three Bugattis, yeah?
Let's jump in our Bugattis. Let's go down Mount Street.
I'll call Paul, another well-known car spotter, cause a bit of a scene.
We get our cars and loads of attention, might go viral, it might be a cool thing.
So it's no longer John who was going off into Harrods in his Bugatti.
It's now like everybody knows, really nice car, there's three or four of us.
Let's go down Mount Street, let's go down Sloan Street, let's do this.
Who convoys to Harrods with 11 fucking Laferraris, which is what happens now in London?
But you just described paparazzi culture in LA.
The celebrities will tip off the photographers because they want the publicity,
they want to be seen leaving the car, entering into a restaurant,
or being seen with a new person to continue that momentum with them in the public space.
And I think London itself became a victim of its own success
because the car spotters and that culture became so big
that the owners and business owners attached to the automotive world
started to see the opportunity of gaining attention and traction.
And that's fundamentally why Night's Bridge got shut down
because the residents started to complain about the supercar owners
constantly doing laps and
because they knew they were being filmed by the car spotters and getting put on YouTube and whatnot.
And then that spread across the entire UK and you had people convoying from Manchester,
from Scotland, from Birmingham, from the South Coast coming up
because they wanted to see their cars on social media, then you started to see the burnouts,
then you started to see the people acting up to the cameras.
It became a lot more unnatural.
Fundamentally, everyone that wants to be seen driving these cars have now moved to Mayfair.
So is it your fault that Night's Bridge got shut down?
It pretty much was, isn't it?
Partly because I was one of the first people to discover this world
and I stumbled across it completely naturally.
When you say discover this world, what do you mean?
Well, I went into London with my dad for a GCSE art project through the summer
when I was in year nine, I think, maybe going into the GCSE first year
and had to go to one of the art museums
and I started to see Aston Martins and Ferrari's driving around
because this was in South Kensington, saw Lamborghini London dotted in that sort of corner courtyard
and I've got to come back up here.
I've only ever seen these cars on Top Gear or in a magazine.
All of a sudden I'm seeing them and feeling them and hearing them with my own senses.
So then I wanted to capture that on camera and video it so that I could relive it,
watch it on my computer and then I ran out of memory
and all of a sudden I started uploading to YouTube treating it as a bit of an early cloud system
and then people started watching it and then it spiralled from there.
But what happened with Night's Bridge shut down?
Because there's some videos there of some chaos going on.
Yeah, I filmed a cyclist who had positioned himself at the side
in between two street parked cars as a very well known at the time, Matt Blackaventador, not Carl.
And he had a full de-cat Caprizo exhaust and he treated those streets like they were a racetrack.
I've got some amazing videos of him doing speeds.
He probably shouldn't through Central London
and the cyclist basically just pedals out in front of the Lamborghini and stops.
Yeah, as a bit of what the hell are you doing in a 20 mile an hour residential road at the top of first gear?
Which we all know what top of first gear is.
And then he was behind him like rev this is how it's done.
Yeah, he did feel like get out my way.
And he was like, wait, wait.
That was one of my viral videos.
Yeah, I've seen that.
Yeah, like thinking how can I title this video because it is such a disruptive scene.
And I didn't want to side one way or another.
At the time I was probably 17, 18 years old, like I was on the supercar side.
I was like, no, let him enjoy his cars.
And I think I titled it cyclist sabotages straight pipe Lamborghini or something like that,
hoping that the word sabotage is going to entice people to watch a video.
And it's I don't know how many millions of users on but it's been viewed and shared and the launch of a new platform, Tiktok,
whatever you want to call threads or whatever.
All of a sudden I see these videos get clipped back up and I'm like, where's my credit?
I filmed that and they're just reusing it to try and build their own platform.
So it's just like gone completely out of control.
And then what happened with the Knightsbury shutdown?
I think the residents kind of got, whether it was the mayor or their local council,
however the boroughs work to implement sound cameras.
So they run off a decibel reader.
They can take photos of supercars driving and making noise through the streets of Knightsbridge and then find everyone.
But I think for a long time there was big police presence.
They were dotted around trying to pull over anyone.
And they got the knowledge that there were cars that you could remote control the valves.
So I saw cars getting pulled over and police literally saying, now are the valves open or are they shut?
Like it was that bad.
Right.
Yeah.
Wow.
And they won but they fundamentally moved everyone up into Mayfair.
The culture still exists.
You can't.
You're never going to stop it.
What are they going to do?
Give you a fine.
Someone in half a million pound of enter doors.
Not going to take it into Knightsbridge because he's going to get a 30 pound fine.
That's a trophy.
Yeah.
But also the argument.
And you get pulled over.
You get given a fine.
You get 20 car spotters taking pictures of you and you give 30.
Well there's a famous photo of you with your Bugatti.
Well yeah.
I mean that was incredible how that kicked off.
Like when I got pulled over the first day I bought my Bugatti.
Me and my wife's going from Bugatti London to Harrod's.
He wasn't pulled over for sound.
Well he wasn't pulled over for sound.
They were very rotten of course.
I actually was pulled over for nothing.
And when they stopped me which was where the peninsula hotel is now.
Yeah but in Lanesborough isn't it?
Yeah.
And pulled over there and within my god within one minute of being pulled over there was
100 car spotters.
Yeah.
Like literally.
You'd all called them before.
Everybody would now.
There was 100 car spotters.
Yeah.
Like just and it got to the point they actually done me a favour because like the police they
had no grounds on which to pull me over.
Yeah.
I still don't know why they pulled me over because I just left the scene so I don't know
nor did I care at the time.
And also I did play up to the cameras.
Yeah.
You know.
Do you know why we pulled you over because I let you.
Yeah.
You know that's just playing up to the cameras you know.
And they made the officers extremely uncomfortable that you know there was there were literally
100 kids.
Yeah.
With cameras.
Filming.
Filming, walking past taking photos of the police officers taking photos of me taking
photos of the car.
Like just creating loads and I was like this is great publicity.
This is great publicity.
This is.
Why do you pull you over?
Because I let you.
Fuck off.
As you can.
Do you know it?
So you know it was um yeah it's um last week I was in um Alderley Edge last
I saw the video.
Everyone knows I was there.
Yeah.
And I bought an Aventador SV Roadster.
It was a nice day.
I met a friend at Alderley Edge.
We had some food in San Carlo.
I mean it was like Night Bridge 2010.
Yeah.
With the car spotters.
There's a real culture up there and they all kind of stand on that same road.
I've not been up there and seen it but um I watched the video and I was like okay Carl's
driving through Manchester or Cheshire in an Aventador but um you also did have your
plate on it.
Yeah.
Which literally said Carl's.
Yeah.
So everyone's going to know who Carl's.
Everyone knows who's it was.
But that probably has come from the Bugatti photos.
Yeah but you know it originates because that was the it wasn't the first car I had that
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But it was the first.
I remember Mercelar guy.
Yeah yeah yeah I had an LP640 with that plate on before that but it just hit different when
it was on a paper on.
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I want to come back to all this but you've been in the game over 20 years.
There must be some things about the car world that's pissed you off that you're over that
you're done.
So maybe games the car manufacturers play or some stuff you've seen.
I think there will always no matter what industry be an air of politics around working with
manufacturers working with brands and I think when I first started to get invited to press
drives so international media launches or opportunities to drive manufacturers latest cars
the first one I ever did was with Audi and it was the 2015 RS3.
Now at the time I would have been 24.
The best email I'd ever received would you like to come and drive Audi's brand new RS3
and at the time I think I had driven my Voxel Astra a BMW i3 and maybe a BMW i8.
So I said yes unbelievable.
I was just happy to be there that will come across on camera couldn't believe the experience.
Fast forward 10 years let's say I've had incredible emails unbelievable opportunities
worked with so many different manufacturers you don't get paid to go on these press trips
but all of your expenses are paid you're wind and dined you're well looked after
and I started to meet other journalists that had come from a slightly different era
maybe 90s going into the early 90s and they were like what these are a little bit weak and tame now
we're not allowed to get smashed before we go out and drive the car the next day.
I think I heard stories of Lamborghini gifting journalists things like watches
and stuff like that back in the day.
So obviously that whole wine and dye exactly yeah so I was coming would you take a patek for a good review?
Yeah.
Unlike on the record.
This new Ferrari Luce is unbelievable.
It's the most beautiful car I've ever seen.
For the record I would also take a patek for a good review as well.
Look at the time I've got to get going.
So being new to this world having zero training right like no I didn't come through a magazine
where you get slowly introduced I just got shoved into it so I was lucky enough to go business class to Chile
go to America and stay in these amazing hotels just thinking this is unbelievable
and to be honest I would always remain true to myself in whether I enjoyed the car or not
there are definitely videos out there even in the early days few and far between where I would drive a car I'm not like
however I have felt that since maybe 2019-2020 I think the cars have gone downhill
like my era is definitely more a Diablo than it is SF90XX as great of a car this is
so maybe it's an age thing and maturity thing but also starting to see how some people play the game
So are you saying then that the brands only want you to go on those trips if you're going to give a good review is this what you mean?
