Retro Cars is no more

[ETCHY]

Hello

Not sure if you know but it appears Retro Cars magazine is no more.

We emailed Kelsey & they said this publication had now finished.

A pity as I rather liked it.

I did always think it was a mistake to use the same name as a previous magazine about a different topic, I bet that didn't help.

[fatharris]

Absolutely heart broken for Craig and the team, they put so much effort into it.

Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk

[Peter C]

Bugger. I only just renewed my subscription. RC was without any doubt my favourite car magazine, bang on subjects and really well written.

[stilo_active]

I'm not* suggesting we bombard this e-mail address [email protected] (CEO of Kelsey) with what a stupid bloody idea getting rid of Retro Cars is...

Actually, I am. Please bombard the above e-mail with what a stupid idea getting rid of Retro Cars is... 

[bramz7]

Huge shame for all concerned. Craig is a thoroughly decent guy and there isn't many around who are more enthusiastic and knowledgeable about this era of motoring than him. 

Also my 318is is a former cover and feature star. 

[Tadhg Tiogar]

47 minutes ago, ETCHY said:

Hello

Not sure if you know but it appears Retro Cars magazine is no more.

We emailed Kelsey & they said this publication had now finished.....

Can't say I'm surprised - it was very difficult to get hold of at Smiths, and many newsagents in my area had never heard of it.

[ETCHY]

I always thought not changing the name a bad idea. The original Retro Cars had modified cars in so I never bothered with it. Only because I actually knew they'd changed the content  did I even bother picking it up in a newsagents.

If i'd not known it had changed what it featured in it, i'd have seen the name Retro Cars & passed it by - maybe others did the same?

[DarrenKC53]

Sad to see it go, I only knew it had changed  format thanks to the Hubnut video last year where Ian said you could apply for a free copy, then I subscribed to it after seeing the free one. 

Im guessing though there’s a very limited market for those who like to read about shite from the 80s and 90s, mainly cars that haven’t yet become classics to sensible people. 

[richardmorris]

Lots of magazines are ceasing - Bauer media is closing a few of their publications 

.

[Peter C]

17 minutes ago, DarrenKC53 said:

Im guessing though there’s a very limited market for those who like to read about shite from the 80s and 90s, mainly cars that haven’t yet become classics to sensible people. 

100% agree.

[puddlethumper]

Retro Cars gone. A real shame. I hope one of their  other mags, Classic Van and pickup,

doesn't go the same way as well. I'll be well gutted.

[motorpunk]

Sad news but not unexpected. People just don’t buy mags like they used to. I’d urge anyone who buys from WHSmiths or newsagents to subscribe direct as it’s the only way these mags actually make any money. Please do it now before we’re left with a world of motoring media which comprises of lifestyle twats on YouTube scrapping with that bedwetter Schmee for supercar clicks.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

8 minutes ago, motorpunk said:

.... before we’re left with a world of motoring media which comprises of lifestyle twats on YouTube scrapping with that bedwetter Schmee for supercar clicks.

I'm not sure we're not already there...

[brownnova]

That’s one thing lockdown has reminded me of... I do love a good car magazine! 

Think I might renew my craptical plastics subscription (although I know that’s not everyone’s ideas of a good car magazine) 

[brownnova]

To add I did enjoy the couple of retro cars I did buy, but as others o tend to buy on the spur if the moment in Tesco or WH Smith so it wasn’t easily available I’d like me you’re chronically disorganised/lazy

[NorfolkNWeigh]

In this months editorial, Craig Cheetham hints that there may be some changes or interruptions to the magazine in the short term, he mentions the Retro Cars Instagram page for up to date info- I don’t do Instagram so don’t know if that is still there.

im afraid I’m not a real purchaser of magazines any more, just a Readly subscription.

[83C]

2 hours ago, richardmorris said:

Lots of magazines are ceasing - Bauer media is closing a few of their publications 

.

Performance Bikes merged with Practical Sportsbike last year, the resulting mix is good but I do wish PB had been able to continue as a stand-alone publication. 

I always find it baffling that most magazine stands are chock full of ‘sleb tittle-tattle rags that seem to sell like hot cakes but there is less and less choice for decent magazines. I suppose the internet has to take some of the blame for that.

[Brodders]

That's a shame.

It was well put together and packed full of the kind of cars that everyone on here loved; what other magazine would have had a group test with a Rover R8, Mk5 Escort and Renault 19 Chamade just pages away from a Peugeot 405 vs Renault 21 article. You could just tell it was something created by people who were passionate about the cars.

[Datsuncog]

Aw, that's a major disappointment - I'd been unable to find it on the shelves anywhere locally since last year, and only last week received a number of back issues ordered direct from Kelsey to bring me up to date.

