MOTOR SPORT makeover, not impressed...
Discussion
Not a big fan of printed media to be honest, but Motor Sport has always been an exception - amongst a world of disposable brash tabloid-esque media pubs MS has always stood out as a publication that retained a certain timeless cool factor that harked back to days of yore.
I'm all for progression, and would like to think I'm a non-flat-earther, but what's going on with the re-brand? The original font for the logo goes back to the '30s doesn't it? Those kind of graphics are timeless IMHO, not "trendy", nor "un trendy", just elegant and synonymous with the publication.
By my estimation they'll have to re-brand the mag every few years now. The new style doesn't look any different from Lawnmowers Weekly, whereas the old style would've looked classy to eternity.
If it ain't broke don't fix it I say. At least Messrs Roebuck and Boddy are still with the publication so it's still worth a read, but the magazine will never have quite the same aura of sophistication in the new livery IMHO, sadly it now looks akin to any generic mag on the shelves...
Old Motor Sport RIP :-(
I'm all for progression, and would like to think I'm a non-flat-earther, but what's going on with the re-brand? The original font for the logo goes back to the '30s doesn't it? Those kind of graphics are timeless IMHO, not "trendy", nor "un trendy", just elegant and synonymous with the publication.
By my estimation they'll have to re-brand the mag every few years now. The new style doesn't look any different from Lawnmowers Weekly, whereas the old style would've looked classy to eternity.
If it ain't broke don't fix it I say. At least Messrs Roebuck and Boddy are still with the publication so it's still worth a read, but the magazine will never have quite the same aura of sophistication in the new livery IMHO, sadly it now looks akin to any generic mag on the shelves...
Old Motor Sport RIP :-(
I'm not sure it wasn't broke - unfortunately. I think the circulation has been pretty poor of late.
I am not a big fan of the new style although the content hasn't changed much. However, the green logo dated back "only" to the mid 1950s.
I have a subscription and haven't cancelled it - yet!
There has been quite a debate on this matter in The Nostalgia Forum of Atlas F1.
I am not a big fan of the new style although the content hasn't changed much. However, the green logo dated back "only" to the mid 1950s.
I have a subscription and haven't cancelled it - yet!
There has been quite a debate on this matter in The Nostalgia Forum of Atlas F1.
Oh great, another one from the Haymarket stable... 
Autosport's latest 'makeover' (last week) has made parts of it almost unreadable to the point where I'm thinking of cancelling my subscription. Autosport has become a trashy tabloid, covered with outrageous headlines and notable for a total lack of substance - or stories that aren't about Jensen bloody Button.
Their feature a few weeks ago about the 100 Greatest Crashes made me cringe. It's Autosport, not bloody FHM.
Motorsport has remained a paragon of decency with good, enjoyable, interesting features throughout and, though I don't buy it as often as I should, it's always a great read. I hope it hasn't been completely ruined to fit in with the tiny attention spans of stupid people.
>> Edited by Ahonen on Thursday 25th November 21:43
Autosport's latest 'makeover' (last week) has made parts of it almost unreadable to the point where I'm thinking of cancelling my subscription. Autosport has become a trashy tabloid, covered with outrageous headlines and notable for a total lack of substance - or stories that aren't about Jensen bloody Button. Their feature a few weeks ago about the 100 Greatest Crashes made me cringe. It's Autosport, not bloody FHM.
Motorsport has remained a paragon of decency with good, enjoyable, interesting features throughout and, though I don't buy it as often as I should, it's always a great read. I hope it hasn't been completely ruined to fit in with the tiny attention spans of stupid people.
>> Edited by Ahonen on Thursday 25th November 21:43
Give it a few issues. It always takes a redesign a while to settle down. The worst thing you can do is to keep doing major redesigns because "the last one didn't work".
I once worked on a computer magazine where no two consecutive issues had the same design for the contents page.
Everyone feels uncomfortable with a new design.
Simon
I once worked on a computer magazine where no two consecutive issues had the same design for the contents page.
Everyone feels uncomfortable with a new design.
Simon
Thanks for the info Eric, just browsing through the Atlas discussion now, seems I'm not alone...
Ahonen,
I couldn't agree more, I stopped buying Autosport in 92... As you eloquently put, Motor Sport constituted a paragon of class in a disposable age. I'm more than a tad saddened by the "make over"...
:-(
Ahonen,
I couldn't agree more, I stopped buying Autosport in 92... As you eloquently put, Motor Sport constituted a paragon of class in a disposable age. I'm more than a tad saddened by the "make over"...
:-(
Ahonen said:
Oh great, another one from the Haymarket stable...
Their feature a few weeks ago about the 100 Greatest Crashes made me cringe. It's Autosport, not bloody FHM.
>> Edited by Ahonen on Thursday 25th November 21:43
MotorSport has been in decline for a while. It was getting a bit musty and sentimental.
