Guild Member Profile: George Loveridge
This is the second in our new Member Profile initiative to help with recognition and making introductions easier at industry events by revealing a bit more about members than can be gleaned from their Year Book entry.
If you’d like to take part simply send to the News Briefs editor with a suitable landscape-shaped photo.
Name and job title: George Loveridge, editor and creator of Driving Around, motoring correspondent for Travel News Update, writer for gearnews.com, freelance photographer, guitar teacher and gigging guitarist.
How did you get started in automotive journalism? I started when I was 15, taking photos for Practical Classics magazine. My dad, Guy Loveridge, was writing several features on the restoration of an Austin 16 that he would later take around Europe covering seven capital cities across seven days. I supplied a large number of the photos.
What’s been your most memorable car review or feature piece? For all the wrong reasons, my most memorable car review is the KGM Torres EVX. Having just moved into a new house, I had this car on loan at the time. Sadly, the 12-volt battery died, which caused the car to deadlock itself, but it still had enough battery to trigger the alarm in the early hours of the morning and the car had to be dragged off the drive. Hello new neighbours!
Which motoring story or investigation are you most proud of? I’m most proud of my piece comparing our 1956 Morgan Plus 4 to a contemporary model. Being able to persuade Morgan to loan the vehicle and then putting it next to an older model was very exciting and interesting.
How has motoring journalism changed since you started? Since I started taking on press cars in 2021, electric vehicle loans are a lot more common. Plus, it’s getting harder still to get hold of vehicles to review, and generally my audience are bored of electric vehicles as they’re becoming so common.
What was the first car or motorcycle you ever owned? The first car that I ever had a V5 for was a 1929 Austin 7 Cambridge Special that had been in the family since the 1970s until 2005, and it was then reacquired in 2017 when I became the custodian of it.
Do you have a dream car or other vehicle you’d love to own or drive? I would love to own, or at least drive, a Jaguar F-Type R. Having seen photos of it in 2013 when I was younger, everything about it appealed to me.
What’s the best road trip you’ve ever been on? The best road trip has to be when I took my, at the time new to me by four days, 2003 Jaguar XJ6 down to Brighton and Eastbourne from West Yorkshire to cover a motoring event. I had had the car for very little time, and it was my first big trip in the big cat.
Which motoring event do you always look forward to? I always look forward to The Holme Moss Hill Climb, an event that I have co-organised since 2020. It’s a relaxed day for car enthusiasts that helps to raise £1000s for The Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
What’s the biggest challenge facing automotive writers today? I believe that the biggest challenge is the level of cooperation from press teams. Unless you’re already established, or are writing for a prestigious outlet, it’s very hard to convince manufacturers to play ball.
Where do you see the future of automotive journalism heading? It looks like it’ll be heading entirely online. Even now, you can make more money from a 12-second highlights video on YouTube or TikTok than selling a few hundred magazine copies.
How do you think vehicle manufacturers could improve their media engagement? If manufacturers were as open as possible about all aspects of their new models, then their engagement would surely increase.
What’s the strangest or funniest thing that’s ever happened on a car launch? Whist attending the KGM Actyon launch in January 2025, I took one of the test vehicles to Castle Combe Circuit, only to find that although there wasn’t anyone at the circuit, everything was ‘open’. Therefore, I was not only able to get some photos of the KGM in the paddock, but if I’d have been brave enough, I could have driven on track. Again, not a soul in sight…
If you could swap jobs with someone in the industry for a day, who would it be? Mat Watson seems to have a pretty good gig.
What’s your go-to driving music or podcast? I always enjoy listening to The AutoAlex Podcast or even Simon Mayo’s Confessions on long journeys. However, I have a special rock mix for spirited driving, featuring The Beatles, Motley Crue, AC/DC, Golden Earring and the like – the good stuff.
