WONDERING OUT LOUD…
Dear readers,
Contemplating what a classic car magazine should look like each month is always a challenge as much as it is an enjoyable part of the job. Should we include an article on a car that is not a classic but is as quirky as it was unsuccessful; should we include an article on something that is not a car but is certainly a classic, and was used for personal or even mass transport?
We have decided to solicit your help. We’d like to hear from our readers about whether there is support to include features on machines that do not conform to the classic car description but are certainly classics of transport design.
Very shortly, we will include a feature on classic motorcycles. We’ll look at the role a particular motorcycle has played in the lexicon of motorcycle manufacturing, where it fitted into the market, and whether it was an advanced piece of engineering or simply a cheap and effective means of personal transport.
Invercargill is home to an impressive collection of motorcycles at the Classic Motorcycle Mecca. Viewers can wander through a collection of more than 300 motorcycles and see bikes manufactured in Europe as far back as 1902, or something far more up to date and manufactured here in New Zealand. The Mecca’s not the only motorcycle museum on the main street of Invercargill, though; a local hardware shop also has an impressive number of bikes on display — there’s even some of Burt Munro’s creations among them.
Did you know that New Zealander Kim Newcombe produced his own bike that competed at the very sharp end of 500cc Grand Prix racing? With this bike, he finished second at the 1973 Grand Prix.
So, we understand already that motorcycles have a real part in our ‘classic’ tradition. They can be almost as entertaining as cars. But what about trains and boats and planes, to quote a song title? We have our fair share of collectables in those areas as well. Would you, our readers, enjoy an article on a piece of our maritime or marine history? For example, would you want to read about a New Zealand– built steam locomotive from the same era that produced many of the cars we feature?
This is not a plan to make major changes to your favourite motoring magazine; we’re just wondering out loud if our readers would enjoy the occasional article that looks at one or two other areas of transport. Let us know, and that will help us to develop the magazine in a direction that our readers agree with.
Happy motoring,
Acting editor Terry Cobham