I don't like the new fast cut / edit style of Autosport very much either. I will forgive it this week as they say nice things about me, but the trashy Maxim style features are getting very annoying. Last week they had a feature on the fastest drivers and (yawn, as ever) Gilles V was the best and this week they have feature on qualifying. In both instances they completely omitted one of the best ever, Stefan Bellof. Idiots.
I am yours etc etc...
Yup, Bellof at the 'Ring in about '83 in the 956. Truly awesome, but as it didn't happen in an F1 car Autosport couldn't care less.
Philippe Alliot drove a few monster qualifying laps at Le Mans in the 905 in the early '90s, too.
This week's feature about the fastest F1 cars is just bizarre, even when you finally work out what they're talking about and their methods of calculation.
Philippe Alliot drove a few monster qualifying laps at Le Mans in the 905 in the early '90s, too.
This week's feature about the fastest F1 cars is just bizarre, even when you finally work out what they're talking about and their methods of calculation.
Eric you can probably tell me when, but IMO Motorsport changed around 4 or 5 years ago... for the worse. It was always one of the mag’s I could grab at the airport and find it would keep me interested for a full flight. Then it seemed to go entirely "classic motorsport" so there were no more reports on current races be it GP/GT or whatever. It also stopped reviewing new cars. The old Motorsport had the perfect mix for me, then it became a sort of classic cars for racing cars and I’ve not bought it much since. 
Rich...
Rich...I actually STARTED buying it when it turned "historic" back in 1997. As a monthly news magazine, MotorSport was virtually dead on its feet by 1996. It probably would not have survived in its original form to the end of 1997, circulation was so poor. Haymarket (probably through pressure from the likes of Simon Taylor) saw an opportunity to revive MotorSport as a historic magazine - partly to try and cash in on the growing interest in historic racing and events like the Goodwood FOS and Revival.
Unfortunately, historic motor sport does not seem to be big enough to support mainstream magazines - the late lamented "Historic Racing and Rally" magazine only lasted about 6 issues. Haymarket are now caught between a number of stools as to where to take "MotorSport". Do they try and increase its historic content and improve the quality and accuracy of their articles (which has been dubious on occasion) or do they try and go down the "less historic" contemporary car test/current motorsport/supercar route (along the lines of "Octane")? It seems they have gone for the latter option. However, in my opinion, no matter what they do the title is probably living on borrowed time - which is a real pity. My prediction is that within one year it will merge with "Classic and Sportscar".
Unfortunately, historic motor sport does not seem to be big enough to support mainstream magazines - the late lamented "Historic Racing and Rally" magazine only lasted about 6 issues. Haymarket are now caught between a number of stools as to where to take "MotorSport". Do they try and increase its historic content and improve the quality and accuracy of their articles (which has been dubious on occasion) or do they try and go down the "less historic" contemporary car test/current motorsport/supercar route (along the lines of "Octane")? It seems they have gone for the latter option. However, in my opinion, no matter what they do the title is probably living on borrowed time - which is a real pity. My prediction is that within one year it will merge with "Classic and Sportscar".
Rich...Ahonen said:
Yup, Bellof at the 'Ring in about '83 in the 956. Truly awesome, but as it didn't happen in an F1 car Autosport couldn't care less.
Philippe Alliot drove a few monster qualifying laps at Le Mans in the 905 in the early '90s, too.
Have they got Blundell's 1990 6 second pole driving a 1400bhp Nissan in this weeks Autosport (It's at home)? That was pretty awesome.
I am yours etc etc.
>> Edited by phatgixer on Friday 26th November 12:30
I quite like the new style for Motor Sport. There was nothing particularly wrong with the old style, I think it just attracted in a certain type of person. They're just trying to get more people to pick up the mag in shops and start reading it. Me and my Dad get it on subscription, so as long as the content stays the same (which it has, largely), I'm happy.
Re Autosport, it is going downhill. The whole thing seems to be gravitating more and more towards F1, with stuff like WRC and sportscars becoming ever more marginalised. Some recent features, like the 100 greatest crashes, have been a joke. Although to be fair, a weekly motorsport mag must struggle to fill its pages at this time of year
Re Autosport, it is going downhill. The whole thing seems to be gravitating more and more towards F1, with stuff like WRC and sportscars becoming ever more marginalised. Some recent features, like the 100 greatest crashes, have been a joke. Although to be fair, a weekly motorsport mag must struggle to fill its pages at this time of year
The DJ 27 said:
Indeed I did. Are you racing the CSL in britcar next year? Didn't manage to get to the end of season events this year. Looks a gorgeous car
The CSL or an E36 in Britcar. Budget constraints and all that!
Will also be doing the National windscreen saloons at Combe in a E36 M3GT 3.0 litre.
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