Smith and Sniff

Pod 117 - Painting cars is hard

Jonny and Richard make another feeble attempt to read out listeners' messages. Topics covered include John Michael Jar, Kick by INXS in a convertible, the lost art of chatting about hifi separates, a crazy valve amp stereo for your car, news of the Lithuanian car scene, vehicles that have been demoted to roadside signs, the best 1500 quid family car, the delights of the K11 Micra, spark plug skinflints, not enjoying breaking down, reviving the economy by being bad at DIY, the disappearance of...

THE SMITH AND SNIFF ENCYCLOPAEDIA

A handy compendium of things from the podcast

Hello and welcome to the Smith and Sniff encyclopaedia, a handy compendium of some of the things talked about in the podcast which might help to explain the background of at least some of this shite. Let us know if there’s something you’d like adding and we’ll see what we can do.

6Music – British digital radio station beloved of middle-aged indie dads and the kind of place bands with odd n...

Show notes 116

We’re leading this week with a picture of Richard’s old XJR, as it looked when he owned it. It still looks like this, thankfully. Incidentally, the car has now been sold but unfortunately not to Richard. After that we have William Shatner on his crazy trike, the Citroen C6 being sold by the French ambassador to Ireland, and the Volvo S40 and Peugeot 406 Supertouring cars mentioned in the show. Now, some links…

My toe hurts, Betty T-shirt - 2022-07-10 17:01:03 +0000 UTC View Post

Podcast 116 - The great smell of submarines

Jonny and Richard attempt to read out some messages from listeners. Topics prompted by this and other things include, the words pigeons might be saying, what makes up fruits of the forest yoghurt, the possible genius of the Muller Fruit Corner, Jonny's ironic brake issues, the terrible fug of transatlantic flying, people ordering tomato juice on aeroplanes, the physics of ventilated seats, Toca's Miracle by Fragma, the weirdness of William Shatner, car tattoos, press car damage, Crown Vic she...

Show notes 115

This week we have a couple of pics of the latest Honda HR-V, the surprisingly long wand of the Koenigsegg CC8S (not CCS as they said on the show), the cacky Ford airbag wheel in a ‘90s Aston Virage/V8, a Mondeo showing a classic Morette four headlight conversion, the archaic engine bay of a Mercedes W123, and the stressful rats’ nest of a Jaguar V12.

As Jonny and Richard said in this show, they’re planning on reading out Patrons’ messages next week so if you’ve got any questio...

Podcast 115 - Would you buy a new supercar?

Richard's in an echoey room and Jonny has a question. Also in this episode, the new Honda HR-V, slipping clutches, how school proms help classic car maintenance, trying to get comfortable in an Audi R8 Spyder, a surprising gearlever, asking Ant Anstead for a deal on a Radford, choosing a Ford Crown Vic over an Aston Virage, late model Trabants, repairing a car with loyalty cards, disappointing looking engines, getting stressed looking at a Jag V12, Morette headlight conversions, getting annoy...

Show notes 114

We lead our pics this week with the classic Mansell look being sported by (a slightly older) Nigel Mansell at Goodwood. Then it’s a random scrapbook of photos from Jonny and Richard’s visit including recording in the showman’s trailer, the BMW M Car sculpture lit up for an exclusive party (Smith and Sniff being thrown out, not pictured), two flutes running up the Goodwood hill, that amazing Bucciali TAV8-32 Saoutchik Fleche d’Or, Jonny sitting in a Radical he’s just vandalised with ...

Podcast 114 - The Goodwood Festival of Sauce

Jonny and Richard are at the 2022 Goodwood Festival of Speed where they've encountered Nigel Mansell, tried to gatecrash Gordon Murray, met a sweary Le Mans driver, seen a tiny record attempt car, run up the Duke of Richmond's driveway, slept in a young offenders' institution, and had a terrible incident with hoisin sauce.

Show notes 113

Sorry, due to an error the wrong show notes were posted giving a surreal, context-less series of pictures and nothing else. This probably made as much sense as the normal notes anyway but here we go with the proper version. We lead with Tom Selleck as Magnum, P.I. because, well, why not? Then posters for the Manta films and that Norwegian movie that hopefully a listener can explain to us at some point. Then we have the glorious underdog that is the Skoda 130 LR, the blacked-out baddies’ car...

Podcast 113 - Manta, Manta

Jonny discovers a new genre of German cinema and Richard has been inundated with hill parking advice. Also in this episode, countries where the moustache is acceptable, Tom Selleck's control of a tank slapper, passing your driving test in extreme conditions, men who wear shorts a bit too much, Skoda Estelle versus Lancia Delta S4, a Reliant Kitten in the neighbourhood, travelling back in time to save the Metro 6R4, bad stereo volume controls, the sound of spoken German, mountain climbing in C...

