This month's Practical classics mag

[trigger]

Just sitting at work here reading it, looking like a good issue 6 pages in and autoshite gets a plug because of the Riley RM that was posted on here in the scrappage thread and saved.Also has Edd Weeks and his Wartburg in a photo and the Hyundai Pony mk1 in the endangered species feature. And best of all a great feature on 80's classics with a stunning green Sunbeam horizon Ti, nice.

[brammy777]

its really good, im becoming a regular buyer from nowonly 3 alfa romeo 6s left on the road

[Milford Cubicle]

I'd love it if they bothered to go a bit more in-depth about obscure cars, rather than tiny articles about how rare they are.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Sunbeam horizon Ti, nice.

New one on me. Must be about as rare as one of those Fiesta Escorts!

[dollywobbler]

I'd love it if they bothered to go a bit more in-depth about obscure cars, rather than tiny articles about how rare they are.

Believe me. Publishers are not so keen on detailed articles about obscure cars! GR8 4 AUTOSHITERS, crap for sales. Seems that we're apparently the rare sort who prefers obscure, unloved stuff to mainstream motors.

[shite_meister]

I bought this months Practical Classics for the first time in ages and thought it was quite a good issue with quite a few articles of interest. As mentioned here on Autoshite several times before it went through a very predictable phase a couple of years ago where every issue was 'Summer Classics for £5,000' or @Buy a starter classic for X amount' with the usual dross like MGs and Spitfires in every page.

[trigger]

Sunbeam horizon Ti, nice.

New one on me. Must be about as rare as one of those Fiesta Escorts!

Whoops! That should of said Chrysler Sunbeam 1600Ti, still a mega cool car though.The feature also has a Mk1 Metro and a Mk1 Sierra Ghia in it, and a Martini coloured Porsche 911 Turbo with maybe one of the maddest interior colour schemes i've seen!

[Mr H Sceptre]

Actually, a few years ago, myself & m'colleague Mr Leyland met the chaps from Prac Classics as they wanted some advice on how their magazine could appeal to a more diverse range of readers (ie not just your MG types etc etc). So I'd like to think that Autoshite is partly responsible for thhe direction of Prac Classics.We got very drunk.

[MrRegieRitmo]

Very well done

[Dead_E23]

I was seriously tempted by an Alfa 6 years ago, but chickened out, I think I bought an Austin A35 instead.

I watched an Alfa 6 go through Shoreham Car Auction in about 1988 - sold for £50. I was a student at the time and stony broke - I'm still gutted about it 20 years later! I think it may even have been of the early ones with the 6 (yes, six) carbs which are supposed to be virtually impossible to balance. I would love a piece of crap like that.

[brammy777]

I didnt even know of its existence until i read that magazine, whooops.I have never seen one, thats for sure.

[Dead_E23]

I don't think I've ever seen another one in the metal, before or since - hence why I'm still pissed off about it!

[brammy777]

well theres another 5 on SORN so fingers crossed!does anyone know if these suffered from rust issues? Or engine problems? Or is it just because they became undesirable.

[Dead_E23]

Both. I've just been reading up on them; apparently the bodies were galvanised, but so shoddily that it actually made them rust worse than normal. The six carb engines would not stay in tune and adjusting them appears to be a right performance. So, to sum up: an even worse disaster area than the S1 Lancia Gamma Coupe, which has the desirable feature of stripping its cambelt teeth if you ever start the engine with the steering on full lock. I covet those too, and they're much less rare.

[Milford Cubicle]

I know of a Gamma coupe that's coming up for sale if you want some hot cambelt-stripping action.He wants £3.5k for it though, once it's passed its MOT.

[CortinaDave]

Yeah its a good one this month, nice to see the 80's stuff.. a couple of years ago there's no way a sierra would have got in the mag, let aloneon the cover!!70s/80s is where my interest lies so more of that is good news for me

[Parky]

Those Sierra pics were taken outside my house!Matt Jones and a photographer just started taking pics in my street and I recognised him and wandered out for a chat. The Sierra was borrowed from Ford Heritage (about 5 miles up the A13 from me) and the PC guys wanted a eighties style housing estate to pose on. For some reason they ended up in our street (built 2001) but I suppose boxy "me too" housing estates havent changed much. The Sierra was a beauty, negligible mileage and immaculate condition. But having bought the mag I am now looking out for Chrysler/Talbot Sunbeams. Wasnt that Ti a cracker!

[garethj]

I'd love it if they bothered to go a bit more in-depth about obscure cars, rather than tiny articles about how rare they are.

Believe me. Publishers are not so keen on detailed articles about obscure cars! GR8 4 AUTOSHITERS, crap for sales. Seems that we're apparently the rare sort who prefers obscure, unloved stuff to mainstream motors.

This is very strange, is it the people buying the magazine or the advertisers who don't like it?Personally I like learning about car stuff and there's only so many facts about the MGB / Jag Mk2 you can trot out before repeating yourself.Years ago (and it must be about 20 years ago) one of the high-brow classics magazine did a 1 page feature per issue called "cheap thrills". For the average reader who had a 1949 Lagonda, the idea of a £2000 car made in the 1970s was a bit shocking, but I believe it was a popular feature and of course it developed.

