The Late Brake Show is the YouTube channel of motoring journalist, TV presenter & creative content maker Jonny Smith, aka CarPervert
The [Jonny Smith] Late Brake Show is a YouTube platform and website that blends the broadest church of automotive appreciation; from EV to V8, from classic barn-finding to project cars and future tech, Jonny delivers considered, experienced and (hopefully) entertaining fresh car content .
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find 80s Hot Hatch Survivor Classic Car – will it run? Welcome to a special barnfind episode, where Jonny Smith finds himself in Sussex to learn about how this 2.0-litre hot hatch Vauxhall Astra GTE was preserved by a family so beautifully. If you like digital dashes and NACA…
From The Late Brake Show. New 2025 ‘T7’ Volkswagen California first look – Best Vanlife VW camper yet? Jonny Smith goes to Spain to have a detailed first tour around what replaces the T6 camper van. This won’t be the T7, as that is the commercial van partnership with Ford’s Transit. Instead, VW are using…
From The Late Brake Show. Will Trialling Wreck our Modified New car? Lands End Trial Finale // Part 3. In this full length episode Jonny Smith and Sion Ellis from Auto Max https://www.automax-wales.com/ take their new Kia ‘Cant’ Picanto 1.0 turbo GT Line on the 100th Landsend Trial. This may be the most cost effective…
From The Late Brake Show. New Car on the World’s Oldest (Cheapest) Motorsport // Lands End Trial Part 2. In this episode Jonny Smith convinces Kia to let him take a brand new Picanto GT Line on the Landsend Trial. This may be the most cost effective motorsport left, but it’s definitely not the mildest.…
From The Late Brake Show. Punishing a Brand New Car in the World’s Oldest (Cheapest!) Motorsport // Lands End Trial Part 1. In this episode Jonny Smith convinces Kia to let him take a brand new Picanto GT Line on the Landsend Trial. This may be the most cost effective motorsport left, but it’s definitely…
From The Late Brake Show. New Mercedes G Wagen goes EV – Better than G63 AMG? Detailed First look G Class G580 EQ Tech. In this episode the wraps are off the production electric G Wagen, and Jonny Smith gets a deep dive into the full spec of this 4 motor, 300 mile range torque…
From The Late Brake Show. Sat in a Farm yard for 20yrs! 200mph Barn Find 90s Sports car Rescued. In this special barnfind episode Jonny Smith discovers a unicorn American muscle car which was a near 400bhp, 200mph Porsche 911 Turbo beating weapon when launched in 1989. Rare in the USA, but even rarer here…
From The Late Brake Show. Britain’s Cheapest Boxster Project Part 2 – Fixing my First Porsche. In this episode Jonny Smith finally collects his bargain 2002 2.7 Boxster that cost £1900, takes it for an MoT and drives it over 200 miles home in biblical wind and rain. After that we document changing the troublesome…
From The Late Brake Show. Classic Renault 4 and 5 Restomod review – would you modify classics like this? Thanks for stopping by The Late Brake Show. Based in France, RFit (https://rfitvintage.com/) is a specialist outfit for developing government approved EV conversion kits for direct fit into classic 2CV, Renault 4 and Renault 5. Why…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find 1 Owner Nissan with 90s British Touring Car history – will it run? In this special genuine barnfind video Jonny Smith heads to Hertfordshire to meet Neil Turner, who fell in love with the 90s hot saloon Nissan Primera GT for its legendary SR20 engine and over-engineered independent…
From The Late Brake Show. NEW Mercedes G Wagen First Look. Is the G63 AMG / G500 still king of SUVs?Welcome to the walk around new car episode of The Late Brake Show with Jonny Smith. This is the new 2024 Mercedes G Class in both V8 AMG and G500 (now a straight six engine,…
From The Late Brake Show. Why the World’s SLOWEST Motorsport is also the Most FUN. In this special episode Jonny Smith headed to a Southern French ski resort to take part in possibly the world’s slowest motorsport – racing Citroen 2CVs on ice. Never has 15 mph been more entertaining. With spiked tyres, less than…
