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It’s All About The Journey

Celebrating the cars, bikes and people that make every mile memorable.


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Ed from Back Road Hero

Welcome to Back Road Hero

The best automotive stories aren’t always about the fastest, newest, or most expensive vehicles.
They’re about the cars and motorcycles that make you take the long way home.

Welcome to Back Road Hero, a YouTube channel dedicated to real enthusiasts,real owners, and the machines that make every drive or ride memorable.

I’m Ed — airline captain, racing driver, and lifelong petrolhead.

Through Back Road Hero, I meet fellow enthusiasts, review interesting vehicles, and share the stories behind the machines that make life more exciting.

What You’ll Find Here

  • Vehicle reviews from an enthusiast’s perspective
  • Owner stories and featured vehicles
  • Road trips and driving adventures
  • Performance cars, classics, motorcycles and future icons
  • Honest opinions from behind the wheel

Feature Your Car or Motorcycle

Have a car or motorcycle with a story to tell? Whether it’s a cherished classic, a future collectible,
a track weapon, a rare find, or simply something you love driving, I’d love to hear from you.

Click below to tell me about your vehicle and you could be featured on the Back Road Hero YouTube channel.


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Join the Back Road Hero Community

Subscribe on YouTube and follow the journey as we discover the people, places and vehicles
that make motoring so rewarding.


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Because the best roads are rarely motorways.

#BackRoadHero

YouTube

Back Road Hero

We all have a back road hero. That one vehicle that tempts us away from the highway onto the back roads. As well as being a 'content creator', I'm a true petrol head, petrol nerd, occasional racing driver, and Airline Captain. After family, my life revolves around meeting like minded people and restoring, driving, buying and selling cars. Life's too short to drive something boring.

