OK so Modern Classics and Practical Performance Car died and I am sad about it. I like print media, there's no such thing as an online magazine so I'm looking for a new mag. I subbed to Practical Classics when Modern Classics died, but it's a little bit beardy for me, I tried Daillied and just about every build in it says "this is more a show car now" or "I only really drive it at the weekend" which made me want to roll it up and beat the editor with it... It SHOULD be the right one for me but it misses its own point. Classics is OK.
I like the modern content- I have an 04 Subaru and an 07 MX5 and that's kind of my bag, though I like reading about just about any interesting but practical build. TBF Modern Classics and PPC hit the nail on the head for me really. I like things build in garages and on driveways on a sensible budget, stuff I could do myself really. Though I also like meteor engines in SD1s. Does there still exist a perfect mag for me?
(I loved PPC tbh, it was the Streetfighters of cars. And I could totally see me being in it)
Roadrat & Octane will fill some of your wishes.
As someone with a similarly esoteric taste I think the market you're describing has been replaced by youtube. Every niche I used to enjoy in printed media now has a channel. Start with Motor trend and work sideway
Ahh I miss ppc and Ccc
I like octane but it's not really relevant to my pauper lifestyle
Ta, picked up a copt of Octane to try
Octane's the closest you're likely to find I think. I've been an EVO subscriber for 15+ years and close to cancelling as the cars featured become less and less relevant/interesting to me. However, the writing/photos etc is still the best out there for the genre by a mile. Octane is similar but different - I enjoy the odd magazine but not yet fully got my attention.
Modern cars hold little attraction for me, especially at the prices covered by EVO magazine. Currently have a 05 Vauxhall with a silly engine as my daily. Going back 10-15 years I actually owned some of the cars/models featured in EVO years ago (Renautsport Clios, etc) but it's since gone waaaay up the price range since.
Ignoring the other parts of the site, the Readers' Cars sub-forum on Pistonheads has some good reads on there in amongst the utter guff. I'm working my way through this person's '74 Camaro build at the moment. Not the same as print but still good to read.
Octane and Evo for interesting articles and great photos, although not always (ever?) within my budget.
YouTube for self builds, or personal blogs like the link top PH Readers Cars are better for details rather than 'and then we refurbed the chassis and here it is shiny' gaps that sometimes happen in the YouTube channel videos because cleaning crap off the chassis, welding holes and all the dull stuff is, well, dull for the YT clips
I just use YouTube these days.
JayEmm on Cars
Harrys Garage
The Late Brake Show
You will find plenty of other stuff for every niche
Also gutted about PPC. I was a contributing photographer for a few years and shot some pretty wild cars for them. The mag has been getting thinner and thinner since Covid but I was hoping they would recover not go bust.
I've kind of quit the car scene entirely now. Prices of old tat are way too high. Everyone with an old banger thinks they're selling the crown jewels and there's no new generation of young petrol heads coming through with cheap home builds because they've all got 300bhp hatchbacks on PCP.
I've got no interest in modern or exotic stuff.
Classic. Retro. Modern.
It's OK for a 30 minute read.
Huh, I'd never even heard of classic.retro.modern! And their subs deals are named after old vauxhall spec levels, that alone made me give them a chance. Ta!
Is retro car stil going?
The Intercooler? Enjoy the podcast and website, unfortunately no paper mag
Classic modern retro - had a copy for holiday reading, it was decent and meets your brief
I can't remember the last time I bought a car mag - get Hayburner delivered every few months (classic VW mag thats totally free and massively awesome).
Like others have said, I watch loads of stuff on YT now to get my personalised fix varying from Lee Lockwood, Nightride (brilliant), Bad Obsession Motorsport, Late Brake Show etc.
I'm open to recommendations for YouTube channels that involve home brew cars, engineering, fabrication and stuff.
There's so many 'check out my new supercar' videos and people blagging passenger rides in fast stuff so they can sit there hooting and dribbling like idiots. Also, wannabe Top Gear presenters who road test everything.
PPC should move onto YouTube.
I was about to recommend EVO but I haven’t read it for probably a decade. Someone above mentions it’s gone downhill. I used to enjoy the writing that really conveyed the thrill of driving (isn’t that their byline?)
Also noted that you might be into older cars, so…
How about finding a job lot of old EVO mags?
Edit: I’ve just checked eBay. I might order myself a job lot of EVO mags!!!