I have experienced a couple of times where I have not given the best reviews and then not been invited to the next one
so whether that is them deciding maybe he's not for us maybe he doesn't like our brand
but I would look at it as the other side Tesla being one of them I drove a car I had a very bad experience driving the Tesla
obviously I made a video about it I told them I was making a video about it I had the data that they had sent me to back up what actually happened
and they were really upset that I put the video out and I was like well actually from a PR spin wouldn't you rather get me in another car
and try and win me over and I can document how I've had a bad experience but turned it into a positive
and they were just like now you're just never going to get a car again and Ferrari was the same
Okay so let's flip it to the creators now so the brands are a bit like hmm if you're going to give us a bad review blacklisted
are the creators now just basically I don't know getting on their knees
I reckon there's probably a group and maybe I fit into that at some point where I fit into the group of saying I'd love to come and drive your car
please can you invite me on this because I will enjoy it and make a really good video so I probably did fall into that category at some point
So you'd pitch yourself to do that
Yeah because it was a positional thing right I want to work with the biggest manufacturers the cars that I grew up filming in London
that flipped to then know the people within the business meet the designers and the CEO and how everything comes together and almost see behind the curtain
but I think maybe now being in the game for so long creators have far more control than I think some may think
so for example if I want to drive a Ferrari I could just message Carl and say hey what Ferraris have you got in stock let's come and do a video together
I don't have to go to Ferrari to ask them for a car because they'll control the entire narrative where I drive it what car I compare it to
I remember one time I was coming back from the south of France in my personally owned Huracan Sam seen through glass had a Ferrari press car 488 and was in the middle of France
I was driving past him we were going to meet in Dijon and I'd said I'd love to do a video 488 versus Huracan and he went
I've already been told by Ferrari I can't make a video or put this 488 in with another manufacturer or a competitor so we'll meet but we can't make a video
so at that point my opportunity to potentially make extra income from that day my Huracan versus Sam's Ferrari 488
it didn't matter where that car came from in my eyes but Ferrari wanted to control what that car was next to so that it wouldn't create anything like I'd rather have the Lamborghini over that Ferrari
but if you were Ferrari
I can see why they do it
yeah we've given this guy a car and he's basically said that a Huracan's better and we've given him a car
and paid for it all
so I get that completely of course
but doesn't that make you just be sceptical about the integrity of the industry
yeah it can come across as a bit inauthentic
because the reason I really initially liked you when I interviewed you and I think we gel is because we can just speak what we believe to be our truth
and everyone likes how open you are and you say how it is and you're not attached to any brand
but that feels quite rare now
I saw Tim
what the difference is every brand that's here I own
they haven't given it to me nor am I getting paid by them or earn a living from them
Ferrari don't supply me new cars
I would love them to supply me new cars because I would have a great collection of Ferraris if they did
and you'd be different
you'd love them all wouldn't you
I absolutely love Ferrari
some cars more than others which we'll get on to shortly I'm sure
but if they don't scratch my back I'm not going to scratch theirs
even in your world walk into a Ferrari main dealer and everyone in that building whether they believe what they're saying or not
will speak very differently about every model of Ferrari compared to you even though you sell the same product as them
they will be telling their customer this is the next best thing
I've heard it from customers that are now boycotting Ferrari
they don't want to
why
because they've drunk the juice they're paid by Ferrari
Ferrari are scratching their back they're paying their salary so they are saying all these amazing things to try and sell the cars
to obviously bulk the sales
what I find I have an advantage of in my market is most of these cars that I sell on a daily basis
I have had loads of experience with I've owned the car I've driven had problems in the car
I know what is a problem what's not a problem I know what's going to go wrong what's not going to go wrong
sometimes people say to me oh you know Lamborghini Aventador is a great one
you've got an Aventador so you'll agree with this
and you've obviously had Aventador as well so
no mercy
a merciless but you've done plenty of miles in an Aventador
yeah yeah
we'll all agree with this
now and again you get a warning light
every time you turn it on they all turn on
I don't think that's just
off and on thing
so gearbox malfunction limited performance
that means nothing
that doesn't mean anything
you can still launch control it
that doesn't mean anything
you get a suspension lift inhibited
that also means nothing it works it's fine
sometimes the car has a little bit of a breakdown
and it's absolutely fine
but it's just what I call it the car's mental breakdown
it's not a physical breakdown that car physically doesn't break down
let it breathe
it just has a couple of small strokes
it's a bit like you then
it's just a bit like me exactly
so when someone says to me
I hear horror stories about Lamborghini
and Aventador and you know blah blah blah
and I'm like honestly
the car's got too many sensors for its own good
that's the problem
the amount of times to start it
foot on a brake press the start button
foot on doesn't start
and third time lucky
and yeah there's loads of questions
but you go to a Lamborghini salesman
who's never driven one
let alone owned one experienced any of this
he's going to tell you
ah it's some six litre V12
naturally aspirated
does this, does that, does something else
okay but what about when my Lambo sensor goes
like how much is that going to cost
and they're like I have no idea what that even is
so I think my
my advantage is
I know when they say warts and all
I know all things
that it takes to live with these cars
and by the way that gives someone so much more
confidence in buying a car and I go
yeah I've had that problem
this is how you get over it
and they go oh okay
it's real world advice
so back to the creators then
do they hold more power now than the brands
and are some of the creators
just going around giving really nice reviews
just to get the business class tickets
and get the content monetization
a blend of the two
I think there is
a moment
within one's
career within the creator world
and I'd like to think that I'm there now
I make the content that I want
I don't necessarily think this one's going to go viral
or this one's going to do well for the algorithm
I kind of just make a video
if I feel it, if I edit it
I've been to a lot of videos where I get in the edit
and I'm like this is boring
like we're talking about making a video here
and I'm still trying to work out what it is that we're going to film
what I think is going to be fun and engaging for us too
to have some fun with
but don't get me wrong there is a part of that journey
where you do have to build your profile
you do have to build your network out
because who you know and what you know
are incredibly valuable
especially when you're a lone person
in a massive ocean fundamentally
where the industry is absolutely huge
and I've always been a one-man band
so there always has to be an element of
am I going to benefit monetary
or am I going to benefit from a network
am I going to benefit from an experience
and they all have intrinsic intangible values to it
so last year
I had a paid job
with a manufacturer in the UK
it was one day and I had to make an Instagram reel for it
at the same time I got an email from Bentley
to go out to Yellowstone
fly into Montana spend three days out there
filming the new Bentley Bentagas S
something like that
unpaid
all flights accommodation covered
I was looking at it from a balance of
okay
what was the other brand?
a moda
okay
Chinese brand
did you just stick in your mouth?
so the
he took the paid gig
I would as well
I don't know what the answer is
but I would have took the paid gig
I'm looking at it from okay
my bills need to be paid
like I can't pay my mortgage in experiences
or photos from Yellowstone
they're not going to accept that
I know I owe you 700 dollars for electric
but look at this
here's me next to the Yellowstone National Park sign
that good enough
so in those moments again
so you took the paid gig
I did both
you did both
I managed to do both
good lad
but in those circumstances
maybe five years prior
I probably would have taken the paid job
did you give it a good review?
I don't think I had to review the car
oh
you just did content with the car
the point of the day was
they had hired out a house
that had loads of different stages and stations
they had a couple of cars parked up
they had a tennis court
they had a swimming pool
they had like a cocktail making thing
the point of that day was to show off
the lifestyle that they were putting on for us
so I was there with a couple of other
YouTubers and creators
so I got to spend the day
with my friends
filming in someone's multi-million pound house
exploring
being a bit nosy
and filming the car
taking it out for a drive through the New Forest
filming the horses
and I got paid for it
and then literally the next day
got on a business flight to Seattle
flew into Bozeman
did Yellowstone for three days
and came home and I was like
I'm living a fucking dream
that's unbelievable
and how old were you at this point?
that was last year
but what I'm saying is
there are certain times
within my career and growth
of my pages
where I probably would have prioritized
the paid work
but there probably would have been other times
where I would have prioritized
the experience side of it as well
so really really early days
I was saying yes to everything
like unpaid
you kind of have to don't you?
