Local Hot rod type magazines

[IMPI]

As part of my (self proclaimed) commitment to sponsoring and buying locally made or produced products I have been buying the local specialty car magazines if and when I could find them. Being around cars my whole life and having good friends in the rodding world it is that rodding world which is really taking a strange turn...... Last moths issue of hot rod has a centerfold of a MAN wow. 'n ingekleurde verkleurmannetjie wat lyk of hy str@#t ruik. judging by the photos in all these type of mags the owners of the cars are very unhappy! All of them look like somebody cut them off at the intersection. What is with the aggro? then we come to the seatcovers: seems like they also need to be painted and tarted up to be worthy of a mention. O ja and then there is those bikes (very nice) but they never featured in the scene where I grew up. no wonder nobody is smiling. I am still wondering just what or who these guys are apealing to?
And before any body tries to educate me about Ed 'big Daddy Roth or von Dutch or any of the rat finks just remnember they were never main stream and that was what made them great not being followeres but leaders. seems the trend is to cater for accountants who want to be bad ass during weekends but mild in the week. (no offence to accountants you can insert any occupation here)
Armand

[Pine]

I guess you can't be 'Leader of the pack' when you look friendly?

[Barry]

Not really sure what you're saying here Armand. But since I put together one of the two vaguely hot rod type publications in the country I'd like to.....

Fact is I can count the number of real hotrods I know of in the country on one hand.
Same goes for real hotrodders.

But there is an awful amount of interest out there, in the various forms of car that get lumped in as hot rods. Not to mention the various other special interest older custom cars that fit loosely alongside. And classic customised bikes. And various other interests that tend to attract people of a similar mindset. There seems to be an incredible hunger, and a fair dose of cynicism for good measure. Tough then to figure out what (if anything) people might want "their" magazine to deliver.

Garage never set out to be a hotrod magazine - the market is simply too small. But we did feel that there was a need for a quality local publication that gave a voice to the goings on in garages across the country.
Another decision we made was to keep all content local (or locally generated) Ripping off articles off the net is a whole lot easier. And cheaper. I get fairly regular unsolicited articles about US built ratrods - can't see ANY point in publishing that...

I for one would love to get more feedback and hear if we are vaguely on the right track, as well as all the criticism anyone can throw our way. I have so far sunk a small fortune of my own funds into this, with no sign of that leeting up soon.
So please school me...

[MINCE]

I can say, in the hot rod scene, there are a lot of posers but also a small number of diehard fans and followers.
Like rock n roll and metal, there is a very small market.

I was approached to design The other local hot rod based magazine and everyone that worked with that guy told me that he never pays and if I agree I must request half the fee up front. It has been nearly 2 years and he still hasn't replied. Hmm

He still owes people that worked for him loads of money.
That also shows how hard it is. And with the photos, it is to give the vibe of 'hardcore' or 'badass'.
I know quite a few people that had cars featured. Had taken photos and posed in the photos and they a looked unhappy. But that is the look. If a black metal band was smiling, or at least showing their face, noone would take them seriously. A paradox, yes I know

Dunno if anything I said contributed at all.
LOOK! BOOBS!

[IMPI]

Hi Barry You hit the nail squarely by saying that there is a huge amount of interest. I was just wondering what those "Posers" make of the glimpse we give them. Having a son who is already starting to change his colour flames on a leg and lots of other strange markings I somehow doubt that this is the preferred look for a petrol head We all seem to clean up nicely when the occasion demands. What I mis most is the showcasing of real local work (your beetle seems to be one of the few) Bek Prinsloo (good friend of mine) wrote a nice article for you and you should listen to him go on about things BTW I rate him as one of those few real hot rodders. How to narrow a bug suspension could be another one or how to cut and weld spindles etc
Armand

[Pine]

I'm just very glad that ZZ Top...



didn't look like this...!!

[MINCE]

how to cut and weld spindles

that would be awesome, that way I won't have to narrow the beam AFAIK

[Pine]

Have you've seen what the outside of Wimpy in Hartebeespoortdam looks like on a Sunday morning?

