New Performance Car mag - 1st issue
Discussion
Really enjoyed issue 1 and have an 8hr flight on tuesday so roll on issue 2.
If they stay true to their core principal of affordable cars and the editorial and production maintain that inital quality then there is no reason why this title should not flurish. Keep up the good work.
PS: As has been mentioned before the reason there are no ads is that this is a new title. Who ever launched the title did not do so for a laugh, this is a commercial venture so if it continues to develop expect a decent proportion of ads v eds.
If they stay true to their core principal of affordable cars and the editorial and production maintain that inital quality then there is no reason why this title should not flurish. Keep up the good work.
PS: As has been mentioned before the reason there are no ads is that this is a new title. Who ever launched the title did not do so for a laugh, this is a commercial venture so if it continues to develop expect a decent proportion of ads v eds.
riwiho said:
Really enjoyed issue 1 and have an 8hr flight on tuesday so roll on issue 2.
If they stay true to their core principal of affordable cars and the editorial and production maintain that inital quality then there is no reason why this title should not flurish. Keep up the good work.
Found Issue 2 a better read than Issue 1 so you may well enjoy your flight!If they stay true to their core principal of affordable cars and the editorial and production maintain that inital quality then there is no reason why this title should not flurish. Keep up the good work.
Spotted the Pistonheads ref on the letters page as well!
I bought this magazine after seeing it being promoted at the local newsagent, hoping for a credible alternative to Evo. I bought it with high hopes, having seen the positive reaction on this thread, thinking 'how wrong can the PH massive be?'
As it turns out, very. (I can only assume issue 1 was far better than issue 2.)
The magazine is amateurish at best, and comes across as a low rent copy of EVO, but without the confidence, writing panache nor quality of photography. I thought the photography was OK (although far better than I could achieve), but looks fairly poor when compared that of Evo. Limited edition prints available to purchase? - wonder where they got that idea....
I noticed a number of spelling and grammatical errors that the most basic software should have picked up.
I thought the 20+ pages of Hondas was excessive, and then, to add to my frustration about the Honda-fest, I turn to the long-termers section only to find more copy about the same bloody Honda's I've just read about.
I liked the idea of including a feature/review on driver coaching/tuition, however this particular one came across as free advertisement for Don Palmer (the type that of feature that usually has 'advertisement' written at the top of the page). Don't get me wrong, I rate Don Palmer and his courses very highly, but I got the impression he wrote the feature himself.
The only positive I could find was the fact that they feature older, 2nd-hand cars as part of the 'long term' fleet (the only thing I feel is missing from Evo), but perhaps that's just a by-product of their budget constraints, rather than a desire to feature these cars.
I definitely won't be buying issue 3.
As it turns out, very. (I can only assume issue 1 was far better than issue 2.)
The magazine is amateurish at best, and comes across as a low rent copy of EVO, but without the confidence, writing panache nor quality of photography. I thought the photography was OK (although far better than I could achieve), but looks fairly poor when compared that of Evo. Limited edition prints available to purchase? - wonder where they got that idea....
I noticed a number of spelling and grammatical errors that the most basic software should have picked up.
I thought the 20+ pages of Hondas was excessive, and then, to add to my frustration about the Honda-fest, I turn to the long-termers section only to find more copy about the same bloody Honda's I've just read about.
I liked the idea of including a feature/review on driver coaching/tuition, however this particular one came across as free advertisement for Don Palmer (the type that of feature that usually has 'advertisement' written at the top of the page). Don't get me wrong, I rate Don Palmer and his courses very highly, but I got the impression he wrote the feature himself.
The only positive I could find was the fact that they feature older, 2nd-hand cars as part of the 'long term' fleet (the only thing I feel is missing from Evo), but perhaps that's just a by-product of their budget constraints, rather than a desire to feature these cars.
I definitely won't be buying issue 3.
Edited by monthefish on Sunday 30th March 18:19
Edited by monthefish on Monday 31st March 11:16
monthefish said:
...I bought it with high hopes, ...
I didn't actually buy it, but thumbed through it in the newsagents with hopes of the old mag of the same title being re-born.Thought it very weak so didn't bother shelling out.
I find Evo and Octane pretty good, though both have their off moments too.
Not seen a thread on issue-2 yet, so here will do.
Disappointing is a good word to use. It does emulate the evo structure a lot, the writing isn't as expressive as the professional journos, and the comments and conclusions are pedestrian - I could drive a coach and horses through the S2000 article, which re-iterated the same old cliches and made me wonder if he'd actually driven the car or just sat in it at a dealership and made 'brrrm brrrm noises!
