Street Machine Mag

[jay289]

Is it just me, I just bought the latest street machine mag( first time in over 2yrs)
And it looks to me every car in there would cost around 100k to build.

What happened to this mag?

Where are the real world cars.
And it is full of adds for over priced crap products.

[gtxb67]

it has always been that way. a blown 427 hq monaro was out of reach of the average person back in 84 - it might not look that wild now, but back then it was

i do not like the mag, because over the years they have not had enough fords and on the odd occasion they did, they claimed falsely that they were gt's, or put a huge engine over basic attention to detail (stub axles showing instead of a cheap cap on the wheel)

however, in their defence, they have always presented top quality cars, if not actually street driven type cars. it does give people inspiration to aim as high as they can actually go - there were/are plenty of mags that show just neat streeters, and most of them are no longer around or have not been around as long as street machine

i guess in this age of digital media, street machine are still giving the people what they want, or they would not be still in print

[Pis-ton broke]

in my day when i borught it, it wasn,t like that, in the '80,s. I,ve got years of them collected. And then it got all "politicly correct" (how boring). But they did show normal blokes cars, I still remeber meany of them.

[XP6]

Have a look at the Gasoline mag(sister mag to Cruisin)they cater mostly for real drivable streeters

[The Yeti]

Only 100k you don't get much of an eleite car for 100k

I buy it from time to time, I pick and choose the issues I buy

For late model street machines I don't know of a mag that's better, but then I don't buy mags that feature later model cars

There's a few really good emags about, I buy cruzin from time to time and subscribe to hot rod from the states but there more my kind of car. I used to get Australian street rodding but I got tired of every other feature car being a tuppawear 32 ford with a repo chassis and 350/350 mc happy meal engin trans combos

[Pub247]

I always a huge fan of zoom mag they always put real cars in there that focused more on well executed engineering and performance rather than how it looks. They werent biased to any brand although turbo cars featured heavily (maybe thats why i liked it so much)

Street machine i never bought sure some of cars are nice but they're hardly street machine most of them are show cars that never get driven on the street more than once or twice a year

[MR.BA.GT.332]

i WAS a religious street machine die hard up until a few months ago and havent bothered buying it anymore. Got sick and tyred (parden the pun) of outrageous trailer queens, mountain blowers etc and yet they will claim they are street driven.... pffft, when?

I could go on but SM really boils my blood lately and with what they print now and their BS claims, drug dealer cash roll builds and as far away from the "street" name as you can get, totally lost interest!!

might only buy it now from time to time if i walk into coles (rarely, thats the mrs job), quick read through it first, do my shopping, think about it, THEN i might buy it to see more an article or car i like....

[The Yeti]

Lol that's exactly how I buy street machine now

[The G6ET Spot]

I don't even give it a second glance now and haven't done for around 5 years.

The magazine IMO just isn't relevant to the true street machine that it was originally brought out for.

[Nikked]

Streetmachine mag is still around after all these years as they have always been at the top of their game, always at the forfront of the scene.


Cars like the OVAKIL XA (or 4MYlYN) Coupes etc were just out of reach back then, as todays covercars are.

[pottery beige]

haters are gonna hate..

/end

[pottery beige]

i busted this guy in my car a while back..



the king..



he built this trailer queen..



absolute down to earth bloke.. has dropped the odd mean skid in his other cars..

[jay289]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

i busted this guy in my car a while back..

image

the king..

image

he built this trailer queen..

image

absolute down to earth bloke.. has dropped the odd mean skid in his other cars..

Yeah Gary is a top bloke, but how does he afford to build a car like this?

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by jay289

Yeah Gary is a top bloke, but how does he afford to build a car like this?

apart from hard work, there is some sponsorship help i believe - house of color and others help out to my knowledge

plus there is $10,000 up for grabs at some burnout competitions plus street machine of the year awards. i would think he has scored just a small amount of prize money over the years

[Geez Louise]

I agree...Street Machine used to be about Street cars and backyard shots of guys garages that built them...Those days have long gone....so have the pics of the half naked ladies strewn across the cars.

I have the very early issues from back when it was Van wheels. The stuff in the 80's is great to look at and read but I don't really read them anymore...just buy the latest ones to keep my collection complete.

Would be great if they did a story on cars that were done on a budget....not cars that the average joe would need two mortgages just to be able to build. (Kudos to the guys that can afford it though...not hatin'..just sayin' )

Cheers
Col

[GTP-03]

speaking of street machine magazine, does anyone remeber "king coupe" from the mid 90s? It was a 1100 hp xa gt coupe in black ands its still the meanest looking coupe ive ever seen in my life!

