Filed under: Etc.
Finally, a reason to wait by the mailbox again: 0-60 debuts
About two weeks ago, I did something that many of my colleagues (and likely some of you) have done over the past few years: I tossed out over a decade's worth of buff books. There were plenty of reasons for the mass trashing of countless copies of random car mags – namely an apartment redesign – but the primary reason they met their demise at the bottom of an overstuffed recycle bin was simply because I just don't read them as much as I used to. Time and these, the great interwebs have conspired against them, and until someone produces a high-quality, high-gloss magazine to rival the likes of Car and EVO (without the overseas charges), I'm just not willing to expel the time, effort and expense to allow them to amass under my coffee table, unread and neglected.So earlier this year, when I caught wind of a new magazine due out in August, I approached it with a little trepidation – until we received a tip from its editor. One line in the short email stuck out with me, just because it was so true: "Do you even read car magazines anymore?" The answer for me was, "barely." So I checked out the website, read over some of the features and visited semi-frequently. After a few trips back and forth, I thought I'd bite the bullet and subscribe, if for no other reason than because I'd let nearly all the others lapse. So when I got the mail last Saturday, I was greeted with a heavy envelope that was promptly torn open to reveal the inaugural issue of 0-60. Could this be what I was waiting for? Could this be the Stateside EVO that I'd always dreamed of? Could it possibly live up to the lofty ideals I'd set for it? The short answers are: Yes, maybe, and that's probably not possible.
The premier issue, at just over 122 pages thick, is chock-full of gearhead delicacies that would likely appeal to anyone reading these words. Sure, it's got some of the staples of any mainstream buff book: a duo of detailed car reviews, a breakdown of the new LS3 and a number of other quick-and-dirty features (one-page drives of stock and tuned rides, an NSX buying guide, etc.), but it's the diversity that struck me. A two-page rundown on how an LSD works, Alex Roy's go-go-gadget M5, why the Cosworth Vega failed miserably, a brief bio of a Washington D.C. tuner (plus single-page features on Brabus, Novitec Rosso and Ruf), and on, and on, and on. But the coup de grace came in the form of 0-60 editor-in-chief, Brian Scotto's time with Colin McRae, which included consuming copious quantities of alcohol with the gravel god, crashing at his villa and then watching him tear up the track in his masterpiece, the R4. Living vicariously though other people's lives never felt so good.
The photography, styling and layout is all above average, although we have little doubt that it will get exponentially better, and the writers tasked with creating this new issue include some friends, some acquaintances and a few others that we'd gladly share our favorite micro-brew with – all of whom are automotive cognoscenti of the highest order.
0-60 is poised to be all things to auto-obsessives like us, and its debut issue is the physical manifestation of true pistonhead passion. Plus, Mr. Scotto won our affections right out of the gate with his editorial salvo pointing out one major difference between 0-60 and "The Big Four." "We are quite aware of the Internet and we embrace it for what it's best at: immediacy." That kind of perspective from the outset, combined with all the right ingredients listed above, is what will make 0-60 a success. We wish the whole 0-60 crew the best of luck, but for purely selfish reasons -- we finally want to enjoy a good car magazine again.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Avinash machado 11:43AM (8/24/2007)
So I guess that the big four will have to drastically improve if they wish to survive. Also what about Autoweek?
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Cameron 11:48AM (8/24/2007)
Grassroots Motorsports. 'Nuff said.
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Peter 12:51PM (8/24/2007)
Agreed. GRM trumps them all. Now if only somebody could bring back Retro Cars.
Sean Morris 2:35PM (8/24/2007)
Grassroots feels like they try way too hard to be Grassroots....
New magazines pop up all the time. Formats change, editors change, everything stays the same.
The big books sell nearly a million copies a month, as they cater to the unknowing masses, not the niche market. Even the best selling car magazines are down past #50 on the list of 100 top selling magazines in the US.
Don 6:50PM (8/24/2007)
GRM is a great read...has anyone tried out Winding Road? I'm a big David E. Davis, Jr. fan.
EM 11:57AM (8/24/2007)
Hmmm, I'll pick it up if I can find it on the 'stands.
...wonder if they are hiring, hehe.
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Jeff 12:07PM (8/24/2007)
Wait until the advertisers start "suggesting" more positive product reviews and "advertorials" er, I mean editorials. It costs money to run a magazine and that money comes from advertisers.
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Don 6:51PM (8/24/2007)
Ugh. I hate those "advertorials" disguised as articles. I've written in about them.
KazO 12:14PM (8/24/2007)
I dropped my Automobile sub last year, and just let my AutoWeek lapse. I'm keeping R&T for now (still need something to read on the can, you know), but you never know... I've been on the verge of subbing to CAR for some time now, but if this new rag is on par with the big UK and Japanese mags, maybe it's worth a look...
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Kash 12:35PM (8/24/2007)
I cannot believe a magazine would title itself after such a useless performance benchmark. 0-60 times are antiquated and irrelevant nowadays.
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Robert 1:49PM (8/24/2007)
0-60 is everything. It's the first performance stat anyone with any brain looks at. Period. People in American want to race 0-60 from light to light.
K 2:15PM (8/24/2007)
@Robert: Not really, anyone with a brain knows that a better measure of performance would be 60-120.
Kash 2:22PM (8/24/2007)
I think Robert was being sarcastic.
pd 12:47PM (8/24/2007)
I saw this the other day at B&N, its flat out garbage, ranks up there with DUB! EVO is still the best PERIOD!!
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Robert 1:12PM (8/24/2007)
Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car is my new favorite. I guess I do go above and beyond supporting the car and motorcycle mag industry. I figure if I feel the whim to buy a SVT Contour 15 years from now I'd like to have a reference handy.
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MTigerV 1:32PM (8/24/2007)
What an odd story. Autoblog (and sites like it) are the very reason i dont have any more magazines in my mailbox. Best of luck to them, and I'll pick up a copy on the stands to try it, but it's gonna have to be spectacular to convince me to subscribe.
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Aetius 1:35PM (8/24/2007)
I have been using Autoblog right after it started. But I continue to subscribe to Motor Trend & R&T. Why? Because I love 'em. Sure, by the time I get them, I already know all the news and annoucements but you can't kickback on the patio with a laptop. It's also easier to share the picture of the newest Audi or whatever around the classroom :-)
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GlennS 2:11PM (8/24/2007)
grm is awesome because it makes that $1500 88 BMW e30 325i for sale down the street the coolest thing since sliced bread.
Other car mags convince you that you need to spend at least 20K for something worth mentioning.
SPG 2:30PM (8/24/2007)
This article pains me. I love old car mags and have a collection starting from the 1960's up to now. My favorite ones are from the 80's in fact.
However I do am buying them at newstands and have a subscription but.... I'm not reading them. I'm reading all the articles on Autoblog but giving my beloved mags the shaft. One is in arms reach right now and I've only barely opened it.
Still love getting them and can't imagine I'd ever stop.
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policyvote 2:31PM (8/24/2007)
I don't know; the Horsepower Wars Pt. II are getting ridiculous to me. All of the car magazines are nothing but breathless cover to cover coverage of cars I'll never dream of owning. Yes, it's wonderful to hear about the incredible feats of engineering that are going into modern sports cars. But how many standing mile, 0-200 mph, and best top speed shootouts between $100K+ rides can be written? Morever, how many will I want to read? Yeesh.
Peace
policy
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