Motoring magazines. Is it just me?

[John Jones Jr]

Firstly Happy Christmas and New Year to one and all.

So, my annual subscription for Car magazine expired last year and I didn't bother to renew it. I'm unsure why I didn't as I've been purchasing the magazine since 1981/82. Anyway, I purchased both December and January's editions for something to read over the Christmas break. Well, all I can say I'm somewhat disappointed after reading them or reading what I reckoned was the more interesting articles.

Out of several dozen new cars or models there's only three that took my fancy - BMW M2 , Honda NSX and the Ford Focus RS. And none are ideal, ranging from being impractical, too expensive or have a image problem.

Is it me or am I just getting old?

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Speak up gramps, you're mumbling again!

 

[John Jones Jr]

Happy Xmas lewyboy!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

You too!

 

[219]

Firstly Happy Christmas and New Year to one and all.

So, my annual subscription for Car magazine expired last year and I didn't bother to renew it. I'm unsure why I didn't as I've been purchasing the magazine since 1981/82. Anyway, I purchased both December and January's editions for something to read over the Christmas break. Well, all I can say I'm somewhat disappointed after reading them or reading what I reckoned was the more interesting articles.

Out of several dozen new cars or models there's only three that took my fancy - BMW M2 , Honda NSX and the Ford Focus RS. And none are ideal, ranging from being impractical, too expensive or have a image problem.

Is it me or am I just getting old?

I gave up with it after the demise of Setright - I bought it primarily because I so enjoyed his writings .

 

[John Jones Jr]

I gave up with it after the demise of Setright - I bought it primarily because I so enjoyed his writings .

LJK was my hero.

 

[219]

He is missed .

 

[Ted]

Not by me unfortunately.
I found him to be a pompous know it all who thought that his views had to be right.
If something was technically superior it was therefore better.
I found him engaging in his earlier writings but just got frustrated with him as time went on.

 

[Deleted96908]

Not by me unfortunately.
I found him to be a pompous know it all who thought that his views had to be right.
If something was technically superior it was therefore better.
I found him engaging in his earlier writings but just got frustrated with him as time went on.

LJK's offspring lives on in the form of Fast n Loud's Aaron Kaufmann - although this guy isn't parked up his own backside.

 

[Deleted member 6183]

LJK's offspring lives on in the form of Fast n Loud's Aaron Kaufmann - although this guy isn't parked up his own backside.

Doesn't that just prove that looks can be deceiving.

 

[Deleted96908]

Doesn't that just prove that looks can be deceiving.

If you say so

 

[John Jones Jr]

Not by me unfortunately.
I found him to be a pompous know it all who thought that his views had to be right.
If something was technically superior it was therefore better.
I found him engaging in his earlier writings but just got frustrated with him as time went on.

I can understand your viewpoint, he was after all far from perfect. Still, he was in another league compared to most motoring scribes.

 

[stevehg]

I just buy Evo and Octane now. Both still good imho

cheers, Steve

 

[kid-jensen]

Much as I used to be amused bt LJKS mad ramblings, ("Let me have engines about me that are spondaic, preferably in the hexameter!"). Yes, he really did write that and it made it to Pseuds corner, unsutrprisingly. I also got bored with the same old rants (and his technical explanations wrern't without the faint smell of bull**** either), as is often the problem with self-taught "experts".

The problem IMHO, is the monthly magazine format has passed its sell-by date. Everything in the magazine looks oid, even before you've opened it, because the internet has already infored any even partially-interested petrolheads about the latest news/releases so what are they in existance for? (apart from giving employment to artily-filtered landscapes from ambitious photography students).

Perversely, I prefer Autocar even though it's much more "news-based". Go figure.

All I have to do is flick through a copy of Autoexpress at the newsagents and I know straight away how NOT to produce a car mag.. after that, anything with a picture of a car on it would be a good read...

 

[219]

LJK's offspring lives on in the form of Fast n Loud's Aaron Kaufmann - although this guy isn't parked up his own backside.

There certainly is a physical resemblance ( at least as far as facial hair is concerned ) , but since I don't know the new guy I can't comment beyond that .

