Here's a list of my favourite car shows/channels on YouTube, which put you in the driver's seat
Back
in the early-2000s, car enthusiasts who wanted to watch screaming Ferraris,
tyre-shredding Lamborghinis and drifting-sideways Porsches on television did
not have too many shows to choose from. In terms of top-quality content, two
British shows led the way; there was Top Gear on the BBC and Fifth
Gear on Channel 5, in the UK. Accessibility in India was a grey area – the
BBC was officially available on cable but Channel 5 wasn’t. However, rips of
both shows were available on various torrents sites online, for those who were
prepared to take their chances with the law. There were also one or two car
shows on Indian television back then, but those were quite dull and poorly
made.
Back then, twenty years ago, television was still king and the Internet was for exchanging emails and downloading MP3s. The video-sharing website YouTube came along in 2005, but given the low bandwidth and slow internet speeds in those days, and the lack of professional video content creators for the internet, nobody could have imagined that it would someday become the best platform for special-interest content on the Web.
Things change. Today, Top Gear is no longer being produced and The Grand Tour has ceased to exist. Fifth Gear is still chugging along (Jason Plato and Vicki Butler-Henderson are still there, Tiff Needell isn’t) but was never quite in the league of those other two shows to begin with. In any case, it’s YouTube that’s taken centre stage these days with its plethora of car shows – many different kinds of car shows tailored for different audiences worldwide.
Here's a quick list of the car show I watch on YouTube, which you might also like if you’re a car/motorcycle enthusiast.
Petrolicious
This is where you find some of the most beautifully shot videos of some of the most beautiful, memorable, lust-worthy cars ever made. This isn’t a channel where you’d find reviews of mainstream everyday cars. Instead, go to Petrolicious for every car (and the occasional motorcycle) you ever dreamt of as a child; all the cars you put up posters of on your bedroom walls, you can see live in Petrolicious’s artfully produced videos. Beautifully restored classics, hard to find exotics, high-end supercars from the 1970s and 80 and so much more. Notably, whereas some car shows depend on their presenters’ charisma for getting viewership, here it’s all about the cars, documentary-style storytelling and high production values. The end result content that near impossible to find elsewhere on the internet.
Jay Leno’s Garage
Actor, writer, producer and former television host, the very talented Jay Leno is also deeply passionate about cars and motorcycles. And, his YouTube channel, Jay Leno’s Garage, has some of the best automotive content you’ll find anywhere on the web. A long-time car and motorcycle collector, Leno is extremely knowledgeable, knows his cars and bikes and presents his show in an instantly likeable manner. His show is different from others in that there is very little actual driving here, and certainly no high-speed cornering or going sideways. Instead, most of the action takes place inside the studio (Leno’s own garage), where the host discusses cars in great detail with owners, collectors and/or people who played a significant role in the development of a particular car. Despite the lack of driving action, the show is very engaging and very interesting to watch, especially for hardcore petrolheads.
Top Gear (UK)
The TV show is no more but the official YouTube channel of Top Gear (UK) magazine is very much around and does a great job of reviewing all new cars. Professionally shot videos, great production values, smart presenters who are good at what they do, even if they can’t really match the charisma that Clarkson, May and Hammond had. Still, strong storytelling and some excellent content for car nuts – you can’t miss this one.
Autocar (UK)
Most car magazines (print) now also do video, with varying degrees of success. Among all the YouTube channels run by car magazines, Autocar (UK) has some of the best produced content, with coherent story lines, relevant performance testing and good production values. Some of Autocar’s editorial staffers are pretty good in front of a video camera (some others are just about okay) and the Autocar (UK) channel has the widest range of cars, access to racetracks for high-speed driving action and a fair number of interesting stories that are enjoyable to watch.
Evo (UK)
Another UK-based car magazine, which now does full-blown car videos for enthusiasts. You’ll find all the exotic, high-end supercars here, which are beautifully shot using multi-camera setups. The magazine has full access to the latest machines, racetrack access for high-speed testing and dramatic cornering shots and production values are consistently high. Not sure if they intend to continue their good work though, since the last video on this channel was uploaded a few months ago.
Harry’s Garage
Harry Metcalfe is a leading British motoring journalist and car collector. He is the founder of Evo magazine and has also written for the Sunday Times and Octane. An immensely knowledgeable enthusiast, Harry really knows his stuff and has access to the newest, most exotic supercars, which are featured regularly on his YouTube channel. In addition to new cars, Harry often has stuff for fans of older exotics and regularly features some memorable classics from the 1960s to the 1990s. Unlike most other presenters, Harry has been fortunate enough to have owned (and/or driven extensively over thousands of kilometres) many of the expensive exotics he talks about on his show. He is very articulate and is an engaging, charismatic presenter, which helps make Harry’s Garage one of the more engaging car shows on YouTube.
Auto Express
Produced by the UK-based weekly car magazine, this YouTube channel features a comprehensive set of car reviews and the channel is updated regularly with new content. Production values are reliably consistent and while they don’t have swashbuckling TV-style presenters, their regular staffers do a reasonably good job in front of the camera. If you simply want to watch the latest car reviews without Hollywood-style histrionics and unnecessary drama, this is where you’ll find your happiness.
Hagerty
Some interesting car content here, especially those videos that are hosted by Jason Cammisa, who often has an entertaining, offbeat take on some iconic cars. Both old and new cars are featured, and most videos are professionally shot, produced and presented. Not bad at all.
