Pro Street to Pro Touring

Got the latest Hot Rod quarterly yesterday and they hit it out of the park again for a Hot Rodder like me. Only problem it was over the foul ball line. I can appreciate Pro Touring because of the many innovations and the quality of the builds. But dammit Hot Rod editors lets have a little variety in each issue for everyone to enjoy. First it was wall to wall Pro Street and this quarter it's wall to wall Pro Touring. I got 2 years to look forward to!

 

Disappointing to me also.

 

I guess the interest in Hot Rod has faded. Your right, nothing to say?

 

Haven't got the 2nd yet; I don't think I looked through all of the first one.

 

been a while since an issue of Hot Rod had nothing I'm interested in it...oh well.

 

I've always been able to peel something of interest, no matter how miniscule, out of Hot Rod Magazine. Must be just a matter of opinion. Either way, I'll keep supporting the PRINT publication!

 

Was there another shake up in the office ?
Who owns it now ? The same clowns that killed every other title ?

 

Discovery bought them in 2017, pretty sure that's the same company that still owns it.

 

I remember some magazine distributing co, thinking they could be publishers.
So they borrowed a Billion dollars (yes, really) to buy up almost every automotive title.
Then they went bankrupt, killed off some titles, went bankrupt again, killed off more titles.
Along the way, they sold off some more titles, and changed their name a few times.

From Wikipedia: "Petersen Publishing Company in Los Angeles published MotorTrend until 1998,
when it was sold to British publisher EMAP, who then sold the former Petersen magazines to Primedia in 2001. MotorTrend bears the tagline "The Magazine for a Motoring World". As of 2019 it is published by Motor Trend Group."

"Motor Trend Group, LLC, formerly known as Source Interlink Media and TEN: The Enthusiast Network,
is a media company that specializes in enthusiast brands, such as Motor Trend, Hot Rod, and Roadkill. Headquartered
in El Segundo, California, it is a subsidiary of the TNT Sports division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)."

Looks like they have 3 print titles left.
Congratulations to the corporate weasels who know nothing about cars, or publishing..

 

Discovery has more money than they know what to do with.

 

from a story in Variety (because we all have to keep up with show business!)

"In 2017, Discovery Communications acquired a majority stake in TEN: The Enthusiast Network and combined its Velocity TV network with the digital and live-event businesses of TEN’s 20-plus automotive brands including MotorTrend and Hot Rod."


not in the article...how the new management killed off most of the magazines in 2019

 

Haven’t bought an issue for a long time, I got fed up with the lack of fact checking and oftentimes articles that didn’t interest me. I attributed those issues to HRM’s editor. Was there a change in the editor’s position when they transitioned to quarterly?

 

I would say because Motor Trend appeals to a wider audience.

 

Just like Vanilla.
Or is it because OEMs will spend to advertise in Motor Trend, and not Hotrod ?

 

I like ALL kinds of hot rods, by my definition a hot rod is any car that modified for speed and or performance.Yes even Tuner cars are hot rods, they have hop-ups and engine swaps, suspension work,custom paint and interiors,no different than us, except their choice of platforms. Pro Touring like them or hate them you have to admire the workmanship and detail put into them. Let's face it, we old timers are a dying breed and more than like we're taking our traditional hot rod to the grave with us. Not many( under 30) are excited by chopped and channeled 5 window coupes, flat-heads,and roadsters as we are.As far as customs go, seems like the low riders have taken over that section of our hobby and I can dig them. Long Live HOT-Rodding Just my opinion>

 

Thanks Krylon for beating me to the punch. The latest Hot Rod magazine was Hot Rod in name only. The only hot rods in this issue were Gray Baskerville's roadster, and Hot Heads coupe, both in one page ads. Do you remember when Hot rod Magazine was the largest selling automotive magazine in the world ? I may be wrong, but I don't think that it is anymore. I started subscribing to Hot Rod Magazine in December 1956, and my current subscription runs out in August 2025. Unless there is a major change in the magazine, that is it for me. I was a loyal supporter for almost 70 years, but apparently Hot Rod magazine doesn't care about who supported them through the years. I am 83 years old, but I am still a hot rodder. I know that times change, but this is ridiculous. It reminds me of NHRA ( not hot rods anymore. )

 

Got my hot rod magazine, thumbed through it and did not read any articles and do not intend to. Will see if i can sell it at next swap meet.

