Practical Classics - Broken

[AnthonyG]

I was involved in a Classics Monthy comparison artical around two years ago , me in the Singer , an Anglia and a riley elf , said over the phone would only take 2 hours max , took 7 , the Elf owner was furious as they had to pick their kids up from school and the shoot was 2 hours from where they lived , said they would pay for petrol , they didnt , said id get a free copy , I didnt , said it would be out in two months , came out over a year later , got some facts wrong on all three cars , NEVER AGAIN

Classics Monthly appears to be run by three blokes, all of whom were at the NEC flogging old issues off cheap. I did notice some mistakes in the Farina article, (they never seemed to grasp that a Westminster is a different car to a Cambridge) but since I only paid 99p I didn't care!The internet seems to have ruined any serious actual research on cars and their development, only C&SC seem to bother with this now. Just get the intern from the local sixth form college to type 'Volkswagen 411' in Google and hey presto - all the information you could ever want - full development history - i.e. it was developed at Opel in 1937 by a blind Finnish rally driver and had a rear mounted Wankel gas turbine engine, oh, and that a pink convertible version appeared in the film version of 'George and Mildred'.CM will crash and burn, they all do apart from PC, CCW, C&SC & Classic Cars. There is a limited market for 'traditional' classic car mags, probably getting more limited as time goes on, and the above 4 cover all the bases quite well.

[Pete-M]

I helped PC out with their thing about buying a Bentley Turbo R in the summer. Only spoke to Matt Jones but he seems like a decent chap.(Please note, I'm not responsible for the errors in the piece...)

[j-j]

I really don't like C&SC - it just feels too populist and it's packed full of adverts always seemed to have either a Healy or a Mk2 Jag on the cover - it's just too glossy and hefty for my liking.I always like PC because it just feels like it has a better angle on many articles - not simply 'what's the best MG' or something but how to buy a Mongolian trike and not get abducted or something.I wrote a buyer guide for CCW at the start of the year and tried to make it as helpful as possible (ask Dollywobbler! unless he was just 'being nice'!)I'm a fan of CCW too because of the week to week up to date ness

[Polystratus]

I really don't like C&SC - it just feels too populist and it's packed full of adverts always seemed to have either a Healy or a Mk2 Jag on the cover - it's just too glossy and hefty for my liking.I always like PC because it just feels like it has a better angle on many articles - not simply 'what's the best MG' or something but how to buy a Mongolian trike and not get abducted or something.

Prac. Classics coverage is just about right, most of the mags out there seem to be all performance orientated, Classic Ford magazine sounded interesting until I looked at a copy the other week, and found it too chav like.

[AXrescuer]

Talking of Classics Monthly, does anyone know what ever happened to Hillman Imp fan Tim Morgan? I know he used to post over on RR.

[Rusty Pelican]

Talking of Classics Monthly, does anyone know what ever happened to Hillman Imp fan Tim Morgan? I know he used to post over on RR.

Spoke to him the other day , hes alive and well although nursing a really bad back , not sure who he works for now but i know its not a classic car mag , Hes still got loads of Imps

[Mr Lobster]

Of all the classic cars mags the only one I consistantly buy is Practical Classics as its the only one that actually has any appeal. Can't really get on with the rest of them for one reason or another. Buy CCW every three or four weeks as well but other than that I don't touch the rest of 'em.I do tend to buy C&SC if I'm going on holiday though. Quite like it if I'm reading it on a plane or sat in the sun with a beer for some reason.

[AnthonyG]

I really don't like C&SC - it just feels too populist and it's packed full of adverts always seemed to have either a Healy or a Mk2 Jag on the cover - it's just too glossy and hefty for my liking.