From The Late Brake Show. Why 2CV Ice Racing is the Funniest Motorsport – Fwd drifting. In this special episode Jonny Smith headed to a Southern French ski resort to take part in possibly the world’s slowest motorsport – racing Citroen 2CVs on ice. Never has 15 mph been more entertaining. With spiked tyres, less…
From The Late Brake Show. Classic Car Auctions CCA preview walk – how has the market changed? Join Jonny Smith as he takes a look at the 220+ lots appearing on sale at this weekend’s CCA auction event within the Practical Classics Restoration Show at Birmingham’s NEC (viewing starts Friday 22nd March): https://www.classiccarauctions.co.uk/ Practical Classics…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find of classic Volkswagens (closed VW dealership). In this episode Jonny Smith is invited to the deceased estate of a family who used to run a Volkswagen main dealer during the 1960s to 80s in the west Midlands. Multiple cars discovered, including British vintage machines and VW parts galore.…
From The Late Brake Show. Kia EV9 Review – Is this 7-seater EV family SUV what Land Rover should be making? The £65,000 349-mile range EV9 is Kia’s flagship car comes with either 6 or 7 seats. The boot is huge, the cabin is capacious, it will crack 0-60 in 5 secs and it looks…
From The Late Brake Show. Kia EV9 Review – Is this 7-seater EV family SUV what Land Rover should be making? The £65,000 349-mile range EV9 is Kia’s flagship car comes with either 6 or 7 seats. The boot is huge, the cabin is capacious, it will crack 0-60 in 5 secs and it looks…
From The Late Brake Show. Digging out 2 x Mini Cooper Barn Finds. Abandoned 1 owner cars. Will they run? In this barnfind episode Jonny Smith heads to an overgrown garden in Bedfordshire where the late owner had bought and driven two generations of Mini Cooper before mysteriously parking them up after 10 years of…
From The Late Brake Show. The Renault 5 is the most exciting new car of 2024 – first look detailed review. Following in the tyre treads of Fiat’s 500 and the new Mini, Renault has waited 52 years to launch an all-new (all electric) vibrant and unashamedly French Renault 5 to the market. With two…
From The Late Brake Show. Part 10: Austin Allegro Type R Sleeper K20 Turbo build. It has been longer than we’d wanted since the last installment of Jonny Smith’s street sleeper Honda Civic Type R powered Allegro, but in this episode progress on the car’s rigidity and safety are the primary focus. Strut braces and…
From The Late Brake Show. 2024 Dacia Spring EV first look – is this the best value NEW electric car? The new electric car from Dacia is finally confirmed for UK sale, and it could be as cheap as £15,000. Using a platform from Renault Nissan in China, the Spring is a small 4 seat…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find 80s Tuner BMW survivor – will it run? Welcome to a special barnfind episode (although in truth Jonny Smith didn’t need many tools for this one) involving an exceptionally rare 1980s E34 BMW made by German tuning house Hartge. Thanks for stopping by The Late Brake Show. DO…
From The Late Brake Show. Citroen 2CV 4×4 Sahara – Driving the Land Rover rival sold with TWO ENGINES. Best offroad car ever? Is this the only car that has been factory built and sold with more than one engine? Modern hybrids aside, we think the rarest 2CV could well be. In this episode Jonny…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find classic BMW discovery – Is this the rarest (first?) BMW Touring ever made? In this special barnfind episode of The Late Brake Show Jonny Smith discovers a 1970s BMW E3 coachbuilt estate that is perhaps one of only 12 ever made. Commissioned by BMW UK this 2500 automatic…