Fifth Gear
Yeah, well, they're still around - this is all that's left of the old days. It's a bit off and on these days, but some videos are still pretty good. It's a great pity they chose to not have Tiff Needell anymore, but Jason Plato is still around and he's as good as ever, as is Vicki H-B who's also hanging in there. FG isn't what it used to be, really, but alright, once in a while they still manage to do some good stuff.
Back then, twenty years ago, television was still king and the Internet was for exchanging emails and downloading MP3s. The video-sharing website YouTube came along in 2005, but given the low bandwidth and slow internet speeds in those days, and the lack of professional video content creators for the internet, nobody could have imagined that it would someday become the best platform for special-interest content on the Web.
Things change. Today, Top Gear is no longer being produced and The Grand Tour has ceased to exist. Fifth Gear is still chugging along (Jason Plato and Vicki Butler-Henderson are still there, Tiff Needell isn’t) but was never quite in the league of those other two shows to begin with. In any case, it’s YouTube that’s taken centre stage these days with its plethora of car shows – many different kinds of car shows tailored for different audiences worldwide.
Here's a quick list of the car show I watch on YouTube, which you might also like if you’re a car/motorcycle enthusiast.
Petrolicious
This is where you find some of the most beautifully shot videos of some of the most beautiful, memorable, lust-worthy cars ever made. This isn’t a channel where you’d find reviews of mainstream everyday cars. Instead, go to Petrolicious for every car (and the occasional motorcycle) you ever dreamt of as a child; all the cars you put up posters of on your bedroom walls, you can see live in Petrolicious’s artfully produced videos. Beautifully restored classics, hard to find exotics, high-end supercars from the 1970s and 80 and so much more. Notably, whereas some car shows depend on their presenters’ charisma for getting viewership, here it’s all about the cars, documentary-style storytelling and high production values. The end result content that near impossible to find elsewhere on the internet.
Jay Leno’s Garage
Actor, writer, producer and former television host, the very talented Jay Leno is also deeply passionate about cars and motorcycles. And, his YouTube channel, Jay Leno’s Garage, has some of the best automotive content you’ll find anywhere on the web. A long-time car and motorcycle collector, Leno is extremely knowledgeable, knows his cars and bikes and presents his show in an instantly likeable manner. His show is different from others in that there is very little actual driving here, and certainly no high-speed cornering or going sideways. Instead, most of the action takes place inside the studio (Leno’s own garage), where the host discusses cars in great detail with owners, collectors and/or people who played a significant role in the development of a particular car. Despite the lack of driving action, the show is very engaging and very interesting to watch, especially for hardcore petrolheads.
Top Gear (UK)
The TV show is no more but the official YouTube channel of Top Gear (UK) magazine is very much around and does a great job of reviewing all new cars. Professionally shot videos, great production values, smart presenters who are good at what they do, even if they can’t really match the charisma that Clarkson, May and Hammond had. Still, strong storytelling and some excellent content for car nuts – you can’t miss this one.
Autocar (UK)
Most car magazines (print) now also do video, with varying degrees of success. Among all the YouTube channels run by car magazines, Autocar (UK) has some of the best produced content, with coherent story lines, relevant performance testing and good production values. Some of Autocar’s editorial staffers are pretty good in front of a video camera (some others are just about okay) and the Autocar (UK) channel has the widest range of cars, access to racetracks for high-speed driving action and a fair number of interesting stories that are enjoyable to watch.
Evo (UK)
Another UK-based car magazine, which now does full-blown car videos for enthusiasts. You’ll find all the exotic, high-end supercars here, which are beautifully shot using multi-camera setups. The magazine has full access to the latest machines, racetrack access for high-speed testing and dramatic cornering shots and production values are consistently high. Not sure if they intend to continue their good work though, since the last video on this channel was uploaded a few months ago.
Harry’s Garage
Harry Metcalfe is a leading British motoring journalist and car collector. He is the founder of Evo magazine and has also written for the Sunday Times and Octane. An immensely knowledgeable enthusiast, Harry really knows his stuff and has access to the newest, most exotic supercars, which are featured regularly on his YouTube channel. In addition to new cars, Harry often has stuff for fans of older exotics and regularly features some memorable classics from the 1960s to the 1990s. Unlike most other presenters, Harry has been fortunate enough to have owned (and/or driven extensively over thousands of kilometres) many of the expensive exotics he talks about on his show. He is very articulate and is an engaging, charismatic presenter, which helps make Harry’s Garage one of the more engaging car shows on YouTube.
Auto Express
Produced by the UK-based weekly car magazine, this YouTube channel features a comprehensive set of car reviews and the channel is updated regularly with new content. Production values are reliably consistent and while they don’t have swashbuckling TV-style presenters, their regular staffers do a reasonably good job in front of the camera. If you simply want to watch the latest car reviews without Hollywood-style histrionics and unnecessary drama, this is where you’ll find your happiness.
Hagerty
Some interesting car content here, especially those videos that are hosted by Jason Cammisa, who often has an entertaining, offbeat take on some iconic cars. Both old and new cars are featured, and most videos are professionally shot, produced and presented. Not bad at all.
Fifth Gear
Yeah, well, they're still around - this is all that's left of the old days. It's a bit off and on these days, but some videos are still pretty good. It's a great pity they chose to not have Tiff Needell anymore, but Jason Plato is still around and he's as good as ever, as is Vicki H-B who's also hanging in there. FG isn't what it used to be, really, but alright, once in a while they still manage to do some good stuff.
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