to build your brand
exactly
so I was saying yes to McLaren
I was saying yes to Rolls Royce
I was saying yes to BMW
I was saying yes
and in that moment
I probably felt like
I'm going to have to please everyone here
I'm going to have to make nice videos
talking about nice things with the car
one of the first times actually
that I realized
I could probably go against the grain a little bit
was the G Series M4
when they launched that
I'd had a previous generation M3
absolutely loved that car
wanted to kill me at all times
and I love driving it
the G Series
on paper better
the gearbox is super quick
the power delivery is so much more
manageable and predictable
on paper
so much better than the F Series
didn't give me the physics at all
hated it
so I made a really bad review on it
went back
they were like how was it
did you enjoy it
I was like
no I preferred my F Series
and they're like oh
you're the first person that said that
over the last three days
I was like
I'm sorry that's just my personal opinion
put the video out
never got an invite from BMW again
so
so do you ever feel in this like
moral
quandary
where you're like
I'm probably not going to get an invite back
but my integrity is more important
and on the flip side
have you ever just
kind of given a good review
just to
keep your relationship
you've done both
yeah yeah yeah
and how do you feel about that now
you've been in the game 20 years
how do you feel about that
what I always say to myself
is
this is
this is my job
and there are aspects
on social media
that you can
share with your audience
whether it's a paid partnership or not
so
you have the ability to tell people
before they watch the video
or as they click on the video
that they're going to get a notification to say
there is a
a product placement
or a paid advertisement in it
could you say anything good about the luce though
like imagine trying to do a video about that
do we know that's how you say it
is that how you say it
that's how I've heard people say it
okay
I've not seen anything from
a new Ferrari
an electric car
yeah
let's say
Ferrari
approached you
this week
send you an email
because obviously
I know Tim has been over there
and reviewed the car
and I haven't seen the review by the way
I saw Tim say
oh you know
there's a lot of opinions online about this
he played the
on the fence kind of thing
because he wouldn't have done well out of that
but he's going to lose
somebody who reviews that car
like wow guys
this is the new Ferrari
and look how amazing it is
you've lost all credibility as a journalist
like you've lost all credibility
so you've got to be careful with
100%
yeah
the
in that instance with the Ferrari
yeah how would you paint a good picture
but how do you turn that right into a house
this is my question
my question is you're being
you're being paid well
it's Ferrari
so it's the biggest brand
so I spoke to someone
and I'll definitely be stealing their words
and also statement
and what's really frustrating is
I can't think of who it was
to credit them
but they basically said that
right now that is
such an unpopular car
within the Ferrari lineup
that you will have to think
not many people are going to order one
right
so
in 10-15 years time
that will be the rarest
ever Ferrari
that someone
with a collection
is going to go oh I need one of them
because it adds into the
and it's also the rarest Ferrari in history
so if you're talking about production numbers
and things like that
this is the only way
that you can go well if I bought one now
yes it's going to drop a lot
but in 15 years time
someone with a Ferrari collection
is going to want the rarest Ferrari
I was thinking the other day
was it the same effect
when Lamborghini brought out the
LM002
the Lamborghini SUV
the tank
I can't remember when that car came out
but they did do tractors before
supercars so there is more of a tie
than whatever it blew
you can't go from making supercars
then throw a tractor in between
in between
you know
we're going back to our roots guys
they win
so there's a Countach, there's a Miura
there's a Diablo
and oh there's another tractor
but forget that
I can't remember when that car came out
nor do I ever remember
my dad stocking one
in the days where they were a new car
so I don't know
we've had a couple since
recently because they have become
sought after actually
my point
because that's the point is
nobody wanted one
so there's not very many of them in the UK
you know I wonder if that was
as negatively looked upon
as what this new electric
Ferrari Lutri
because you can use that same context
with my LP570-4
Gallardo Superleggera
at the time
it was a no cost option
to have a six speed manual gearbox
seven customers
apparently
seven customers out of all the cars they manufactured
specced it
didn't pair penny
and had a six speed manual gearbox
in that Superleggera
so at the time
they would have been
absolutely ridiculed
for not getting e-gear
so I think it's the same concept
I think you're fucking clutching really
but now the Superleggera sold for
a million pound in America
we're talking about good cars
this new Ferrari thing is like
you asked me to spin a rat
into a hamster
that was my bad start
have you seen the screen inside
you manually turn it like that
I don't waste my time looking at
any pictures of that car
I had someone ask me the same question
I've seen three pictures and I was like
I should have blocked that off from my phone
how would you spin that
well I've said
that I've not
like you
wasted any time trying to learn anything about it
I've seen two or three photos
I watched the Shmi Instagram reel
that's enough for me
I don't want to waste any more energy on that car
thinking about it
I don't want it to be exist
for ten grand would you go and do a
positive review of it
no
you wouldn't
no
for twenty grand
no
for fifty grand
maybe
hi guys
welcome to the Ferrari Luce
I'm with my good friend Carl Hartley
he loves this car
look at his new watch
hi Paul
for a hundred grand would you give
patek top to my elbows
no do you know what
I don't think you can put
a price on your credibility
no one's going to take you seriously after that
it's going to cost you
wherever they pay you
it's going to cost you way more
in future revenue
yeah I've had
so I'd just say I'm sorry
yeah
no
yeah I've had
I've had offers
I can't think of an example right now
where I've like
massively turned it down
actually no there was one
where
in my head
I literally had to price it
as though I could never make another YouTube video again
yeah yeah
what was the offer
the offer was essentially
to scan me
as something like AI
so that they could
what's the word
doc
like you know like
change videos
yeah yeah have your voice
basically yeah yeah
literally replicate me
fundamentally replicate me
but they wanted control over the platform
as it not not Supercars of London
they were going to set up
it was literally cloning me
so they wanted an account
and a platform
using my name
my imagery
using AI
to basically say
what they wanted me to say
and they were going to create a platform
and they told me
that I was going to have a percentage in all of this
and I would have creative control
and freedom
and all of this
you weren't going to have
and I was absolutely terrified
because I was like
they can make me say whatever
you'd be on Pornhub the next time
oh sorry Paul we had an offer
but there that was terrifying
have you turned any
brands or car reviews down?
name the most
relevant one that people might
be surprised at
like a couple of Chinese
a couple of Chinese brands
the thing with the
the thing with the world of Chinese manufacturers
and I think a lot of people
are struggling with at the moment
especially because there's so much money on the table
there's a lot of manufacturers
I have pitched to
two of the biggest
where I fundamentally
already recognised
that there are creators
taking paycheck here
paycheck there
promoting this Chinese brand
promoting that Chinese brand
this that and the other
I've recognised that
if you want any sort of authenticity
in promoting these cars
then you need an exclusivity agreement
so you need to
I wanted to position myself with my favourite one
the first
a mode was the first ever Chinese brand
that I ever worked with
at Goodwood
the guys in the team there
are amazing
and they then brought out a couple more cars
and then the a mode of 9
still to this day is the best Chinese car
that I've driven
like from a premium feel point of view
I got in and I was like
what is it a saloon?
no no no it's
it looks a little bit like a cayenne coupe
okay
and it's got
450, 480 brake horsepower
it's a hybrid
it's got like 750 range
it's a very very very
probably like 30 grand
cool car
yeah let's see like 40 grand
yeah
and then I did some stuff with Jku
where I drove the length of the country
I put a lot of miles in it
I was the most efficient driver
against a bunch of other
drivers influences
so a mode of Jku are owned by Cherry
and they've got another few brands
sub brands
I've recently just come back from China
with a mode of Jku
owned by Cherry
so I went to Cherry and I said
I actually really enjoy driving your cars
I really enjoy working with your team here in the UK
there needs to be
an agreement that is exclusivity
that prices me
out of working with anyone else
whilst these offers are on the table
from other manufacturers
I'll constantly be tempted
especially when they start dangling big checks
but all of a sudden
there's going to be their competitor in a minute
exactly
and all of my authenticity
around my love for a brand
will disappear the moment I take another paycheck
from someone else
which I am already doing
like I'm not saying that I'm not doing it
because it fundamentally does pay
my bills
and over the last 23 years
Chinese brands have grown
as like my business percentage
the revenue coming from Chinese brands
is much bigger
so I have to to a certain extent
take the money where I see the opportunities
and where I see the best content opportunities to
but I have pitched twice
to two different brands to say
we need to come up with an exclusivity
otherwise my content won't be
as authentic as I want it to be
and I want to position myself
and work with just you
and both of them are like nah
so then I'm like right
I'm now kind of back to square one
where if I've got an opportunity
Goodwood Festival Speeds coming up
there's going to be a lot of activations there
from manufacturers, from brands that want to
try and drum up as much noise as possible
around their brand at Goodwood Festival Speed
and I'm like
well I'm now like an open agent
to take money from wherever the opportunity
is going to come from
but do you have to limit that down
do you get to the point where you
if you expose yourself
too much to too many different brands
you become a whore basically
100%
100%
you've got to make yourself exclusive
yeah so I actually turned down
a job
that was in April
that was a bigger budget
than the job that I was doing
because they were two competing Chinese brands
and I weighed up
who did I want to work with
what were the dates in comparison
to everything else that I was doing
and the budget and I went for the one with the smaller budget
because it was a mode of JK
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and what makes you more money
the brand deals or the monetization
brand deals
so is the YouTube really
so you can get the brand deals
is that where the good money is?