[jay289]

Still have the image in my mind of watching his black Mustang with flames doing burnouts at summer nats. Wish it was mine( maybe I'm jealous )

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by jay289

Yeah Gary is a top bloke, but how does he afford to build a car like this?

he borrows money off his mum..

being in business, business contacts, contacts, sponsors, handy with the tools, or hocking your house....

sure there have been a few dodgy funded builds over the years.. but most are straight bat builds by serious car scene dudes...

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Cars like the OVAKIL XA (or 4MYlYN) Coupes etc were just out of reach back then, as todays covercars are.

very true - same as rex webster's fj, howard astill's rock cars, ivan ???? jekkyl and hyde lc/j torana, the pro street cars of the late 80's and many, many others

the lack of street driven cars argument has been around since the late 80's

and as a point of reference - ask for a quote from a gt shop about restoring an xa gt coupe - they will tell you without blinking . . . . . it starts from $100,000. and that is just for returning it to standard using no custom parts, and doing a job they could do in their sleep

magazine quality cars have always been out of reach of the average person - nothing has changed at all

[blownvn]

You've caught me in a bad mood and I've got a cold and i'm generally shitted off with internet forums today but here goes anyway.

Most of the people that build these "magazine quality out-of-reach cars" are much the same as anyone here except they are willing to sacrifice just that bit more to build the car they want.

As someone who writes for Street Machine I see just what's involved in bringing these cars to life. Many of these people don't live in big houses or have fancy garages they just live and breath what they are doing.

Gary Myers is the perfect example. He lives out the back of whoop-whoop and spends most of his nights in the shed. Yes he gets some sponsored help these days but he still forks out a bit of coin from his own pocket and he works pretty hard to get it.

Many of the people and cars you'll see in the magazine are cut from the same cloth. They don't waste their lives bitching about how magazines are full of "unstreetable" cars they just build what they want and if we reckon it's good enough it'll get a run in the magazine.

As for budget stuff, how about the 13s for $1300 Falcon that got a run in the mag and was out at the AFF Drag Nationals just last weekend.

For all the bitching about it, no one wants to see a magazine full of ordinary cars. If you want to see Commodores and Falcons with big wheels and exhaust systems then go to your local shopping centre. If you want to see the best vehicles in the country, innovation, interesting shows and a great cross section of the car scene in general then pick up street machine.

Look at the lastest cover car. Apart from the big scoop you could drive that just about anywhere and I'm betting it didn't cost a miilion bucks to build. Any of the cars (bar the V8 Niki) could be driven around and are probably driven regularly to local cruise nights.

Yes, we feature outrageous "big-blower" cars occasionally but that's just a way of sparking interest and therefore sales. If it didn't sell magazine we wouldn't do it.

If you don't want to buy the magazine fine, but think about that next time the forum want publicity or coverage for their next event. It might be a case of why bother if none of them buy the mag and all they do is whinge about it.

[GTB 351]

Always good to see that there are a very few who can build the cars that most of us wish we could! Gives me the hope that I'll get there one day.

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by blownvn

You've caught me in a bad mood and I've got a cold and i'm generally shitted off with internet forums today but here goes anyway.

Most of the people that build these "magazine quality out-of-reach cars" are much the same as anyone here except they are willing to sacrifice just that bit more to build the car they want.

As someone who writes for Street Machine I see just what's involved in bringing these cars to life. Many of these people don't live in big houses or have fancy garages they just live and breath what they are doing.

Gary Myers is the perfect example. He lives out the back of whoop-whoop and spends most of his nights in the shed. Yes he gets some sponsored help these days but he still forks out a bit of coin from his own pocket and he works pretty hard to get it.

Many of the people and cars you'll see in the magazine are cut from the same cloth. They don't waste their lives bitching about how magazines are full of "unstreetable" cars they just build what they want and if we reckon it's good enough it'll get a run in the magazine.

As for budget stuff, how about the 13s for $1300 Falcon that got a run in the mag and was out at the AFF Drag Nationals just last weekend.

For all the bitching about it, no one wants to see a magazine full of ordinary cars. If you want to see Commodores and Falcons with big wheels and exhaust systems then go to your local shopping centre. If you want to see the best vehicles in the country, innovation, interesting shows and a great cross section of the car scene in general then pick up street machine.