From The Late Brake Show. New Polestar 4 EV detailed First Look – why the classy electric family car has NO REAR WINDOW. Welcome to the new walk round video, where Jonny Smith gets the inside look on design and spec of Polestar’s latest 380-mile range car. This is the Polestar 2, and Jonny talks…
From The Late Brake Show. Private Car Cave tour – features The Beast and every classic you can think of! This episode of The Late Brake Show is a car collex Take back your personal data with Incogni! Use code LATEBRAKE at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/latebrake Thanks for…
From The Late Brake Show. Controversial Restomod Datsun 240Z…. with Drift Mode. Upcycled EV Restomod Datsun 240Z with Drift mode. In this episode Jonny Smith gets under the skin (and behind the wheel) of a bespoke built classic (divisive!) Datsun Z that is a masterclass in upcycled modern hybrid and EV car components. There’s been…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find Ford Capri Mk1in London. Welcome to a new barnfind episode, where Jonny Smith helps to dig out a 1972 mk1 Ford Capri that has been sat since the early 1980s. Bought new by the owner’s Godmother, this mk1 classic Ford didn’t have an easy life, but it has…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find Ford Capri Mk1 // The Late Brake Show. Welcome to a new barnfind episode, where Jonny Smith helps to dig out a 1972 mk1 Ford Capri that has been sat since the early 1980s. Bought new by the owner’s Godmother, this mk1 classic Ford didn’t have an easy…
From The Late Brake Show. Here’s why this new Honda EV sequel makes me sad – Honda e:Ny1 Review. Is this the best Honda could do? After breaking the internet 4+ years ago with their cartoonish Honda E city car, this is Honda’s second new electric car – a more family friendly offering with HRV…
From The Late Brake Show. My Project Car Round-Up. What classics I own and why I couldn’t resist rescuing 2 more…. In this long awaited episode Jonny Smith details all the vehicles he currently owns, what the plans are for them in 2024 and what jobs they need doing. Thanks for stopping by The Late…
From The Late Brake Show. The Ultimate Upcycled Resto Mod? Divisive Datsun 240Z with Drift mode. In this episode Jonny Smith gets under the skin (and behind the wheel) of a bespoke built classic Datsun Z that is a masterclass in upcycled modern hybrid and EV car components. There’s been many 2JZ, RB26 and LS…
From The Late Brake Show. The Best Barn Finds of 2023 // The Late Brake Show. Welcome to a compilation episode of our best barnfind classic car discoveries this year. Jonny Smith looks back at his favourite parts of the 20 (!) barn finds he has uncovered this year alone. Revisit the emotion, the dust…
From The Late Brake Show. Driving the Ultimate Spec NEW MST Restomod // Millington Diamond 2.7. Welcome to the new episode, where Jonny Smith heads back to North Wales where MST Cars (MotorSport Tools) manufacture brand new ‘Escort’ Mk1 and Mk2 restomods to order. With an engine and gearbox combo worth almost £50,000 alone, this…
From The Late Brake Show. Classic MG purists will HATE this! Drift spec Outlaw, Engine swapped Hot Wheels winner. Jonny Smith gets the story and test drive of one of a Classic MG like you’ve never seen – probably the most unique custom MG projects – by young Yorkshireman Mike Wallhead. Mike built the whole…
From The Late Brake Show. JDM 4×4 Daihatsu Kei Monster Truck review – Who needs a Tesla Cybertruck? In this episode Jonny Smith exclusively reviews a new Daihatsu Hijet Pickup Truck with switchable full low-range 4×4 drivetrain, lifted suspension and an economical 660cc engine. Imported by Motoyama www.mydaihatsu.co.uk this Kei mini truck sits between agricultural…
From The Late Brake Show. The Cutest Classic Car Barn Find discovery – will it run? Join Jonny Smith as he visits the Foster family in Wigan to unearth what ends up being two classic British cars – one in the garage and one sat outside under a tarpauline in the backyard. There’s even a…
From The Late Brake Show. Classic Car Auctions CCA Christmas sale preview walk around. Welcome to this new pre-auction look episode of The Late Brake Show, where Jonny Smith has a look at the 156 classic, retro and modern car lots and picks his favourite classics of the forthcoming event: www.classiccarauctions.co.uk The Classic Car Auctions…
From The Late Brake Show. NEW Reborn Lancia Rally 037 Group B Restomod // World Exclusive 1st drive Review. The 80s are back in this episode, when Jonny Smith returns to Maturo Competition Cars in The Netherlands (where he drove the incredible Restomod Delta Integrale) to get the keys to their recreation Lancia 037 WRC…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find rare Aston Martin discovered – will Tavarish start its V8? In this barnfind episode of The Late Brake Show Jonny Smith brings along recent Idol Chat interviewee (and broken McLaren mender) Freddie ‘Tavarish’ Hernandez to unearth what is a rare ’70s V8 Aston Martin. The question is, will…
From The Late Brake Show. Meet the man behind Pixar Cars (and how this REAL Sally Carrera 911 was built). In this special episode Jonny Smith manages to meet and interview one of the character creators of Disney Pixar’s Car Movie. Filmed at the 2023 Porsche Rennsport Reunion event in Californina, Jay Ward explains how…
From The Late Brake Show. Greg James – My Secret Love of Cars . Welcome to a very special Idol Chat interview on The Late Brake Show with BBC Radio 1 breakfast’s Greg James. Greg and Jonny Smith have been friends for a while, but when Greg wanted to find and buy his dream car,…
From The Late Brake Show. The Secret Classic Car Barn we all dream of – Car Caves. Welcome to a Car Cave episode of The Late Brake Show, where Jonny Smith is invited inside a private owner’s car collection. In this instance a fascinating bloke called Michael from Winchester, who has been building several ‘posh…
From The Late Brake Show. New Volvo EX30 Drive Review – The cheapest AND quickest new Volvo. The embargo has lifted on the full drive review of Volvo’s most important new car in two decades – the fully electric small SUV that has a 300-mile range, is the best value new Volvo on sale, and…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find 80s Turbo – THE Rarest of the Hot Hatches? In this special barnfind episode Jonny Smith is in Worcester to uncover an incredibly rare 1983 Renault 5 Gordini Turbo that has been wrapped up ad buried in blankets for the last 20 years. Known as one of the…
From The Late Brake Show. Why the VW XL1 was a 300mpg Bugatti Veyron. Hypermiling Hybrid Hypercar review. Why the Volkswagen XL1 was the Veyron of eco cars. Hypermiling Hybrid Hypercar review. Hypermiling Hybrid Hypercar review – Volkswagen XL1 is 10yrs old. The world’s most fuel efficient car is 10 years old. Jonny Smith finally…
From The Late Brake Show. Part 9: Austin Allegro Type R Sleeper K20 Turbo build. Welcome to the long overdue update on Jonny Smith’s Honda Civic Type R powered Allegro street sleeper project. In this episode FabCo updates us on the turbo manifold fabrication, fitment of new ancillaries from Denso (using T7 Design alternator relocation…
From The Late Brake Show. Driving the FIRST Porsche car (Priceless!). Welcome to this new Late Brake Show episode where Jonny Smith gets the opportunity to drive Porsche 356/1 – the first Porsche made. Thought to be priceless, this 1948 Volkswagen Beetle engined roadster formed the basis of ALL the subsequent Porsche road cars. Usually…
From The Late Brake Show. Barn Find Unicorn 80s Turbo Classic Car – Will it run? This barnfind episode of The Late Brake Show has a bittersweet ending, because sadly the owner of the car – Mr John McFeely – died before we could finish the edit and upload the video. Therefore we hope this…
From The Late Brake Show. This is the World’s Biggest Porsche Show – Rennsport Reunion 2023 is Porsche’s 75th birthday party. Join Jonny Smith and his podcast partner Richard Porter from Smith & Sniff on a chaotic walk around the largest Porsche car festival in the world. Rennsport Revival in Laguna Seca lasts 4 days…