[Mr Lobster]

Best issue I've read for a while tbh. Liked the '80's feature very much! More of the same please PC.

[STUNO]

I thoroughly enjoy P C and get it every month , but living at the other end of the world I have just got the June issue. About 3 months behind ?

[dollywobbler]

I'd love it if they bothered to go a bit more in-depth about obscure cars, rather than tiny articles about how rare they are.

Believe me. Publishers are not so keen on detailed articles about obscure cars! GR8 4 AUTOSHITERS, crap for sales. Seems that we're apparently the rare sort who prefers obscure, unloved stuff to mainstream motors.

This is very strange, is it the people buying the magazine or the advertisers who don't like it?Personally I like learning about car stuff and there's only so many facts about the MGB / Jag Mk2 you can trot out before repeating yourself.Years ago (and it must be about 20 years ago) one of the high-brow classics magazine did a 1 page feature per issue called "cheap thrills". For the average reader who had a 1949 Lagonda, the idea of a £2000 car made in the 1970s was a bit shocking, but I believe it was a popular feature and of course it developed.

Not that strange when you think about it. The more people like a car, generally the more people want to read about it. I think we're a bit peculiar here for basically worshipping the unloved! I've always loved the underdog myself and if I had it my way, we'd fill the paper with very obscure stuff...But I'm kept in check and sales are going up, so proves what I know!

[MrRegieRitmo]

But having bought the mag I am now looking out for Chrysler/Talbot Sunbeams. Wasnt that Ti a cracker!

I'd love a Ti, much rarer than the Lotus but without the performance to match. Saw one for sale a few months ago, a white W reg one & that's the only one I've ever seen for sale!

[CortinaDave]

Ah but from their point of view... people constantly say they want more variety, so they stick in chryslers,sierras etc and we all think its great.. but I bet if they just slapped an MGB on the cover the circulation figures would be much higher.Radio's the same.. people bang on about it being too repetitive etc and playing the same songs, so you introduce a bit more variety and the listening figures dive.Play snow patrol and take that on a constant loop and you get great figures.Bloody annoying but thats the truth.

[Roc 24v]

Ah but from their point of view... people constantly say they want more variety, so they stick in chryslers,sierras etc and we all think its great.. but I bet if they just slapped an MGB on the cover the circulation figures would be much higher.Radio's the same.. people bang on about it being too repetitive etc and playing the same songs, so you introduce a bit more variety and the listening figures dive.Play snow patrol and take that on a constant loop and you get great figures.Bloody annoying but thats the truth.

Too true, boring sells.Fancy seeing you here Dave

[M'coli]

It's amazing how he gets about, isn't it? He's on Mk2Cav too.

[Guest]

I'd love a motoring magazine which did huge in-depth articles about cars which usually only get a paragraph and one crap photo for their Wikipedia entry.Imagine a 10-page spread on the Honda Quintet with weird development shots, concept sketches, internal wranglings about how much to cost-cut by carrying over from the Civic, ideas which didn't make it past the design stage, the whole Quint vs Quintet thing, the badge-engineered Rover one for Australia, advertising decisions, interviews with all the lead staff, what the press thought at the time, clippings from old roadtests, etc.They could do that with pretty much any car and I'd find it really interesting, but they'll only ever do it with popular stuff where it's easy to get all that info - Minis and the likes. Even the most dismal and boring cars would have a fairly interesting story behind them I would have thought.

[dollywobbler]

You're absolutely right Hirst, and I think you've just nominated yourself as lead presenter when we start up Autoshite TV! (I would absolutely love to do something like that).I mean, look at aronline.com which has development stories about the Triumph Acclaim and Talbot Horizon and people love it! (probably not the wider population though...)

[Mr H Sceptre]

You're absolutely right Hirst, and I think you've just nominated yourself as lead presenter when we start up Autoshite TV! (I would absolutely love to do something like that).I mean, look at aronline.com which has development stories about the Triumph Acclaim and Talbot Horizon and people love it! (probably not the wider population though...)

I was just about to mention AR Online. The development stories are absolutely first class - rivetting reads.

[morris_ital_lover]

Those Sierra pics were taken outside my house!Matt Jones and a photographer just started taking pics in my street and I recognised him and wandered out for a chat. The Sierra was borrowed from Ford Heritage (about 5 miles up the A13 from me) and the PC guys wanted a eighties style housing estate to pose on. For some reason they ended up in our street (built 2001) but I suppose boxy "me too" housing estates havent changed much. The Sierra was a beauty, negligible mileage and immaculate condition. But having bought the mag I am now looking out for Chrysler/Talbot Sunbeams. Wasnt that Ti a cracker!

....You must have loved the shite o'clock at your house then!m0rris

[CortinaDave]

It's amazing how he gets about, isn't it? He's on Mk2Cav too.

Indeed he is, although only have only made about ten posts in two years! I'm more of a lurker on there.Welcome to the board Roc.