Show notes 112

We lead this week with Dame Judi Dench and a totally authentic photo of her engaged in a tricky belt job on a Bentley W12. After that, there’s one of those orange juice machines you definitely shouldn’t sabotage with random vegetables, Jonny’s very low mk1 Granada (with bonus Jonny's mum's Montego and his brother's badly running Morris Oxford), and the mountain sign for the superbly named Hammerfall (soon to be re-named. Probably).

In case you were wondering, Saturday Kitchen is a...

Podcast 112 - Saturday Cambelt

Jonny's had a new TV show idea. Also in this episode, the excitement of real life jousting, Honda Insight magnesium sumps, being sick behind an ornamental bush, the old days of boozy car launches, putting onions into an orange juice machine, worrying about parking on a slope, the love of house bricks, a dusty Jubilee, Scandinavian crime fighter Torsen Diff, and a listener has offered to name a mountain after us.

Show notes 111

Hello again. You might notice this week’s podcast sounds very, very slightly different which is because a) Richard was recording from his new shed and b) it was late evening and, without mentioning it, Jonny and Richard were both having a beer. Right then, what have we got here. Well, we lead with a glorious image of freshly-made Metro 6R4s. Not sure if this picture was taken at Cowley, where Austin Rover’s competition department was based, or at Longbridge where the cars were made. Eithe...

Podcast 111 - Group B garden centre

Jonny's been driving a 6R4 and Richard has visited a garden centre. Also in this episode, challenging fly tippers, getting yanked off DC current, things left in Richard's new house, what car makers call tow bars these days, the perils of a triple layer floor mat, excessively zoomed-in photographs, the Welsh legend of Paul mountain, Jet Towel spotting, a Smith and Sniff guerilla sticker campaign, getting in trouble with the Duke of Richmond, throwing gravy over Burt Reynolds, what it costs to ...

Show notes 110

We start this week with a lovely pic of a Mercedes S-Class from 1979, which is definitely the year Jonny was born, followed by a car from the year Richard was born, an Jaguar XJ-S. Yes. Finally, we have Andrew Ridgeley as he is today, kind of rocking a friendly consultant doctor vibe don’t you think? Now, some links…

Electric scooter racing is a real thing - https://official.esc.live

Rick Stein has breakfast wi...

Podcast 110 - Cars from the year you were born

Jonny and Richard pick cars from the years they were born, once Jonny's remembered what year that was. 

Also in this episode, electric scooter racing, casually flutey behaviour, seeing Andrew Ridgeley, people in Cornish taverns of the '80s, Rick Stein's idiotic breakfasts, a very expensive Mercedes, almost buying old S-Classes, indecisive Nick Mason constantly buying his own Ferrari, Queen at the lathe, and the wonders of a straight six.

Show notes 109

Hello again. We lead this week with the most Bristol picture ever. The joy is in the details. Then we have Jonny as he recorded this show with a glass of wine, naturalist Steve Backshall being casual with a snake, The Chemical Brothers (Ed and Tom, or is it the other way round?) and the cover for their album Exit Planet Dust featuring a Plymouth Belvedere. It’s a picture from a 1970s fashion shoot, apparently. Note that the image has been flipped so the Plymouth appears to be right-hand-dri...

Podcast 109 - The fastest you've ever reversed

Jonny once went backwards up a runway and Richard has been haranguing a member of Blur. 

Also in this episode, meeting Steve Backshall behind a sofa, refusing to use 5th gear, never checking your oil, over-checking your oil, getting haunted by a ticking 911, a picture of the most Bristol thing ever, feeding a pet bird of prey, wondering what snake owners drive, and Jonny's views on air-con warrant a trip to controversy corner. 

Plus, very thick waistcoats, Taylor Swift d...

Father's Day = new merch + Brut. Yes, Brut.

T'is true. We've decided to tret yers reet this Father's Day (or at least help someone else to tret you right).

That's why we've rustled up a couple of special Dad Day Smith and Sniff cards, which you can buy individually, or with some top (sock) drawer gift sets. These gift sets range in price and content, but all include a tinkle of the old 'Essence of Man'. We're sure you're all aware of this majestic potion.

Stock is limited for this initial sacred batch (but if successful we'...

Show notes 108

Well, well, well. What have we got here then? We start with the Silverstone 'wing' (elaborate building movement railway, not pictured), a classic example of zany Eurospecs, and the new Range Rover Spowaaaaataaaagh followed by the similar (?) Reliant Scimitar GTE, a car which has never been owned by anyone famous ever. Then we have a couple of examples of needlessly moved number plates on modded cars, a Toyota GRRRRR86 being driven by someone who doesn’t have to pay for its tyres, the disapp...

Podcast 108 - Base model pirate ship

Jonny's been to the Autocar awards and Richard is obsessed with GR86 numbers. 