I would say flipped
and I wouldn't necessarily say
as a business decision
the longevity of
flipping your
AdSense into brand deals
so that I rely a lot more heavily
on the brand deals
if I could go back maybe
seven or eight years
where it's probably 50-50
I probably should have
kept hitting the drum on trying to
get the YouTube videos out
trying to maximize 3, 4, 5
YouTube videos a week
to bump up the AdSense
because it will allow me far more control
financially to pick and choose the brand deals
right because right now
I flipped it the other way
so I rely quite heavily on the brand deals
which means when they come in
like I want to see what's out there
and I want to take the best deals
the best opportunities
where am I going to get the best content whilst being paid
seven or eight years ago
when I was trying to make all of these YouTube videos
I just kept burning out
creatively, mentally, physically
I couldn't keep up
with the amount of content that I needed
to create to keep that
ad revenue wheel running
so that I could fund my lifestyle
as the brand deal started to come in
I was young, I was inexperienced
I started to get offered
three grand, five grand, ten grand
all of a sudden I was like
well if I'm earning three grand
off making a month's worth of content
that is depleting my energy
kind of turning me into this
burnt out wreck that
I don't know how much longer I can carry on doing that
I mean this is a first world problem
that someone is burning out mentally
from doing YouTube content
you're not down the coal mines
I am
this is all very new to me
this podcast
and we've got a YouTube channel
Tom Hartley YouTube channel
that I never ever ever post on
because I don't have time
and now we've chucked this
into my schedule as well
I really really don't have time
and you know it's
I think you know
whatever you do if you do it
hard and long enough it's hard
it's mentally straining
and you know when you're in front of a camera
you can dig a hole and dig for coal
with a fucking shit face
and you know a miserable face
and when that camera's on you
you've got to be
your personality's got to be there and you've got to be smiling
you've got to be your, it's got to come through
that's exhausting in itself
I'm just trying to be nice all the time
bit harder for you
it's hard
to be cheery
I am very aware of
what I've created
and love day to day
what I do because I've now found
this balance
which has enabled me to
live
the way that I want to live
it's enabled me to
buy some amazing cars on finance
I'm not paying cash for them
but I also know that there have been
a lot of sleepless nights
but I'm not going to bang the
I everyone should feel sorry for me
because fundamentally I know that I'm living my dream job
and I've created this in the 20 years
that's got to this point
so it's easy hard work
it's hard work but it could be worse
ways to make a living
100% but yeah like
the sort of
the therapy sessions
the nutritionists that I try
and I try and like
pick what the hell is going on
in my body like
four years ago I had a sort of like
the therapy sessions
what mental or physical
mental really
yeah
what's wrong
I've got to post three times a week
there's a new camera come out
there's too much
I've got to drive this Lamborghini tomorrow
I've got too many dash cams
Paul I'm actually going to come to that in a moment
but I want to take the opportunity
for you to give us a bit of advice
so
so
you'll be about episode 25
we're
about 400,000 views
per episode on average
we don't really have
a strategic game plan
we want to make this a great show that people love
we want to keep doing it obviously
we want to get maximum views
expose our relevant
businesses to more people
what would you
do if you were us over the next
one to three years
I think there's
an easy answer
and then probably a more intricate
creative answer
give us both what's the easy answer first
follow the trends
so right now podcasts
are quite hot three years ago
no one really knew what a podcast was
but you stick at it you're consistent with it
you build something big
so these early podcast Joe Rogan
the guys that consistently sit
in the top ten
started early
and to some extent I do believe
that my existence on YouTube
and success even up until this point
has fundamentally come
from being there
at the beginning and then being consistent
and putting the hard work in
and to an extent following trends
the more
creative answer that I would probably
look at is trying
to find the next
trend before it happens
set the trend
because you're not
new in the podcast world
you're 25 episodes in
but podcasts have been going for years and years
people have 400, 600, 1000 episodes
I had 1400 on disruptors
so you can
continue to
follow the trend
and kind of ride the waves as they come and go
whether that's still in a static form
where you've got cameras here on tripods
and we're sat here with these cars in the background
or whether that's something a little bit more different
I would look at
what has existed
in the past and how does
fashion and trends kind of come background
so
all we're fundamentally doing is what these talk shows
have been doing in America and the UK
for years like you sit and watch Jonathan Ross
or you'd go in America and watch whatever
was on there
but
now that you've got access to all of these
platforms to post this kind of stuff
I would be looking at
what else has existed
in this kind of space
and I would be looking to create dynamic podcasts
so
you with a guest going out in a car and going to do something
so there's an extra
purpose than just sitting down and having a conversation
so I would be looking
at that from like a creative point of view
to be like alright how can we
buck the trend of being static here
sat here which visually isn't
exciting but a lot of people
will sit there and watch it on the TVs
I've seen your Instagram stories sharing
people really enjoying the podcast in their living room
a lot more people probably
listen to it in the car whilst they're driving somewhere
because they're doing something else so if you
could be doing something else all of a sudden
it's far more visual
but how would that progress
through
because I listen to podcasts
in the car I don't really listen to the radio
or anything anymore
if I'm in a Diablo
SV with you
no one's going to know that I'm in a Diablo SV with you
because they're going to be listening to it in their car
of course you're not going to lose the people
that are listening to it in the car
but you'll gain so many more people because you're
more visually appealing
because you're doing something
you're saying I'm not visually appealing
I think you're very visually appealing Carl
that's why I'm here
beauty is in the eye of the beholder
that's why I keep coming here Carl
okay cool so thank you
that's just my idea
yeah of course well I asked you
something
that I probably got
trapped into a bit like you
was feeling like I had to maintain
volume and that volume was
the best way to grow
and so I do actually understand
the stress nature with that
we could have done more
episodes we actually got
eight in the bank before we launched
great episodes
and we could have done two
a week we decided to do
one a week to make it more of an event
to get people to kind of like
oh when's the next show
coming out and then everyone knows it comes out
Wednesday 6pm
do you think that's a smart play
to do a bit less but higher quality
especially I mean we're both it's hard
yeah it's hard to get us all together
yeah I think you've hit the nail
on the head it's more of
an event for
the subscribers and followers to
look forward to it's going
back to the trend of having to sit
and watch TV on channels
where there was a schedule
whereas now you get Netflix
you can watch anything at any time
how many hours do you spend
scrolling through trying to pick something to watch
you become so indecisive about
what you're going to watch next
I spend an hour going through the TV guys
and then turn the telly on
because you've got no time to watch anything
because there's too much choice
and too many platforms to choose from
our brains can't
make those decisions
whereas not that long ago
our decision was made for us because if we wanted to
watch Top of the Pops it was 7pm on a Friday
and there was no pre-record
on demand
could pause it, skip through the ads
and then carry on
and you think there's
trends back towards that
but I also think it lets your content
breathe a little bit too so you post
a podcast you will have a large
portion of people that want to listen to it
straight away because they're waiting for that episode
there will also be a lot of other people
that have to wait because in two days time
they're going to be in the car for two hours
which is the perfect opportunity to listen to your podcast
so I back podcasts up for two reasons
one when I'm in a long drive
like today for example
so I'll have saved a podcast that actually got
uploaded on a Monday and be listening to it
today, a few days later
but also if I know that I've got a flight
coming up which I'm probably going to have to kill
some time on I'll probably back up
an entire weeks worth of content
from podcasts, download them
onto my phone so that when I get on the flight I can listen
to them all back to back
that's the upside we have of this format
it translates on audio
and visual, a lot of people
are walking around pointing and looking at cars
that doesn't translate
on an audio
and what's interesting as well is I've seen other
podcasters
because I think we have a bit more
of a slightly more unique podcasting format
they'll go and do walk and talk
about all the cars, they get no views
which is really interesting
but yeah what's really interesting
that I can caveat that is
whenever we do a video
here walking
and talking around all the cars
you're not a podcaster
setting your own
electric fence, your own parameters
about how you've started to create content
that you're constantly going to have to
follow that algorithm
that's where I've noticed the change
I could do a lot of variety on Disruptors
years ago
I interviewed you both
I'm not a car podcast
but nearly all the car guys
I interviewed on my show did really well
I could have a billionaire
and then one of you guys
now if you had that variety
kill your algorithm
well that's what I struggle with on Instagram
it's one of my biggest frustrations because
you're kind of pigeoned hold
the one thing that you do that everyone likes
for a long time
I just had to stand in front of a car
and it was the most
from a creative point of view
I love coming up with different ideas
I want to try and reinvent the wheel
or take an idea and evolve it
to kind of fit my world
and what I want to and Instagram would only
reward me if I was stood
with a three quarter of the car
and it just killed
a hell of a lot of the excitement
of actually going and doing something
because it's like oh my god I'm surrounded by all of these cars
Carl can you just turn that wheel a little bit
I'm just going to stand by the front wheel because I need it for Instagram
so now
I'm making much more of an effort
like I did a trip to Portugal
where I was doing some kick-ups and playing football
and I knew that that would
I've seen that you're a good footballer
I used to love that
I've seen that video
and you were doing all these skills and I was like
you can play
well I used to love playing when I was a kid and I became completely
obsessed with this world of freestyle
but around 16 I completely stopped
so it's good
it should be on a fucking nike advert
but I kind of knew
that I had
that ability
I didn't know that it would have quite turned out
the way that it did on the day
but I knew that I could do enough to kind of get me by
but I just thought that was so different
and it would shock my audience
but what was really interesting
it did really good numbers
but it was about a 55% non-follower following
viewership
so only 45%
actually if my audience got fed that
because it's like that's not a car
he's kicking a ball up and down
so it actually went to a wider audience
so maybe
if you do find whatever triggers
that non-follower excitement
that's kind of
an opportunity for you to then go and explore
because I really want to start now
looking into a way that I can combine cars
and football
so I'm trying to work out how I can do trick shots through the window
of this Diablo
so every time I turn up to a car shoot now
I want to bring a football
so that we can then create football in a bike
like car
just for something a little bit different
and it's also while I do the wildlife photography
it's a little bit of a reset in my brain
you know what
so this brings something back to my memory
so
if you were to kick a football through the doors
and you were to miss the door
it's not going to necessarily harm the car
it's a football
you're going to let him do it to yours
yeah
but a friend of mine
a golfer Ian Polter
oh yeah I saw the video
he's got a LaFerrari
and he
he punched a seven iron
through
I mean this is going to smash the car
on
there's no second take to it
but
and when he done it I was like there is no way
that's got to be like AI
or something there is no way but no he did
he actually
he actually done it
it's so cool that video
but the risk
pro rata reward
it was not worth it
I see that and I was like no no no
he's not going to do this
and it wasn't like a little chip shot
he smashed it
he took a seven iron
closed the face and punched it
doing 240 miles an hour
through his LaFerrari
that was a cool video
can't believe he done that
what are
the dirtier
and darker truths
of the car youtube world
the fact that
in a 24 hour window
and let's say you wake up at
8 o'clock and you go to bed at 10 o'clock right
so in a 14 hour window
you make a 15 minute
video
they are the best 15 minutes of your day
and
I've now started to see creeping
into Instagram
that people are sharing their
losses of the week
they are kind of going against the grain
that we have known for so long
that social media is not real
I try my best
to show the
the funnest part of the day
the times that I'm smiling the most
or I'm enjoying the most because fundamentally
that is what is going to get
if you sit there for 10 minutes talking about
how you lost this brand deal
or how you broke up with your misses for
5 minutes or you got too drunk
on the weekend you woke up with a hangover
and massive anxiety about what you were talking about
I do think there is a world where that
actually should be
a channel but I'm starting to see more people
talking about
going against the grain from
if you go through my Instagram
that grid is literally like
the best moments and in some instances
it's also fabricated like I might not
have been smiling 5 minutes ago
but all of a sudden
so then you kind of then turn back off
and you're like
is that authentic?
so if we're talking about what's authentic
when you're driving a car or working with a brand
but on the other side of it a lot of these people
are painting out the worst bits
they're just kind of doing it for marketing
it's like the hum of the bag isn't it
look at me I'm real I'm legit
and also I got fed that post because they've already got
tens of thousands of likes
loads and loads of comments so they've already hit
the algorithm that it's been fed to me
so they're playing the algorithm at the same time
do
people want to see people
fail and low?
