Car Magazine - what's going on?
Discussion
Have been a long time reader (but never subscriber) of Car - showing my age now, going back to the era of Bishop & Setright. I enjoy the epic road trips, the comment on industry and many of the current contributors, Georg Kacher is amazing.
For the last couple of years the format has shrunk, the quality of the paper is much poorer. Eventually I found this month's issue in WH Smith (local Sainsbury's & Waitrose no longer stock it, independent newsagents no longer exist in my town) - the magazine is barely thicker than Private Eye & much thinner than other magazines I subscribe to (CSC) or occasionally buy (Octane, Evo).
I get the impression that its days are numbered - a real shame because I thought it to be a long way removed from tabloid-ish weekly magazines.
I am old-school in that I prefer to read paper publications rather than digital. I had been considering subscribing to Car to save trying to find a copy, but with the recent withering of the magazine may well change my reading habits.
Anyone else feel likewise & if so, what alternative have you found for Car-like coverage of industry, tech, and a wide range of modern cars?
For the last couple of years the format has shrunk, the quality of the paper is much poorer. Eventually I found this month's issue in WH Smith (local Sainsbury's & Waitrose no longer stock it, independent newsagents no longer exist in my town) - the magazine is barely thicker than Private Eye & much thinner than other magazines I subscribe to (CSC) or occasionally buy (Octane, Evo).
I get the impression that its days are numbered - a real shame because I thought it to be a long way removed from tabloid-ish weekly magazines.
I am old-school in that I prefer to read paper publications rather than digital. I had been considering subscribing to Car to save trying to find a copy, but with the recent withering of the magazine may well change my reading habits.
Anyone else feel likewise & if so, what alternative have you found for Car-like coverage of industry, tech, and a wide range of modern cars?
Death of mainstream print unfortunately.
It’s similar to the last Autocar I picked up in a shop, terribly cheap paper stock and cover, barely any content.
Car seems to have lack the overall purpose and energy it had in the glory days for many years now unfortunately. I buy one every 18 months to check in but it rarely prompts me to buy another issue.
The market just isn’t there anymore. I’d say the only long term option would be to make it extra glossy, extra quality, longer articles and charge £10-13 an issue. This is the route Road and Track have taken and things like The Road Rat and Magneto seem to be doing OK under similar business models.
It’s similar to the last Autocar I picked up in a shop, terribly cheap paper stock and cover, barely any content.
Car seems to have lack the overall purpose and energy it had in the glory days for many years now unfortunately. I buy one every 18 months to check in but it rarely prompts me to buy another issue.
The market just isn’t there anymore. I’d say the only long term option would be to make it extra glossy, extra quality, longer articles and charge £10-13 an issue. This is the route Road and Track have taken and things like The Road Rat and Magneto seem to be doing OK under similar business models.
I wouldn't say there has been a spectacular and sudden decline, but gradual perhaps over the years. It is still pretty much the same format as it has been for some years, but they are entirely obsessed with EVs now (perhaps a reflection of what's coming on the market I suppose).
Admittedly I don't read it so much these days, and not in the last few months.
Admittedly I don't read it so much these days, and not in the last few months.
I've had/read Car for many years and often find now that I haven't finished reading the previous month's magazine when the latest one arrives. I used to have finished it within approx 2 days. That says it all for me. I receive it as a complimentary 'gift' but wouldn't pay for it now.
I, too, agree that it seems to have become thinner and thinner: GBU disappeared the other month, no explanation that I could see. I'm tired of reading about journalists' children, car seats etc etc.; this month's write up on the Bentley would have better in a Mothercare magazine, if it was still around. I find that the first things I read now are Gavin Green's and Mark Walton's articles, unless there's a particularly interesting group test (preferably without a 911 in it).
In short, I just think that the quality of journalists' writing (in general) has lost the in-depth analysis and incisiveness that there used to be.
Having said that, if you think Car's not as good as it was, I was given a copy of a Motorhome Monthly magazine (not sure if that's the correct title, can't be bothered to dig it out). Aaarghh. Most articles are clearly paid-for submissions emailed in by Harold and Gertrude, currently touring on the NC500 in Berty, their 1992 AutoMotor 598 SE Calipso Special edition, with Basil, their Cockapoo.
