I worked for Petersen pubs for a very short while at a now defunct bicycle magazine they had. in the first meeting we had Mr petersen walked in to talk to one of the editors and when I was introduced to him I pretty much rolled off his hot rod resume to his face & how much that I was in debt to him (being a car junkie) and things between me and the cycling guys were never the same... then eMap bought them, them Primedea... and then I got **** canned
A sad day for Hot Rodding and an end of an era! RIP Robert, The man who helped legitimise Hot Rodding!
God bless him and his family. That's sad news to hear. His magazines definately had, and continue to, play a role in my love for things automotive. His legacy is forged in steal and stone.
That's a shame, seems we're losing so many of the people who built the foundation of hot rodding lately.
While saddened at his p***ing I celebrate all that he gave us. My Petersen Magazine collection goes back to those early days when he bought out Quinn Publications after his success with Hot Rod. Honk became Car Craft and a new magazine called Rods & Customs hit the stands and the "Little Pages" were born. Over the years I have reflected many times on what gave to all of us. If God gives Riddler awards, he is a shoe-in. R.I.P.
To this day, I still refer to Hot Rod, Rod & Custom and Car Craft as Petersen's Power Trio. Godspeed to Him, prayers for the family. Good day to wrench on that old car in the yard or just dig out those musty old mags with the Roto section and be thankful someone made it all possible and Respectable.
what an amazing legacy we are very lucky to have people like him in our world we could all take a lesson from his example
Thanks Mr. Peterson for everything you did for the magazine world. Without your vision, none of us magazine guys would be doing what we love to do. I would think about Peterson every time I would sell magazines out of the trunk of my car, back when it was CKD. I would wonder if that's how he started out, and the answer was "yes". Even though Rod and Kulture is on newstands now, I still carry them around at car shows and swap meets like Hot Rod did back in the early days. Had it not been for Robert's efforts, car magazines and little guys like me, wouldn't be having so much fun in the car life we all live. Thanks again Mr. Peterson. RIP Spike
comming from a family with no automoble intrest at all Mr Peterson started a p***ion in me that has lasted over 35 years so far. I personaly dont find death as an ending to be sad about but a time to prase and reflect a persons achevments and Mr Peterson has given us alot to prase and celebrate. THANK GOD WE NOW KNOW THERE WILL BE HOTS RODS IN HEAVEN!!!!!!
R.I.P. ....i wouldnt be building what i am if it weren't for the early years of HOT ROD Magazine! Zach
Everything in the hot rodding/custom vehicle AND aftermarket industries is because of Mr.Petersen and his efforts. Thank you Robert E.Petersen for all that you have done.
Very few people have been able to positively effect generations of people with their lifes work, Robert Petersen was one of them. Thank you for setting my wheels in motion in July 1961.
Discovering Hot Rod Magazine for the first time in 5th grade in the school library is about the only thing worthwhile I can remember about 5th grade. I've subscribed since I was 12. Once the magazines stopped having the PPC logo, they didn't quite seem the same, but I still read & enjoy them. Thank you Robert Peterson.
His influence on our collective p***ion will outlive us all. On his shoulders and the shoulders of others young Mr. Cochran carries the vision to the next level by making it interactive. Godspeed Robert
I'm sure there's a bunch of us who grew up in a small town in the hinterlands during the 50s-60s long before cable tv and the internet. About our only connection and source to hotrods and racing was the magazine rack down at Walgreens. Thank You, Mr. Petersen!
Job well done, Mr. Petersen. God bless you and your family and that includes all of us that have been a part of the Hotrod family over the years.
While it saddens all of us to lose him, isn't it great that he had such a successful life and was able to enjoy the rewards that came from his efforts? It's rare that the people who dare so much and work so hard reap the benefits of their work.
The Jalopy Journal
