Anyone else get Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car magazine?

Hemmings is eclectic in a nice way. Not quite the build detail I'd like in some articles, but I seem to say that about articles in GRM as well.

What's not to like? This issue has articles on:

Shoebox racing rides again.

A second owner 914-6.

A comparo of the Maserati Meak and a Citroen SM (they are more alike than you think)

An article talking about the cars you can now import based upon the 25 year rule.

The Euro Auto Festival held on the grounds of the BMW plant in South Carolina.

Did you know the DeLorean Motor company motors on?

Some great Maranello Magic pictures

A resto of a guys H.S. sweetheart (1970 Fiat 850 sport coupe)

Buyers guide for 1987-1991 Volvo 780 turbo coupe

It's a good mag to supplement your GRM.

^ Plus a bunch

Yes I also learned about Rubery Owens (you know of him, but probably don't know him)

And I learned that Henry Ford wanted to hire Pinin Farina, but he turned him down (Pininfarina design studio). Makes you wonder what Fords would have looked like.

Don't want to sound like a fanboi, but just to let others know that the OP was way off base.

wlkelley3 wrote: I subscribe to GRM, Classic Motorsports and Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car. Enjoy them all but each targets a different type of reader. We all know what GRM targets and most of us know what Classic Motorsports target. Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car targets the type of user that likes the history behind a brand and restoring to original. Mostly someone that doesn't race their classic sports car and mainly drive it on weekends and to/from shows. Several of my friends are avid HS&EC readers and don't understand CM because of the racing content. They aren't racers or into modifying cars. And they are mostly into old Brit stuff.

This. I don't like Hemmings S&EC as much as I like CM..but wlkelly3's right. Different audiences. The resto crowd, the auction crowd (although IMO, Andy Reid does a pretty good job translating that scene for "our guys" in CM).

Main difference I see is that HS&EC seems to be written for a lot of folks that can pay folks to do the work (notice how many of the restoration articles mention "Owner Y chose Shop X to strip, weld, and repaint the bodywork..") while CM is still for people that don't mind getting their hands dirty. I've often called CM "..GRM with money..", and I really don't think I'm too far off base when I say that.

I wouldn't call HS&EC "crap"..it's just different. And if I had a job, I'd probably subscribe just for the historical photo essays & stuff. Couple of years ago, they had a spread of Hal Crocker's photos from the 1970 SCCA Runoffs.

http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/2009/02/01/hmn_feature11.html

Full disclosure: Hal was still working when I first started working turns in the mid 1980s. Kind of a hot temper sometimes, but overall a pretty cool guy.

I have to admit I've bought a copy or two and almost bought the most recent copy...but didn't.

Sometimes, when I read the articles I get the impression that the folks writing the articles either don't get out much (they are mostly guys and gals who write about cars but do all their research on the internet), or the articles themselves were written years ago.

I think the most recent copy has a article about "alternative winter road cars" that includes cars that I would consider to be impractical for a winter DD (example? a Fiat 850 was one suggestion, due to it's rear mounted engine and therefore better than average traction) or would just plain be so impossible to find...much less at their ridiculous price cut-off of $3,500 as to make them laughable choices.

I get the magazine for the "oddballs", but agree the magazine can also be read in one sitting.

friedgreencorrado wrote: Main difference I see is that HS&EC seems to be written for a lot of folks that can pay folks to do the work (notice how many of the restoration articles mention "Owner Y chose Shop X to strip, weld, and repaint the bodywork..") while CM is still for people that don't mind getting their hands dirty.

I would disagree with this. A number of the restoration profile are DIY jobs. Often bodywork as well. Many of the GRM and CM cars have farmed out body and paint work as well.

I've subscribed to HS&EC for a number of years now.

The slow progress on the staff cars is a bit disappointing, but Hemmings' policy is staff are not allowed to accept any deals from advertisers, so all costs come out of their pockets, so in a way, they are very much like us - forced to balance daily life with their car obsessions. Hence, they tend to have a lot of inexpensive LBC's.

Personally, I absolutely LOVE the oddball cars they find. It amazes me how they keep finding stuff I've never heard of.

The Drivable Dream articles are usually really interesting.

All said, it would probably be the last mag I'd let the subscription lapse on. I look forward to it every month.

Looks like I need to go buy this current issue. I daily drive a Fiat 850 in the winter. They must think just like me.

It is exactly the auction crowd/Rolex watch aspect of Classic Motorsports that I don't enjoy.

Remember back in the 90's when GRM had the "Vintage Views" section in the back of each mag? That is what I miss. Interesting little bits on a make or model that showcased 2 or 3 cars with tips on how to modify them, what works and what doesn't.

Please GRM. Bring back Vintage Views. Classic motorsports doesn't fill the same niche.

While you do see a few cars that have been sourced out, most of the articles I can remember have had someone getting their hands dirty most of the time due to their love of that particular marque or model.

Now the big time Hemmings is more of people paying someone else to restore it for them. One thing wrong with them though is that so far I haven't seen a sole paint one with tractor paint.

I subscribe because I got some amazing, cheap rate to Hemmings SEC magazine (I forget the amount). It's decent and you can tell there's real people writing the stuff rather some giant corporation (unlike the stuff from (Hachette Filipacci).

Some articles are a bit light: the one involving the re-wiring of an old VW basically said "Remove all old wires-----replace with new harness."
But the Citroen vs. Maserati story was good and I like the MG-TF resto story.
It was fun to read about the little VW Wendler Special "speedster" since it is for sale down the street from me.
If I get another cheap subscription offer, I'll buy it again. If they jack up the cost, I'll save my money.
One nice thing--I don't have to think about the Grassroots subscription, since it comes automatically when I renew my NASA race license.
Speaking of Hachette: I used to be a huge fan of Car & Driver back in the 60 and 70s. And I still like to read certain sections of Road & Track but only the free online stuff (specifically Egan, who I got to hang out with at Watkins Glen a few months ago.....that was cool, but I still wouldn't buy R&T again).
But after (Hachette Filipacci took them over, they were basically turned into birdcage lining.
Last year, I subscribed to both of them for $5/ year and it was still a ripoff.
I used to get AutoWeek too. Another publication ruined, in my view.

Other than Grassroots and CM, I get Vintage Motorsports, Victory Lane (also written by an appealing band of amateurs) and the aforementioned Hemmings (unless the price goes up).
And I usually buy Motor Sport, Practical Classics or one of the other British car mags. Bill Boddy, the former editor of Motor Sport wrote for them for over 80 years!

Javelin wrote:

DrBoost wrote: OK Javelin. I subbed to all the Hemmings mags for a while but Muscle Machines lost my interest in just a few months. They just couldn't seem to stray away from Chevelles, tri-five chevys, and just about anything else GM made in the 60's and 70's.

Give them another try. In the last year they've featured some sweet AMC's, a bunck of Buick's and Oldsmobile's (even G-bodies!), and loads of off-beat cars. Haven't seen a Camaro or a Chevelle in months. This month just landed in the mailbox and it features AAR Cuda, T/A Challenger, and 71-72 GTO's. Their project car is a 4.6L stroked I-6 injected Spirit AMX!!

Seriously!? I'll give them another try then.

BTW, I also want to comment on how incredibly cool it is that we can sit here, on a magazine-sponsored forum and talk about how much we like another magazine, a few even mention that we like it better than one of the mags that this board is sponsored by (basically).
That is seriously cool. Thanks guys/girls for not being uptight and realizing that, though your magazine is on the top of the heap, it isn't the only one out there.

DrBoost wrote: BTW, I also want to comment on how incredibly cool it is that we can sit here, on a magazine-sponsored forum and talk about how much we like another magazine, a few even mention that we like it better than one of the mags that this board is sponsored by (basically). That is seriously cool. Thanks guys/girls for not being uptight and realizing that, though your magazine is on the top of the heap, it isn't the only one out there.

Yes, and I hope that the powers that be at GRM headquarters read our constructive feedback and use it to improve their existing products. Plus, I hope that they buy Japanese Nostalgic Car (currently not publishing) and get it back on schedule.

I'm currently receiving it since it was $7 for a year & I'm not a fan. The journalism & editing are lacking and the stories are vague. There have been some features that peaked my interest but often times I read one maybe two articles & leave it at the store.

DrBoost wrote:

Javelin wrote:

DrBoost wrote: OK Javelin. I subbed to all the Hemmings mags for a while but Muscle Machines lost my interest in just a few months. They just couldn't seem to stray away from Chevelles, tri-five chevys, and just about anything else GM made in the 60's and 70's.

Give them another try. In the last year they've featured some sweet AMC's, a bunck of Buick's and Oldsmobile's (even G-bodies!), and loads of off-beat cars. Haven't seen a Camaro or a Chevelle in months. This month just landed in the mailbox and it features AAR Cuda, T/A Challenger, and 71-72 GTO's. Their project car is a 4.6L stroked I-6 injected Spirit AMX!!

Seriously!? I'll give them another try then.

Just to update this, I finally finished the latest issue. There was a 2-tone green 57 Ford with an 03 Cobra 4.6SC/T56 swap (and racing suspension), a resto article on a 4-speed Torino, and a 1-pager on a local Shelby GT350 that raced BP for decades as a Privateer.

Don't worry, none of us at the magazine will ever see this thread.

This is good market research for us. Personally, I don't really get what they are trying to do, other than copy some combination of both Grassroots Motorsports and Classic Motorsports. Initially, they copied liberally from our editorial calendar, but heck, I think we all know what cars to write about.

Pleasing everyone is always a challenge. A lot of readers want low-buck how-tos and advertisers want to reach readers who hire shops and go on expensive tours and vintage race. If you write only about the common cars, a magazine gets real boring. if you write about nothing but eclectic stuff that nobody has ever seen or owned, than you look our of touch.

The art, and to some extent the science, of this business is to blend everyone’s wants and needs into an attractive package that grows in stature and circulation.

Some of the other more specific magazines mentioned do not have very large circulations, but Hemmings has done a good job building circulation for Sports and Exotics. They are about the same size as Classic Motorsports. Of course, if we were willing to whore up the market, by offering loss leader subscription prices, our job would be easier, until we went out of business. I have no problem with a fair fight. it is what keeps me working nights.

