Hot Rods My second issue of Hot Rod Magazine came today.

I didn't renew my subscription after they put the electric motor in the Project X '57 Chevy. The magazine had been going down hill for years, only occasionally having something interesting to me.

 

Was that the "crate" electric motor that GM was talking about ? Did they ever start selling them ?
(not that I would buy one, but GM has a history of doing things to create interest, and not following through)

 

Not a fan of the theme issues. I would rather see a variety. On the plus side though there is some tech.

 

I stopped at a magazine stand today. No signs of Hotrod quarterly.

 

Sad to see printed media dying…I thought the magazine was heading in a good direction…soon there won’t be a magazine left for what this site is all about if RJ goes by the wayside…

and for those complaining about Pro street and Billet for a 55 year old those early to mid 80’s car were our HS dreams…and we’re now the old dudes reliving our youth I guess

 

One thing is certain...whining about HOT ROD magazine has become traditional.

 

Got mine in the mail today. Literally nothing in there for me. I got a subscription last year before they changed formats, and I wont be renewing.
I guess they’re doing themed issues now. I guess maybe they’ll get around to doing a traditional hot rod themed issue, but honestly I preferred it when it was a mix of stuff and maybe 30% interested me and 70% I couldn’t care less about, instead of now where it’s 100% of nothing I care about.

Not even sure who there target demographic is… smokers with erectile dysfunction? I kinda do like the idea of sneakers that not only do I not need to tie, but I don’t even have to bend down to slip them on.

 

I have been a subscriber since the February 1958 issue with the quarter midgets on the cover. I have been through great editors poor editors. However. Whoever the pinhead is that is in charge now, has far surpassed stupidity of at least 4 bad editor, by miles, LOTS of miles! I would like to keep my collection intact, however publishing things at this lowest of low levels would be a waste of flypaper if it were printed on that. Not to mention the complete waste of trees sacrificed to publish this absolute drivel! A epileptic one handed monkey could produce much better copy than this trash. Another issue this bad will force me to bow ou i understand that the high reving thumping noise is Pete Peterson spinning in his grave!

 

I thought the cars featured are top of the line builds made for racing, track time, and fun. 1000hp with late model motors and high tech suspension in a 50 year old car is still hot rodding.
A contributing photographer was at Northeast Vintage Drags this past weekend taking tons of pictures so maybe. . . . with any luck. . . . Hot Rod will do an issue with all traditional stuff soon. Hot Rod magazine is likely hanging on by the fingertips, I'm going to hang on with them. Support print magazines or they'll be gone

 

saw it in my local Walmart, got mine in the mail today also...

 

I’m with Mark…

 

“The world hasn’t been the same since Log Trucks and Lowriders went out of print”

John Milner

 

Pro Touring not Pro Street. Big tires on front and rear. Haha

 

Me too.

 

When your advertisers products show photos of certain style cars to sell their Mirriad of suspension parts you can guess they don’t fit 30-40’s hot rods. They cater to the mid size muscle that the guys with money want today. The generation before me is dying off with their 30-40’s cars left to the wife to sell and most in my generation have our tri-5 favorite currently in the garage. They are aiming at the $$$$ in the pockets of the generation after me and seem to have pretty good hold on them….

 

The real truth is that the print media can’t compete with the electronic media, that and the fact that the newer generations grew up with the electronic stuff, they can find whatever interest them online so they’re not apt to buy magazines. I loved the old car magazines , Popular Hot Rodding, Hot Rod etc. I used to read them front to back even all the ads. These days I just search for exactly what I want and always find a multitude of articles, forums and videos on the subject. Unless we’re willing to buy magazines that don’t always appeal to us,they will die off. It’s not just car magazines it’s all printed media.
Dan

 

Actual truth is HRM isn’t a nostalgia mag
It’s started out as modern hot rodding and still is

 

I did not request renewal, but found a $30 charge on my VISA today from Motortrendgroup

 

They have some really good photos, but seems to be at the expense of content. Also, when you subscribe for 12 issues a year and then they cut it to 4 issues, you would expect it to contain more pages. Counting the covers, its basically a 100 pages........just like the monthly magazines that I get from the other subscriptions. So, I have to say that Hot Rod's new format has come up quite short of expectations. Maybe they know something us old Geezers don't, but I hope they change what they are doing and are able to continue. Right now I would say that I don't plan to renew. Wonder if they will even have a booth at the Street Rod Nationals so people can talk to them some? The other magazines have booths there..........

 

All I can say is STRIKE TWO

 

Still subscribed... got my latest last week. Not an impressive issue.
Due to the lack of magazines in the mail box lately, I've been going back through my "antique" magazines and am enjoying every one! Just got done with HOT ROD June 1953. Now there's some good reading!

 

I might be run out of here for saying this: I like it.
I love what the H.A.M.B. focuses on, but my automotive interests are a lot wider. I like reading and learning about other things automotive too.
None of us really knows what they're planning during those Motortrend corporate board meetings. But for the cost of a sub, I'll stay with a Hot Rod Magazine quarterly. At least this one comes in the mail, on time.... !!!

 

First off, it's not a Pro Street issue. If it were, I would have been thrilled. It's much worse than that. It's a Pro Touring issue. There is literally nothing there that interests me. What's funny is that there is a page in this issue asking readers to subscribe that features Baskerville's red 32 roadster. Kind of odd using an old Ford as the draw when that's the polar opposite of what they're actually publishing.

 

The world moved on.

Many here didn't.

 

Was at publix helping wife shopping , had to stop at mags 1st of course, there are no car mags of my liking but there were 8 model train mags. Do we need Hot Rod's new polished/euro style, I could get along with a near newsprint paper mag like custom rodder, rod action, and the like were printed on. Oh well.

 

It ain’t moving on as much as it’s realizing the automotive custom world doesn’t revolve around a nostalgic niche market.

 

I think that it would be better if they did not just feature one style in each issue. A little of the different styles in hot rodding would work better in my opinion. The people they are aiming for are not big magazine readers and Hot Rod might be shooting themselves in the foot.