Well, Iv cancelled EVO.

[Wombat Rick]

It sounds to me that there's a large streak of jealousy running through these Evo hating threads. What people really want is a "Performance Car up to my Budget plus maybe 5 grand" magazine (which tells them their car is the best).

Evo is the only "modern" car mag I regularly buy and I still reckon for content (variety of cars, technical stuff and columns) it's better than any other. The photography is superb and on the whole there are very few typos or mistakes.

I've been looking back through some Performance Cars and for all the people who complain they can't afford the stuff reviewed in Evo but could in Performance Car, well the 90s must have been very good to you as most editions of Performance Car were full of exotica.

Evo is not perfect - but no mag is. I personally don't like the never ending car of the year competitions which seem to take up most of one issue. I'd much rather have more smaller articles and then I can skip the ones which I'm not interested in. As for not reading about an exotic car in an exotic location simply because you can't or never will be there yourself is ridiculous. I'm not likely to go out and drive a 250F round the Ring, buy a £1000 banger to drive round Wembley or build a 5.0 litre V8 Capri but I still enjoy reading about it!

If you really dislike Evo, and want to reminisce about how good mags used to be, can I recommend this. It's absolutely wonderful and makes DCI Gene Hunt look like Germaine Greer...
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Car-Magazine-60s-70s/...

[stedale]

Fittster said:

stedale said:

Hey look a "horses for courses" type thread.

Here's my tuppence:

EVO: great, my favourite read. I like to read about the drive and associated "adventure" as much as the car. Great writing and great pics.

Practical classics: Stymied by needing to pander the 'It's not a proper classic' crowd

PPC: likeable, as does what PC can't but chronic typos

Classic Cars: Buy occassionally dependent on cover stories

Classic and Sportscar: Can't live with the prose.

Any other mags: how many cubic feet of luggage space...

So there!

Not read Intersection have you.

No and I guess there are a few others that are exceptions too (Octane?). But since this is a web forum I believe I am at liberty to make as many unfounded generalisations as possible.

[matt21]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

actually £4.20 now if not a subscriber, gone up a lot in the past year or so.

i think they sometimes come across as bit like they are doing us a favour, like we are being allowed to "share" their experiences with them and their friends.

i agree it lacks the focus on the reader these days.

as for the porsche bias eCOTY sums it up for me. Whilst im sure their reviews are balanced and honest i do believe their is an element of porsche favouritism and when it comes to scoring i guess they can not help voting their opinion. with 10 or so people voting what they think is best it does come down to opinion. totally agree the porsche is an amazing car but its so different to the likes of the ferrari f430 stradale (price for one) and audi r8 that it is hard to accurately compare.

[bitwrx]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

A good one at that, and well made.

[Alfahorn]

Wombat Rick said:

It sounds to me that there's a large streak of jealousy running through these Evo hating threads. What people really want is a "Performance Car up to my Budget plus maybe 5 grand" magazine (which tells them their car is the best).

Absolutely spot on, the most sensible comment I've seen in relation to EVO. Not surprising it came from an Alfa owner, naturally.

[Zeonalarm]

My favourite part of Evo is Fast Fleet. But all the guys that I liked reading about have disappeared! David Yu, Paul Bailey and the other Bailey guy. Simon only seems to pop up every couple of issues now. I much prefer reading about exotica (the general excitement, woes and costs) in everyday life rather than someone hooning around the south of France for 2 days.

['RingNut]

Is there an official Performance Car Magazine link ?

[Shropshiremike]

'RingNut said:

Is there an official Performance Car Magazine link ?

Bit more info here Nut www.performancecarmag.co.uk

Perhaps more info will be forthcoming as the 21st Feb nears....?

[The Dishwasher]

Shropshiremike said:

'RingNut said:

Is there an official Performance Car Magazine link ?

Bit more info here Nut www.performancecarmag.co.uk

Perhaps more info will be forthcoming as the 21st Feb nears....?

I wonder if the pictures are a taster of what is too come in the first issue?

[Shropshiremike]

The Dishwasher said:

Shropshiremike said:

'RingNut said:

Is there an official Performance Car Magazine link ?

Bit more info here Nut www.performancecarmag.co.uk

Perhaps more info will be forthcoming as the 21st Feb nears....?

I wonder if the pictures are a taster of what is too come in the first issue?

Hot hatch test?