[MINCE]

Looks like an accountant convention

[Barry]

Hi Barry You hit the nail squarely by saying that there is a huge amount of interest. I was just wondering what those "Posers" make of the glimpse we give them. Having a son who is already starting to change his colour flames on a leg and lots of other strange markings I somehow doubt that this is the preferred look for a petrol head We all seem to clean up nicely when the occasion demands. What I mis most is the showcasing of real local work (your beetle seems to be one of the few) Bek Prinsloo (good friend of mine) wrote a nice article for you and you should listen to him go on about things BTW I rate him as one of those few real hot rodders. How to narrow a bug suspension could be another one or how to cut and weld spindles etc
Armand

Sad but true fact Armand is that this is a universal issue. When punk was big here in the early eighties, even that was more posers than real hardcore.....just they way it will always be. With anything. Trends happen. We aren't really even a trend though. But armed with the knowledge that this occurence is as sure as taxes, wouldn't it be a good idea to accentuate the positive.

Without exposing what people are doing and what is "cool" (and I use the word loosely) this hobby will never grow. Perhaps the first question to ask is: do people even WANT it to - I hear a lot of bitching about how things become expensive, etc etc. But also about how hard it is to get things done or find a decent shop or part..... Allow me to butter your cake on both sides then? More commercial activity in old cars will increase prices, but it may actually make it MORE accessible too. You could of course try to keep it all within the laager, keep prices down and a closed shop (pun intended). I see how well that has worked with all the cars that have been exported.....

As for showcasing work, a Model A RPU as good as any I have seen anywhere in the world, built in a double garage in 8 months would surely qualify? Yes he imported many parts and clearly had some budget but I fail to see how this is a bad thing. Let he who has never bought a part not made here cast the first stone.
A Valiant with paintwork as good as the best I have seen at various US shows? Same applies. Issue 4 has some more stuff in a similar vein.....

As for tattoos, and the rest of it. Yes it is a trend currently. And one that I don't much care for. But a conversation with anyone who is really into it will garner a little more insight into what this world is about too. And I have the utmost respect for some of the artists we have here in SA - again as good as anything anywhere. Judging the whole idea because it doesn't fit your own view is a dangerous game to play - with anything. Having tattoos doesn't make you anything besides a person with ink on your body.
You will see skating, custom bicycles, art, music and more in our mag. Because it is about creative expression through tactile means. That runs true whether you are rebuilding a car, or handbuilding a guitar for a world famous musician.....

Still trying to understand what exactly it is that you would have us do differently? Please let me know folks - I really am looking for guidance in this.

But if what you are ultimately asking for is some kind of 'test' to determine who is worthy and who is a 'poser' based on what they do for a living, how long they've been into it, what brand of motorcycle or car they drive, their bank balance etc etc, then you are on a pretty slippery slope.......

[IMPI]

I am not advocating any test of who is worthy or not That is not the point. My observation still stands: It seems that in order to be classified as a True petrol head you have to have sleeves, a m@#rse stache or beard seriuos attitude and a painted tart on your side. As you have said it is all about image But I have personally not seen many of those in my 46 years of being close to cars. trying to build my own replica of a 356 I know first handedly how difficult this is and that without being able to source parts from overseas it will be almost impossible But I have also experienced threats of litigation from the US because of my cooling system for the type 4 engine as this person claimed i infringed on his pending patent. subsequently he incorporated some of my ideas in his so called original design.

I think the true idea of a petrol head is someone who marches to the tune inside his own head....
Enough said
Armand

[JamesD]

Barry, the way I see IMPI's Original Post and I completely agree, all the pictures of cars with owners in the picture all show the owners with stern face and generally not the happiest expressions about their faces. It’s like they are not happy they have the car or they purely doing what they do to be the biggest poser out there and pull the faces just to get that attention. All the women in pictures are all plastered with make-up and seem to be acting like tarts.

I buy and read Octane and then Classic and sports car, I know it’s not the hardcore hot rod mags like you aiming at but they are nice mags. The owners look happy and like they really enjoy what they do. There are few or no "pit girls" at all. they show a few before and after pictures and barnfinds. some great stories from the past. and all the stories are light and positive. they packed with suppliers and new parts coming out. That’s the type of Mag I enjoy.

