Introducing our November Bright Young Spark, Niamh Smith!

How did your interest in cars and classics start?

My grandad had owned his Alvis since long before I was born so I grew up with that always being in my life; I would sneak into his big garage, swing open the door and sit at the steering wheel when I was little! My parents later had a 1972 Volkswagen Campervan and a 1965 VW Beetle that we used to take to VW shows and festivals so I became a bit of a VW nerd for a while. When it came to buying my first car at 16 it only made sense for it to be a classic, so I bought a 1965 Morris Minor.

What classics do you own or want to own?

I currently own my grandad’s 1926 Alvis 12-50 and my 1948 Austin Devon ‘gasser’ drag car, which is called ‘Nogbad the Bad’. I’m really hankering after either an AMC AMX or Javelin as my next muscle car to drag race in UK Nostalgia Superstock!

What inspires you as an enthusiast?

I feel inspired constantly by women in motorsports, especially iconic female drag racers of the past. I just think women racers were always such trailblazers and they have left an amazing legacy for those who have followed them into their sports.

Do you want to go into the classic industry?

I’m an aspiring automotive journalist; I have a blog where I write about motorsports history mainly and have had articles published in magazines a few times, so I’d love for this to take off a bit more for me in the future!

What is the first step and how will you take it?

it can be hard to juggle my day job, personal life and my numerous hobbies, so I could do with getting my butt in gear and being a bit more organised with prioritising my writing!

What advice would you give other youngsters.

I’d want them to know that it’s okay to come into classic car ownership at a ‘lower’ level. It’s not realistic to expect to buy a mint enthusiast car right away, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of; some of the most fun classics are cheap and oddball! Buy something you can work on at home, become a YouTube expert, and find a good network of owners in your area who can motivate you and help.