[Colonial]

Alfahorn said:

Wombat Rick said:

It sounds to me that there's a large streak of jealousy running through these Evo hating threads. What people really want is a "Performance Car up to my Budget plus maybe 5 grand" magazine (which tells them their car is the best).

Absolutely spot on, the most sensible comment I've seen in relation to EVO. Not surprising it came from an Alfa owner, naturally.

I concur as well. If I wanted dry and boring I would get a dry and boring mag.

Classic Cars and the ilk is just too tedious to me, and too in-circle nudge nudge wink wink

Practical Classics serves to send me to sleep with allegros. I get it every now and again though

PPC makes the english lit grad in me cry

Intersection is occasionally purchased, but a bit too wanky

Car/Top Gear are just dodgy now. Gone downhill a lot.

Evo allows me to indulge my escapism. I don't see what is wrong with that.

[Volte]

Wombat Rick said:

It sounds to me that there's a large streak of jealousy running through these Evo hating threads. What people really want is a "Performance Car up to my Budget plus maybe 5 grand" magazine (which tells them their car is the best).

Have you bothered reading all of this thread? I wouldn't say this is an "EVO hating thread", but a "We don't think EVO is as good as it used to be thread".

[900T-R]

Colonial said:

Evo allows me to indulge my escapism. I don't see what is wrong with that.

Nowt wrong with that in se - its the endless repetition of (virtually) the same cars and 'driving adventures'over and over again that takes the shine off what's supposed to be 'exotic'. In the evo world, a Suzuki Swift Sport is like a bird of paradise inmidst the endless onslaught of M3s, Gallardos, F430s and GT3s and as such a breath of fresh air. Not because it's 'attainable' and the rest isn't - TBH I haven't an interest in buying any of them - but because it's not more of the same.

I've always liked evo because it's focused where other titles are not - you know when evo rates a car, it's done based on the quality of the driving experience first and foremeost. However I feel the current staff has narrowed down 'the thrill of driving' to a rather shallow gene pool of cars and driving environments which IMO wreaks havoc now it's no longer the 'new kid on the block' - it's become predictable. The smugness factor mentioned by some here is but one symptom of it.

I feel evo is stuck in a rut, and needs to widen its scope a fair bit.

[Wombat Rick]

Volte said:

Wombat Rick said:

It sounds to me that there's a large streak of jealousy running through these Evo hating threads. What people really want is a "Performance Car up to my Budget plus maybe 5 grand" magazine (which tells them their car is the best).

Have you bothered reading all of this thread? I wouldn't say this is an "EVO hating thread", but a "We don't think EVO is as good as it used to be thread".

Yes I have bothered. Thanks for asking. Plus I read all the other Evo threads which crop up every month and my impression is that many people have developed a dislike for what they see as a bunch of journos swanning around on expenses.

[Egbert Nobacon]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

I'm inclined to agree.

In addition to Barker and Meaden, Lord Metcalfe always seems to produce well written, interesting articles and what happened to Goodwin - another excellent past contributor.

[cg360]

Colonial said:

PPC makes the english lit grad in me cry

[900T-R]

Egbert Nobacon said:

In addition to Barker and Meaden, Lord Metcalfe always seems to produce well written, interesting articles and what happened to Goodwin - another excellent past contributor.

Not to mention Jeff Daniels still being the best Tech Ed in the biz. Problem is, apart from industry publications like Engine Technology and Vehicle Dynamics Magazine he's also one of very few technical editors left...

Edited by 900T-R on Tuesday 15th January 09:26

[anonymous-user]

the only problem with EVO is, as i have mentioned before, the need to fill the Shell Optimax long european exotic Pirelli P Zero Corsa sportscar trips with..... oh you get the point... hence i only buy it occasionally.

Sadly, Octane is becoming more and more like a lifestyle magaazine rather than a classic/historic sportscar magazine, with articles on watches, boats, some chap goes to london to buy a tailored suit FFS!, it seems to cater purely for the goodwood revival crowd and not the VSCC meeting attendees. the other gripe is almost every car in a main feature is seemingly for sale with a major auction house and thus is nothing more than an elaborate advert.

[900T-R]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes, but he's predominantly an engine man. There's however very few left in the car hack world who can explain in layman's terms and put in perspective just about everything to do with automotive technology from new developemnts to 'what does an LSD do, and should I tick the box on the option list'?

[t2pjr]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

with names like Jethro Bovingdon, Henry Catchpole and Harry Metcalfe producing the content, it does have a large whiff of public school/old boys club about it