I hear what you are saying, but the ads for the classic dealers provide a major part of the revenue for CS&C. A freelancer who worked with them said they can generally write about any cars they want as long as they have a standard 'upmarket' classic on the front cover - E type, Jag Mk2, TR5 etc, so the newstand sales match the expectations of the dealer advertisers for circulation. Once they have the popular article to appeal to the browsers in WH Smith, they can write about more interesting stuff. I actually find Classic Cars to be the worst, as it has lost the lead to CS&C this decade and tends to slavishly follow them - so CS&C will do an big article about the Citroen DS, for example , and then one will appear in Classic Cars two months later.

[pogweasel]

I do tend to buy C&SC if I'm going on holiday though. Quite like it if I'm reading it on a plane or sat in the sun with a beer for some reason.

I do exactly the same. C&SC is a form of escapism into a fantasy land where you live a quality life surrounded by fine pedigree automobiles; it works better if you are away from your normal surroundings so you are not distracted by the crushing reality of your futile existence.

[Mr Lobster]

LOLz. Very true.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I absolutley love C+SC. I think its the best classic car mag out there, by a long way. Its always got interesting stuff in it, they can even make MGB articles seem new and interesting some how. They have the mix of shite and exotica exactly right, in fact they seem to pay no attention to shite factor/exotica factor, if its interesting it goes in. Their writers have got everything from Vauxhall Ventoras to Bentley Sedancas and the mix of features is equally varied. They come up with interviews of people who you've 'sort of heard of somewhere', who invariably have amazing stories to tell (Chris Lawrence, Martin Lilley, William Towns etc spring to mind). As for the ads, theres a lot in there, but a lot of them are clumped together before all the articles so you can skip em if you want, and anyway they make good reading in themselves. any amount of mind-warping machinery for sale in them, its not like the usual shite ads for insurance and swarfega cluttering up the pages. In short, I LOVE IT. Also it has Martin Buckley in, who I quietly worship.I used to have it and 'classic cars' on subscription, somehow Classic Cars is less than 50% as entertaining as C+SC though despite trying to be a carbon copy of it so I dont get that one any more.

[r.welfare]

Another vote for C&SC when in "going away" mode, a great read if you're on a flight. It definitely has the best "Staff Car Sagas" of any mag, and Buckley's columns are frequently hilarious - one that springs to mind is his critique of a 70's housing estate with the house owners all having big sports coupes; the Opel Commodore owner being a wife-swapping Freemason etc. Does his dad still do his resto work?The only mag I read regularly these days (and have just had my first subscription copy for the coming year, as it's a bit of a faff to get hold of locally now Borders has gone bust) is Car Mechanics. Not really shite-oriented but I find the articles well-written and researched, and the Mk4 Golf TDI service guide came in useful a few weeks back when I had to service one for a friend of my wife.PC is on the up again but I must admit I can read the whole thing in about 45 minutes; it held my attention much better when Will Holman, Kevin Leaper, Simon Goldsworthy and Danny Hopkins were writing in it about 7-8 years ago.

[Mr Lobster]

Actually, I find that with PC as well r.welf. You can read it very quickly. It's a lot better than it used to be but I tend to find I read it pretty quickly and then it gets forgotten and its not something that ever draws me back to re-read it like some others might.

[AnthonyG]

Actually, I find that with PC as well r.welf. You can read it very quickly. It's a lot better than it used to be but I tend to find I read it pretty quickly and then it gets forgotten and its not something that ever draws me back to re-read it like some others might.

This is why I no longer get it on subscription. Its much better with Matt Wright as the editor (it was truly awful under Martyn Moore) but there's no reason for me to buy it or even read it anymore. When I look at a mate's copy I've normally covered everything in about 30 minutes.

