"Hi guys, I’m Shmee!"
If you're a car enthusiast, chances are, it's not the first time you hear this line. It’s the intro by one of the most popular automobile social media personalities today. Tim Burton, or Shmee, as he is more commonly known, is the brains behind the famous Shmee150 YouTube channel. In March 2020, the channel officially reached 2 million subscribers. That’s an impressive achievement, considering it started with zero subscribers in 2010. The channel currently has about 4,000 videos – a rate of more than 1 video per day for the last decade!
Over the years, Tim has been able to share his passion with the car fandom, building a profitable brand in the process. His fleet of Shmeemobiles currently numbers about 11 cars including some very special limited-edition models. in fact, you can watch a video of his latest acquisition here.
This article highlights 15 most interesting facts about this YouTuber from Central London and his world-famous YouTube channel.
15 How The YouTube channel Took Off
The channel kicked off in 2010 when the then 22-year old Tim attended a Top Gear event. He was fascinated by the new Ferrari and Lamborghini supercars parked outside and decided to make a video. There was nothing special about the wobbly video but it still managed to rack up 10,000 views within the first couple of weeks. Tim, ever the businessman, recognized an opportunity and the channel was born.
14 Tim Is Very Private
Tim is one of the most recognizable social media stars in the automobile world today, and he has been in the public eye for several years now. However, he is very professional in keeping his private life distinctly separate from his work. We do know he lives in Central London, has a German girlfriend and there’s a secret garage where he keeps his cars but that’s pretty much most of what we know.
13 Tim’s Senna And The Nürburgring Record
In April 2019, Tim took his MSO-spec McLaren Senna to the famous Nürburgring in Germany and spent some time properly thrashing the supercar on the track. By doing that, he actually set a Nürburgring record because his car was the first production Senna to lap the almost 19-mile track.
12 Then The Senna Took A Whack
A few months after the Nürburgring experience, the Senna got in involved in a highway accident. It happened in July 2019 as Tim was on his way to the Goodwood Festival of Speed. A massive 18-wheeler ASDA delivery truck suddenly swerved into his lane and scraped the side of the supercar, doing considerable damage. The repairs took about 6 months to complete. Ouch!
11 Tim Has Other Ventures
When people think of Shmee150, their thoughts understandably drift towards the YouTube channel. However, Tim is actually involved in a few other money-making ventures. There’s the Shmee Finance, which is run as a partnership with Harrington Finance. He also finances app ideas and more recently teamed up with a business venture that builds half-scale fully-functional model cars – the prefect mancave toy.
10 The Ford Relationship
Tim enjoys a very special relationship with the American carmaker and he has quite a few special cars from the company as proof. There’s the Ford GT – the hypercar that’s allocated only after a thorough selection process. He also has the Ford Focus RS Heritage Edition, 1 of 50, and a Red Edition Focus RS. A blue mainstream Focus RS used to be a part of the collection before it was sold off.
9 He Loves His Model Cars
Another topic Tim is very fond of is model cars and he does talk about them occasionally in his YouTube videos. He currently has a collection of model cars that includes most of the cars he has ever owned, in exactly the same color specification and design. He plans to display them publicly in his man cave when it’s fully set up and running.
8 He Actually Trained To Be A Ski Instructor
He does love adventure, and some time after completing his A-levels, he traveled abroad to take ski instructor classes. He actually practiced the profession for a while in New Zealand until a major injury forced him to give up that vocation and return to the United Kingdom. Now, you know why he was skiing so well behind the Stradman’s Aventador.
7 World Traveler
The nature of his work does mean that Tim often has to travel to various locations around the world. He recently took his Ford GT on a tour of the United States. He has also been to exotic locations including the desert city of Dubai and the Swiss alps. He was recently planning a road trip to Marrakech in Morocco but that has unfortunately been put on hold for now.
6 The Shmee150 Channel And Private Collections
A quick browse through the YouTube Channel will reveal a large number of private collections that Tim has been privileged to visit. Some of them are quite exclusive and only a handful of people are allowed access. We guess this is one of the perks of having a large following on social media – that and generally being a nice dude.
5 1oth Anniversary Of The YouTube Channel
The 10th anniversary of the Shmee150 YouTube channel rolled by in January 2020. Tim celebrated it by taking all his cars – 10 in total – to a private location for a photo shoot. It was the first time all members of the ‘Shmeemobiles’ would be together in the same location and according to him, it was quite a challenge to make that happen.
4 Automakers Love The Shmee Brand
There is no denying the fact that most of the automakers love Tim and his brand. He is often invited to new car reveals and first-drive experiences all over the world. Some of these carmakers, such as BMW, even loan him their premium automobiles to drive around. It’s a win-win situation, really. Tim gets some good content for his social media accounts and the carmakers benefit from inexpensive publicity.
3 The Epic Cars He’s Driven
Being an automobile social media influencer does have its perks, just ask Tim. He’s been lucky to drive some pretty stunning automobiles over the years. They include the ultra-exclusive Ferrari F50, Pagani Zonda Cinque, Bugatti Chiron, and Lamborghini Veneno Roadster. He’s also driven most of the Koenigsegg models at different times. Who else is green with envy?
2 He’s Authored A Book
In 2016, Tim authored a book and the title is actually lifted from the tagline on his YouTube Channel – Living the Supercar Dream. In the book, he shares his journey about his experiences with a number of special cars he has encountered in his travels around the globe. He’s had more memorable experiences between 2016 and now so it is highly plausible that there’s a part two of the book in the works.
1 The First Car He Owned
He has always loved automobiles and bought his first car at age 17 when he was still in school. That car was a silver Renault Clio 1.2 and it kick-started the Shmeemobile collection. He drove the car for a couple of years before the car was replaced. The first sports car he owned was an Aston Martin Vantage.