There’s a moment that happens when you’re deep into a passion project. It’s not when you hit your first milestone or when the numbers start climbing. It’s quieter than that. It’s when you’re sitting at your computer at 11 PM, writing about some obscure racing series or a barn find BMW, and you realize this thing you started as a side project has become something real. Something that matters to people.

That moment happened to me about six months ago, and it’s why hitting 100 articles feels like more than just a number. It feels like proof that authentic car culture storytelling still has a place in this world of clickbait headlines and algorithm-driven content.

From the Beginning

Before we dive into the journey, let me explain what The Late Brake really is, because it’s probably not what you’d expect from most automotive media companies. We’re not here to regurgitate press releases about the latest hypercars or create listicles about “10 Cars You Should Buy Right Now.” We don’t have corporate sponsors dictating our coverage or PR teams filtering our access to stories.

The Late Brake is something much simpler and, I’d argue, much more important. The Late Brake is a media company founded by me, Anthony, during the COVID lockdown in November 2020 as a passion project. The mission is to tell the stories that mainstream automotive media misses. The grassroots builds that take years to complete, the racing series that deserve recognition, the shops creating magic in industrial warehouses, the people who understand that cars are just the excuse for the experiences and connections that actually matter.

I founded The Late Brake because I saw a gap in automotive storytelling that needed to be filled. Too much of the content out there felt sanitized, focused only on exotic supercars, YouTube builds, and major motorsports series. The human stories, the struggles, the genuine passion that makes car culture worth preserving, all of that was getting lost in the noise. The Late Brake became my way of highlighting these stories that deserved to be told, the ones that actually resonated with real enthusiasts.

Learning it All the Hard Way

The story of actually getting The Late Brake off the ground is pretty typical for any passion project started by someone with more enthusiasm than experience. Picture me in November 2020, sitting in my condo during lockdown, completely clueless about running a website, but convinced I had something important to say about car culture.

I spent weeks trying to figure out WordPress, learning about SEO through YouTube tutorials at 2 AM, and attempting to make sense of hosting providers while having zero technical background. The first few articles were published to absolute crickets, which is exactly what you’d expect when you’re writing into the void of the internet with no audience, no social media, and no idea what you’re doing.

But here’s what I learned during those early days: authenticity resonates, even when your execution is rough around the edges. I wrote about everything that interested me: project cars, racing coverage, automotive history, industry trends, and even Formula 1. Some articles hit, others didn’t, but each one taught me something about storytelling and what actually connected with fellow enthusiasts. The key was staying true to my own interests while making sure the content was accessible to both hardcore gearheads and casual car lovers. The best advice I’ve ever gotten that flows through everything I do is “Your first 100 of anything will suck.” It’s firm but simple. Once you grasp that you can’t do things well until you’ve done them bad is liberating. It got me from 0 to 1, from 1 to 10, and 10 now to 100. But just like those pesky lap times, you’ve gotta get out there and do the damn thing. You aren’t going to get better by watching.

What kept me going during those first months when I was talking to maybe 3 readers was simple: I genuinely believed there were stories worth telling that weren’t being told anywhere else. The garage-built race cars, the weekend warriors, the passionate shop owners who were creating incredible stuff without any recognition. These stories mattered, and if I could find a way to tell them properly, maybe other people would care too. I knew I had something worth doing, I just hadn’t figured out how to do it fully.

Events, Collaborations, and Finding Our People

The real turning point came when I stopped writing from behind a computer and started actually attending events, meeting people, and becoming part of the community I was covering. You can’t write authentically about car culture if you’re not living it, and getting out there changed everything about how I approached The Late Brake.

My first major collaboration was with Built For Backroads, and it perfectly illustrates why personal connections matter so much in this space. Paul Levitz and Kyle Roberts of Built for Backroads graciously met with me when no one else would. They were genuine car people who treated me like an old friend the moment I met them at Air Water in Costa Mesa. We spent hours talking about their vision, their passion for connecting enthusiasts with the right cars, and their commitment to building something authentic in a space full of profit-driven platforms. When I was finally able to post my article, not only did they share it, but Kyle went way above and beyond to create special graphics to share on my behalf. My post before Built for Backroads had 37 views, however, my Built for Backroads post has around 9K as of writing this. This type of support has been instrumental to my success and all I can do is thank them.

That collaboration taught me something crucial: the best automotive stories come from people who are living the culture, not just observing it from the outside. Paul and Kyle weren’t just running a business; they were solving a problem they personally experienced as enthusiasts. Their story resonated because it was real, and covering it properly required understanding their motivation, not just their business model. Getting to hear directly from them helped me understand the emotion from their perspective, and ultimately let me be able to add my emotion to the article. Sitting on the sidelines won’t ever get you into the game, you have to jump in and learn to play.

This approach opened doors I never could have imagined. Because of the recognition I gained, I was able to get credentialed for SEMA 2024 as media, which felt absolutely surreal. Walking the halls of the most important aftermarket trade show in the world with a media badge, interviewing builders and industry insiders, covering the innovations that would shape the next year of car culture felt like a dream. I even got to meet my automotive inspiration Larry Chen. You truly never know what can happen unless you are out there trying.