Plenty of tips on how to save 53p by parking in XYZ, how to save £3.78 by buying your cornflakes in Costco whilst en route and how to re-use your old curtains. I won't be subscribing to that, either
I, too, agree that it seems to have become thinner and thinner: GBU disappeared the other month, no explanation that I could see. I'm tired of reading about journalists' children, car seats etc etc.; this month's write up on the Bentley would have better in a Mothercare magazine, if it was still around. I find that the first things I read now are Gavin Green's and Mark Walton's articles, unless there's a particularly interesting group test (preferably without a 911 in it).
In short, I just think that the quality of journalists' writing (in general) has lost the in-depth analysis and incisiveness that there used to be.
Having said that, if you think Car's not as good as it was, I was given a copy of a Motorhome Monthly magazine (not sure if that's the correct title, can't be bothered to dig it out). Aaarghh. Most articles are clearly paid-for submissions emailed in by Harold and Gertrude, currently touring on the NC500 in Berty, their 1992 AutoMotor 598 SE Calipso Special edition, with Basil, their Cockapoo.
Plenty of tips on how to save 53p by parking in XYZ, how to save £3.78 by buying your cornflakes in Costco whilst en route and how to re-use your old curtains. I won't be subscribing to that, either
I used to read a lot of magazines, mainly classic car, car repair and car tuning types. Even some computer mags now and again. I have not picked up a magazine in over 10 years now, I read all i want online, but really most of the stuff I used to get magazines for is now supplied via YouTube. I guess this is probably the case with a lot of people.
Cliche alert - it is the perfect storm which has also hit other media. Part of the problem - the biggest part - is a readership public with ever shorter attention spans , a preference for imagery over text , the availability of a blizzard of free content on line and a resultant disinclination to spend even nominal mounts on hard copy . Allied to all that is the social media culture of sniping and trashing journalism and it's no wonder magazines are struggling.
I'm an addict , having bought my first Autocar as a kid in 1967 and I still read it, as it gives me a better rounded view than online stuff - where I tend to read only what shiny pieces appeal . I like finding out about stuff that is outside my core interest . I also read CSC , Motor Sport and Octane , the last of which is now streets ahead of the rest (as long as I hold my nose when reading Coucher ).
CAR was , by a huge margin, the best magazine of all in its glory days from Mid 60s to late 80s. Its design was ground breaking , photography superb and its editorial content utterly brilliant, with a cast of wonderful writers from Blain and Setright to Llewellin and Bell , Manney and Bishop . It was smart , disruptive and iconoclastic . And I could have wept at the odd recent ones I've seen - glib , superficial , badly written and primarily composed of bite size factoids . .
I'm an addict , having bought my first Autocar as a kid in 1967 and I still read it, as it gives me a better rounded view than online stuff - where I tend to read only what shiny pieces appeal . I like finding out about stuff that is outside my core interest . I also read CSC , Motor Sport and Octane , the last of which is now streets ahead of the rest (as long as I hold my nose when reading Coucher ).
CAR was , by a huge margin, the best magazine of all in its glory days from Mid 60s to late 80s. Its design was ground breaking , photography superb and its editorial content utterly brilliant, with a cast of wonderful writers from Blain and Setright to Llewellin and Bell , Manney and Bishop . It was smart , disruptive and iconoclastic . And I could have wept at the odd recent ones I've seen - glib , superficial , badly written and primarily composed of bite size factoids . .
eBay is your friend. My latest issue of Car - June 1983 - dropped on the door mat last week. Soon I’ll be buying them for a second time. The ‘Scoop!’ stories are especially fun now that we know what actually happened…
I loved the magazine, and had every issue between August 1983 and probably about 1993. Whilst at art school I wrote to Adam Stinson, asking for work experience, which he kindly offered me. Couldn’t find accommodation so it didn’t happen, sadly.
I loved the magazine, and had every issue between August 1983 and probably about 1993. Whilst at art school I wrote to Adam Stinson, asking for work experience, which he kindly offered me. Couldn’t find accommodation so it didn’t happen, sadly.
