ETCHY Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. richardmorris, DarrenKC53 and adw1977 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatharris Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Absolutely heart broken for Craig and the team, they put so much effort into it.Sent from my VOG-L09 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter C Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Bugger. I only just renewed my subscription. RC was without any doubt my favourite car magazine, bang on subjects and really well written. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stilo_active Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 I'm not* suggesting we bombard this e-mail address Phil.weeden@kelsey.co.uk (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... MiniMort, Rab and DarrenKC53 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramz7 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. Rab 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. Roobarb, skoda_fan and flat4alfa 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ETCHY Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 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? flat4alfa 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrenKC53 Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. skoda_fan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardmorris Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 Lots of magazines are ceasing - Bauer media is closing a few of their publications . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter C Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. DarrenKC53 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puddlethumper Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. Banger Kenny and skoda_fan 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motorpunk Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. barefoot, St.Jude and Dave_Q 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tadhg Tiogar Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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... Banger Kenny and motorpunk 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownnova Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brownnova Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorfolkNWeigh Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
83C Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brodders Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. Peter C, Datsuncog and DarrenKC53 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Datsuncog Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 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. skoda_fan and Joey spud 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainagain Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimH Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bell Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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. warren t claim 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddyramrod Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 22 hours ago, Jim Bell said: prices remained about the same. No idea why. Basic business greed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Bell Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wack Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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 Roobarb, Jim Bell, BorniteIdentity and 1 other 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BorniteIdentity Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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). Joey spud, lesapandre, Peter C and 9 others 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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. alcyonecorporation, Alusilber, chadders and 10 others 8 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 FWIW I already have a pc subscription Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMC Posted May 1, 2020 Share Posted May 1, 2020 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. alf892 and mat_the_cat 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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