Motoring Journalism

I though I’d try this thread and see where it ended up!

I grew up with Car Magazine in the 70s and 80s and only comparatively recently realised that the contributors to that magazine shaped my understanding of cars and the freedom and adventure of a long transcontinental road trip.

In particular I should acknowledge the Australians - Mel Nichols, Steve Cropley, Gavin Green, who brought not just their experiences but the ability to articulate them and make me part of their journey.

Last night I was reading Mel’s story about the bidding process for the Uhlenhaut Coupe which sold for $135million and the man who acted for the bidder. Great stuff. Today that’s in ‘The Intercooler’ an on-line magazine.

One of my favourite Mel Nichols stories is the one about bringing back 3 Lamborghinis to the UK across France at a time when the Autoroutes were unrestricted. Another is when he and Roger Cook took a Sondek to the factory to get a new tone arm fitted (1981 so I’m guessing an Ittok). They ended up drinking Macallan with Ivor Tiefenbrun.

The car was an Esprit Turbo. Back then I didn’t know what an LP12 was, had never heard of Naim (or Creek, NAD, Mission etc) and didn’t know the Hi-Fi journey that also lay ahead.

If I were to commend a book, it is “And the Revs Keep Rising”, a compendium of great drive stories from Europe, the US and Australia.

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See of you can track down a copy of ‘The Very Best of Russell Bulgin’.

I rediscovered this on my bookshelf a month or so ago. Excellent anthology. His description of taking Senna to try a rally car is fascinating.

Bruce

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CAR magazine had some excellent writers including the above-mentioned, but also editor Phil Llewellin, LJK Setright, and occasional contributions from PJ O’Rourke.

Well written, informative and often funny articles written by talented journalists.

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If mountain roads are your thing, you may want to check out the various Curves books which contain detailed descriptions of mountain road trips combined with spectacular photographs of the roads. There are separate volumes for Italy, Scotland, France, Austria and Switzerland.

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I’ve been a causal reader of Wheels and Motor mags in Australia for years however since the demise of the Aussie car industry don’t have the same enthusiasm. Wheels has completely disappeared and Motor have benefited from being just one publication.

Tried to read Top Gear for a while but found like the tv series it’s full of crap these days.

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This is all very much personal preference but in terms of Australian based content, I’ve turned to YouTube and there are 2 channels I stumbled over - 4xOverland and ‘We wouldn’t be dead for quids’ which deal with the overlanding travel opportunities Australia offers and both reveal the country to be a stunning place. Completely different challenges to Europe. For more normal car reviews InCARnation Australia and they have covered some great vehicles.

NZ is represented by Haydn Jones who is doing what I would consider off-road exploration rather than overlanding, and again it is the landscape that stars in his posts.

I still find physical (print) media more appealing though. Going back to Mel Nichols’ book one of his drives is in the GT HO III back when it came out including the picture taken of it doing 143mph on the highway which I gather caused trouble at the time.

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Thanks - I have started googling!

Friend of mine owned a very rare GTHO Phrase lll that was an automatic, one of a handful built. We drove from the Central Coast to Sydney it was the quickest trip I’ve ever had.

He sold it in the 80s bet he wished he’d kept as they bring huge money now in mint condition.

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Thanks and also to @BigAl. I have some back issues of Car, usually the ones that I couldn’t bear to part with, and the depth of talent was unique.

Some years ago I complemented Andrew Frankel on an article he wrote for Autocar, comparing it to Car back in the day and it was he who gave the credit for his writing to Mel Nichols, who in turn credits someone else. This is also what led me to The Intercooler which Frankel has co-founded. It’s on line, has good photos, is ad-free and costs a bit more I think than one of the monthly magazines. I have no commercial connections etc etc I just like great writing and some special content.

I managed to get hold of a copy of this collection of articles to mark his all too early demise. It’s a great thing to have but rarer than hen’s teeth. I think it was a very limited run.

I too was brought up on a diet dominated by Car magazine. The monthly articles often seemed to go off at a tangent from the simple subject of cars and I found most of the regulars head and shoulders above other car mags. It was a golden era, Car has long since lost my interest and the closest regular articles which I look forward to are to be found in Autocar - Steve Cropley (another Australian) and Matt Prior.

Peter

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I don’t read car mags now, I mostly enjoy Harry Metcalfe and Ian Tyrrell’s YouTube channels instead! I did have an EVO and Car subscription many years ago.

The best writing is always about driving rather than just about a car and whether it was worth 3 or 4 stars. Most modern stuff seems to lean to the latter, and often also seems to just parrot manufacturer press releases.

Bruce

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Motoring mags in the UK are now virtually clones of each other. And if you’re not interested in buying an electric car, just don’t bother!

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I have subscribed to Auto Italia since its inception in the mid 90’s, quality informative & balanced journalism by Italian car enthusiasts, the reviews are refreshingly honest too. They also have really good access to all the main manufacturers all the way down to obscure boutique marques in Italy. If you’re in to Italian metal it’s a must.

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Having not bought a Motoring magazine for years, I hadn’t realised Russell Bulgin passed away so long ago. I remember Phil Llewellin and Leonard Setright passing away, but not Russell.

I vaguely remember an article he did with Michael Schumacher: I think it was about cycling. I do remember they compared resting heart rates, and, ever the competitor, Schuey was quietly pleased that his was lower than Bulgin’s impressively low figure.

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Hadn’t spotted it so googled and found it. Latest edition also has the Maserati Kyalami on the front and as a fan of GTs, I must buy it!

Driving Like Crazy by P J O’Rourke is a brilliant collection of his motoring journalism. Not for the easily offended but if you like gonzo journalism in the spirit of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson you will love this!

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Enjoy !

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Going back a long way here, and my interest in the exotics mentioned above was/is minimal, but I do recall the sheer readability of the articles in Car - and the often hilarious good/bad and ugly ratings at the back.

I also used to read Bike magazine, a motorcycle journal based on the same style as Car, again very readable. Anyone else recall this?

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There was one summary I vaguely recall along the lines of ‘As classy as a rat with a gold tooth in a velvet lined pocket’! There were some real corkers there which would not make it to print these days!

Peter

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The Suzuki Swift:

It is. A bit.

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