Practical Classics Magazine

[Guest]

I quite like PC, it's not the most in-depth or wordy of magazines, but it's a nice bit of light reading to stick in the car and dip into for 10 minutes whilst I drive down the motorway at 110mph, steering with my knees. I've tried some of the other magazines but they don't tend to be down-at-heel enough for the likes of me. I'd like to do my own car magazine, but I suspect it would be absolutely dreadful.This month in HIRST MOTOR MAGAZINE!THE KOREAN CONFLICT: Clarus vs Leganza vs Sonata - The ultimate roadtest battle that everyone has been waiting for! Everyone in the world!UNHAPPY BLEATER: Starting at the top of the A1, our correspondent heads south in a MK1 Ford Sierra 1.8 LX with its economical lean-burn engine, stopping at every former Happy Eater site to document what they have turned into since. Mostly into rival restaurants, you'll find. Music by T'Pau.SERVICING GUIDE: A comprehensive 10 pages for you to cut out and keep - all popular models due to be covered. This month, the Honda Quintet. Next month, the Chrysler 180. After that, some kind of prototype French steam car from the 1800s.BLOODY TOURISTS: Donning a pair of oversized mirror shades and a horrible shirt, our correspondent recreates the American holiday experience of the past by driving around Florida in a base-spec 1982 Buick Century rental car with only an old map of Disneyworld Epcot as his guide. Will he be able to get to Kissimmee in time? And how many tolls will he have to pay? And how much exactly is a nickel? Or a dime? PLUS: Daewoo Espero pull-out poster - double-sided for twice the amount of crisp Bertone styling! Buy two, so you can look at both of them at once!Hirst Motor Magazine is on sale from Hirst, just knock on his door, if he's not in just try later or something.

[Tayne]

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[dollywobbler]

Sounds great Hirst. When will the first issue be out? One buyer at least!For those hoping PC read the comments in this thread, you could always go and put them on PC's own website.In defence of 'em though, imagine if they did do every aspect of a restoration themselves. It'd be quite dull because you'd probably get several months of 'we got the Nitromors out again and spent more crushing hours stripping the paint off.'As I well know though, trying to please everyone is a nightmare. I'd love an Autoshite magazine but these days, without advertising, there's no magazine. And I suspect the traders with money wouldn't want to advertise in something with 'shite' in the title, and Marinas and Toyotas on every page. Bloomin' irritating as there's clearly a market for folk like us who like tat!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I like PC, its got a sense of humour and is easy to read and has plenty of bright colour pictures of shite in it, which is what I want in a magazine.

[scruff]

You get a mention in the April PC, Hirst.I've been on the recieving end of threads like these and, in a lot of cases, the magazine staff have their hands tied by higher powers... lack of staff to do work on cars and pressure to get editorial in on advertisers means projects get done by pros... ad types have eyes on targets and bonuses which sees every regular section sponsored... it's a shame and believe me it is REALLY frustrating for those on the scribbling teams, but for some titles don't expect to see a turnaround. P.S. I heart C&SC big time as well.

[Minimad5]

Wow Hirst when can i get a copy ? An Autoshite Magazine would be fantastic, were each member could have a tiny columb when it was their turn.Even if it was just for sale online, i'm sure atleast 20 of the members on here would sign up for an annual thing.

[pbottomley]

would have to be top shelf packaged, in brown bag,due to all the filth and car pron.

[r.welfare]

UNHAPPY BLEATER: Starting at the top of the A1, our correspondent heads south in a MK1 Ford Sierra 1.8 LX with its economical lean-burn engine, stopping at every former Happy Eater site to document what they have turned into since. Mostly into rival restaurants, you'll find. Music by T'Pau.

One of 'em near Biggleswade on the A1(M) northbound appears to now be some kind of "adult shop". The mind boggles.

[VWPowered]

come on hirst i'm waiting to order my copy

[Station]

I bought Retro Cars magazine last year, and I understand it's now catering for a very, very lucrative/trendy/scene market, and it's all about profit, but as a comparison I read PC after attempting to read RC (and failing - it's fucking awful), and it was like the best thing I'd ever read.

[saabhappy]

I've been on the recieving end of threads like these and, in a lot of cases, the magazine staff have their hands tied by higher powers... lack of staff to do work on cars and pressure to get editorial in on advertisers means projects get done by pros... ad types have eyes on targets and bonuses which sees every regular section sponsored... it's a shame and believe me it is REALLY frustrating for those on the scribbling teams, but for some titles don't expect to see a turnaround.