I found it a cracking read; in-depth analysis, imaginative profiles and very readable. As an automotive trivia-loving self-identifying sad act, I'd just asked for a subscription for my birthday and all; guess that's not gonna be happening now...

Hard business, print media. But I'll really miss reading this one; with so many familiar cars and contributors, it really did feel like Autoshite: the dead tree edition.

Best of luck to Craig & co in any future endeavours, and thanks for a fantastic, if somewhat niche, read.

[rainagain]

I always think these magazine would do better if they did an online version of themselves at a much discounted price from the print version. If the physical magazine is £5 and they did an online version for say half that if you took out a years subscription I’d say they’d see an increase in readership. Plus there’s no real extra cost for each online reader. Stick clickable ads relevant to the reader inside as well and they have another income stream. 
 

A few people above have said they would have liked to buy Retro rides but they couldn’t find it in shops. If it had been online it would have easy enough to find. 
 

I buy car mechanics now and again and it always amazes me how little discount they give if you take out the online subscription. 

[JimH]

I have no objection whatsoever to paying for someone’s time to produce the content. It does seem a bit piss takey to charge pretty much the same price when you haven’t had to spend the money printing and distributing it. Does advertising in the online versions not bring in the same money so the cover price has to increase to compensate?

[Jim Bell]

46 minutes ago, JimH said:

I have no objection whatsoever to paying for someone’s time to produce the content. It does seem a bit piss takey to charge pretty much the same price when you haven’t had to spend the money printing and distributing it. Does advertising in the online versions not bring in the same money so the cover price has to increase to compensate?

I dunno. The same thing happened with digital music though. An LP, cassette, cd surely costs more to produce and distribute compared to an MP3 file, but prices remained about the same. 

No idea why. 

[eddyramrod]

Having been to Peterborough for two interviews at Kelsey, it seems to me that their operation is quite Autoshite, in the nicest possible way.  The Staff Classics pages in Classic Car Buyer, for example, are littered with Rover R8s and Citroen BXs, not to mention Huggy!  I hadn't noticed the departure of Retro Cars, because I'm buying so few magazines these days, but it hasn't escaped me that CCB has disappeared from my local shelves.  I always check because I have a page pending!  I've had no communication; perhaps I'll send an email or two and see what I can find out.

[eddyramrod]

22 hours ago, Jim Bell said:

 prices remained about the same. 

No idea why. 

Basic business greed?

[Jim Bell]

3 minutes ago, eddyramrod said:

Basic business greed?

 

 

Maybe. Seems mp3s are sometimes a bit more expensive than CDs!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same album, same seller, two formats. 

Makes no sense. 

[Wack]

1 hour ago, Jim Bell said:

I dunno. The same thing happened with digital music though. An LP, cassette, cd surely costs more to produce and distribute compared to an MP3 file, but prices remained about the same. 

No idea why. 

I've never paid for a download ,I see CD's and albums as jobs , because somebody made all the separate components from products that had been manufactured, bought and transported, then the final product was transported ,wholesaled and retailed

Versus click on a server , money goes into record companies account

Post came this week , the LP includes a digital download 

 

[BorniteIdentity]

A real shame.  There was a thread about this over on FB last night in which Sam Skelton appeared to take aim at me.  The point I made was simple: Kelsey said shops have closed meaning sales were down, I (reasonably) said very few retailers have actually closed.  They just have less footfall.  I'd rather people were honest and said "we sold so few copies that it's not viable" rather than saying "shops are closed LOL".

I work in 'traditional media' too, but our sales have not been down anywhere near as much as some print media (-70% is the number people are talking of).  We're down probably 15% but with new advertisers taking advantage of the moment we're probably down less than 10%).

I only feel for people like Craig who's a smashing guy and great talent.  

And whilst it's popular to knock Practical Classics, it's done something right to survive 40 years.  I've bought the last few months at full RRP and have enjoyed them greatly.  So with that, plus the fact two of my chums work there, I'm about to take out a subscription now.

If you enjoy what magazines do, you should too.

There's another argument about social media influencers and the like (especially Youtubers).  When you're starting out, you think you're beating the system and getting your work seen without "old fashioned nonsense" getting in the way.  The problem is, long term, you earn shit money and nobody truly values what you're doing.  (I've written this in a hurry but happy to explain further another time).

 

[HMC]

I wonder what LJKS would have to say.

I imagine he would take the opportunity to discuss the origins of the printing press. In Latin.

[HMC]

FWIW I already have a pc subscription 

[HMC]

I’m interested by the print/ online debate, and the economics. Personally I suppose iM old fashioned and nothing quite beats having the mag there to thumb through and keep.