Episode 2 - Jonny Smith
From Fifth Gear to Flux Capacitor: Jonny Smith’s Car Adventures
“The only people who have beaten me since are General Motors and Elon Musk.”
In this episode of The Spark Inside, hosts Christian Hewgill and Becca Knight chat with Jonny Smith, a motoring journalist, TV presenter, and YouTube personality known for his work on Fifth Gear and his YouTube show The Late Brake Show. Jonny shares his journey from writing for car magazines to setting world records with his electric car, the Flux Capacitor. He discusses his passion for car modification, why he believes in embracing both piston and electric cars, and how he carved his own path in the automotive industry.
Whether you’re a car enthusiast or someone exploring a career in automotives, Jonny’s blend of humour, knowledge, and experience offers inspiration for anyone passionate about cars.
Key Moments:
[00:00:00] Introduction: Recap and British Grand Prix highlights
[00:07:47] Guest Intro: Welcoming Jonny Smith
[00:11:41] Jonny’s Journey: From magazines to television to YouTube
[00:12:43] The Future of Cars: Jonny’s vision of classic and electric cars coexisting
[00:17:01] Highs and Lows: Behind the scenes of Fifth Gear
[00:22:52] Advice to Aspiring Automotive Professionals: Persistence and apprenticeships
[00:25:07] YouTube and Social Media: How to build your presence in today’s digital world
Featuring: Jonny Smith
Presented by: Becca Knight and Christian Hewgill
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Podcast Website: www.thesparkinside.co.uk
The Spark Inside is an 18Sixty production brought to you by Niterra UK Ltd.
Jonny Smith
Jonny is a motoring journalist, self confessed 'car pervert' (owned over 140 cars) and TV presenter of over 25 years, who has turned into a Youtuber. He worked on car magazines from the 90s til 2006, before moving into car TV on a long running series Fifth Gear. Since 2020 his focus has been to build his YT channel The Late Brake Show, which acts as an inclusive automotive church for classic cars, new releases, barnfinds and collections - from V8 to EV. He is half of the successful weekly podcast Smith and Sniff, the other half being ex Top Gear and Grand Tour script editor Richard 'Sniff Petrol' Porter.
What first ignited my spark was...
...watching Herbie on TV, and seeing it perform ridiculous stunts. This, combined with enjoying every mile travelling in our (or out friends') cars, lusting after Tamiya rc model cars to build and drive. And then there's my friend Ed Taylor's Yamaha PW 50 we used to ride in his back garden as much as poss (avoiding the pond).