I can understand what you're saying, and the good guys who write really interesting stuff that either entertains or teaches me something must hate the constraints the number-crunchers impose. The market in classic car mags has gone mad lately with Bauer and Kelsey swapping titles and starting up new ones, so for me the time has come when I have to put a limit on what I buy. When I was working I'd buy everything with the words "car" or "classic car" in the title or a pic of an old car on it. These days I can't afford the £50+ a month that would cost so I have to pick and choose. CCW is great for indulging my dreams of owning lots of cars and Classics Monthly actually encourages me to tackle more jobs I used to get help with.As for anyone hoping that PC writers read this, who cares? We're only expressing opinions on an interesting subject - a mag a lot of us read.

[Rusty Pelican]

I hate it when these mags get facts wrong , did an article for classics monthy , they got three things wrong and that was just my car.

[Milford Cubicle]

Practical Classics is alright, it's a bit 'light' sometimes though.Some of the group tests a while back were horrendous, no real information about the cars, more hackneyed observations about the kind of people who would have driven them when they were new.Some of the photography in it is a bit suspect too, the HDR tinkering doesn't look right.It's nice that there's a magazine about attainable old cars though.Richard on here lent me some Jalopy magazines and they are a great read - terrible photos and graphic design, but they are entertaining and very readable, the articles are a lot more 'technical' than PC's for example, in spite of the irreverence.They can be a bit LACIST about Japanese cars though...

[Justin Case]

I rather like the idea of putting forward the idea of the likes of the BMW 850i as a 'practical classic'; it allows me to get my calculator out and see how near (although it usually works out how far ) I am to affording something a bit more exotic.Unfortunately it has got to be limited in some ways by its title, I don't see them getting away with 'Rebuilding your Bentley rear suspension' or 'Changing the cambelts on your Maserati Quattroporte' so I don't get too upset with yet more BMC stuff. I just wish though that they would get rid of the idea that a first classic should be economical. As it would probably be a second or third, low-mileage car, then the emphasis should be on ease of maintenance and supply of parts rather than how many miles it does to the gallon.

[HillmanImp]

It might be a bit softcore for your prof mechanic or 'part number nerd' etc but for dullards like me its is ace. I love the idiots guide stuff, coz i am an idiot. You want to know how to de-coke a 1960's russian soyuz spacerocket, you buy 'Russian Soyuz mag'.I really like reading it for its helpful advice and for the average duffer its ace, if you dont like it, read something else, stop complaining. As long as its making money it is marketable to the owners so must have a place in the newsrack.If you are one of those who dont like it then dont buy it. Its genuinely helpful to read for my basic skills and appreciate the help. If you dont like it you can always make a better mag if the market is there.

[morris_ital_lover]

I nearly choked on my £2.40 Costa Cappucino

WTF!!! £2.40, they cost £2.55 in Bath!m0rris

[saabhappy]

It might be a bit softcore for your prof mechanic or 'part number nerd' etc but for dullards like me its is ace. I love the idiots guide stuff, coz i am an idiot. You want to know how to de-coke a 1960's russian soyuz spacerocket, you buy 'Russian Soyuz mag'.I really like reading it for its helpful advice and for the average duffer its ace, if you dont like it, read something else, stop complaining. As long as its making money it is marketable to the owners so must have a place in the newsrack.If you are one of those who dont like it then dont buy it. Its genuinely helpful to read for my basic skills and appreciate the help. If you dont like it you can always make a better mag if the market is there.

As well as not buying it, can we have an opinion on why we're stopping? It sounds like nothing ever gets criticised or discussed in your world, and I don't believe that for a minute.

[Hudsonpie]

Practical Classics seems to ebb and flow.....sometimes its a really good read, other times it can be a bit weak. Still pretty good though and I will keep buying it. Gonna miss Sam Glover though.....

[eggy]

i quite enjoy pc,not the biggest read but usually intresting mix of stuff .i can always get a good chat with my dad about the 50's and 60's stuff which is cool because he's got no intrest in cars at all but he's got a good knowledge of them and memorys. Although i do think it was best in the holman days .