Back Road Hero
One day off work. A packed BMW i8. 1,500 miles of European roads. And a mission to find a unicorn. In this episode of Back Road Hero, I take my BMW i8 on the ultimate long weekend road trip across Europe with my son Max. What started as a simple adventure quickly became something much bigger: Nürburgring pit stops, the Porsche Museum, the Mercedes-Benz Museum, unrestricted autobahns, Munich, BMW Welt, the BMW Museum, and finally the icing on the cake... an unforgettable stay at Motorworld. The final goal? To track down the extraordinary concept car that would eventually become the BMW i8, and to arrive there in the car it inspired. This is more than just a road trip. It’s proof that with a little planning and one extra day off, you can stop watching other people make memories and go make some of your own. If you’ve ever wondered what the BMW i8 is really like on a proper European adventure, this one’s for you. In this video: • BMW i8 road trip across Europe • Harwich to Hook of Holland ferry • Nürburgring visit • Porsche Museum Stuttgart • Mercedes-Benz Museum Stuttgart • BMW Welt Munich • BMW Museum Munich • Motorworld Munich hotel stay • Autobahn driving • Long weekend road trip inspiration If you enjoy road trips, interesting cars, and making the most of a normal weekend, subscribe to Back Road Hero for more. #BMWi8 #RoadTrip #BackRoadHero #BMW #Nurburgring #PorscheMuseum #MercedesMuseum #BMWMuseum #BMWWelt #Motorworld #Autobahn #EuropeanRoadTrip If I've helped you, or just want to say thanks, then please buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/backroadhero Website at: https://www.backroadhero.com Merchandise Website: https://backroadhero.myspreadshop.co.uk Social media links: Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/BackRoadHero Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/back_road_hero/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backroadhero YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Back_Road_Hero 00:00 Intro 03:00 Preparation 03:55 Keeping it Legal 05:00 Nürburgring 08:10 Porsche Museum Zuffenhausen 14:28 Mercedes Museum Stuttgart 18:00 Autobahn Run To Munich 18:40 BMW Museum Munich 23:35 Motorworld Munich
The L322 is finally back where it belongs: on the road. In this video, I tell the full story of what happened with my Range Rover L322, what went wrong, what needed fixing, what it cost, and what it actually feels like now it’s back in action. If you’ve ever wondered whether an L322 is still worth saving, what ownership is really like, or why these cars still have such a grip on enthusiasts, this is the full story. From suspension issues and mechanical setbacks to finally getting the car driving properly again, this is the honest tale of getting my Range Rover back on the road. If I've helped you, or just want to say thanks, then please buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/backroadhero Website at: https://www.backroadhero.com Merchandise Website: https://backroadhero.myspreadshop.co.uk Social media links: Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/BackRoadHero Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/back_road_hero/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backroadhero YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Back_Road_Hero
I finally took my BMW i8 to BMW for a proper health check… and this was the moment of truth. After buying the car and uncovering a few early headaches, I wanted to know one thing: had I actually bought a good one underneath it all, or was there more pain waiting in the wings? In this video, I take the i8 in for a BMW health check, go through what they found, what they didn’t, what it cost, and whether this futuristic hybrid has finally started to earn my trust. We’ll cover the condition of the car, the faults I’d already dealt with, what BMW picked up during the inspection, and whether the results changed how I feel about the car overall. The i8 still feels like something from tomorrow, but owning one in the real world can sometimes feel like an argument with tomorrow’s electrician. If you’ve ever wondered what a BMW i8 is really like to own used, especially once the honeymoon period has worn off, this one’s for you. If you enjoy honest car ownership stories, diagnostics, used performance car reality, and the occasional slightly expensive plot twist, subscribe to Back Road Hero. #BMWi8 #BMWHealthCheck #UsedCarBuying #HybridSupercar #BackRoadHero #BMWOwnership #CarReview #BMWUK 00:00 Introduction 01:58 The BMW health check 04:20 Launching The i8 05:07 Arriving At BMW North Oxford 05:47 What BMW found 07:50 Questioning The Estimate 08:32 Was there anything serious hiding underneath? 09:50 Did it pass? 11:45 The Final Verdict If I've helped you, or just want to say thanks, then please buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/backroadhero Website at: https://www.backroadhero.com Merchandise Website: https://backroadhero.myspreadshop.co.uk Social media links: Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/BackRoadHero Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/back_road_hero/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backroadhero YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Back_Road_Hero
I finally bought my dream BMW i8… but within days, problems started to appear. This is the reality of new car day when things don’t quite go to plan. In this video, I take delivery of my BMW i8 — a car I’ve wanted for years — but things don’t quite go as expected. What should have been a perfect “new car day” quickly turns into fault codes, unexpected issues, and a deeper look at what ownership is really like. The BMW i8 is an incredible piece of engineering — a plug-in hybrid sports car combining electric drive with a turbocharged engine — but like any used performance car, it’s not always perfect.  This is the start of the journey — the highs, the surprises, and the reality behind buying your dream car. ⸻ If you’re thinking about buying an i8 or any used performance car, this might be worth watching. ⸻ CALL TO ACTION: If you’ve had a similar experience buying a used car, drop a comment below — I’d love to hear your story. #bmwi8 #usedcars #carproblems #bmw #dreamcar If I've helped you, or just want to say thanks, then please buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/backroadhero Website at: https://www.backroadhero.com Merchandise Website: https://backroadhero.myspreadshop.co.uk Social media links: Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/BackRoadHero Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/back_road_hero/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backroadhero YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Back_Road_Hero 00:00 Intro 01:25 Expectations 05:37 Pick Up 07: 40 Issues 14:20 Thoughts 20:04 The Positive Side 20:25 £70,000 discount! 22:36 What's Next? 23:44 Buyer's Remorse?
If I've helped you, or just want to say thanks, then please buy me a coffee: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/backroadhero Website at: https://www.backroadhero.com Merchandise Website: https://backroadhero.myspreadshop.co.uk Social media links: Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/BackRoadHero Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/back_road_hero/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backroadhero YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@back_road_hero
After 9 months, I've finally sold my 2018 Abarth 124 Spider. Here i talk about my ownership experience but can you guess what's next? Website at: https://www.backroadhero.com Merchandise Website: https://backroadhero.myspreadshop.co.uk Social media links: Twitter: https://www.Twitter.com/BackRoadHero Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/back_road_hero/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/backroadhero YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Back_Road_Hero 00:00 Introduction 01:08 9 Months Ownership 02:12 Overall 02:55 Pros and Cons and Upgrades 05:30 Costs and Problems 12:40 All cars should be like this 13:50 Total Costs 15:30 The biggest issues! 18:48 My major concern 20:20 What's next? 21:22 Outtakes
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Featured Products

I will ONLY recommend products that I find genuinely useful and worthwhile. Ed

Here’s a list of the featured products on my YouTube channel. They’re ‘affiliate’ links. The products don’t cost you any more, but Amazon pay me a small commission (3-6%) for me sending you their way. Just wanted to be open and honest. So if you fancy contributing to the cost of a coffee, then follow the links and it would be greatly appreciated.

Invery Bluetooth Adapter for Jaguar

Phone Holder

Wireless CarPlay dongle for Alfa Romeo Giulia/Stelvio (2018+) 

Car Cover for Alfa Romeo Giulia (Please order size B5)

Disklok Steering Wheel Lock (Smaller Size Fits Alfa Giulia)

CTEK Battery Conditioner

NOCO Battery Booster

 

Merchandise

You might want a T-Shirt or mug some day. Buying some ‘merch’ greatly helps me maintain the channel. Many thanks for all those that have supported me already. Ed

click here to go to the merch shop