Building this credibility led me into other shops and interviews like TKO Motorsports, D1 Euro Imports, and Neu Flagship. These weren’t just coverage opportunities; they were relationships with people who understood what we were trying to build with The Late Brake. At the time it felt so unbelievable, but looking back it was the only way it could have worked. Each relationship built adds to the next and it snowballs, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Sometimes you can’t even believe where it leads you to.

The Car That Changed Everything

Sometimes a single decision can completely alter your trajectory, and for me, that decision was purchasing a Peugeot 106 Rallye. It might seem random, but that car became the key that unlocked doors I didn’t even know existed. Having a legitimate rally car gave me credibility in the community that I was willing to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. To bring it full circle, I purchased this car from D1 Euro Imports essentially because I was there doing a shop tour for an article. Without previous credibility and generosity from Luke the owner of D1, I would have never been in a position to even buy it.

More importantly, the Peugeot connected me with the right people. It got me into Radwood NorCal as a show car and not just an attendee, where I connected with fellow enthusiasts who shared my passion for underappreciated classics. The car also earned me an invitation to the epic Camp Overcrest, an experience that completely changed my perspective on what automotive events could be.

Camp Overcrest wasn’t just another car event. It was a reminder of why I fell in love with car culture in the first place. Waking up in a tent next to my car, sharing morning coffee with strangers who quickly became friends, having conversations that stretched well into the night about everything from carburetors to life philosophy. By the end of the weekend, I found myself in a group chat with people who felt like lifetime connections, all because we shared a common obsession and the willingness to embrace genuine experiences over Instagram moments.

The Peugeot continues to pay dividends in terms of networking and story opportunities. But the biggest payoff came recently when it enabled me to partner with Neu Official to host my own Cars and Coffee event. Starting my own Cars and Coffee has been a dream of mine for years, and seeing it become relatively successful feels like the ultimate validation of everything The Late Brake has been building toward.

From Writer to Community Builder

Hosting your own Cars and Coffee might not sound like a big deal, but for someone who started with just a blog and a passion for cars, it represents so much more. It’s proof that The Late Brake has become a legitimate part of the community we cover, not just an outside observer writing about it.

The partnership with Neu Official has been incredible, and seeing enthusiasts show up with everything from pristine classics to wild project cars reinforces why I started this journey. Car culture is about community, and being able to facilitate that community gathering on a Sunday morning is incredibly rewarding. Whether someone shows up in a million-dollar hypercar or a ratty project they’ve been working on for years, everyone is welcome. That’s the spirit of automotive enthusiasm that The Late Brake has always tried to capture and promote.

What makes this even more special is seeing the connections form naturally. People discovering new shops, finding parts for their projects, or just bonding over shared automotive obsessions. We’re not just hosting a car show; we’re creating a space where the best parts of car culture can flourish. The Late Brake went from covering the community to helping build it, and that evolution feels like exactly where we should be.

The Ones That Made It All Possible

None of this would exist without the incredible support of our readers, followers, and the automotive community as a whole. From the early days when only a handful of people were reading our articles to now, when thousands of enthusiasts engage with our content, the growth has been amazing to witness. But more importantly, it’s been authentic. These aren’t passive followers; they’re active participants in the culture we’re documenting.

To everyone who has shared our articles, left comments, sent emails about discovering something new through our coverage, or found inspiration for their own projects, thank you. Your engagement is what makes this worthwhile and what motivates me to keep pushing forward. Every message from every reader who connected with a story or learned something new reminds me why authentic automotive journalism still matters.

A massive thank you goes out to all the shops, builders, and industry professionals who have opened their doors to The Late Brake. A huge shout-out to TKO Motorsports, D1 Euro Imports, Built For Backroads, Neu Official, the entire Overcrest crew, and countless others who have helped me share their stories and expertise. You’ve made The Late Brake better and helped us provide content that actually means something to the community. You’ve trusted us with your stories, and that trust is something we never take lightly.

What’s Next for The Late Brake

As we hit this 100-article milestone, the automotive landscape continues to change rapidly. Electric vehicles, autonomous technology, shifting cultural attitudes toward car ownership, it’s all evolving at breakneck speed. But at its core, car culture is about passion, creativity, and human connection, and those elements will always be relevant regardless of what’s powering our wheels.

The Late Brake will continue to evolve while staying true to its roots. We’ll keep covering all aspects of motorsports, highlighting builders who are pushing boundaries, and telling the stories that mainstream automotive media often overlooks. We’ll also continue to grow our event presence and maybe even expand beyond Cars and Coffee to other types of gatherings that bring enthusiasts together.

The goal has never been to become the biggest automotive media company out there: it’s been to become the most authentic one, the place where real enthusiasts go for stories that actually matter to them. Whether that’s a deep dive into a vintage racing series, a profile of a shop doing incredible work, or coverage of a grassroots event that deserves recognition, we’ll keep focusing on substance over spectacle.

Here’s to the next 100 articles and whatever adventures they bring. The road ahead is full of possibilities, and I can’t wait to share them with all of you. Whether you’ve been with us since article one or you’re just discovering The Late Brake, welcome to the journey. The best stories are still ahead of us, and we’re going to tell them together.