I was on my first work trip for 18 months and picked up a double pack of Car and Classic Car to pass time on the plane. Compared to the size it was, Car is now an absolute shadow. I agree with all said above, but the decline of print media now looms terminal, and the resulting loss of advertising revenue is accelerating the effect. I recall the first edition I bought with a scoop of the Porsche 928 was a skinny volume, it was later I was removing the staples to get a Countach picture for my wall. Those days won’t be returning.
All that said the copy of Classic Car was as plump as ever - maybe the flat cap and string back gloves crew havn’t found the internet yet
All that said the copy of Classic Car was as plump as ever - maybe the flat cap and string back gloves crew havn’t found the internet yet
Mezzanine said:
Death of mainstream print, unfortunately.
It’s similar to the last Autocar I picked up in a shop, terribly cheap paper stock and cover, barely any content.
Car seems to have lack the overall purpose and energy it had in the glory days for many years now, unfortunately. I buy one every 18 months to check in but it rarely prompts me to buy another issue.
The market just isn’t there anymore. I’d say the only long term option would be to make it extra glossy, extra quality, longer articles and charge £10-13 an issue. This is the route Road and Track have taken and things like The Road Rat and Magneto seem to be doing OK under similar business models.
Yes, it's the 'boutique' publications that are doing well (I suscribe to Automobilsport - A German magazine, but publishes an English edition as well) while the old mainstream ones die a death.It’s similar to the last Autocar I picked up in a shop, terribly cheap paper stock and cover, barely any content.
Car seems to have lack the overall purpose and energy it had in the glory days for many years now, unfortunately. I buy one every 18 months to check in but it rarely prompts me to buy another issue.
The market just isn’t there anymore. I’d say the only long term option would be to make it extra glossy, extra quality, longer articles and charge £10-13 an issue. This is the route Road and Track have taken and things like The Road Rat and Magneto seem to be doing OK under similar business models.
I sometimes pick up a copy of Autocar in the chippy and it's terrlble - thin paper, few pages, cheap finish. For decades I subscribed to Motoring (and then Motorsports) News, but that turned into the Motorsport equivalent of the Sun when it was bought by the publishers of Autosport, so I gave it up. Later I saw they upped the price of the print edition to some obscene amount, as they did with Autosport, to force people into electronic versions, but they both seem a little more sane now.
Recently, I had a free Readly deal and decided to take a look at Motorsports News and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it had returned, far more, to its old style with proper race reports, grass root coverage and less Jingoistic BS.
That said, I guess most people get their reviews. reports, etc from the internet now, and usually, via videos, rather than the written word. Reading does seem to be far too much effort for many people.
M
Mezzanine said:
Death of mainstream print unfortunately.
I'm sure there's some truth in that but when I go into WH Smiths in my nearest London railway station I see more car and motorcycle magazines than ever. Anyway, this was the first car magazine I ever bought in Jan 1976 when I was 11 years old.
And I still have it.
clive_candy said:
Most depressing was the observation by the editor in his intro a couple of months back that all (or virtually all) the cars in that month's mag were electric. Almost couldn't be bothered to read on.
Having bought that issue, and read the craven acceptance of the eco-virtue-signalling shift to electric everything (an electric 911 FFS?) I decided to not bother buying any more issues, ever again.Edited by clive_candy on Tuesday 2nd November 16:45
Been a Car subscriber for almost 20 years, but now on the verge of cancelling it.
I used to wait eagerly for the copy to arrive in the post (a few days before the shop release) and would devour it.
In recent years I'd take a look at the front cover, see what German metal they are reviewing this week and file it for reading later.
Now, it's look at the front cover, see what limited Ice content there is and then file for reading much later.
The switch to electric recally has reduced my interest in it / new cars in general.
I liken it to when my favourite hobby went electric... Model R/C plane flying. As a kid/young man, i loved building and flying r/c planes of all sizes. As it gradually went electric, and noise levels restrictions forced the switch at my local club, my interest just vanished.
Keep thinking I must cancel the subscription, but there is a pang of sorrow when I look into it, as not only is it an end of an era of a long term relationship with a magazine, its more indicative of my loss of interest in the motor industry in general.
I used to wait eagerly for the copy to arrive in the post (a few days before the shop release) and would devour it.
In recent years I'd take a look at the front cover, see what German metal they are reviewing this week and file it for reading later.
Now, it's look at the front cover, see what limited Ice content there is and then file for reading much later.
