PetrolTed Interview
To celebrate ten years of PistonHeads we speak to PetrolTed about the early days...
So Ted, why did you create PH in the first place?
Back in 1998 I’d been playing with the web to familiarise myself with the technology. After a month or two of experimenting I thought I might try something a bit more ambitious. PH was born on December 28 1998 – initially as a hobby but at the back of my mind lurked the idea that there might be a business in there somewhere.
Like many others, I was desperate to waste my time at work surfing the internet for car news and features. There just wasn’t enough content back then. The traditional publishers didn’t know how to approach the internet at the time. I figured a rolling news site about performance cars would appeal to other petrolheads like me.
With an old PC and some webspace I set about my plan to turn publishing on its head. I wasn’t alone – others were trying the same thing but by keeping my overheads low and concentrating on what interested me, I created a nice little niche.
I ran it in my spare time for eight months – wondering if I’d ever have the bottle to jack in the day job. Politics at work pushed me into a bit of a backwater and I was pretty hacked off with things.
Things took longer to establish than I anticipated and it took two years to turn it into a viable business. There were a few occasions when I questioned my sanity for continuing. It was touch and go on occasion as bandwidth costs spiralled.
In that time I had to learn to become a journalist, a salesman, a book keeper and keep on top of all the other nonsense associated with running a business.
And back in the early days, when you had a handful of readers, did you ever envisage PH would be this big?
Yes – you’ve got to believe your dreams are achievable or you’ll never make them happen. With my background in software development I figured could be more nimble and innovative than the big publishing houses who at the time just weren’t in the software game.
Things were a bit odd to start with though. I worked from home (low overheads) and initially I worked at night. I was on dial-up and it was the only way I could afford to get online for hours at a time. I’d prepare the news overnight ready for people to read as when they arrived at work first thing in the morning. I’d go to bed as the sun rose only to hear the phone ring at 9am with someone enquiring about advertising. Yes, I did complete some deals semi-naked.
The commercial side was a struggle. I was riding out the dot-com bubble bursting whilst trying to persuade people to advertise on the internet – something that wasn’t well understood in my target market. Perseverance and flexibility paid off ultimately.
Over the last ten years of PH what are your best moments?
There have been so many – it’s been a fantastic journey. I recall getting excited about a whole 160 visitors on the site in one day back in early 1999. It’s a tad busier now…
Where it all began...
What is the best car you have ever owned?...and the worst?
My lovely old TVR S4 was the best – it was that car which led me into the whole TVR scene and spurred me on to start PH. I owned it for about five years and covered 75,000 miles in it all over the country to race events and various meets.
It wasn’t that fast but it felt quick enough and it had loads of character. The worst car I owned was a Mk1 Ford Fiesta XR2. It had bad torque steer but still felt underpowered, and it was incredibly plasticky and generally a bit naff.
What is your fantasy garage?
Off the top of my head? An RS3100 Capri, an RS200, a Gallardo Superleggera, an F430 and I’ll also take a Lotus Sunbeam.
You’ve got a grand to spend on a shed…what’s it going to be?
A Rover SD1. It’s another itch I’d like to scratch. I’d probably get in it and hate it but it’s just one of those cars I’d like to own.
Tell us something we don’t know about PH?
I didn’t think up the name. One of my mates did in the pub after a track day. I bought him a couple of pints for that. Thanks MonkeyBoy J.
If you hadn’t have set up PH what would you be doing now?
Probably stuck in a boring office doing boring things and thinking they were important.
Where do you see PH and the world of motoring in another ten years?
Regardless of what happens to the motor industry I know there will still be petrolheads keen on getting their kicks from charismatic cars. I hope PH serves them well in ten years time too.
TVR S4 - the best car Ted has owned...
There have been many. One of the best in the early years was a troll/alter-ego called ‘Chassis’. He pretended to be foreign and claimed to have a Punto which he wanted to ‘tune’.
He was priceless at times, particularly his phraseology. I’m sure many of the old timers will remember him. That was in the days when trolls were still funny. How things have changed – and yes Chassis, I did work out who you were.
What is the future for TVR…can it really return?
The golden years are over – I doubt they will never recreate the magic that many of us experienced. It was a great few years – the racing, a vibrant community and affordable fast cars. All at about the same time as the internet was finding its feet – it was a great mix. Many lasting friendships were formed in that time which is what made it so special...
What is the best thing about PH?
It changed my life in every respect. I made many friends and had an enormous amount of help creating PH – often from complete strangers simply wanting to help improve the place.
It’s touched many people’s lives in many ways (mostly for the good!). It’s become so much more than the magazine I originally set out to create and is part of people’s lives now. I hope it continues in that vein.
Happy 10th mate.
I remember when we first met, you were hacked off with your job in the city and looking forward to getting PH really moving, and quitting your job was the best thing you did to give PH 100% of your time.
I'm really pleased that things worked out well for you, I could see a budding entrepreneur in the making.
I also look back at the trips to France we did together in 1999-2000 (I think).
I still have some videos of those trips.
Best Regards
Mike
Happy 10th mate.
Congrats on your success
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff