Mark Slack – Armchair motoring

Here in the UK many of our less mainstream television channels show some excellent motoring programmes. From the long running Wheeler Dealers with host Mike Brewer, through to Salvage Hunters Classic Cars presented by Drew Pritchard and Paul Cowland.

Despite such good motoring coverage there’s always a point in the viewing year when there’s a dearth of such programmes. When that happens there’s another viewing option, YouTube! A wealth of motoring awaits, from traditional approaches to more offbeat motoring related videos.

Car detailing, new cars, classic cars, road trips, must see museums and more, they’re all there to quench your motoring thirst. Some of my favourite YouTube channels are ones where the presenters know their subject, have a calm presentational style and don’t spend their time leaping around the screen screeching tyres and whooping every time they get a perceived cool car. Now don’t get me wrong, if that’s what presses your pedal it’s fine, everyone has their own likes and dislikes.

For me it’s the knowledgeable and arguably more professional channels that attract. Harry’s Garage is fronted by Harry Metcalfe, founder of the classy UK performance car magazine EVO. Although a publisher and not a journalist in the traditional sense, he’s a calm, knowledgeable and interesting presenter. He has his own car collection but presents on an encyclopaedic range of cars and bikes that in my view make this a must-see channel.

Another very different channel is High Peak Autos, presented by Matt Goodwin who has a used car business and features videos of his purchase and preparation of cars ready for sale. It’s an incredibly honest channel where failures have equal billing with the successes, and it makes for fascinating viewing not only for the cars but as an insight into the used car business. He’s recently ventured into new car reviews, on which I’m not so keen as in my view it dilutes his channel’s USP. There are so many channels featuring new cars High Peak Autos USP is a stand-out feature along with its professionalism. Other favourite channels include The Late Brake Show with Jonny Smith, Vermijl Car Detail, Decotamin, JayEmm on Cars and Tyrrell’s Classic Workshop.

Whatever your motoring taste there’s something there for you, whether on television or online with platforms such as YouTube. There is much said about social media and online platform being poisonous places and very negative. They can be but there’s also a lot of positive viewing experiences too.