Iconic covers
From that very rst issue on the left, subtle changes over the decades have gradually evolved CAR into the magazine you’re holding in your hand now
MAY 1960 Cost 2/6
Who says a car magazine should have a car on its cover? Editor Robert Key marks the arrival of Aussie-sourced Holdens in our market with this cartoon.
JANUARY 1976 R0,50
This issue heralds some big changes … another tweak to the logo, a new look and feel inside, and we incorporate sister magazine, Technicar, for the first time.
DECEMBER 1961 R0,25
Editor Cedric Wright’s first issue in charge. Wright would be at the helm for 21 years and was instrumental in building this illustrious magazine into what it is today.
FEBRUARY 1977 R0,50
We celebrate two decades in the business with this minimalist design. As was standard practice since inception, the cover was sold to a manufacturer.
FEBRUARY 1967 R0,25
Our 10th anniversary issue with the first major change to our logo since launch and a colour scheme right out of the psychedelic Sixties.
MAY 1980 R0,80
Our first-ever editorial cover and one that sets the template we have followed closely ever since. It features the comparative test everyone wanted to see.
DECEMBER 1972 R0,40
Back when foldout covers were still a novelty, this introduces what would be a hugely popular car in SA. That logo is starting to look more familiar, too.
AUGUST 1983 Cost R1,20
The early days of what’s to become CAR’S iconic Performance Shootout. We feature 21 cars and two race drivers, Basil van Rooyen and Brian Sims.
FEBRUARY 1986 R1,50
1986 marks 100 years since Karl Benz first patented his rickety belt-driven car and we celebrate the occasion by driving a 1888 version owned by South African Tom Watson.
FEBRUARY 1997 R7,50
A bright and busy cover marks our 40th anniversary and in it we retest a 1957 Ford Anglia De Lux that we first tested four decades earlier. Once again, it gets our approval.
MAY 2011 R29,95
Editor Hannes Oosthuizen introduces augmented reality that allows you to access video content directly, using QR codes in the magazine from your mobile phone.
JANUARY 1992 R3,95
January issues are always our bestsellers, but this sets the high-water mark. A 911 Turbo, Viper and BMW 325is help us sell a whopping 150 543 issues this month.
SEPTEMBER 1998 R8,95
This, bumper 288-page 500th issue, signals a new logo that remains the one we use today, albeit now in slightly larger form.
AUGUST 2012 Subscribers only
Unless you received your CAR in the post every month, you will have never seen this issue with its unique logo execution and minimalist, monotone image of a Pagani Huayra.
JULY 1992 R4,20
The logo change may have been very subtle, but our story on the Chevrolet Geo Storm was momentous. It was our first-ever drive of an electric car.
JANUARY 2000 R10,95
We publish our inaugural Top 10 Best Buys feature, later, of course, to become CAR’S much-read Top 12 Best Buys section that appears in our March issue each year.
NOVEMBER 2013 R35,90
The logo change is minor, but inside sees both a major design change and a restructuring of the content. CAR’S hallowed editorial pillars, however, remain untouched.
MAY 1995 R5,45
The late John Wright’s 11-year term as editor begins and, with his strong focus on tech, he starts his tenure with a focus on Audi’s groundbreaking all-aluminium A8.
FEBRUARY 2007 R23,95
In his letter, editor John Bentley restated CAR’S credentials: “Editorial independence and integrity, and a determination to present the facts, good or bad, in the interests of the CAR reader.”
MARCH 2016 R35,90
Not only the most anticipated comparative test in a long while, this was acknowledged as one of 2016’s 10 best local magazine covers by media commentators, marklives.com.