And why can't you guys take these classic threads to the Classic Motorsports board. Remember, I know where you all live. I have lots of old E36 M3ty cars to get there and bust you upside the head.

Here's my take... Quality: CM > HS&EC Content: HS&EC > CM

I prefer the content of HS&EC because of the more budget friendly features (like the 70s and 80s Japanese car stuff). I love CM but most of the featured vehicles and projects are way out of my budget.

And for overall enjoyment... GRM > everything else!

Tim Suddard wrote: And why can't you guys take these classic threads to the Classic Motorsports board. Remember, I know where you all live. I have lots of old E36 M3ty cars to get there and bust you upside the head.

I don't go to the CM board because I have JUST enough time to not keep up with this one. And, I know where you work....though I'm too much of a pansy to do anything to you other than threaten to tell my mom on you.
My two cents: I love GRM, I've subscribed since the $1500 challenge. When I was out of work for nearly 2 years my wife and I found a way to afford to re-up (missed the 10 year deal though, I was literally counting pennies to re-up) because it was the only thing I had at the time that I enjoyed, everything else went away. Anyway, that's GRM. I subbed to CM and have received 2 issues and it doesn't hold my interest as much as I'd have liked. The cars featured seem to be waaaay out of my budget (uh yeah, I'm working now haha) and I'm not as much into racing as I'd like. I won't cancel because I believe in GRM too much, and maybe over the next 22 issues it'll grow on me.
HS&EC has poor editing and the writing is good in one article, crap in the next. But the cars they feature are more my style and more often than not, on my radar already.

BTW, when I wasn't working all the Hemmings subs were allowed to lapse.....

One other thing that appeals to me about Hemmings is that it's based in New England, as am I. It's kind of like rooting for the home team. I never got the sense that they were copying, stealing, or even really competing with GRM and CM.

It's not my favorite car magazine (I can't even count how many I read each month) and the writing really makes me scratch my head sometimes, but I do learn something new with each issue. Its just different and I especially like their Drivable Dream feature.

And Tim, the CM forum just doesn't move fast enough for me. Back when CM was a sub forum on this side, I read everything that was posted there. But it just doesn't have the same feel on it's own. But don't worry; I'm a longtime GRM and CM subscriber (like since Auto-X and British Car) and I'm not going anywhere.

I have noticed that HS&EC usually does a similar car a month or 2 after CM. Hemmings is a big name in classic cars so it would stand to reason that they are into all aspects of classic cars. I have read the Muscle Car mag and liked it for what it is. And their main magizine is the bible of antique cars. But more of a sports car guy myself. HS&EC does cover old race cars but usually what they were when they were raced new, which is very interesting to see what it was back in the day. CM does modern vintage racing scene which is what those of us that are interested in vintage racing would be doing now which again is relevent to some of us. Would like to see more on this than touring. Like maybe coverage similar to what is done in GRM with racing. The recent Pasterjak Viper racing article is an example. Do something similar with vintage racing. Understand that bills have to be paid and touring looks like fun. HS&EC are more purests, keeping the car original. CM is into modernizing for driveability but retain old looks. Personally I like and am interested in both aspects of classic cars hence why I subscribe to both (and GRM ). It's fun reading about the history of our classics in one mag and reading about current use of classics in the other. Am on the CM forum but don't often find anything to comment on there and not good at making up my own posts.

Wow....

scratching my head... I just trying to figure out how you (collect you) have time to read 3 to 10 magazines, spend time on 3 to 30 forums, working, being married (or g/f), spend time wrenching/driving/enjoying on your cars, sleeping...

Some of us read fast.

carguy123 wrote: Some of us read fast.

And some of us just have a serious case of the runs requiring a lot of "personal" time...

Javelin wrote:

carguy123 wrote: Some of us read fast.

And some of us just have a serious case of the runs requiring a lot of "personal" time...

Ahhh cleansing for the new year?

One of the holistic grocery stores near me recommends cleansing for 7 to 30 days to get you ready for the new year. I'm thinking that after 7 to 30 days chained to the commode it will just make the new year seem so much better.

I travel a lot for work and reading the 3 magazines on the plane passes the time. Already have 2 trips planned in Jan and 1 so far in Feb but I expect that to grow. Last year I had 11 trips and had to cancel 2 trips for a last minute rush 10-day trip to Kuwait/Afghanistan. 2 to Hawaii (was there during the tsunami), 2 to North Dakata, 1 to Alaska, Nebraska, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio and Philly. And only 5 forums and I don't check all of them every day, 2 are local. Plus since I read a lot for a living I do read fast. Wife is very into church and leaves me alone alot. Which leaves me weekends in the garage. And who says I get a lot of wrench bending done. I have a project car I haven't started yet. A 63 MG Midget w/72 part car. Still tinkering w/the Opel GT and fixing up the Miata. Have to replace front sway bar mounts and lower ball joints on the Miata plus my youngest daughter that drives the Miata wants to set it up for time trials and attend driving school together this summer.