 

Pro Street..Pro Touring….both junk words to me…. I wouldn’t own either one of those loud obnoxious excuses for a car…

 

they will lose a lot of subscribers when their subs run out....so sad.

 

This and you have more OEMs that will advertise. Not gonna see a Italian super car company in Hot Rod unless it's a Fiero with a bodykit.

 

Hot Rod mag has always been modern hot rodding.
It was when flatheads were all there was
It’s the same now.
Feeling nostalgic? Well this place is dedicated to that.

 

Yup. For some reason the members here seem to think that everything hot rod and custom car related should be geared towards their likes. At some point they may figure out that they are actually a minority in the grand scheme of things. There is far more out there that doesn't fit in with this board than does.

 

I hang out here for one basic reason; I like traditionally styled cars. But I'm not wedded to the traditional mechanical bits anywhere near as firmly. And I'm certainly not the only one. Look around... the proliferation of modern overdrive transmissions, 'civilizing accessories' like power windows, brakes and steering, AC all show cracks in the facade. Add in the ever-diminishing vintage parts well, those parts haven't been the lo-buck solution they were in the past for a looong time. With that said, I do have a line. Carburetors and distributors are required, turbos are out (except for some race cars), and big wheels with o-ring tires are really out. And the reliance on 1-800-Hot Rod Parts is another plague. I'm as guilty as most here, I'll use these when it's the best overall solution, but cars built with all major bits from those sources gives a 'sameness' that stifles imagination. A godsend for the commercial builders, a large, ready parts source allows easy production of 'product'.

The car mags lost me when Peterson ran off the late, great Pat Gahnal as editor of R&C way back when. That signaled to me that the corporate interests had gained control of the conversation, the DIYer was sent into the wilderness. I still like getting my hands dirty on 'used' bits where I can, especially if it saves me money. I'm 'comfortable' as far as money goes, but three exes means I have to spend my money wisely. But most times it's simply to have something different to set off the design I'm trying to achieve or to improve the driving experience for safety. Very few of us are as foolhardy as we were when we were younger.

This forum attempts to 'freeze' things into a narrow timeframe. It's been mentioned that this is a 'restorer' site. That ignores the fact that our hobby was born in imagination. A guy would take a less-expensive car and either add more power or alter its styling (sometimes both). Go look in the '50s mags or early dry lakes pics, the variety of parts used were a lot broader than what you'll see today. But today's 'traditionalists' have chosen to ignore the 'outliers' that don't fit the current definition, forgetting that it was the innovators who built this hobby, not the copy cats. I often wonder what the reaction to a new build (not copy) of something like Max Balchowsky's Old Yeller or a radical custom like the Silver Sapphire '32 coupe or '40 coupe like the Matador would be...

 

I think it would depend, too much, on who did it.

 

Discovery suxs. They have destroyed more automotive content, print and media, than they have ever used. The bean counters in charge don’t have a clue about what us gearheads want. $250,000, 250 mph super cars are nice for the 2% that can afford them, most of us couldn’t buy a dash knob off one of them. Most of us had rather see something that could have built in our garage or back yard. Discovery has taken off drag racing and put on some kind of crappy mud racing show. Really? Not much interest there!

The industrial investment types, better known as scavengers and vultures, have bought up and robbed too many automotive companies. They have destroyed the print media, many of the old established parts companies, and are starting to kill automotive media.

 

You'd think for a quarterly, they would AVOID theme issues. I want to see them survive, same for Rodders Journal and Hop Up. I actually liked the T/A on cover, and the Falcon, but yes....some variety, some nostalgia, muscle cars...street rods, even vans. I feel like they've lost touch in a tower no longer ivory. I can't imagine the days of Mickey Thompson, Craig Breedlove, Gray Baskerville rod tests sharing space ad wise with "Shark Week"?! Maybe, it's ran it's course after all.