Practical Classics mag- any good??

[dugong]

No offence if it's your thing but I'm sick to death of a classic car* only been seen as pre 65 and English, how many times can they go over the same ground

Some magazines would like to include 'modern' (youngtimer) content but encounter resistance from their core readership. We write about up-coming twenty and twenty five year old cars anyway, and you have to move with the times because cars of that age appeal to a younger audience. A movement can't survive without fresh blood.

 

Seems logical to me, but lots of people disagree.

[brownnova]

I'm another PC fan. Ive bought it on and off since I was a teenager in about 1999, after a friend of my mums gave me a load of back issues. I go through phases with it. I stopped for a while and had a try of other mags (quite liked Retro cars but found it a bit samey after a couple of issues) but always drift back to PC because it has cars that are more obtainbable than most other car mags. But agree there should be less MGBs!!

 

My favourite bit is definately staff car sagas too, but I also like how clear their technical bits are, as I need things explaining very clearly!!

[Lacquer Peel]

Who do you write for dugong?

[mrcitroen]

Believe me - some magazines would like to include 'modern' (youngtimer) content but encounter resistance from their core readership. We write about up-coming twenty and twenty five year old cars anyway. You have to move with the times because cars of that age appeal to a younger audience - and a movement can't survive without fresh blood.Seems logical to me, but lots of people disagree.

Maybe a new magazine dedicated to Youngtimers and shite could work? The kind of stuff that only gets token exposure in mainstream mags. I know hehaw about journalism & publication though.

 

Like loads on here I used to buy PC every month, but found it repetitive and also with change in editorial staff seemed to determine what was seen as a 'classic car'. Ever noticed whatever car a writer has in there 'garage' ends up in the price guide?

 

I now only buy when it has French, Italian or Eastern bloc content, mainly because that's the only cars I'm interested In.

[Anglevan]

I've often thought that autoshite should branch into the paper publication. Imagine a brown mag with features on hgf by the master mrb.

Or adventures of alpine buying by sambas.

Front cover feature on a 1986 vauxhall Belmont in beige.

 

A buyers guide for sub £250 motors. Sounds a perfect read with my cup of horlicks!

I know I'd buy it!

As for pc, I have a few boxes full from the 90 ' s then stopped buying it. Just an occasional look and if somat catches my eye then ill buy it..

[scruff]

Maybe a new magazine dedicated to Youngtimers and shite could work? The kind of stuff that only gets token exposure in mainstream mags. 

 

More than once this has been mooted - two publishers (that I know of) didn't think it was worth following up as there was "no money in it". I know, cos I was on the team of one of the proposals. I am a shite failure. 

 

By "no money" they don't mean sales or subs, more how much money they can get out of advertisers, who already have a vast choice of mags to spend with.

 

Mind, both publishers also said a mag dedicated to classic Landies would be a flop - but a publisher with no other motoring titles picked it up and ran with it. 

 

It could work but would need either a publisher with balls to give it a go or a wealthy shite loving backer who could afford to potentially lose thousands. Those with long memories may remember Your Classic running a tester mag called, I think, Modern Classic (?) This was in about 1993 and included Cortinas, Carltons, CXs etc. To the best of my knowledge they only did one issue but as this was at the height* of Jalopy's success* I wonder how much influence that little mag had.

 

Brownmag was a total joke between a few friends. We ran some copies off as Christmas presents for example. One pal though got a bit carried away and started banding it about with visions of becoming the next Harry Metcalfe. Obviously, not everyone got it and I couldn't be bothered with the h8rs and hassle.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Practical Classics, like all magazines has advertising as its lifeblood. MGB's, TR5's and Minors, Minis, Jaguars etc generate it and Alfasuds/Citreon* GS's don't.

Car magazine publishing has changed a lot in the last 10-15 years. in 2001, an average mag like Fast Ford or PC had a monthly budget of 6-10 grand because it had a circulation of 35'000 a month upwards. Max Power used to do something mental like 200'000. Not any more because teh internez and forums like this one killed off a lot of mag circulation.

Companies like Haymarket and EMAP looked again at car mags. Now, a mag like Mac Monthly is cheap to publish. Use manufacturer press photos, pay a few boffins to write it, rake in thousands and thousands in advertising, sell 250'000 copies a month - there's a winner.

Car mags? Everything has to be expensively photographed (no press shots here), pay up to ten (or more) writers, limited advertising revenue and you only sell 20'000 a month. And sell it for the same £4.00 as the above computer mag. That's why EMAP and Haymarket sold virtually all of their car titles. Haymarket still do C&SC but now, Bauer and Kelsey do the rest where they run mags on tightly controlled budgets to make a profit - and they do a very good job as well.

 

Back to PC though. When I first saw it in the local newsagents in 1980 (I was about 12.5) I was mad about old shitters and still am. As soon as I flicked through it, I rushed home to get 2 quid or whatever from my Mum, rushed back and got the last one, reading it from cover to cover. They were featuring cars like A60;s, Minors, Mk 4 Zephyrs etc......that had only gone out of production nine years previously. The last ever 1100/1300 was only six or seven. Beetles, 2CV's, Mark 1 Golfs and Minis were still being made. On a scrapyard visit last week I saw an L reg Mondeo LX, an early one. It still had the owners handbooks, Ford radio cassette and was so original. I looked at it sadly because it's so long since I saw one this old even in a breakers. Yet that car is now 20 years old, launched 21 years ago and is a very significant car in Ford's history. Yet nobody wants to save any.

 

Basically - it's not the mags that have changed their goalposts - it's us, and society itself. Mondeos don't remind us of The Good Old Days, simple as that.

As for the shitter magazine - it won't work because it's all here for free, for us sorts that go against the 'it's old therefore it must be shit' grain.

[Partridge]

Some magazines would like to include 'modern' (youngtimer) content but encounter resistance from their core readership. We write about up-coming twenty and twenty five year old cars anyway, and you have to move with the times because cars of that age appeal to a younger audience. A movement can't survive without fresh blood.

 

Seems logical to me, but lots of people disagree.

Anything pre '60s bores me shitless. Which is probably why I don't get a whole lot of work.

[warren t claim]

You have to admire the Pistonheads business model. Maybe that's the future of motoring mags?

[Partridge]

I think it may well be.

[dugong]

Who do you write for dugong?

 

D701 SWL World  It's a new title but we're finding our feet. I write about underdogs and disgusting Ford E93A specials most people despise. 

[Largactil]

PC's usually a decent read - When I was a spotty 19 year old oik nearly 20 years ago, I wrote to the technical advice page, asking for help with my poorly Fiat 127.

 

They didn't print my letter, but instead sent back a nicely typed reply on headed notepaper, humouring my ineptitude and telling me to check the points & condensor. (Think I've still got it somewhere).

 

That always impressed me, and makes me more inclined to buy a PC if I need to travel a decent distance by plane / train.

[scruff]

I think it may well be.

 

I don't... there's been a few imitators but none have really taken off.