I think so
look at Clarkson's farm
it's a prime example where
I don't think a single season
where they've actually farmed has gone well
but he's documenting him
trying
you get it with Mark McCann and Matt Armstrong
when do they
like Mark with his gearbox
of his Bugatti
like
no views is going to be
hi guys bought this car the gearbox didn't work
or we woke up and out worked everything's great
or I bought this car and the gearbox works
that's not going to get views
he's probably never going to fix it
so he could keep getting views
when Matt does one of his videos
that gets 10 million views in 30 seconds
like
you know
they love stumbling across a problem
100%
and in his line of content
you're going to stumble across problems
you're never going to not have a problem
and I think
in their world
and what I would love to do more of because
yeah it's all I've ever known
and I think for as long as I've been doing it
it's just kind of become
tattooed in me
that I've got to post this
because yesterday I collected my Lamborghini
so I was like oh I've got to stand next to my Lambo
I need to share that
and actually
that's a moment that me is newsworthy
but those guys because they have so much jeopardy
because they go up and down
they're getting so much
engagement and thrill
from the viewer
I go back to my Mercedes Largo
I had that car from 2018 to 2022
and
then I was like do you know what
I'm going to document everything
everyone's talking about how unreliable these cars are
I broke down in Scotland
Sam was like can't film it
what are you doing how are you going to sell that car after
I was like no we have to film everything
so I was like GoPro running
film the entire thing
cooling the recovery can you come and put my Mercedes Largo up
took it back to SB like it was a hose
it was like this big it cost 60 quid to fix
it was easy but
people remember them
because across the supercars of London journey
I've always been
like I'm just happy to be here
like super excited
and genuinely
documented my emotions through the journey
of fundamentally living my dream
so of course I'm going to be happy most of the time
and then all of a sudden
the paint started to come off
when I took the rap off the Mercedes Largo
the hose burst whilst I was in Scotland
and now
when I mentioned anything to do with my Mercedes Largo
everyone was like oh yeah that was insanely unreliable
like you had a huge film
because that's what you filmed
because I documented it
and actually I was like no
so are you saying if you just filmed it saying hey my Mercedes Largo is running great today
no one's going to watch that
because I was in fear
and it was only a couple of times
I think my R8 had an engine light and a clutch problem
which we replaced in the early early days
my Gallardo was fine, my Huracan was brand new
which was absolutely fine
there wasn't many problems that I had
but I'd had it told to me
by other people
that you don't tell people about your problems on your cars
because you want to sell that car
and if they've seen it on YouTube having multiple problems
they're going to be like no no no
I've seen that car broken down four times
so you had to be quite careful in balance
how you did it
I was quite lucky with my cars
and now it's the complete opposite
everyone wants to see the problems with your cars
probably because for the 10 years
that we were growing up and filming cars roadtripping around Europe
we were going well look how cool this is
like no one actually documenting the problems
not that we even on a roadtrip
ever broke down
because that would have just been the end of the video
and why did you sell your Mercedes-Benz R5
and what did you sell it for
and what are they worth now
we had it here didn't we
did you sell it for Paul
150
bought it for 150
sold it for 150
and how long did you have it for
three and a half years
something like that
I did pay for the paint
because I got it re-sprayed
I think it was like a couple of services in there
had two different exhaust systems go on
there were costs associated to the car
of running it but fundamentally
purchase price and sale price were the same
and what would that be
what would you sell it for now
they've took a bit of a hike recently
as most things have
but not astronomically
this was an ex-Singapore car as well
not a UK supply
so like it was really good money
I got for your car
like it was really really good money
they're not
two I mean okay
that car today was probably
keeping very miles on it was it 25 or something
it was about I think at the time it was about 20
yeah so 20,000 miles
I mean it's
it's low 2s
mid to low 2s
I heard 250
yeah mid to low 2s
you know
if the car was a 10,000 mile UK car
then it's 3
but
you know it was 4 years ago
we sold that car
and you know in
a time where it was a bit uncertainty
yeah I don't like
if I remember looking at Mercilago's
they'd hang around for a long time
so would Gallardo's
it was kind of not that
because Hurricanes were fairly fresh
and also Aventador's were
kind of doing quite well
and Aventador was
150
and Mercilago was 150
and Mercilago was
old car
problematic from Singapore
blah blah blah like why would someone buy one
and now they're like oh Mercilago
and mine's been to Singapore
that's just how you sell it
this guy's got a passport
I did a video after I sold mine
both 175
it was a 2013 Aventador
and an LP640
which one would you buy
you've got the opportunity to buy
I'd done a video one day with a supercar driver
and a 911R
had just come out
a 991 911R
and I had a Carrera GT
and
the Carrera GT
was like 500 grand
and the 911R
which was a car that cost
200 grand
was selling
for 500 grand
and the guy who owned the 911R
was well known to me
a customer, a long term customer
we don't do business every month
but he's a long term customer
and he's driving the Carrera GT
and I'm driving the 911R
and we're comparing and we're talking about
values and stuff
and I said to him
because at the time I had a customer
for a 911R and I'm trying to back to back a deal here
I said
look, if you had any kind
of financial
intelligence at all
you would get out your 911R
and buy a Carrera GT
and he was like no no no
I just don't see it, I don't see it
it's left hand drive, it's manual
it's blower, it's hard
so trust me, in 12 months
this car
will be worth double
than what this car is worth
and in 12 months
that was the case
the 911Rs had come down
a Carrera GT didn't go to a million quid
a Carrera GT went to maybe 650
and a 911R went to 375
so like it was
it did leave
it done exactly what I said
and I remember we had the conversation
on the phone because I sold him a Rolls Royce
like a year or 18 months later
he said I should have done that deal
I said I don't know what more I could have said
to you, I literally drew you a picture
and said look
follow these instructions
follow these instructions
you're obviously not a good drawer
I'm thinking
obviously because I had profit in the Carrera GT
so I could sell the Carrera GT to him
I could sell his 911R
I've done two in one go
everyone's happy
he's going to be over the moon in 12 months
with his Carrera GT
that he's going to probably sell back to me for 250 grand more money
and
he didn't do it
but that was a similar scenario with an Aventador and a Mercer Largo
they were the same price not long ago
I've got an old advert in my phone
someone sent me
yesterday
about this car
okay
and this car
sorry the Lamborghini Diablo SV
there was
it must have been for sale a long time ago
another dealership
and in the same dealership there was
Lamborghini Mura
this is their stock at the time
Lamborghini Mura
Diablo SV
Lamborghini Contash 25th Anniversary
a couple of other cars
and
this was
85 grand
and the Mura
was 120
and the Contash was 50
right
and like
you look back
and you think the Mura today is 2 million quid
that's
550 grand
the Contash is
5 to 600
and
like if we all had a crystal ball
we'd have just went to that dealership and gone
right I'll have everything
no negotiation
just wrap it up take it until
wrap it up
and it wasn't
that long ago we're not talking
during the war
we're talking like 2003
that's what we're talking
I mean 2008 also
2008-2000
everything fell through the floor
with the recession
which is why they couldn't sell my CSBs
for the numbers they wanted to make
I think they ended up making
186 I think they ended up making
they were supposed to make 350
and they made 186
so that's why that car is so valuable now
Tom Hartley Cars
is the UK's leading supercar dealer
with over 55 years
in the business
not only is our available stock second to none
in the UK but we make buying
or selling your supercar
a seamless transaction
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you didn't understand what he said there
for a bit did you
I still don't
you thought he said
a male
lying and then you were like
what was he lying on the ground
what was he doing
he's on about an animal
a lion
but how's that relevant to filming cars
I'm still trying to figure this out
I don't know
what was the wildest thing you've seen
filming cars
I was in South Africa in August
I was going to say you weren't in Bradford were you
so you're in South Africa filming cars
and there's just a male lion there
I wasn't Kruger National Park
so you weren't filming cars
I was filming the car yeah
so I was filming I've been backing up episodes
and
we spent a week in Kruger
and
it's a
potentially new business venture
and so we obviously drove through Kruger National Park
and we saw some
very wild things
that was the way that
were they close to you yeah scary
no what do you mean no
yeah
say you're not on your own
sunset no I'm scared
windows down it's not like
so you weren't scared no
so you weren't scared of a
wild lion
just mooching
I've had eye contact on a
doorless roofless land cruiser
with a lion
male lion closer
than we are
make eye contact and look at me
and I'm there my leg is here
on the truck like that
and he just looks at me and then just moves off
was that scary
it made my heart go a little bit
the first time I ever saw
or locked eyes with a lion
in the wild
and it was a realisation moment
because up until that point I was 32
I think
I'd only ever seen lions with a fence
or a glass window between us
the first time locking eyes with a lion
without anything like that was a little bit sketchy
alright
I mean yeah
I miss a lion
yeah but I think
I'd have come around to my house the other day
I wouldn't get out because of my dog
yeah but I wouldn't get out of my car
I wonder where you are going to go
God I've come back with his car
he was like sorry
this job ain't for me mate
but I'll be the same
I went back and watched the CCTV
and
when the guy stopped his car
his job isn't for me
there was the previous plumber dead
on the car
when he stopped his car I said
that house is so funny
I should just make a channel of
Caesar my dog
and CCTV moments
he's pulled in and
stops his car and Caesar's like
he doesn't bark
which is more scary
because he doesn't give you warning
he just went round to the front door of the car
his paws jumped up where the window were
and he just looked at the guy through the window
the guy then put it in reverse
and just drove out the gate
it was so funny
it was so funny
yeah I wouldn't do that with dogs
lines in the wild fine
okay so
who's the wildest person you've met
in filming 20 years of supercars
and all the brand deals
hmm
I met
I had a cool experience
where I met Kevin Hart
Ludacris
and Trey Song's on a yacht at Abu Dhabi
Grand Prix
and
that got pretty wild
with them drinking
they were there with their respective partners
and just going nuts
what is going nuts me
we arrived on the yacht
and went up to this top deck
