Motoring Magazines - reading for car enthusiasts years ago.
An introduction to this growing section at Old Classic Car.
Motoring magazines have been around for almost as long as the automobile itself. Many titles have been and gone, with just a few of the 'old timers' still available at the newsagent. In this section of oldclassiccar, I hope to feature some magazine titles that I've come across over the years, that relate to the motorcar in some form or other. There will be many magazine titles that previously I'd never heard of, or else never had chance to look at in any detail, but with a bit of luck I'll get a reasonable selection of car magazines into this section for your perusal.
By their very nature, magazines tend to be bought, read, then either thrown away, passed on to another keen reader, or end their days as bathroom fodder before being deposited in the bin a few weeks later. Those that are kept tend to form ever-growing piles of paper, which, perhaps during a house-move or a spring clean, end up being taken on a one-way trip to the recycling centre/tip.
A few though are stashed away carefully, 'just in case' an article might be of use in the future. The magazines that have survived to this day will have had this treatment at some point in their life - any less-than-perfect storage usually kills off an old magazine, either at the hands of the elements, or else thanks to rodents with an appetite for the printed word. Even collections carefully hoarded for many years can end their days in landfill, simply because the ear-ache received from other members of the family can be too much to bear.
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A selection of motoring magazines from my own collection.
The following magazines have been bought over the last few years from a number of sources. An article looking at where to find collectable magazines might be of use to anyone else planning to collect some older titles. The following magazines have been loosely grouped into one of three categories, depending on their publisher and/or audience.
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Magazines available to the general public.
Various titles easily bought from newspaper stands and newsagents from the earliest years of motoring, through to the 1960s. UK and foreign titles are included.
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| American Automobile Digest, August 1918 |
| Car Mechanics, 1967 |
| Cars & Motor-Cycles, 1927 |
| Commercial Motor, 1928 |
| Foreign Cars Illustr., 1958 |
| Good Motoring, 1963 |
| Indian & Eastern Motors, 1938 |
| Maryland Motorist, 1928/30 |
| Measham, 1962 |
| Mileposts, 1946 |
| Modern Motor Repair, 1933 |
| Motor Life, 1958 |
| Motor Repair & Overhauling, 1930 |
| Motoring Weekly Advertiser, 1957 |
| Popular Motoring, 1962/1965 |
| Practical Motorist, 1934/1958/1973 |
| Road Test, Nov 1965 |
| Safer Motoring (VW), 1966 |
| The Car, March 1903 |
| The Light Car, April 1943 & July 1951 |
| The Motor, June 1940 |
| The Motor World, 1948 |
| The Motorists Guide, 1964/1973 |
| The New Motoring Encyclopedia 1936 |
| The Used Car, 1938 |
In-house & Trade magazines produced by car manufacturers, suppliers and re-conditioners.
Mainly titles offered to company employees, loyal customers and trade contacts only, and not always available to the public.
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| AUSTIN, 1964 / 1965 |
| Automobilismo, 1931 |
| Ford Times, 1963 |
| High Road, 1969 (BLMC) |
| Motor, 1935 & 1937 |
| Motor Industry, 1959 |
| Motor Trader, July 1950 |
| Motoring (Nuffield Organization) 1960s |
| News Exchange (Nuffield Organization), 1963 / 1964 |
| Rover, 1962/1963 |
| Sidelights (BMC), 1961 |
| Spares Market, 1960s |
| Standard Triumph Review, 1962 |
| The Accessory, 1934 - 1956 |
| The American Automobile, 1957 |
| The Crankshaft Journal, 1959 |
| The Garage & Motor Agent |
| The Garage Workers' Handbooks |
| The Leyland Journal, 1939 |
| The Morris Owner, 1938 |
| The Morris Owner & Nuffield Mail, 1944 |
| The Motor Market, 1953 |
| The Road Way, 1937 |
| The Vauxhall Motorist, 1950-1955 |
| The Vauxhall Motorist, 1961-1964 |
| Transportation, 1951 |
| Worldwide (BMC), 1963/4 |
Club magazines.
Magazines offered to members of motoring clubs.
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| BARC Gazette, 1951 |
| Bristol Motor Cycle & Light Car Club, 1949 |
| Iota (500cc Car Club), 1952 |
| Junior Car Club, 1948 |
| Maidstone & Mid-Kent Motor Club, 1954 |
| Milestones (IAM), 1963 |
| Nantwich & District Motor Club, 1966 |
| Rightaway (Leeds Motor Club), 1928 |
| Speed magazine (BRDC), 1937 |
| The Safe Driver, 1958 |
| Top Gear, 1951 |
| Related links on oldclassiccar: |
| >Advertisements |
| >Car literature |
| >Children's annuals |
| >Hobbies Weekly |
| >Meccano Magazine |
| >Model Cars Magazine |
| >Motoring collectables |
| >Road maps |
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Some titles were much more popular than others, and this is usually reflected in the scarcity (or otherwise) of those that remain today. Some titles, such as The Motor or Autocar, can still be found fairly easily, whereas some titles, including those that were fairly specific to a make or model of car, can take much longer to track down.
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Collectors nowadays might stick to just one title, perhaps focus on any motoring magazine from a given era, or else try to hunt down any mag that featured a road test on a particular car of interest. Me? I just tend to keep any old car mags that I find that are of interest, although I do try to keep a cut-off of the 1970s in mind wherever possible!
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Please call back here again shortly, by which time hopefully I'll have added in some pages specific to mags, such as those shown below (Motor Sport, The Motor, Autocar, Mechanix Illustrated, Commercial Motor, Motor Trader, Practical Motorist, Measham, Autosport, Car Mechanics, and Motor Repair & Overhauling).
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A number of fairly obscure motoring titles, some from overseas, will also be included in this section, hopefully including magazines that have all-but disappeared into the motoring mists of time.
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Sample magazine covers
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