Also in this episode, the canals and moveable buildings of Silverstone, the joy of unusual Eurospecs, Gerry McGovern saying 'luxury' too much, car designers buying their own designs, the problem with metallic black, VW bringing the Scout back, Max Power number plate movements, re-inventing the Scimitar GTE, and why Jonny doesn't like air-con. 

Plus, future classics, the Kia Stinger, the Corvet...

Show notes 107

Hello again. Welcome to the late-running show notes for episode 107. Given how low energy it was, perhaps the notes turning up two days late is appropriate. Anyway, what have we got for this week? Well, we lead with an image from Gone In 60 Seconds showing Nic Cage in his terrible jacket and Angelina Jolie looking like she lives in Bristol. Then we move on to an excellent example of the ‘hungry horse’ roof on older 911 cabrios - note the visible ribs and the way it sinks into the rear dec...

Podcast 107 - Rollback kicks in

Jonny's just got off a plane and Richard has been out drinking so it's a low energy show in which topics covered include Wherever I Lay My Hat lyrical confusion, the hungry horse Porsche, changing oil without turning the engine off, an unstoppable Austin Cambridge, reviews of the Mercedes EQS, Ford Puma hybrid and an excellent new book about the car industry, jabbing a wasps' nest after half a bottle of wine, Nic Cage's terrible jacket in Gone In 60 Seconds, Nick Knowles's motorbike clothes, ...

Show notes 106

We lead this week with the Ferrari Pinin concept, just because it’s the nicest looking photo we have. That’s followed by the Hyundai Richard was thinking of (it’s called a Bayon apparently) and then that stancey ZX for sale, a classic Adrian Newey bum-up F1 car, and the 505 GTI about to auction on Car & Classic. Finally, we have Michael McDonald in some Aviators, although they seem to be sitting unusually straight in this shot. Perhaps he’d had them on his jig.

Lewis Hamilto...

Podcast 106 - Petrol station sunglasses

Jonny and Richard wonder why singer Michael McDonald keeps buying cheap foldable fake Aviators from gas stations and then accidentally sitting on them. 

Also in this episode, the Kia Starmer and Hyundai Bayern Munich football club, Lewis Hamilton buying Chelsea, living in Monaco versus just paying taxes, the boringness of hairpin bends, why the 205 GTI has a claggy throat, hot hatches that feel like John Hurt from Alien, the joy of the Citroen ZX Volcane, Adrian Newey's Custom Car ...

Show notes 105

Slightly later than normal because the Patreon website is being a twat we have some show notes to go with this week’s podcast. From the picture desk there’s Richard driving a GT-R in America, a grab of that now-deleted GT-R peacock ad, a GT-R and mk2 MR2 without boot spoilers, an El Camino being cool (?) and the surprisingly nice new Toyota Venza. Now here are some links…

Richard's evo story about the GT-R in the USA - 2022-04-25 07:53:43 +0000 UTC View Post

Podcast 105 - Nissan GT-Rs of history

Beset with technical problems including crashing software and randomly rebooting laptops, Jonny and Richard finally managed to record this show of nonsense with a few unwanted pops and squelches on the audio. Sorry about that. 

Topics covered this week include GT-Rs in Peaky Blinders, a trip to the corrections desk, random people on American internal flights, a confusion between 'loo' and 'poo', impersonating a peacock, bold claims in car ads, Japanese sports cars that look good wi...

Show notes 104

Hello gang. What a lot of pics we seem to have this week. We lead, of course, with the subject of this show's title, followed by the king of the deep Vs, Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct. Then some sleezy Slotmags and the Weller 8-spoke, followed by a map of the M25 for those not familiar with it. Note how it encircles the largest city in Western Europe and is therefore quite long. Especially if you do an accidental lap of it. Next up, those stickers offered to Jonny, a bustle backed and whe...

Podcast 104 - Mitsubishi Jet Towel

Jonny has discovered a new type of Mitsubishi and it's good news for your granddad. 

Also in this episode, hot V versus deep V versus Flying V, Britain's sleeziest alloy wheel, going round the M25 by mistake, slipping Smith and Sniff references into interviews, a cute old couple in a Mazda2, the problem with the boot on a Morris Minor, the Yaris Cross doing something weird with its teeth, the coming trend for safari-style cars, names for off-brand energy drinks, the old pits at Rei...

Show notes 103

Hello again. Talking, as we are in this podcast, of sports people in free cars, we start this week with a picture from a gentler time of the Aston Villa squad with an Montego. Then we've got evidence that Tiger Woods's smashed up Genesis DID have stickers on the doors after all, a promo pic of Last of the Summer Wine that will explain nothing to overseas listeners, Richard's new e-Up cowering before his Range Rover, Celine Dion and her late husband René Angélil, and the last Mondeo coming o...