and this was all through one of
Shmi's contacts
so we had arrived in Dubai this was the first time I'd ever been to the Middle East
and it was the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
F1 weekend
and we were in the grandstand
and we were taking photos sharing it onto our stories
and
Tim gets a message on his phone being like
guys I think we have an invite
onto a yacht and we're like
we've got to go I was in swimshorts
which actually probably worked out quite well
but obviously I wasn't dressed for the occasion
I would have thought chinos and an open
button shirt kind of vibe
um
and we've walked in we've been greeted
by the two people that were running the company
that had chartered the yacht and they were telling us about their business
and what their goals are
and having us there for them was actually quite a big moment
because we had all of these followers
that they kind of needed to reach
super car owners, high net worth individuals
and we went up onto the next floor
we sat inside we watched this
amazing looking trailer of what this
um it was like a private members
networking club
um and then they're like
when we go upstairs
there is an inside bit
you can look
can't go in
we're like alright cool
walk upstairs and there's like red ribbon
kind of like blocking it off and we're like
just look in and see Kevin Hart
with his wife Ludacris and his wife
like
I was blown away I couldn't believe what was happening
and we went out onto the little deck area
and every now and again I was looking
and they were literally just doing shot after shot
we're like I wouldn't even manage
two of them before I'd start getting
loose and waving
he fucking would
you've just got to learn
to adapt to your surroundings
it was me
Seb who at the time was a kid
he was like 22
um Sam
and Tim so the four of us
with um
two guys that basically were launching
this club
all of a sudden it was like
I was in an MTV music video
Tray songs comes up the stairs
he's bouncing already and he's like
yeah like it's my birthday
we're going to get dark
I was there going oh my god
what the hell is going on I listened to this guy
on the flight over kind of thing
and he introduces himself
I'm Tray nice to meet you and that was it
that red ribbon had kind of been completely
wiped because Tray songs had just
come on already probably intoxicated
he knows
Kevin Hart Ludacris and then
he just said hi to all of us
and then like there's just a bit of a mash up
and we're all there just again
like just getting smashed
and I was like if this is
what YouTube was going to be bringing me
and I do have photos of me
and Tray songs I asked Ludacris
and he was like management said no morrow
and he literally was like I'm not taking
fighters because I'm too drunk but I've got
fighters with Tray songs he's a really nice guy
that was cool I haven't asked you that
the wildest person you've ever met
in your life
400 years
in the car business
I'm probably one of the wildest people I've ever met
in the office
yeah in the mirror this morning actually
you know
the wildest person I've ever met in my life
ever
he would put Jordan Belfort
to shame
of how wild he was
and I experienced it firsthand
like this is not rumors or stories
I've witnessed it
really really really
really good friend of mine
I haven't seen him for a while because he
moved out the country and moved to a different
continent then moved back and then
I don't think he can come back to the UK
but
he was
absolutely wild one story
that I have
is he had a boat
in New Yorker
like a nice boat
I wasn't there this time
but he called me
right after it happened
and he bought a Rolls Royce
dawn off me
anyway he had some girls on his boat
and having a bit of a party and like
doing his own thing
and he's
obviously intoxicated probably
not sure might have not been
and
he's reversing out of like the pier
where outside of his boat
in this dawn with the roof off
and three girls
with no clothes on in the back
and for some reason
he well I'm not for some reason
what happened was his flip flop got
stuck on the accelerator
and he drove
quite fast
his Rolls Royce dawn through a
tobacconist window
like through the shop
I thought he was going backwards
into the sea
yeah that's what he thought he was
doing as well
through the tobacconist through the shop
obviously windows crashed
bricks have come all in the car
and this hit the Daily Mail
and you can get this all on the CCTV
of the shop I can't believe it
he's then like put it in drive
and just
just put it off but then he's called me
he's like
oh mate you gotta have to help
so I'm like what is it
I've just
crashed the car I've just crashed the car
I'm in New York I don't know what to do
so I'm like okay well
have you crashed into anybody
he was like I'm not sure
so I said what do you mean you're not sure
you must know if you've crashed into somebody
he's like well
I think I went through an off licence
and I'm not sure if anyone was in
so I don't know if I've crashed into anybody
or not what do I do
but I mean that was just
that is one of
like so many stories
yeah
he is the wildest person
I mean we had some great times together
and I'm kind of glad that he moved out the country
but
yeah he's easy
I probably won't say his name
because he hasn't got a social media presence
he isn't someone people would know
he's just he was a local
a guy locally to me
who we met through mutual friends
and became very good friends
and you know we went on numerous holidays together
and
you know he's a very
intelligent guy actually really really good
at what he does
but his
his life used to give me anxiety
you know he was
but you know there's loads of stories
and situations for people where I've bought cars
and ended up on a wild weekend
out of nowhere with them
but yeah it's
they're all for
they're all for my autobiography
I can't wait for that Netflix show
yeah
cars life is a Netflix show
epic
two more questions
take your time
wanna talk about business
this is called cars and money
I'd love to talk about the future of
maybe what you're doing in business
how you might do your business and the car content
differently in the future
yeah
but what do you think is the biggest scam going on
in the car world
I mean we talked a little bit about it
before we started to record the
podcast but
the market at the moment yes
I
definitely have seen as car has
the increase and inflation
of price but there's also
a level of I made a video on it
when I was at supercar fest
market manipulation and
as someone who
I've got the
I didn't buy it as an investment I bought it because I love
the car
but it has increased in value
and I don't know
what the true value is of it
it's hard to get a steer on
where that car sits in the market
because you see these cars pop up
invented or SVs for 1.5
million quid and then like
in the details like sold more
needed and it's like but that's a
private ad so
I'm kind of under the
impression that if I advertised
my supergera
for a quarter of a million quid
and then three days later said deposit
taken more wanted
yeah it's almost like
that is portraying to
the world that that is where
the market currently sits
and it's a confusing situation to be
in because you go online you see these
Ferraris you see these Lamborghinis and the
McLarens that are just either
price correctly
or overinflated and I've got cars that are
saved on my auto trader that are within
the price range of if I was
to sell my Gallardo and
realize some of the profits that I've made on that
car would I go and buy and they're
still sat there like eight weeks after
I've saved them on auto traders so I'm trying
to work out what's going what's moving
and I do feel there is a bit
of a disconnect at the moment between dealers
and private owned people
and to an extent there's
a bit of a loggerhead I don't know whether you're
seeing people pump up prices
look so the
slight difference in this
is that is actually
proof
that Ferrari more than any
other brand has gone through the roof
because we can all see auction
results we can all see these results
of Enzo selling for 10000000 dollars
and the SP3 Daytona
I know it was a
charity car
it was 24 million dollars
or whatever it was
it does bring the prices up
so that is reality that is proof
we've all seen
that person put his hand up
in RM's other bees and pay the money
and buy that car you need two don't you
in an auction to get that kind of money
so there was an underbidder
so the guy who gave 10000000
euros for the Enzo
there was somebody at
9.95
so there you go
in regards to
the Lamborghini
Aventador situation
it's just a bit of a piss take
it's just a bit of
there were maybe seven Aventador
SVs for sale
they were an undervalued car
it's a mixture of cars being undervalued
as well Superleggera
we talked about it as well that is one of them
around 100 grand
for a 570 Superleggera
I mean it's come on
you told me when I bought my car
that buy anything with a naturally aspirated V10
because Temurario has just come out
and at that point that was
all of the information that we had
but then obviously with all of the auction prices
lightweight Ferrari's going up
that naturally
brings up the lightweight McLarens
the lightweight Lamborghinis because they're also
following that same formula
and DNA
of the 458
Speciale or a 488 Pistor
or a 360 Challenge Shadale
but then you go on to like an American website
for example and you see a
Challenge Shadale with
14,000 kilometers or whatever
1.2 million dollars and you're like
okay like there's got to be
I don't know it seems as though
the
the dealers and people that I speak to
that are in the industry like Carl
and other dealers that I've visited
and filmed videos with
are a lot more
sensible
and then I just kind of feel like there's a handful
of them that are just trying to go completely
crazy I don't know whether they're buying all these
I don't think it's they're trying to go
it's just I don't think they're very good at their job
and they're being governed
by this seller
the seller goes look I've got an
Aventador SV I want 700 grand
for it and they go
oh how cool would it be to have an Aventador SV
for sale on our website
okay we'll take it and put it on for 750
yeah like what a waste of time
isn't that the whole American
property real estate market
I'm talking about in the UK I'm talking about
as of now dealers that you see now
you know should
an Aventador SV
being
250 to 300
never like never should
that car be in that price
you know
I might got feeling on an
Aventador SV
depend on age and mileage and if it's
Koop or Roast or whatever but I look at that car
and it's one of 500 made
you know I think it's half a million quid
that car should have always been
half a million quid
and now it is
that's where I see the market
not at 900
there's one for 900 somewhere
and there was one I think
one for 1.2 yeah yeah yeah
I mean it's just
that's just being stupid
it's strange but then from my side
just being an owner of the car
that for a long time I feel like I've had
a bit of an idea on the prices
of where stuff is
it confuses
it gives you a false sense of
oh my god my car's
doubled in value when in reality
and I do want to make a video
of taking photos of it
putting a private ad
and trying to sell my car
at where the Gallardo
prices have been
220, 180 or 190
as they say, the oldest saying in the world
something's worth what someone will pay you
yeah and
if someone calls tomorrow with
a superleggera
and I know the prices are like over 200 now
on some websites and stuff
for cars that have a sale
someone calls today and calls me
I'm going to give them a figure
that I will pay
them today for their car
that is the value of their car
