Motor to cease publication in June after 68 years.

[csv8]

“One of Australia’s most iconic car magazines, Motor, will print its last edition next month after 68 years.

Originally called Modern Motor and launched in May 1954, the magazine helped shape Australian car culture and was one of the driving forces in iconic Holden-versus-Ford battles on the road and track for more than half a century.

Motor Magazine – a sister title to Wheels Magazine – is due to print its last and 827th issue in June 2022 and be on the news stands in July, the company announced today.“

[Polyal]

wow. from 16-mid 20's I used to get both of them every month, but they became a bit generic and didnt appeal to much anymore. Once Ford started to close up and there were no Falcons/FPV's then it was pretty boring.

I do buy the odd one at the airport, read it in 30 mins and then wonder why I bothered.

Sign of the times as well, cars are slowly but surely just becoming transport and the fun is being sucked out of driving unless your at the high end.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by Polyal

wow. from 16-mid 20's I used to get both of them every month, but they became a bit generic and didnt appeal to much anymore. Once Ford started to close up and there were no Falcons/FPV's then it was pretty boring.

I do buy the odd one at the airport, read it in 30 mins and then wonder why I bothered.

Sign of the times as well, cars are slowly but surely just becoming transport and the fun is being sucked out of driving unless your at the high end.

I was the same. Then the internet came and I didn’t have to wait for a month. Then cars became so boring that I don’t care

[jpd80]

Surprised that Motor and Wheels have lasted this long, how did they convince advertisers that their publications were still a thing?

[Big_Daz]

Damn, Ive been buying those forever, before that my mum and dad would buy them for me when I was in school... Have had a subscription for years.... Very sad day indeed...

John Cadogan is probably creaming his jeans right about now... Condescending video incoming probably...

[GCRXR6]

They lost me years ago, when doing a write up of a new Falcon. They said the Falcon beat the Holden in all areas, but they still thought the Holden was better. The edition had more Holden adverts in it as well, not that I'm suspicious.

[Adamz Ghia]

From the glory days of the AU right through to around 2009 I bought both Wheels and Motor every month and kept every issue. Then I guess I lost interest, kept a few significant issues and got rid of them all. The internet just made them redundant.

[FairmontGS]

It's much older than me and yet I've never paid any coin for it. I'd occasionally collect it for free in airline lounges but other than that I haven't had any visibility of it.

Surprised it lasted so long.

[roKWiz]

Think I bought one once back in 1981 to see a review on the WB I had my eye on.
Went the way of Truckin Life.

[DJM83]

I remember back when the COTY was actually good.
But i also remember some GM bias too with various articles.

Id always look through the new car prices a lot looking at stuff i could never afford also.
One of them did a story on 15 years of Barra turbo, was hoping they'd do 20 years, but alas thats not going to happen

[hackney]

Originally Posted by DJM83

I remember back when the COTY was actually good.
But i also remember some GM bias too with various articles.

Id always look through the new car prices a lot looking at stuff i could never afford also.
One of them did a story on 15 years of Barra turbo, was hoping they'd do 20 years, but alas thats not going to happen

Wheels COTY is not even relevant anymore.I mean they gave it to the Kia EV6! How on earth is that @ all relevant?You cannot even buy one.The award should be going to cars for the average Joe.Just a joke.Wheels is so biased it’s not funny.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by hackney

Wheels COTY is not even relevant anymore.I mean they gave it to the Kia EV6! How on earth is that @ all relevant?You cannot even buy one.The award should be going to cars for the average Joe.Just a joke.Wheels is so biased it’s not funny.

Oh yeah i totally agree.

[janddbone]

They tried to change and made themselves irrelevant. Since we lack unique cars here now, I have subscribed to some american mags at just a couple of dollars an issue.

[DFB FGXR6]

As a budding car enthusiast in the late 90's and early 2000's, Wheels and Motor were my look into a world that I found so fascinating. At the time, motoring magazines were basically the only place to find out about cars, no or limited internet in those days.

I have every issue of both Wheels and Motor from 2001 right through until now. I would generally read them cover to cover, especially when there was a new Falcon or Commodore on the horizon. While there was often bias to certain brands, these magazines were always enjoyable to read or just to look through.

Today, I barely take a second look after my initial flick through an issue. This is not due a lack of talent or quality on Motor's or Wheel's part, more so that I get my motoring media content elsewhere. Online and Youtube content is vast and varied and is published 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

While it's sad to see Motor cease publishing, the reality is the concept of a specialty motoring magazine is outdated.

[DTFRMONT]

Not a surprise, Wheels is making itself more relevant these days, focussing more on EVs. As others have said, if you want to buy something interesting to drive you will be paying for it. And the numbers of those cars on the new market are dwindling with the rise of EVs....

[MITCHAY]

I never bought a Wheels or Motor mag in my life until I bought the November 2017 editions when Holden shutdown. It's was about $20 and was thinking about nostalgia and/or kids.

Truth be told I've never read them and have tried to keep them in good condition. My only regret was I never got the Ford ones.

It's like music. I love Spotify but every now and again I like loading up the CD stacker because it sounds better and is tangible. I have to pull out the CD and load them up. Sorta like flicking through mags even though you can read it online

The kids these days don't have that car culture so no surprise here. Still sad.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by MITCHAY

The kids these days don't have that car culture so no surprise here. Still sad.

Thats because its been beaten out of everyone, the start of the decline was when kids went from buying Falcons, Commodores or JDM and the next generation started buying diesel Thailand Specials and Jap 4x4s, lifting them sky high, putting huge mud tyres on them and left the engines standard

I noticed Victoria Police hassling modified 4x4 owners in the national parks and camping/fishing spots, they've gone from chasing people with slammed cars, big wheels and loud exhausts to hanging around fishing/camping spots for their revenue raising.