[whitevanman]

I'm stopping for two reasons..1-I'm not sure I like the profesional resto stuff (some articles are interesting though), i'ts called practical classics, not professional classics. Once Will and Kev left they got an A40 as a "real world" resto, decided it was rusty and bought a better one for the professionals to restore..........that I think was the begining of the end for me.2- I can restart the subscription and get rewarded, unlike just carrying on subscribing

[wilko]

I nearly choked on my £2.40 Costa Cappucino

WTF!!! £2.40, they cost £2.55 in Bath!m0rris

I think I only paid 2 quid the other week on Liverpool lime st station, but they call you "la" and make every cup a latte regardless of what you asked for!

[AnthonyG]

I stopped subscribing to PC as, after reading it for about 15 years, it was just repeating itself.After all, there's only so many times you can read a buyers guide for a Mk2 Cortina. The articles on 1985on stuff don't really interest me as I remember it all when it was new, and then 'recently used', so I don''t need to know where to look for rot on a Mk4 Escort (everywhere ) , and what colour seats the 205 Gti had, etc. But for an introduction to classics for a person 'fresh' to the scene, it's fine.The only sub I have is CS&C, and I read a mate's PPC (the Will Holman Kevin Leaper one), which is a good read.

[brammy777]

I have been getting/reading PC for the last 10 months, and its pretty good. It can be light reading, but I guess they found a format and stuck with it for a reason. We get alot of classic car magazines in, and PC probably sells the most, along with some of the higher end ones. I do also get RC, because it appeals to me.Its a shame there is no chance of an Autoshite magazine, there is a bit of a gap for something like it, but it probably wouldnt take off. Theres not enough folk like us sadly! Magazines have to cater for as wide an audience as possible these days.

[Milford Cubicle]

That's the thing, a lot of cla**ic car magazines seem to be stuck in the 1980s, repeating tired old information about buying cars which were classics 25 years ago.I finally received my gratis copy of 'Classic Car Buyer', the Classic Cars Weekly spin-off and it has buying guides for Volvo Amazons and Triumph Vitesses. I like those cars, but it's not like I've never read about them before.

[Polystratus]

Its a shame there is no chance of an Autoshite magazine, there is a bit of a gap for something like it, but it probably wouldnt take off. Theres not enough folk like us sadly! Magazines have to cater for as wide an audience as possible these days.

One of the local newsagents sells a magazine called Minor Matters, that must have a very restricted audience given it only covers Morris Minors, while it's not much of a magazine, at least they haven't gone for chav type market like some single brand classic magazines like those for Ford and VW. Will still buy PC from time to time especially if it has any thing of interest (to me), so looking forward to the 30th annniversary edition.

[Tayne]

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[saabhappy]

That's the thing, a lot of cla**ic car magazines seem to be stuck in the 1980s, repeating tired old information about buying cars which were classics 25 years ago.

It just shows how old we are if you've read the same thing over and over again. The car and the information don't change, but the readership might so there are grounds for repeating it for new readers, hopefully in an interesting way. Just cos a mag did a piece about a Zodiac once doesn't mean it won't do any more.

[Dead_E23]

a lot of cla**ic car magazines seem to be stuck in the 1980s, repeating tired old information about buying cars which were classics 25 years ago.

Being stuck in the 1980s would seem to be a large part of the problem - in those pre-internet days, readers would gratefully lap up their monthly 'old car' fix and would often buy several magazines to get them through the month. I suspect that this resulted in larger circulations and the editorial budgets being more generous, so the journos probably weren't under as much time pressure and could write better researched articles - at least that's how it seemed as a reader; a lot of articles I've read recently seem little more than rehashed press releases. Nowadays, the 'old car' pest could make a full time job of reading all the stuff available free on the web, and specialised interests (hem) are easily catered for. I can't see how magazines can ever compete with that, apart from at the 'new to the hobby' end of the market. Now that most companies have decent websites, I don't even buy them to look at the adverts.

[saabhappy]

I like taking mags with me, reading in different rooms etc. I agree though, and I'm amazed that there are new mags springing up all over the place.

[carlo]

I do like Classic & Sportscar, it's the only mag where you could read about a Glas 1700GT, Isuzu 117 Coupe or Citroen M35 Wankel. Plus Buckley's column of course. Shame three quarters of it are adverts. Classic & Thoroughbred (if that's what it's still called) is fine if you like MGs, Jaguars, Ferraris and the over judicious use of photoshop.