which is the difference of an SOR
seller return
which is not going to come to anything
it's not going to materialise
because you've seen a car for 200 grand
you go I want 200 grand for my car
your car at the minute is not worth 200,000
one day it probably will
but the true value
is in
okay let's call three dealers
let's call three reputable dealers
and let's get three bids
you're not going to get three bids
you're going to get one which is going to be from me
I don't think you'll get another one
but that then is
the market price of your car
that's what it is
if you were starting again
in what you do
how would you do it differently
to build a real business out of it
and what have you learned on the
business side of creating car content
and the brand deals etc
am I
starting this business again
with everything you know
but in 2008
now but all your experience
I guess you do things a bit differently
yeah because I do look back
at the journey that I've been on
and obviously
I fell into it in a way
I loved cars, I filmed cars
I didn't know this was going to be my business
I didn't know this was going to be able to generate revenue
so the fact that I've
turned into something that
has spanned
20 odd years that has been able
to pay my bills
I've had incredible life experiences
and driven some of the best cars in the world
and owned some of my dream cars
I could look back
and go
what an unbelievable journey
I've been a success
there's not many
TV shows
or even
YouTube channels that
have existed for as long as they have
that I can still create content
off my own back and have control over
how I'm doing things and people still want to watch
the videos which I'm eternally grateful for
but I do think
like what we touched upon
that flip between
ad revenue and looking for
adverts in videos and looking for those brand partnerships
the brand partnerships for me
I always had
a bucket list of videos I wanted to create
and I knew
I needed financial support to create them
whether it was travelling across America
or I wouldn't be able to self fund them
so those early brand partnerships
allowed me to create my bucket list videos
but
there have been moments throughout this journey
where I've worked with brands
like Army Tricks Exhaust
is a prime example of I've put
an exhaust on my R-rate
without knowing the true value
of what those videos were going to do
as promotion for that company
I've got a free exhaust out of them
they told me after the first six months of me making videos
they had sold 85 exhausts
so at the time
I thought that's cool, that's a great case study
for me to go and take to other brands to make my money
I bet you just wish you'd have done a brand deal with them
I wish I'd have started my own exhaust company
but don't you need to know how to make exhausts
yeah but I could have
I mean I reckon there's a lot more into it
than just starting
100% anyone got any metal
I'm not saying I'm manufacturing it myself
there would have been opportunities to
even collaborate with Army Tricks and just white label them
to be fair that is what Matt Armstrong said to us
he did say that
the sort of ad revenues gone down
a bit relatively
and also from
where I was back in the day
and the amount of money that you were
able to earn
YouTube have definitely hit speed bumps
and hurdles themselves
with companies advertising on videos that they didn't
want their adverts anywhere near and that has definitely
it was called adpocalypse
where basically your ad revenue
went from 100%
of what you're earning and consistently earning
to literally 30% of that
in a month
so you're earning one third
of what you used to earn in ad revenue
so that was one of the reasons why I went
I cannot rely on this
as my business model because YouTube
control the goalposts and they will continue
to move them and I'm just playing catch up every
single time so that was one of the reasons
why I shifted to the brand partnerships
but I think if I was to go
back to the beginning at the age
and with the experience that I've got now
I would definitely have looked
for opportunities
to build
and launch a business that
could either
have been selling exhaust
I could have created my own brand
I started creating a clothing brand
which was successful for a few years and then Brexit
started to screw all the ways that we were bringing the clothing
in and the after sales was a mess but
I've also got
to a point now in my age
where I've seen every thing that I've
created and want
to try and create
experience-led
opportunities for people
that have followed me so one of the things that I really
want to do
is create a blend of my two passions of automotive
and safari
and somehow launch driving tours
driving through bots. There's no fucking way
you're going to sell any of them
with a fucking lion looking this close
It has to have doors and windows
No you're coming with me
You're sitting in the passenger seat
I'm not going to
door the slang cruiser
Cars will have doors and I need a gun
and I need someone with me
with a gun as well in case mine don't work
I'll have a handy cam if that
At least I've filmed
the lion eating me
So you'd want to
I like the idea of this
So fans of the show can come on and experience
with you, is that what you mean?
One of the things
that I realised again
maybe I wouldn't necessarily say too late
but obviously
what I was documenting within my lifestyle was
travelling to amazing parts of the world
documenting the hotels I was staying with
and then driving cars
So surely
I can
recreate that for my audience to experience
So it's like I went to Yellowstone
these are the roads I drove, this is the car that I drove
If I can create a way that someone
could have watched that video last year
and then been able to experience it themselves
I feel like that's much more
enriching that it is
having
what was the show on Netflix
that came out in Covid that was like the social media
farming and how YouTube
Instagram, TikTok, just want to get you
addicted to scrolling to get that quick
dopamine hit
My goal now is actually like how do I get people
off social media and experiencing
the world
but almost reliving some of the videos that I've done
I was trying to do that with my kids
Yeah, I'll get them off the bypass
and get them outside
It is hard
But the other business
that I have now started which I think
is really exciting is
helping businesses, small to medium
size businesses that
don't really have a clue about how to run a
social media, how to play the algorithm
how to
shoot content, so we just do a start
to finish coming, shoot content
promote the business, we then
manage the social media, come up with a strategy
and when to post all of the content to maximize
and build their own platforms and pages
which a lot of businesses do struggle with
because they're juggling so many plates
just to keep afloat and to keep maintaining
but what I have learned over the years
is fundamentally how to streamline
that process and make it efficient
and then
the Supercars of London next chapter
is slowly starting to come
it takes a long time
When you say the next chapter, what do you mean?
So for as long as I've been doing it
it's basically just been me
so I edit all of the videos, I do all of the
emails to create all of the content
and it has fundamentally been me
and obviously in the odd video
there's collaborations, I meet with my friends
me and Karl will walk around the cars, we'll go
and drive something and whatever
so there's always that element but I think
as I've evolved
and as I've got older, I want Supercars of London
to be a little bit more
have more
have more personality to it, have more
branches, have more dimensions
so that it's not just
you're tuning in, you're watching me getting a car
I'm driving it somewhere and that's it
so I want it to feel a little bit more
like looking how Top Gear
did it, how the Grand Tour did it
there's a massive gap there now
and I kind of want to try and bring in
as many people as I can
to bolster the Supercars of London
platform so that we can then go
and do these amazing road trips and have fun
Right and if you think about AI
which is probably
accelerating the process
of us getting stuck on machines
and looking at fake content
I do think there's going to be this
reverse trend of people wanting to meet people
and connect
I mean you saying what you see with your kids
I know you take them out
driving in your land and stuff, I think that stuff is so important
because they
are they honestly become
they're also, I mean
my kids are not like this but I've seen kids that are
that
they don't know how to socialise
you put them in a room with
you put my kids in a room with
a couple of other kids of their age
they'll go over, they'll talk to them
they'll figure out some way how to play
with a cardboard box, you know what I mean
so like, you know
but that's only because you have to
make them learn how to do so
because if it was up to the world these days
it would, I mean
when my kids watch YouTube
this is unbelievable by the way
this blows my mind
they watch another kid
play with a toy
that they have
my kid has the same toy
yeah
that they don't play with
because they're watching some Russian kid
in Russia, speaking Russian
play with this toy
and then you look at the views
17 million views on this video
oh my god
that world of YouTube is unbelievable
and they watch every second of it
so from a retention ad revenue point of view
there are the richest content creators out there
oh mate, in Russia there's
an 8 year old kid worth like
400 million I'm sure
just because he plays with some toys
mad, it's absolutely mad
but no, like last night
for instance
I took my son out
I'm learning how to play golf, I took him out to the driving range
teaching him how to play golf
teaching him how to play golf
did you have that 550 parked sideways
with the windows down
yeah
and
then afterwards I come back and I brought
in this Iron Man
Lego set
I've never done Lego ever
so it's a learning curve for both of us
imagine you get pissed off
with a Lego
I'm only on pack 4
there's like 15 packs
and we bought it 3 months ago
like
I just have anxiety
thinking about I've got to go home and do pack 5
because you do it all and then you realise
you've got 3 pieces left out
you realise you made a mistake
but you're about 8 stages ahead of
where you've actually had to say it
I can tell in their moods
they're at the age now, my daughter's just turned 9
my son's 8 on the weekend
and
my youngest, she's coming 7
and I can tell
when they're overstimulated from
too much technology
that they're sharp
with me or my wife
they don't get dressed in time in the morning for school
and they're in a bad mood
or they've got a bad attitude and I think
you take their iPad off of them for a week
after 3 days they're a completely different child
completely different child
that's my problem
working in this space
where I'm
thinking about all of the content
what I just posted
what needs to be posted
what I'm doing in a week's time
and then whilst it's all happening
I'm also managing everything else
and also consuming content
because I need to think creatively about what's coming up next
and it's just a massive stimulation overload
that it was every year
when I was doing daily videos
so I would film from 11am
to 6pm
I would then usually have dinner
and try and relax and then I'd wake up at about
8 o'clock in the morning to edit that video
upload it and then I'd start my day again
and I'd film
and I'd usually around good old festival speed
I'd be like I can't look at another camera
I have to stop
and I'd be desperate to just have a break
but I'd feel like if I get off the ham store
does it stop?