I'm bringing Muzza back.

[GTP534]

When I was a teenager in the 60’s and 70’s there were the 3 magazines - Wheels, Modern Motor and Motor Manual. All were good reads and sometimes I’d buy all 3. Made a hole in the 50 cents per hour I earned at Les Vagg Holden during school holidays.

Motor Manual was the first to go and I sort of lost interest in the early 2000’s and subscribed to Australian Muscle Car magazine for many years.

Sad to see Motor go though.

[Paull]

And no more of David Morley's dribble, thank heavens for that.

[FG GeeTee]

Think they lost a big volume of readers when Ford and Holden shut. I hung on but now prefer Unique Cars and online media.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by FG GeeTee

Think they lost a big volume of readers when Ford and Holden shut. I hung on but now prefer Unique Cars and online media.

And just after that a 300HP Camry was released. suddenly white goods on wheels were setting the bar.

[whynot]

Like many here, I use to buy car magazines each month. And, then, somewhere around 15-20 years ago, I started to buy them less and less. Objective, factual, writing got pushed to the background as writers tried to be funnier and more entertaining than Jeremy Clarkson. Column inches on what the car drove like shrunk while the "journalist" crapped on about everything but the car.

While car magazines claimed impartially, they were clearly becoming more and more beholden to not wanting to upset holders of advertising dollars as other information sources (e.g. web, social media, streaming media) squeezed their income stream.

A few years ago we where doing renovations at our place. I took the opportunity to seal up some old car magazines of mine, including the special editions of the last Ford and Holden, and an early review of EV cars, and placed them all in a time capsule in one of the walls before it was sheeted over. Not sure when they will be found (50 years? 100 years?) but I suspect whoever discovers them will find it all rather quaint.

[xb74_black]

From 79 to about 2015 i bought every issue of wheels and modern motor, and others along the way - motor manual, sports car world, street machine, performance car, street and strip etc. And all of the various eddie ford magazines. The death of oz car manufacturing really limited my interest in 'new cars', and the magazines about them although my interest had started to wane with v8 supercars.



I only get restored cars, australian muscle car and the very rare street machine these days. Still getting Collectable Automobile though - even at 23 bucks an issue!


I'm sad to see modern motor go, but i cant even remember the last time i looked at an issue.


I'm sure my estate sale will be a gold mine for car magazine collectors, or the recycling people.

[hackney]

I use to collect Wheels & Motor manual, way back in the sixties, had a lot of Wheels issues from the fifties as well.They are now a shadow of what they use to be.No longer relevant in todays motoring world.Had some great editors back then as well.Bill Tuckey, James Laing Peach to name two.Wheels I should imagine will be gone eventually.Remember well when I use to wait in anticipation of the next issue coming out.Just great memories.They we’re the ‘good old’ days.The ‘golden years’ of these iconic motoring publications.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by hackney

I use to collect Wheels & Motor manual, way back in the sixties, had a lot of Wheels issues from the fifties as well.They are now a shadow of what they use to be.No longer relevant in todays motoring world.Had some great editors back then as well.Bill Tuckey, James Laing Peach to name two.Wheels I should imagine will be gone eventually.Remember well when I use to wait in anticipation of the next issue coming out.Just great memories.They we’re the ‘good old’ days.The ‘golden years’ of these iconic motoring publications.

Bill Tuckey (and Romsey Quints) are sadly missed.

[commodorenutt]

I think they all peaked in the mid to late 80s and early 90s. I fondly remember the “scoops” they kept publishing on the upcoming EA26 and VN, then the NA fairlane. All 3 mags at the time (Motor Manual/Car Australia, Modern Motor & Wheels) all trying to outdo each other.

One of the best articles they published was on the development of the EF, and some of the great work done by Aussie Ford engineers. They never gave the same sort of attention to any successive Ford models. The VE got great coverage though……

From the early 80s to about ‘88 I used to pinch my Dad’s copies of the 3 mags every month. From ‘88 i used to buy every issue of all 3 until Car Australia died off (or merged?) in the mid 90s, then just Modern Motor (which became Motor) and wheels until roughly the mid 2000s. From then I only bought the issues that interested me, like the FG release, FGX, and then nothing until the commemorative ones detailing the closures.

One thing I noticed from about 15-20 years ago, is the spelling and grammar really went down the tube. Pick up any 80s car magazine, and you will spend days looking, but still not find a typo or grammar mistake. Open a more recent one and it’s barely past the 2 minute mark and you’re already running out of fingers to count on. Barry Lake, Robbo & Tuckey would never let that level of laziness make it to press.

Not only was the modern content becoming way too boring, but it became tiresome to try and read it. At some point I read an article where Motor’s key demographic was teenage boys. The articles they published certainly backed that up. I’m surprised Motor hung on this long.

[Dr Smith]

Does this mean my pallet full of past publications just appreciated in value?

[roKWiz]

Unless you wanted bog stock boring, most car guys bought Street Machine, Carcraft and Hotrod magazine in the 70s and 80's.

[DFB FGXR6]

So, do I get the remainder of my subscription refunded?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by DFB FGXR6

So, do I get the remainder of my subscription refunded?

Seeing as was owned Bauer Media which was then gobbled up by private equity group Mercury Capital (who then did what all Private equity groups do, cut everything to the bone then close or sell off the remains within 5 years) I don't hold much hope in you getting your money back.