[Pete-M]

I used to get the train from Sheffield to Liverpool quite often and used to buy PC at the station for something to read. First time I bought it was because I had a sneaky suspicion it was the club magazine for Marina Apologists. Spent half an hour giggling at the overpriced tat in the back and the errors in the feature pieces. Binned it when I got to Lime St. When I got home I found an older copy that I don't remember buying and that one was rather good. So I buy it three or four times a year now.C&SC is brilliant. I spent a year trying to flog that bloody Jensen and eventually chucked an ad in C&SC and the phone rang every day for 6 weeks, so the ads in it work. Most of the features are excellent as well.Only problem I have with C&SC is Martin Buckley. I like old Lancias, but some of the stuff I've read by him is just mental. The "Flaminia Vs DB5" article was just bollocks. He seems to be one of those people who are determined to not like anything remotely popular, and while I sort of understand C&SC having a writer like that, some of the stuff he writes is just shit. If memory serves me right, he recommended buying a W123 230 over the 280 - and anyone who's driven both knows that always was and always will be the wrong choice. The 230 is a rough as fuck four pot which cannot compare to the 280's six.Anyway....

[AnthonyG]

I wouldn't say the 230 4 pot is 'rough as fuck', not compared to a Pinto anyway .It's not a six, though, and that's that. Maybe a 230 makes more sense if you are planning to run one every day, but thinking of CS&C's target audience, those who would drive a 1982 car everyday probably wouldn't give a toss about fuel consumption.and the diehards would consider a W123 Mercedes as a modern bit of junk, because they have a 1937 Triumph Gloria as their 'bad' weather car .and the City boys would consider a W123 an ancient bit of junk, they have the 09 plate Range Rover for everyday and the 280SL 'Pagoda' as the weekend car.

[Pete-M]

Thing is, Merc 4-pots do tend to be a more than slightly agricultural, and the 230 isn't wonderful on fuel. My old 280TE auto would average about 22 in town and 30ish on a run, I doubt a 230 would be much better.As for the Pinto... they're ok once you put a Cosworth head on

[CortinaDave]

I agree Martyn Moore's tenure was the least inspiring period PC has had... I loved the Will Holman era, they were running some really interesting stuff and I really looked forward to it every month.For some inexplicable reason I still bought it during the Martyn Moore era (habit I think) although I don't think I would have kept on doing so for much longer.. Jags, MG's and that Matra thing I just didnt give a stuff about. Yawn.

[Rod/b]

I was chatting to Will at the NEC the other month after being introduced by a mutual friend; he's a genuinely decent bloke and really knows his stuff when it comes to the cars too (which is a more than can be said about the current editor of PC, by all accounts)I'm hopefully getting a subscription to his new (well not that new) mag, PPC, for Christmas. The old team of Holman and Leaper; top reading guaranteed**not an actual guarantee.

[whitevanman]

Aye, PPC is the one car mag I wouldn't give up.....though they dont do as much tech stuff as they used to, its still the best mag for me

[warren t claim]

I agree. PPC is what Car and Car Conversions should of evolved into. What was the real story behind the mass walkout of staff at PC a few years ago?

[whitevanman]

no idea, but I wish I did know, same as the new logo for PPC, suddenly it got changed and lost the Bulldog !!!!! there is goings on I tell you........................

[barrett]

I agree. PPC is what Car and Car Conversions should of evolved into. What was the real story behind the mass walkout of staff at PC a few years ago?

Not sure if there is a 'story', Holman and Leaper left to start Retro Cars mag(now PPC), Danny hopkins left slightly before after winning lots of journalistic awards, no idea what he is doing now. Russ Smith writes for C&SC, possibly didn't like the new management.Anyone know what Simon Goldsworthy is doing now? I always enjoyed his stuff, seemed like a true 'shiter with a love of eastern european tin (like myself).I haven't bought PC since those guys left, it just seems a bit cheap and boring now, although i agree it has been getting better lately. C&SC is the only mag i buy, from a design, layout and photography point of veiw it can't be faulted, and there is always enough weird stuff in amongst the Jags and Healeys to satisfy me, each writer has their own 'style' and tastes which really come through in the articles, and as mentioned before the cars they run themselves are brilliantly diverse. Also Buckley is my motoring hero and i will read everything he writes, he seems to have owned most of my dream cars at some point and his column always makes me laugh. Wonder what became of the Cedric estate he mentioned owning briefly quite recently?

