Harry's Garage

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Anyone else watch this?

 

 

It really is excellent. I bought a copy of CAR the other day in Morrisons whilst shopping, and it's in the bin now. I broke my No.1 rule; don't buy car magazines. What a load of shit. The Alfa scoop is just the usual fucking guesswork and some bollocks about Sergio Marchione talking big, the same turgid reviews and the nothingness about the whole thing. Trendy blokes in trendy jeans talking about 'focus' and - unforgivably - the 'F' word in GBU. CAR used to be an intelligent read written by intelligent people. LJKS, Barker, Bulgin and Bishop, engaging writers with a distinct character. Now it's just a trendy coffee table yawnfest. Ben Woolley-Jumper's long term Skoda Fabia test and about taking Lucinda to Waitrose and hope all the shopping fitted. Nice coffee in the dealership too. Fucking hell. Its this what it's come to?

 

You could say the same about many classic titles as you're inevitably trawling over the saaaaame thing agaaaaaaain. So much Quentin bullshit about 'the cars to buy now because they're going to be worth a fucking fortune this time next year'. Oh just PISS OFF.

 

Btw, I don't give a shit how much a 1968 Ferrari 330GT is worth in 2021. Let's hear that V12 singing.

 

I've never met Harry Metcalfe, but I like him already. He's a serious driver and could buy and sell most of these journowankers three times over. His videos are engaging and he says what needs to be said. Could this be the future? Rather than reading some pompous fart droning on in print about the 308GTB, you can watch and hear it being given some beans and really appreciate what the car is about.

 

 

 

Yeah. 

[cort16]

Yes it was a great couple of videos . Who’d have thought I would have been the perfect car for the job.

[loserone]

I used to really rate Evo magazine back when Harry was funding it personally.

 

Not quite CAR from the 90s, but every writer clearly wished it was and tried hard.

 

I have this particular video bookmarked to come back to on davenumbers' recommendation.

[SiC]

I've watched most of Harry's garage videos. They're ace. I like the technical details he goes into them. I saw that roller video when Davenumbers posted it a couple of weeks ago.

 

He does have a superb collection of automobiles. Proper petrol head. Loves his Fiat 500 as much as his Lambo, Ferrari and ... Clio 182 Trophy.

 

Btw Harry Metcalf used to own and run Evo magazine.

[wrenchvolt]

I will give this a look.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

The vid where he drives a pre HE XJ-S down to Monaco is good.

 

If I had his £££ I'd be just the same. Early XJ-S, 512BB, 'pop up' NSX but stuff like an 1100. Old cars are about sight, sound and smell and this is 2/3 of the way there. Classic & Sportscrap just isn't. Even Buckley is turning into a caricature of himself. 

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've just turned off that 'Long Lost Relatives' bollocks and started watching this instead (high praise)

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I used to really rate Evo magazine back when Harry was funding it personally.

 

Not quite CAR from the 90s, but every writer clearly wished it was and tried hard.

 

I have this particular video bookmarked to come back to on davenumbers' recommendation.

 

Yes it was excellent. That and Fast Lane (did Evo spawn from that?) were very good. Sadly, it's become EGO and gone the same way as CAR. 

[mrbenn]

Yes! Brilliant channel. Have you seen the Testarossa to the Sahara vid? Well worth a watch.

 

Agree on car mags generally, I've cancelled a couple of subscriptions this year. Though I have picked up a few copies of Practical Classics recently and enjoyed them.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Crappable Plastics is is okay but the Kelsey titles tend to be better these days.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Just finished pt 1. Excellent!!! Cheers Rev!

[trigger]

I watched this a few weeks back, it's a excellent piece of TV work, thoroughly watchable unlike many other YouTube videos.

 

I have a friend who did something similar a couple of years back in a Morris Minor Traveller with a 1275 lump in it, I think I'd sooner take the RR myself!

[Cleon-Fonte]

This episode comparing Range Rovers from the beginning and end of its production run is worth a watch.

 

 

 

[Tayne]

I think it was Performance Car magazine which was being would up, some of the journos wanted to create their own magazine so approached a rich farmer they'd previously borrowed cars from (Harry Metcalfe).

 

He didn't have the funds lying around so called the bank, they said no to a £300k loan to fund a car magazine.

 

The next day he called them back and said that since they put the kibosh on the magazine he was going to spend money on the farm and what paperwork would he need for 2 new grain dryers at £150k each.

"well you do have an excellent history with us Mr Metcalfe so we wouldn't need paperwork for a grain dryer loan."

 

He didn't buy those two grain dryers...

[RobT]

I've been watching his videos for a while now, and although he'd probably scoff at the shit we like he seems a decent sort and knowledgeable.

 

My pick includes anything on his Countach or Espada (route Napoleon road trips in particular), the Testarossa Sahara trip, and his XJ12C. In fact anything on older stuff is worth a look.

[sierraman]

I rarely buy car magazines these days unless I’m forced to be sat somewhere for several hours like waiting for labour or on an aeroplane. Practical Classics can be a good read for me because it’s often got the sort of chod I like in. Classic and Sportscar is no more about cars than cravats, CAR magazine is all about trendy shoes and abstract thoughts with some irrelevant rubbish about cars you’ve never seen or care for. Can’t bear these Retro modified things either. Car Mechanics can be a good read but it’s not as on good as what it was when Peter Simpson edited it.

 

For my money Top Gear magazine from between 1993 to about 2000 was a good read but again it’s a magazine written for children these days.