I got that speed and sound with all the beetles in to see what it’s like, Never again, what a load of @#$%. The spelling and grammar needed checking. The articles were rubbish. I enjoyed some of the pictures of the cars (Without the owners in). But all the non-beetle stuff, I hardly bothered. The best part of speed and sound for me is the adverts in the back but only once you put on your ricer filters.

That’s just my view point. But I know you cannot cater for what I like, The SA scene does not run that way, sales will drop and it just won’t work. In order to follow the "best" path forward, one has to do the ricer or poser thing. If I had to try make a magazine that would go to the “masses” then I know it probably would not be something that I personally would buy or read. It would be full of tarts and posers.

I won’t/cannot comment on your mag until I have bought the latest addition. But my comments shouldn’t make that much difference any way, I’m not a hot rodder so I don’t know the scene or what’s best for it. But I just thought I might share how I view IMPI’s Post…

[Barry]

..... As you have said it is all about image....

I said this?

Just trying to figure out whether our mag and the direction chosen was in fact something worthwhile or not. Haven't really got an answer yet....

James, we are most assuredly not a hardcore hotrod mag - can't see space for that in SA anytime soon if ever. And Octane is certainly one of the publications we look to for inspiration in terms of content, mix, image & writing quality & design.

I know we are thin on tech - simply because time & resources hasn't yet allowed me to put those articles together yet. Also difficult to be generic enough. And the 'net is so full of really great info it is a tough act to follow.
If it were up to me I wouldn't have "girls" in the mag. Market seems to like it although I insist on it being appropriate to whatever is going on in the feature and definitely not smut.....

Armand I don't recall the Bek Prinsloo article? Where/when was that?

[IMPI]

Hermann Prinsloo wrote an article about his trip to an american car show in your dec2011 issue. For obvious reasons (once you get to know him) He is called BEK
Armand

[sarel.wagner]

Ok, allow me to put both feet in

I am not a Hot rodder, I sure do like em tho, not a restorer either but like those also, nor a custom car builder or creator but sure do like those a lot. I like artsy stuff, sometimes restrained (subtle) and artsy, sometimes over the top and loud! And this I think in RSA is part o the problem, not enough people to have a proper culture of anything mentioned above. Don't get me wrong here, we have plenty of all of the above, just none that set trends. We copy everything, not that that is bad, its just what it is. How do you build a different beetle to all those before, make it look like Chip Foose designed it and not have a proper piece of especially when it is one of the most iconic shapes out there, the same holds true for most cars.

Money, yea it sucks. Few enthusiasts have enough of it to really get stuck into the hobby. Disposable income???? Na don't have any of that. I agree with IMPI on the stern bad azz faces, they suck. But, it speaks to the readers dreams and publishers view of their readerships dreams, and maybe their own. Maybe the readers want to be bad azzes, be noticed and have a romantic notion and dream of the day they have built one like that and others can view them as bad azz.... Rags are supposed to make money by advertisement. If the rag don't sell or the admen don't think it will sell (their perception of the culture and their sophistication, or lack thereof) there will be no rag published.

I am sure we all would like to see some how to and tech articles, but face it, we the minority. Even if we look @ international rags, no real substance in there, and what is published are normally so way wrong and ill informed its leading the readers up a blind alley. Call it a rock and a hard place, and then we have the Interwebs as Barry said. We do not really have the likes of Steve Moal, Chip Foose, SO-CAL Speedshop's Alex Xydias and Pete Chapouris, nor competitions like the Riddler awards, once again we do not have a big enough community nor the bucks. Like someone at NASA said, no Bucks, no Buck Rodgers! That does not mean we have nothing, we have you Barry, IMPI, ol Bugger and a few others.

Maybe some of us writing here about this, has been involved for a long time, not much is new anymore. For the readership of the rags, all is new, a wonderful romantisized view into a magical world of hotrods and custom everything.

[EDIT] Forgot about the influence of the Mid life Crises on all of this, and a little more dosh when we get older