It is pitched in exactly the right area - the affordable, unmodified, driver's car - but it's not got it's 'delivery' right yet. I think I'll do what I do with PPC, Car and Jap Performance - scan it in the newsagent first, see if there's enough to grab my interest, and if not, leave it.
It definitely made me realise how polished evo is, despite the rapidly-increasing average-value of the cars they review and despite a couple of oversized egos...
Disappointing is a good word to use. It does emulate the evo structure a lot, the writing isn't as expressive as the professional journos, and the comments and conclusions are pedestrian - I could drive a coach and horses through the S2000 article, which re-iterated the same old cliches and made me wonder if he'd actually driven the car or just sat in it at a dealership and made 'brrrm brrrm noises!
It is pitched in exactly the right area - the affordable, unmodified, driver's car - but it's not got it's 'delivery' right yet. I think I'll do what I do with PPC, Car and Jap Performance - scan it in the newsagent first, see if there's enough to grab my interest, and if not, leave it.
It definitely made me realise how polished evo is, despite the rapidly-increasing average-value of the cars they review and despite a couple of oversized egos...
havoc said:
Not seen a thread on issue-2 yet, so here will do.
Disappointing is a good word to use. It does emulate the evo structure a lot, the writing isn't as expressive as the professional journos, and the comments and conclusions are pedestrian - I could drive a coach and horses through the S2000 article, which re-iterated the same old cliches and made me wonder if he'd actually driven the car or just sat in it at a dealership and made 'brrrm brrrm noises!
It is pitched in exactly the right area - the affordable, unmodified, driver's car - but it's not got it's 'delivery' right yet. I think I'll do what I do with PPC, Car and Jap Performance - scan it in the newsagent first, see if there's enough to grab my interest, and if not, leave it.
It definitely made me realise how polished evo is, despite the rapidly-increasing average-value of the cars they review and despite a couple of oversized egos...
Yup, pretty much sums it up.Disappointing is a good word to use. It does emulate the evo structure a lot, the writing isn't as expressive as the professional journos, and the comments and conclusions are pedestrian - I could drive a coach and horses through the S2000 article, which re-iterated the same old cliches and made me wonder if he'd actually driven the car or just sat in it at a dealership and made 'brrrm brrrm noises!
It is pitched in exactly the right area - the affordable, unmodified, driver's car - but it's not got it's 'delivery' right yet. I think I'll do what I do with PPC, Car and Jap Performance - scan it in the newsagent first, see if there's enough to grab my interest, and if not, leave it.
It definitely made me realise how polished evo is, despite the rapidly-increasing average-value of the cars they review and despite a couple of oversized egos...
sniff petrol said:
Dan 80 said:
Did anyone else spot the Pistonheads mention in the letters page??
Not read it - care to quote it?"I heard about your magazine from a contributor to the PistonHeads website, and their enthusiastic response to the first issue has left me eager to pick up a copy. There is a feeling amongst keen drivers that existing magazines no longer cover the medium ground of new and secondhand drivers' cars costing from £5k to £75k, for the road and track use....It's worth keeping a close eye on Internet forums, because while they are often full of egos and opinions , they can also be a useful tool for knowing what people want.."
I thought issue 2 was not bad - actually quite good - but like every new mag needs a bit of time to grow into its mould. I think where evo scores is with its links with advertisers, people and manufacturers, hence the large selection of brilliant articles that they produce. However, as yet Performance Car do not have that - they rely on what they can get at the moment, presumably hence the three Honda articles in this month's issue, the Porsche 968 in last month's (probably sourced through Unity's GT Purely Porsche title) and the M5 (again sourced through BMW Car, another Unity title).
However, if they stick to the format, continue to improve their journalism - but I think the photography's quite good, especially from Lipman and Earey - and retain the thick, quality paper used, it's going to be a good magazine. Will it ever be a true evo rival? At the moment, it's not, I don't think, but given time, it could be.
However, if they stick to the format, continue to improve their journalism - but I think the photography's quite good, especially from Lipman and Earey - and retain the thick, quality paper used, it's going to be a good magazine. Will it ever be a true evo rival? At the moment, it's not, I don't think, but given time, it could be.
Wombat Rick said:
monthefish said:
(I can only assume issue 1 was far better than issue 2.)
Issue 1 was grim and genuinely had me peeved that I had wasted £4 on it (that's nearly an oil filter!), so I hate to think what issue 2 must be like...
(actually - I wouldn't want you to go through the pain).
I read the new Evo last night and it just re-inforced my view that there is no comparison between the two. Performance Car has to get a lot better if it's to compete with the likes of Evo.
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