[M'coli]

Danny Hopkins does some writing for Country Walknig, and Simon Goldsworthy's freelance IIRC and has some stuff in Car Mechanics.Classic Cars lost my regular readership when it claimed that Jim Clark and Jackie Stewart's world championships were "English". British, yes, but not English.

[dollywobbler]

Danny Hopkins works on one of Bauer's Steam titles. Nigel Boothman still writes for PC and does some stuff for CCW too.Russ Smith, far from not liking the management, does a fair bit for PC and CCW.Simon Goldsworthy currenty edits MG Enthusiast and Triumph World for Kelsey Publishing, who also publish Car Mechanics, hence he does some stuff for that title too. Must admit, I really, really enjoyed PC in the Holman/Goldsworthy era. Great mix of motors.

[CortinaDave]

There was a thread about this on the PC forum some time back... Apparently emap management expressed "Concern" at Will's editorship and as a result he vanished overnight and Martyn Moore was parachuted in.Apparently Martyn Moore increased the circulation and got the mag back into profit, and you cant argue with that... but it wasnt my cup of tea at all.

[warren t claim]

There was a thread about this on the PC forum some time back... Apparently emap management expressed "Concern" at Will's editorship and as a result he vanished overnight and Martyn Moore was parachuted in.Apparently Martyn Moore increased the circulation and got the mag back into profit, and you cant argue with that... but it wasnt my cup of tea at all.

Several members of staff don't just "jump ship" all at once with no notice without very good reason. Usually there is a change over period where the staff changes are announced in the previous issue.

[seth]

Not sure if there is a 'story', Holman and Leaper left to start Retro Cars mag(now PPC),

Not quite right. Retro Cars was launched independently and the same month it hit the shelves Holman and Leaper chucked a second mag/supplement together called RPM (Retro Performance Magazine) that went out bagged up with PC. I think shite hit fan and they left to start up PPC within a month or so.

 

I think that era of PC had its real fans (I was one too) but perhaps it had also alienated quite a lot of people? My impression of Matt Wright is that he came to PC pretty much new to the world of old cars but has made a real effort to get involved, learn stuff and work on his cars etc. I think he has pulled it out of the doldrums very successfully.

 

I'm a total C&SC head too. Every issue has something I've never heard of before in it and has bo11ox said, the ads are all together in a lump so don't interupt your reading. Russ Smith is a freelancer now. I had a chat with him at the NEC (I first met him during his Street Machine days when I went to interview him for a GCSE English project!) and he said that writing those comparison articles for C&SC is great. He's got something like 7 pages to fill and is free to write long, properly in depth pieces rather than having to squeeze the information into a couple of pages and ending up just trawling out the usual cliches and comments.

[barrett]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up Seth, i wasn't sure if i'd got it right. I do have that 1st issue of RPM but it's boxed up with all my old PCs so i couldn't check.I totally agree with what you said about them alienating some of the readers, PC always used to seem a bit 'pipe and slippers' before Will took over, and i remember lot of 'Outraged of Slough' type letters around the time he started the engine swap on the Capri, but before the new breed of modified old car mags there wasn't much to interest the average younger classic car fan(my age group), and i think they did a bloody good job of trying to democratise the scene somewhat. Personally i'm perfectly happy to read about Sid's painstaking restoration of his Alvis Grey Lady, but it was great to read the 'boys own' type adventures they had, blatting that mk1 granny to eastern europe to bring back a Volga for instance, and they did a great history of Datsun long before most car-people would give anything other than a 240z a second look.Seeing as you all seem to be up on what the ex-staffers are doing now, does anyone know what happened to Nick Larkin? his staff car reports always made me giggle and he seemed like a thoroughly nice chap. I presume he writes for some sort of classic bus magazine now? (do those even exist?)

[dollywobbler]

Nick's now working on Classic Car Weekly. Still as eccentric as ever!He's plotting something for PC in the New Year. He also still writes for bus magazines. In fact, he's just about to resurrect his Morris Oxford after many, many years!