What is happening at EVO magazine?

[rovermorris999]

Do many people actually see Youtube ads these days? Brave browser or ad blockers work well so I never see them. All I see is sponsorship within the video which I skip. I subscribe to a couple of car mags though.

[NathanChadwick]

greenarrow said:

NathanChadwick said:

greenarrow said:

Hence why Modern Classics died. Just not enough people who will put their hand in their pocket and support it.

We had the readers. Sadly, not the advertisers. That is the reason it closed. We outsold Evo and Car on a few occasions, which was quite something for a team of three and a third of the budget, perhaps even less. We were still profitable at the end, but the target was 20 per cent, we were 15 per cent, and heading into COVID. Management believed that advertisers would run away – what we saw was a furlough splurge and an enormous upswing in values and consumer buying power, particularly for modern classics. Ho hum. There was a bit of circling the horses around the titles they believed would best weather the storm – understandable, really.

This is an Evo thread and unfair on that team to discuss the wider issues MC had from my POV – but the perennial request for 'cheaper' cars and 'modern classics' in Evo in this thread has to be tempered by business realities. Magazines are, after all, a business – and I wish the team at Evo all the best.

Assistant Editor of Modern Classics speaking...

Edited by NathanChadwick on Thursday 18th April 13:41

. I mean, can you see millennials buying old MGs or Triumphs, when they get to that middle age period where they can afford a toy? I can't, but a FWD late 90s or early 00s hot hatch I can definitely see them wanting....

You know, actually I think MGs, Morris Minors, Triumphs will always be popular as they are cheap to buy (well maybe not a 59 Mini…), easy to find spares for, have good club support and wide knowledge base - and are relatively simple to work on. The 50s, 60s, to some extent 70s, are an era lionised in contemporary culture in period dramas/films in a way the 80s and particularly 90s/00s are yet to be in a regular manner. While the 50s/60s/70s do nothing for me, the fashions and the era itself never goes away. We’re moving more into the 80s now - but how many great TV series can you think of are set in the 90s, but made now?
No, Sexy Beast (the TV series) doesn’t count - not even my car nerdiness could sustain the rest of it.
The problem with the 50s/60s stuff is when it all starts to get expensive - E-types have been on a decline for a while and very few Jags sold at Bonhams at the weekend. Other than a pink S3 (I think) it was pretty bad news, with a freshly restored S1 going for £10k under low estimate one of the few to sell.



I digress. Over the past twelve months, maybe longer, interest in both ends of the pre-war vintage market has increased rapidly. Partly it is I feel due to continual references in contemporary culture and the fetishism of certain eras (Peaky Blinders, for example). But it’s more than that - the cars are simple to work on, there’s less ‘rivet counting nerdiness’ and there seems to be more of an element of fun about.
Doesn’t do much for me, but I do understand it.

[rovermorris999]

NathanChadwick said:

I digress. Over the past twelve months, maybe longer, interest in both ends of the pre-war vintage market has increased rapidly. Partly it is I feel due to continual references in contemporary culture and the fetishism of certain eras (Peaky Blinders, for example). But it’s more than that - the cars are simple to work on, there’s less ‘rivet counting nerdiness’ and there seems to be more of an element of fun about.
Doesn’t do much for me, but I do understand it.

Yet pre-war cars, perhaps with the exception of Austin Sevens, are a very hard sell at the moment. Many fail to meet low estimate at auction. I'm actively looking for something. Cars like a Riley Gamecock, £35k three years ago, now low £20's if you're lucky. Decent Austin 12/4 Heavy, £10-12k. Riley Kestrel 6-light saloons, £35k a few years ago, now low £20's at dealers, 4-light saloons, low teens. Any cooking crash-box saloon is almost impossible to shift.
The demographic who like these cars is sadly dying out faster than younger people are coming in. Add on the economic situation and you have a dire market with low values and low turnover. I doubt many dealers are buying much pre-war stock, they'll prefer to sell on commission rather than put capital into a depreciating asset that may take months to sell.

All wildly off topic, sorry!