History Cut It Out!

arggg....yeah, I have a few that were cut up.

I never cut them up, myself.

(thanks for another great story!)

 

@J.Ukrop That Bill Fredricks’ SOHC T is the "tits"! I love how race cars look and the fact that he drove that on the street is so cool. Any more images of that car or dragster? lol

 

We use to pull out the center sections, showing the whole car and stapled them to the wall of the garage. I remember one kid had so many that he had them on the ceiling and the rafters.

 

Nope, mine are all original one owner! I have some without centerfolds, but I still have them, too. That issue is a Great one, those cars are Still pretty bitchin.

 

^^^^ Did the same thing in my garage as a teen. Had rows going from the workbench all the way up to the rafters. Then I got fanatical about collecting car magazines, going backwards to the late 40's, keeping a checklist on a couple of dozen main titles. Full runs of Street Rodder, Rod Action, R@C, etc.
Your story reminds me of the old book store in Downtown San Diego. Ground floor on Broadway in the center of Downtown. Lanning's book store was an absolute treasure of history. Musty, dusty, but full of people from all walks; students, history fans, and collectors, business people on their lunch breaks. This was way pre internet. People read! I'd stop in every couple of months in the late 70's/early 80's and hit the automotive and magazine section. Occasionally, I'd come away with some nice mags from the 50's including a few Trend Hot Rod and Custom Car annuals.
Mrs. Lanning was an elderly lady (probably a retired librarian/teacher) and sat behind the front counter reading all day. I remember she always had a coffee pot going and a box of cookies to keep her company. There would be stacks and boxes of books all around waiting to be sorted and shelved. One day I asked if she had any other car magazines. She reached behind her and lifted a large box onto the counter and said "someone just brought these TV Guide size ones in". I about shit. There were about 80-100 small page R@C, Rodding and Restyling, Hop Up, Car Craft, etc. along with about 3 dozen Custom Cars all in just about mint condition-no address labels (9 or 10 on a 10 scale). Probably an original owner read them once or twice 20-30 years back, then handed them off to her. Needless to say, she made me a deal on the whole box.
I really miss places like that. Downtown has now been completely developed and rebuilt into a very high rent district. I think that old building was razed and there's a new skyscraper there now.

 

I first started reading Car Craft back in the early 70's. Got the subscriptions and I believe stopped in the early 80's. Yep, I still have those suckers,boxed and in storage!

 

Some of the R&Cs and Car Crafts I bought from a guy who customized promo model cars (this was years before AMT customizing kits) had license plates cut out. Many years later I was able to get better issues.
Your story on the mystique of the used book store brings back great memories of some great ones in California when I was stationed in San Diego & Vallejo, 1964 - 1967. The biggest one in San Diego had full years of HRM wrapped in brown paper - '48 was $20, '49, $15, '50, $10 … I was an E2 or E3, making about $120 a month, so I passed (!). Instead, I bought Chevrolet dealer showroom catalogs from '56, '58, & '59 for $4 each, and R&C, Car Craft, & Custom Cars for a dime & fifteen cents. Also got many Motor Life & Motor Trend, Motorcade, Speed Age, & car show programs for the same dime.
My greatest score was when a distant relative of the Huth family hunted me down & said his cousin told him I collected old rod books … got HRM from June '48 until the early '60s for $100, all in excellent shape.