 

Let’s start Autoshite magazine, buying guides for Mk1 Renault Lagunas or a failed engine swap in the rain on a Rover 25 where you end up simply scrapping it in the end. I think the problem is we’d have a readership of about 14 subscribers.

[jon.k]

I like Harry Metcalfe's videos. Some, like the Rolls or Testarossa have an interesting journey, and some are just an insight into a car that you don't usually get from a test drive in a magazine. The Golf R one was one I liked a surprising amount; an honest appraisal of what it might be like to live with a modern hot hatch. Watched the 550 Maranello one the other day too which was quite good.

 

Having pretty much learned to read on Car and Practical Classics, with a few years of Evo later, I now tend to go for the more "specialist" classic bus and commercial magazines as these usually have things that I haven't seen or thought about before. 

 

Someone well-meaning sometimes passes on What Car to me. . . it is an unbelievably dull read.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Generally, I'm not interested in the cars Harry shows off but I do like him and his presentation style.  There's a video he did a few weeks ago about performance tyres that was surprisingly interesting - even if they're specialist tyres for his Lamborghini, etc.  The Golf R video was good (an estate version is on the 'want' list, badly) but mostly its presentation over content for Harry.

 

If he made videos about old chod, then that would be just about perfect.

[dollywobbler]

I need to watch some of these. But, Harry seems to be doing video for the same reason I am - you can make things a lot more interesting. Why go to the trouble of trying to describe how a car sounds when a video just does it? If a picture paints a thousand words, video is some way beyond that. It's an interesting time for video, because none of the publishers know how to factor in a profit margin, but there is clearly a growing market for such stuff. You only need to see how many views Trigger has had for his Ital video to see that! Exciting times.

[sierraman]

What Car is unbelievably dull. It’s written for people choosing another company car I think, can’t honestly think for a moment why you would want to read a 3 page spread about the new Audi A3 diesel. Why’s it so thick as well, where does all the copy come from?

[Pillock]

I bought my first Car magazine in years last week because the one pound magazine stand on the market had one. It's deffo changed since the 80s.

 

Harry's Garage is very watchable, I've had to earmark it for later otherwise I won't get out of bed

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I need to watch some of these. But, Harry seems to be doing video for the same reason I am - you can make things a lot more interesting. Why go to the trouble of trying to describe how a car sounds when a video just does it? If a picture paints a thousand words, video is some way beyond that. It's an interesting time for video, because none of the publishers know how to factor in a profit margin, but there is clearly a growing market for such stuff. You only need to see how many views Trigger has had for his Ital video to see that! Exciting times.

 

 

 

Yes - what helps is that he has the ear of all those with the $$$ and serious cars. Chris Harris is going this way too and Richard Porter has an interesting take where there are two of them in the car making amusing observations about other road users. These guys are however heavy hitters in the publishing industry with plenty of clout and money but a trend is definitely being started. Harry is probably doing it for the hell of it as opposed to making money though.

 

The fact that it's free is the draw - as soon as you start charging via a paywall, the party is over. These videos also make the usual TV car programmes look like the contrived shit that they are.

[nacho man]

I watched his video on the 182 trophy about fifty times before I bought one. 

[egg]

Another fan of Harry's garage, nice camera work, genuine enthusiasm. Even though he clearly has a lot of money to spend on cars, it's not a 'showing off' channel (have you seen some of these channels where rich boys just 'drive' their supercars at 20mph around Knightsbridge? Awful).

 

Touch of the Chris Goffey's about Harry's channel.

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Most important.  He's not Shmee...

[mercrocker]

Fair game to that man Metcalfe for cruising a £4K ebay Shad on the ice at 50.....Farinas were fun in those conditions, can't imagine which way that Roller really wants to point.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Who wouldn’t like to drive an old Roller to the arctic circle? It sounds like a dream journey to me. 2500 miles at 15mpg = 166 gallons = £985 assuming all his pez cost £1.30 per litre. I suppose £1000 (plus, must be the same again in hotels and ferry tickets) is quite a lot for a weeks entertainment admittedly but it does sound like a bit of a dream holiday and they’re never cheap are they. What a feeling it must be, bombing along an icy North Norwegian road in your almost 50-yr old Roller.

 

He reckoned he’d paid £4k for the Roller and another £2k getting bits fettled before he set off – if he sold it again when he got back, I’m sure he’d get most or all of his money back, as no-one can say its one of the usual knackered old Rollers that needs this and that fixing before you can use it, he’s got the proof that it’s a properly well-sorted example right there hasn’t he.

[Lacquer Peel]

Fair game to that man Metcalfe for cruising a £4K ebay Shad on the ice at 50.....Farinas were fun in those conditions, can't imagine which way that Roller really wants to point.

With the proper tyres a Farina or Shadow would be fine in those conditions, better than a 4 wheel drive without winter tyres.

[cort16]

The v8 in these must be really under stressed. In USA terms it’s a big block (410ci) but makes like 200bhp.

 

Plenty enough to waft along on all that torque but no

Better than the smog era yank stuff.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Understressed and fantastically well built. The blocks were cast and left for a year before machining, EN40B nitrided steel crank, GM hydraulic tappets and meticulously assembled. Given good oil every 6000 miles, one of these would just run indefinitely. Ze Germans never made anything as good as this and certainly not a Merc V8. The 6.25 in Harry's Shad will almost certainly be original and unopened since it left Crewe in 1970.