I strongly respect LJKS , having read several of his books as well as his scribblings in CAR , and knowing his engineering and other scholarly background , very much feel that his writings , far from pomposity , were full of thoroughly merited superiority .

Aside of his love of Bristols ( the cars ) he was also a great protagonist of Mercedes-Benz : a maker whose cars 'contain more cleverness per cubic inch than any other make' .

I had , and still do , a lot of time for the gentleman .

The closest present day motoring journalist to LJKS , IMHO , is James May .

 

[Deleted96908]

There certainly is a physical resemblance ( at least as far as facial hair is concerned ) , but since I don't know the new guy I can't comment beyond that .

I strongly respect LJKS , having read several of his books as well as his scribblings in CAR , and knowing his engineering and other scholarly background , very much feel that his writings , far from pomposity , were full of thoroughly merited superiority .

Aside of his love of Bristols ( the cars ) he was also a great protagonist of Mercedes-Benz : a maker whose cars 'contain more cleverness per cubic inch than any other make' .

I had , and still do , a lot of time for the gentleman .

The closest present day motoring journalist to LJKS , IMHO , is James May .

I have no issue with Setright's knowledge or his academic credentials and can see he gave a lot of pleasure to a lot of people. But I found his presentation too flowery for my liking. I much preferred Russell Bulgin who was far more economic with his delivery, yet if I recall correctly, no less celebrated during his 80s and 90s heyday. And for me, far more enjoyable. In saying that, I share Setright's then love of early Bristols.

James May talks a lot of sense, but again, do I really need to listen to 100 words when 50 will do? I appreciate he's painting a picture, but there's other ways of doing that.

For example, take accounts of WW2. If you want to read opinionated, emotive first-hand accounts, read Shirer, Toland, Churchill and to some extent, Hastings. But if you want the facts, devoid of clutter, but nonetheless beautifully written, then you turn to RJ Evans or Kershaw. I started off with Shirer and now when I go back to review his works, particularly Berlin Diary, I am appalled at how often his colouration misleads the reader. All German women are ugly, for example. Remember, this is the guy who formed much of America's opinion of Germany during his weekly radio broadcasts, whereas what they needed was somebody like William Dodd, the then ambassador to Germany, who took a much more objective view of the situation - but was sadly ignored by the conservative elite "Pretty Good Club" supporting Roosevelt.

So yes, I can see folks like Setright, but for someone like me seeking fact before opinion and expression, I'm always going to look elsewhere.

 

[John Jones Jr]

So yes, I can see folks like Setright, but for someone like me seeking fact before opinion and expression, I'm always going to look elsewhere.

Well we must be talking about different Setright's. His articles on technical aspects (which there were many) were packed with facts and importantly were written in a style that the common man could comprehend.

It could be said that LJKS had forgotten more factual info about cars, music, law and publishing than you or I will ever know.

I'm not having a pop at your opinion but there's few that could persuade me that they could criticise Setright writings with a degree of authority.

 

[Deleted96908]

Well we must be talking about different Setright's. His articles on technical aspects (which there were many) were packed with facts and importantly were written in a style that the common man could comprehend.

It could be said that LJKS had forgotten more factual info about cars, music, law and publishing than you or I will ever know.

I'm not having a pop at your opinion but there's few that could persuade me that they could criticise Setright writings with a degree of authority.

I didn't say he wasn't factual, I said his delivery, for my tastes, was too flowery. I prefer an academic, meaning non-emotional and unopinionated, style of writing.

 

[Scott_F]

I didn't say he wasn't factual, I said his delivery, for my tastes, was too flowery. I prefer an academic, meaning non-emotional and unopinionated, style of writing.

You are never going to get academic content in a glossy monthly magazine. They are mass-market publications containing road tests, opinions and stats for blokes interested in cars not technical or objective offerings.

 

[Deleted96908]

You are never going to get academic content in a glossy monthly magazine. They are mass-market publications containing road tests, opinions and stats for blokes interested in cars not technical or objective offerings.

Who said you would? I was referring, in my examples, to the study of history.

Although if I had to nominate car journalists I enjoy, Bulgin would be near the top of the list - Harry Metcalfe too.