THE BEST... GENETIC MAKE UP
What makes CAR different? Copy submitted in Latin, Cropley’s ‘really care about what we do’ mantra, manuscript fires, a giant of an Austrian, ‘tutti frutti’ cover critiques. Yup. But the eight strands running through CAR are...
A LITERARY APPROACH
Pre-CAR, motoring magazines read like Haynes manuals, with all the literary flair of an asbestos warning sticker. CAR encouraged creative writing, notably with drive stories that sprang to vivid life on the page.
A WORK OF ART
CAR’s designers have set the visual tone for mags the world over. And with its early switch to full colour, glossy paper and perfect binding, plus using great snappers, CAR elevated automotive photography from perfunctory to art form.
AUSTRALIANS
From Doug Blain in ’64 to the reign of Gavin Green and beyond, CAR was made magnificent by a succession of fearless and talented Australian editors. They took CAR from the margins to the very top.
COMPARISON TESTS
Unicorn-rare when CAR launched, comparison tests between rival machines (and protracted arguments between disagreeing colleagues, an ongoing habit) quickly became a staple of the magazine’s rich content mix.
BEING FIRST
CAR’s mantra is be first, or have the best take on a story. After Georg Kacher’s amazing ‘212mph and still a gear to go’ Veyron exclusive, he followed up by nabbing one for three days while other mags queued patiently for three hours in it.
INNOVATION
Scoops, giant tests, famous writers – CAR’s always been pioneering. The 2006 redesign, which put everything timely online and re-invented the mag for posh co ee tables, bombed. But it was glorious – and ahead of its time.
FEARLESSNESS
In CAR’s early years the press was part of the car industry, not a critic of it. CAR was di erent, and it nearly cost it its life – advertising was pulled, threats made. But the manufacturers came back. Our success left them no choice.
STORYTELLING
That’s what we’re here to do – to put you in the new 911 when you’re in your armchair; to bring you Namibia by Defender. We’ve spent 700 issues provoking thought, broadening minds and firing imaginations – here’s to the next 700.