The switch to electric recally has reduced my interest in it / new cars in general.
I liken it to when my favourite hobby went electric... Model R/C plane flying. As a kid/young man, i loved building and flying r/c planes of all sizes. As it gradually went electric, and noise levels restrictions forced the switch at my local club, my interest just vanished.
Keep thinking I must cancel the subscription, but there is a pang of sorrow when I look into it, as not only is it an end of an era of a long term relationship with a magazine, its more indicative of my loss of interest in the motor industry in general.
The first issue of Car I bought was the Countach and Testarossa one in Aug 86? Sadly I had to dispose of it when I was living in difficult circumstances.
I read Car pretty much monthly from that issue until the mid noughties when I got bored of modern cars.
It used to be fun and about more than rehashed press releases. There’d be giant tests, individual tests, something about motorsport, some aspect of modern vehicle technology, a feature on a classic car, some other automotive feature like a trip to a NASCAR race or a search for interesting cars in the car dealers on the A127, not to mention the scoops and interviews with industry executives. The design and photography was always brilliant and the better columnists/writers (Bulgin, Llewelyn, Setright) were always worth a read.
Last time I picked it up it was just reviews with non of the car culture around it. I suppose it becomes a vicious circle of declining revenue leading to content being cut leading to declining revenue etc.
Occasionally I get Octane now.
I read Car pretty much monthly from that issue until the mid noughties when I got bored of modern cars.
It used to be fun and about more than rehashed press releases. There’d be giant tests, individual tests, something about motorsport, some aspect of modern vehicle technology, a feature on a classic car, some other automotive feature like a trip to a NASCAR race or a search for interesting cars in the car dealers on the A127, not to mention the scoops and interviews with industry executives. The design and photography was always brilliant and the better columnists/writers (Bulgin, Llewelyn, Setright) were always worth a read.
Last time I picked it up it was just reviews with non of the car culture around it. I suppose it becomes a vicious circle of declining revenue leading to content being cut leading to declining revenue etc.
Occasionally I get Octane now.
i thought it was me - but have gone off of car magazines - used to read them regularly and cane remember buying nearly every one in the hey days... but now they are just poor cousins of the glory days....
who can get interested in a shoot off between a nissan leaf and a renault zoe...
used to enjoy reading about fiat unos ford fiestas and escorts and the like yup they are no where as good as the cars we have today but then again the ones out there today seem souless and all too samey samey.
loved the stories in the car magazines, really put you there, and they were enjoyable. remember reading performance car and the reast, even enjoyed the recent modern classics but thats even gone now
ruggedscotty said:
i thought it was me - but have gone off of car magazines - used to read them regularly and cane remember buying nearly every one in the hey days... but now they are just poor cousins of the glory days....
who can get interested in a shoot off between a nissan leaf and a renault zoe...
used to enjoy reading about fiat unos ford fiestas and escorts and the like yup they are no where as good as the cars we have today but then again the ones out there today seem souless and all too samey samey.
loved the stories in the car magazines, really put you there, and they were enjoyable. remember reading performance car and the reast, even enjoyed the recent modern classics but thats even gone now
I’m exactly the same, I’d read and re-read all of the issues and enjoy the writing about the most mundane cars. It used to be a chunky, glossy magazine with excellent photography and columnists. Now, I flick through it every month on Readly and it provides a few minutes of entertainment. I’d never pay the five quid or whatever it costs again. Sad times.who can get interested in a shoot off between a nissan leaf and a renault zoe...
used to enjoy reading about fiat unos ford fiestas and escorts and the like yup they are no where as good as the cars we have today but then again the ones out there today seem souless and all too samey samey.
loved the stories in the car magazines, really put you there, and they were enjoyable. remember reading performance car and the reast, even enjoyed the recent modern classics but thats even gone now
DoctorX said:
I’m exactly the same, I’d read and re-read all of the issues and enjoy the writing about the most mundane cars. It used to be a chunky, glossy magazine with excellent photography and columnists. Now, I flick through it every month on Readly and it provides a few minutes of entertainment. I’d never pay the five quid or whatever it costs again. Sad times.
sadly it may be the case that the good times are behind us with cars.... they will just be as good as white goods with no real spark to interest those with an interest in engines and drivetrains.Gassing Station | Books and Literature | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff