UNDER
With Clare Lawrence Jonny Smith, motoring journalist and TV presenter, was born in a Somerset village in Feb 1979. He currently lives in South Lincolnshire. In 1997 Jonny started writing for his - at that time - favourite custom/classic VW magazine. He has travelled extensively for his automotive journalism and all this came from the absolute determination to chase a career dream. Hi Jonny! Great to be interviewing you… Thank you for taking time out for the Costa Car Trader Auto Magazine… What were you studying at Uni that you left to follow your career in journalism and was this one of the best decisions that you have ever made?
- I've worked with some amazing, inspirational people and had the privilege of driving hundreds of cars - many of which I could never afford. When the alarm goes off at 3am I'm never fazed - every day is so different in this line of work.
Leaving my multi-media computing uni degree just 9 months in was a big decision, but there was a chance to get my foot in the door of magazine media - and that was key. Multimedia computing was boring, but this was around the time that the internet was becoming a dominating force. I have to say there hasn't been one day when I wished I'd continued uni, although perhaps I was lucky to get that opportunity at the bottom of the journalism ladder. Who knows?
When you are not writing for your journalism or filming for the TV; what do you get up to?
You became the editor of the VW magazine after three years; was this natural progression from when you first started writing for them?
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Do you have a particular day that you have had the most fun on that involved your occupation?
There are so many moments when I pinch myself and realise that I'm being paid to do stuff that, in some cases, money couldn't even buy. On my birthday just gone, we were filming the new Audi A1 Quattro on a frozen lake in north Sweden. We were flown in by private jet and given the afternoon in the 1982 world rally winning Audi, with champion Stig Blomqvist behind the wheel. It was epic. A few years back I met champion boxer Ricky Hatton and went training with him. We drove to the gym in his original Only Fools and Horses Reliant van. It was hilarious, memorable stuff. Getting access to places like North Sea oil rigs or explosive factories is pretty special. I've been in the air and underground all over the shop! In the last 13 years or so ---
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Is there a car that is a particular favourite of yours?
Not really - I suppose I try to keep looking forward, because a career in this industry easily disappears. Someone once (wisely) told me: "You're only as good as your last feature". It's probably true. Life moves at such a pace these days, and being self employed keeps you on your toes. Although I've done quite a bit over the last few years, there is still so much I'd like to explore - especially on TV.
T E .N
One of the toughest questions I'm always asked. There will always be a special place in my life for the original air-cooled Volkswagen Beetle. The design is so simple yet wonderful. Quirky meets function. I still have my first car that I saved up for when 16: it's a 1967 Beetle 1500. There's always a car I fancy buying. One week it's an mk1 Ford Granada, the next it's a Rolls Royce Camargue. Alcohol and eBay can be dangerous. To be honest I tend not to lust after cars I could never afford, although one day I will get a Porsche 911 GT3 as a daily driver. My garage currently consists of an Austin Allegro V6, a '64 Chevy Impala SS, a 1968 Dodge Charger, a Nissan Cube, Range Rover Evoque and 1983 Audi Coupe GT. I've also just embarked on a new project that is electric. It's an old British EV that we're hot rodding to make Europe's fastest street legal electric car. Go to www.fluxcapacitor.co.uk to find out more.
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Have you ever looked back on your career and thought: “Wow! I created this…”?
A C
The publishing group I worked for was a small place, so I put the hours in and tried to prove my worth. My job has always been my hobby, and so that makes it easier to live with when your job is NEVER a 9-5. In fact, this job will never be a 9-5. It can be pretty tough on relationships.
A T S
In the last 3 years I've become a father so the two little kiddies take up a lot of time. Beyond them I try and tinker with older cars as my therapy. I've got a few retro projects on the go. My other passion is keeping tropical aquarium fish. I've done this since I was 8 years old and have always had a tank of some sort. A properly sorted mini ecosystem in your lounge is more fun than anything on TV...
JONNY SMITH
Finally, but not least importantly, what’s it like working on Fifth Gear? Fifth Gear came along out of the blue. I never anticipated having a TV career but it's been nothing short of amazing. That started in 2006 and I'm now working on my 11th series. It still feels strange to work alongside people like Vicky Butler-Henderson and Tiff Needell, who I watched on old Top Gear as a lad. TV can be very intense, and certainly not as glamourous as people think - but it's very rewarding. On Fifth Gear we drive all types of vehicles all over the place. As I said, there is never a dull day. One minute I can be doing a £1500 car buying guide and the next driving a £5,000,000 prototype sports car! Well thanks Jonny! I hope that we can do this again in the future…
SEE MORE OF JONNY AT: www.carpervert.com
Thanks for the chat. It's been fun! You can follow me on twitter at twitter.com/carpervert
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