Look at the lastest cover car. Apart from the big scoop you could drive that just about anywhere and I'm betting it didn't cost a miilion bucks to build. Any of the cars (bar the V8 Niki) could be driven around and are probably driven regularly to local cruise nights.

Yes, we feature outrageous "big-blower" cars occasionally but that's just a way of sparking interest and therefore sales. If it didn't sell magazine we wouldn't do it.

If you don't want to buy the magazine fine, but think about that next time the forum want publicity or coverage for their next event. It might be a case of why bother if none of them buy the mag and all they do is whinge about it.

much easier to sit behind a keyboard and criticise.. there are car people and those that think they are car people....

bros car was featured back in may 08.. by no means a big dollar build.. just an old school tough streeter....

[Streets]

deleted

[nstg8a]

to me street machine has always been the mag for those dream builds, the builds you always hope to able to do one day.
must be doing something right, because i cant think of any other car mag still running after this long basically still in the same format.

[prasac]

to say is it's only big budget cars is not true, the brother's Capri (build thread in my signature), is a relatively low budget build, over 24 years and 3 engine transplants only been about $75k spent all up on the car. not only was it in Street Machine magazine it was nominated for Street Machine of the Year last year. the car is far from an elite car, it even has a Jap V8 there is alot of show cars in the mag, but, i think we got picked for SMOTY as the car is the epitomy of what a tuff street car is, runs quick, is 100% streetable and has a bit of bling.

[Elks]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

to me street machine has always been the mag for those dream builds, the builds you always hope to able to do one day.
must be doing something right, because i cant think of any other car mag still running after this long basically still in the same format.

I agree its about the dream builds. I've been buying it since van wheels days, and still have every copy. Yes the cars are more and more outrageous but then you cant win a race running last years numbers.

Elite show cars do my head in. Simply because I don't understand why you would build something you can't drive. I admire the craftsmanship and the enormous amount of work, but stuff like no side windows, really?? But it's their money they can do what they want.

As for the magazine itself over the years it has cycled from street to drag to elite and back again through various editors and staff. The title of the mag is Street Machine and should have street cars. Although the govt is trying to outlaw them. Maybe SM should use it's consderable reader base and influence to take on the nanny's and save the sport. Befrore we are all reduced to trailer queens.

[Stefan]

Street Machine NEVER had ordinary blokes cars (ie sh!tboxes) it was always the elite and I bet they cost 50K 30 years ago when you could buy a house in a decent suburb in Sydney for $200K.

Now a street machine costs a $150K to build and a house in a decent suburb $1,000,000 +.

And go buy a FPV GT-P and do a few decent mods to your suspension, engine and driveine. How much change will you get from $100K? Not much.

[Nikked]

Keep in mind too, that Adam LeBrese, who built to of the greatest cars in the past ten years...slogged it out in his garage, and made sacrifices to get where he is now...

He didn't just throw money at Ziggy's or Southern Rod & Custom...home built...

Anyone remeber Rod Beuchamps Vl...bigdollar Dragcar/showcar and SMOTY winner...not street driven...that was in the 80's. Whats the difference between his car, and Angela Dow's SMOTY winner, almost 20years later...

Nothing.

What about all those big dollar panelvans, or those Pro-street cars (drag cars with numberplates...) from the 80's...

Nope...Street Machine hasn't changed...just more effort, time, and 20 years of innovation has.

[xboss]

As I see it, Street Machine have always featured the best cars they can find. Given that the mag has been around for 30 years, they must be doing something right.
I do recall that on more than one occasion they have gone out to their readers and sought their opinions regarding likes and dislikes about the mag. Says to me that they care about producing a mag that gives the majority of readers what they want.
As a teenager, I used to dream about building a car to grace the pages of Street Machine. Now into my 40's, i'm still hoping to achieve that dream.

[prasac]

where were you guys last year when we wanted votes for SMOTY

i had a run in with a well know Elite show car guy last year @ Summernats, we took the car in for Tuff Street it had alot of dust and rubber from burnouts and driving around etc. i was grabbing something out of the car and heard the guy say ''he couldn't believe this was nominated for SMOTY'' he said it loud enough so i could hear and i knew he wanted me to hear as i saw him looking at me out of the corner of my eye when he said it, i assumed he thought i wouldn't say anything back. i didn't give him the satisfaction of arguing with him on valid reasons why it deserved to be, i just offered to do things to him and his mate if another word came out of his mouth he was a very smart guy and walked away