Show us motoring journalism at its best and worst

[DickyC]

Seen on MSN Motoring yesterday.

[Studio117]

Worst: here. It's become a stty blog for underpaid student journalists.

And phtv. What a cringeworthy crock of sheeeite

[crmcatee]

Worst - Got to be PH TV and the R8 buying Ferrari seeking eejit. There's product placement and then there's PH TV

[droopsnoot]

I can't tell whether the OPs post is the best or worst. For me it just doesn't seem that "awesome" (if you can forgive the use of that word when reporting on a car auction) that said auction only has cars of one make. So on balance I'm going for worst, but it's probably no more than just "modern speak".

One of the stand-out articles I remember is from Car magazine in the seventies - I thought it was only me that held it in high regard, but it was featured on C&SC last year in the same way. It was a report on a trip down to Sant'Agata to collect three new Lamborghinis for delivery to the UK. As it was the seventies, much of it was printed in black and white on rough paper, but even the photos on there were great. I've read quite a few similar articles since then, but none have been quite as good. Maybe it's because that edition of Car was one of the first car magazines I ever got, or maybe it was just a very well-written piece.

[RicksAlfas]

Best?

Buy these:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Revs-Keep-Rising-Great-Dri...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bulgin-Very-Best-Russell-1...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jenks-Passion-Motor-Stirli...

After you've read these you realise everything else is varying shades of Troy Queef!

[DickyC]

droopsnoot said:

I can't tell whether the OPs post is the best or worst. For me it just doesn't seem that "awesome" (if you can forgive the use of that word when reporting on a car auction) that said auction only has cars of one make. So on balance I'm going for worst, but it's probably no more than just "modern speak".

Worst - but mostly from the point of view of illustrating an ALL Ferrari auction with a Shelby Cobra and spelling Ferrari incorrectly.

[nicanary]

Denis Jenkinson's account of his "day out" alongside Stirling Moss in the 1955 Mille Miglia is sublime. If you're not equally excited/enthralled/moved by it then you have no soul. It should be compulsory reading for anyone who wants to get involved in the historic racing scene.

His buddy and boss at Motor Sport magazine was Bill Boddy. He was the Clarkson of his day, and rather blunt about the cars he road tested. Like Jezza, he was barred by manufacturers from borrowing their wares. All good stuff compared to the PR-talk we get in today's rags.

[sjc]

One of the best road-test reports I've read in journalistic terms was in Performance car (I believe) in the mid'80's, headlined "Dark Star" on a black TVR 420/450 SEAC with the reg number NAS7Y.
The way the journo described the whole experience has made the article stay with me.

[4941cc]

DickyC said:

Seen on MSN Motoring yesterday.

Showing your ignorance there, that's a Cobra rep, with a 250 California as the donor vehicle.

[Fishtigua]

Ah, the writers of Car from the golden era. Setright, Steady Barker, Ian Fraser and Phil Llewellin. No finer motoring correspondents were ever in the business.

http://www.stephenbayley.com/w/why-leonard-setrigh...

http://www.pistonheads.com/Gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

[DickyC]

4941cc said:

Showing your ignorance there, that's a Cobra rep, with a 250 California as the donor vehicle.

Oh, mate, missed your 25,000th post.

[Ganglandboss]

David Beckham and 'elderly fan' at GP:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1788089-radio-s...

Edited by Ganglandboss on Friday 7th August 19:17

[DickyC]

Ganglandboss said:

David Beckham and 'elderly fan' at GP:

http://m.bleacherreport.com/articles/1788089-radio...

That registers 11 on the Woeful-O-Meter.

[4941cc]

Ganglandboss said:

David Beckham and 'elderly fan' at GP:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1788089-radio-s...

[Jagmanv12]

Ganglandboss said:

David Beckham and 'elderly fan' at GP:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1788089-radio-s...

Edited by Ganglandboss on Friday 7th August 19:17

David who?

For those with a sense of humour bypass I know who he is. A nobody where Niki Lauda is a somebody.

[Jaroon]

Good - Back in the days of Performance Car the descriptions of the EVO 6 including "lung crushing acceleration" and "if the road is less than perfectly dry a Ferrari 550 won't know which way you went." For some reason these quotes had more than a little resonance with a young lad with his first access to some serious loans.

Bad - Any article that mentions any aspect of any car being "Turned up to eleven." We get the reference, enough, please stop.

[silverfoxcc]

Having beeb brought up on Bill Boddy and DSJ, the likesof clarkson dont hold a candle to those two. If you can find it, ewad DSJ report on Jim Clark at IIRC Monaco GP just blowing the rest out of the water, he said he had tears of joy in his eyes. Eoin Young was anohter good writer in those days Had some good 'motorsport' mags back then when F1 was proper rcing and you could see the drivers working the cars, not driving a bloody computer around a track. The British GP at Brands was 80 laps of the 2.65 cct

[davhill]

I can't quote verbatim but two from LJK Setright have stuck with me.

"The easiest car to spin around the gear lever on a wet day." 427 c.i. Shelby Cobra.

" The only time the ride is comfortable is when all four wheels are off the ground. Unfortunately. this happens all too often." Morgan Plus Eight.

[s m]

sjc said:

One of the best road-test reports I've read in journalistic terms was in Performance car (I believe) in the mid'80's, headlined "Dark Star" on a black TVR 420/450 SEAC with the reg number NAS7Y.
The way the journo described the whole experience has made the article stay with me.

Performance Car October 87

[rxtx]

I wish I'd kept all my old Performance Car magazines. I remember a test of the latest 1989 '911 HUL'-registered Turbo against a fast road bike on a track, where the journalist mentioned the guts of the biker, pulling a wheelie at speed next to a car worth as much as his house.