So getting back actually
to the Ian Porter video
with the golf ball through the LaFerrari
well when me and my brother were kids
the
this showroom that we're in now
it didn't exist
this is only like 8 years old
and the original showroom
was the only showroom we had
but that would hold maybe
12 cars
and we would have
20 cars
or 25 cars
I've been in loads of times where this wasn't here
and I've seen a pitchy post
that was a throwback
and
on the grass outside
on the right hand side
where
that big wall is now
my dad had put in
a proper
golf course grade potting green
because we were brought up playing golf
and he's an avid golfer always
had this potting green
so it kind of done it for me and my brother
and him as well
we had plenty of nights in the summer
we used to have green keepers
come round and make sure
it wasn't just like a piece of grass that was cut short
this was a proper potting green
and
then me and my brother kind of got from
just potting on the potting green
to let's hit some shots
onto the potting green
then it's like let's go the other side of the drive
and chip
and then it was let's go 80 yards back
and hit balls
over 12 cars
that applied to the grass
I bet your dad loved that
but bear in mind
like
I would be like 8
Tom would be 12
so Tom has been a great
12 years old and Tom was a great golfer
really good better than he is now
and at 8 I was still okay
but I'm 8
do you know how many fucking windows
he put through
over the years
of when someone's just thinned a shot
bang straight into the side
of a continental tee
and I remember
one day my brother will
remember this as well
my god my life flashed
before my eyes
we had an F40 parked on the grass
outside
and we weren't hitting
balls over the F40 that's not what
happened because obviously we weren't that stupid
even though at the time
an F40 was
only but it was like 150 grand
but it was an F40
and I'm on the potting
green and we're hitting balls
like
off of the green to areas
where we can chip them back on you know
like instead of picking them up and just being lazy
just hitting the balls
and I remember I hit this ball
I hit it way too hard
and it rolled down
because it was a bit of a hill
it went down the hill quite fast
it hit the tyre
of the F40
and then the ball jumped up in the air
and it's now sort of
in my own memory it was like
it was hovering above the roof of the F40
I'm thinking oh my god
and it came down and it landed
and it landed on the grass
on the angle that we were at
my brother grabbed me like oh you're dead
and it went up my life
like literally flashed before my eyes
but no on other occasions
we did hit a couple
of skinny wedges that
took the door off of many cars
over the years
that's why your dad got you working
from 70 yards now
I am like dynamite
you wanna know pressure
hit over half a million
quid with the cars when you're 8
from 70 yards
imagine if you turn pro and you're like no the only conditions
I'll ever chip
is if you roll an F40 just in front of the green
so I can hit over it
what's next then Paul
well
as I've said I think
the next generation
version 2.0 of Supercars of London
which I'm probably sure it's like
version 15 actually considering
how long I've been doing it and the different
evolutions that I've had but
for me
YouTube will always
serve a purpose I'm very proud
of what I've built the audience that I've
created and I think I
probably spend more time in my DM
speaking to people that replied to messages or whatever
like I've just got an amazing
community there that I feel like
they deserve
better content
and for a long time whilst I've just been
trying to figure everything out
it's a case of just
like drip feeding the content
and trying to get the low
hanging fruit to make sure I've got a video
then I've got four videos in the bank
I know two of them are
75% I'm happy with I might have to go out
and do some more filming for it
but a lot of my focus
now is on these little businesses
that I've got I was on the phone
whilst I was driving up here
to one of my friends down in South Africa
really want to start putting that together
did a driving
trip up to Scotland with
eight or nine cars I think
which I essentially had built the route
because I've spent so much time driving the roads around there
so I had an input in that
so I'm starting to build experience
in different avenues
of where I've experienced stuff
myself and I always come back
and we'll talk to my wife
being like oh my god like I've just driven
this road in Scotland it was unbelievable
there was two eagles cruising over the mountains
over there we get on a boat we go where
watching and those moments
where I get really excited
is when I'm like actually like
there's got to be an opportunity here
where I can turn this into a business
because if I'm so passionate about it on camera
there's got to be people watching it
that want to live those moments
in the same way that I do
so whether it's Monaco
South Africa or driving across
Europe like there's those
business ideas that are circling
the
social media content creation business is really fun
because it's like I'm growing something
with my business partner
and we're trying to elevate it
but also finesse
the service too
which is a lot of fun
and I'm also in a whatsapp group
with Seb, Sam and Tim
and we're currently nurturing
an idea that would bring
very close
top gear grand tour
big road trips annually
and we're just figuring out
the final details there so there's always a lot going on
but it's always
orientated around being an idiot in front of a camera with cars
nice
so
I know most people will know where you are
on the line but where should they follow you
nowhere
what I post is really boring
good salesman
be good about hiring him
super cars of London
do you do stuff on your personal profiles?
I do, yeah
that's the one
that I find the most
enjoyment because it's very much my personal diary
which is
Wallace P.J.W
Wallace spelt the Scottish way
which is why I have a connection to Scotland
so much
and we now have a whatsapp channel
we do have a whatsapp channel for cars
yeah we do
there'll probably be a link somewhere on the screen now
but
first chance
to watch the episode
polls on guests
we did an event here once didn't we?
we did a live event
so we might do stuff like that in the future
so we have our whatsapp channel as well
is that going to be a place that you just slip in
a car for sale every now and again
maybe
oh by the way thanks for
joining the channel
here's a 430
here's a blue speedtail
yeah
Paul thanks for being on the show
thank you very much guys
you
About this episode
Paul Wallace and the hosts pull back the curtain on car YouTube: how brands shape access, how social media desensitizes audiences, and how London supercar spotting escalated into filming-fueled disruption. They also dig into creator incentives—press trips, exclusivity deals, and the credibility cost of overly promotional coverage. Along the way, they trade real ownership stories (noise enforcement, breakdowns, sensor headaches) and connect it all to the business side: monetization, market pricing, and why authenticity is hard to keep when money and algorithms steer the narrative.
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
air of politics
Alderley Edge
auction
Auto trader
being paid well
blacklisted
blower
boycotting Ferrari
brake horsepower
Audi R8
Audi RS 3
Bentley Bentayga
BMW i3
BMW i8 (I12)
BMW M3
BMW M4
Bugatti Veyron
Chrysler New Yorker
Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta
Ferrari Daytona SP3
Ferrari Enzo
Ferrari F40
Ferrari F50
Ferrari F80
Ferrari LaFerrari
Ferrari Luce
Ferrari SP1
Ferrari SP2
Ford Edge
Lamborghini Aventador
Lamborghini Countach
Lamborghini Diablo
Lamborghini Gallardo
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Check for FREE if you are due a refund in 60 seconds at https://refundclub.co.uk/cars
Leading supercar creator Paul Wallace joins us this time to expose the hidden politics, manufactured realities, and dark truths behind car YouTube. From international media launches and manufacturer blacklists to the evolution of hypercar culture from 2006 to today, this episode pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to survive in the industry.
Plus, they break down the real-world chaos that led to the infamous Knightsbridge shutdown, what actually happens when a Lamborghini gear light flashes, and why some creators are choosing to trade the algorithm for raw authenticity.
BEST MOMENTS
"What are the dirtier, darker truths of the car YouTube world? The fact that it’s the best fifteen minutes of your day. And I’ve now started to see creeping into Instagram that people are sharing their losses of the week."
"Who convoys to Harrods with eleven fucking LaFerraris?!"
"I had a very bad experience driving the Tesla. Obviously. I made a video about it... and they were really upset that I put the video out. And I was like, 'Well actually, from a PR spin, wouldn't you rather get me in another car and try and win me over?"
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Cars & Money
Rob Moore & Carl Hartley
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