For generations born in the 70s and 80s, reading magazines back then is just like reading a mobile phone today, and it is an important window into the world. "You can skip meals, and magazines can't be bought!" How many people held such a firm ideal back then, holding the saved lunch money in their hands, just to buy a freshly baked magazine at the newsstand on the street.
For a long time, incarIn the media field, magazines have always played the role of "professional judges". This is a jury made up of a group of people who know cars best, and are also the most critical and demanding people. They "trial" every car that is pushed into the "dock seat." Conversely, for car manufacturers and consumers at the upstream and downstream ends of the industry chain, the evaluation results of this group of professionals are also objective and transparent "third-party test reports", which are of great value and reference value.
In those years, the car magazines we chased together:
Magazine name
Country of Citizenship
Featured section
Car
U.K
In-depth test, new car test drive, in-depth interview
Autocar
U.K
Spy photos of new cars, short reviews of new cars, long-term test runs, race reports
EVO
U.K
Focus only on test drive evaluations of supercars and high-performance cars
TopGear
U.K
The Stig test drive, celebrity columns, reader letters and comments
Auto Motor und Sport
Germany
Professional testing, data analysis, new car spy photos and imaginary pictures
Auto Bild
Germany
Nardo speed test, celebrity column, model information
Motor Trend
Ame
For generations born in the 70s and 80s, reading magazines back then is just like reading a mobile phone today, and it is an important window into the world. "You can skip meals, and magazines can't be bought!" How many people held such a firm ideal back then, holding the saved lunch money in their hands, just to buy a freshly baked magazine at the newsstand on the street.
For a long time, incarIn the media field, magazines have always played the role of "professional judges". This is a jury made up of a group of people who know cars best, and are also the most critical and demanding people. They "trial" every car that is pushed into the "dock seat." Conversely, for car manufacturers and consumers at the upstream and downstream ends of the industry chain, the evaluation results of this group of professionals are also objective and transparent "third-party test reports", which are of great value and reference value.
In those years, the car magazines we chased together:
Magazine name
Country of Citizenship
Featured section
Car
U.K
In-depth test, new car test drive, in-depth interview
Autocar
U.K
Spy photos of new cars, short reviews of new cars, long-term test runs, race reports
EVO
U.K
Focus only on test drive evaluations of supercars and high-performance cars
TopGear
U.K
The Stig test drive, celebrity columns, reader letters and comments
Auto Motor und Sport
Germany
Professional testing, data analysis, new car spy photos and imaginary pictures
Auto Bild
Germany
Nardo speed test, celebrity column, model information
Motor Trend
America
"Car of the Year" award, "real fuel consumption" test
Car and Driver
America
Discussion on controversial topics, automobile culture, professional instrument testing
Option
Japan
Performance modification of Japanese cars, interaction between readers and drivers, carnival of car owners
People and cars
China Hong Kong
New car testing, car special planning, car culture
Car King Magazine
China Hong Kong
In-depth testing, race reports, car owners club
Wu Gang Che Ji
China Hong Kong
Everything that men are interested in (including cars), Eastern philosophy
Speed
China Hong Kong
The Hong Kong version of TopGear can be seen as a continuation of "People and Vehicles"
The Shanghai Automobile Museum has produced its own automobile magazine "Antique Cars" (quarterly), which has 17 issues since 2012. We want to share the beauty and legends of cars with more people, and reminisce about cars from different regions and different cultural backgrounds. Amorous, relive the classics and fashions belonging to each era.
The early issue of "Antique Cars" has been out of print. In order to give back to the audience, we launched the "Forever" collection series, which is an exclusive and limited collection on the whole network.
Cover of "Autocar" in 1899
In the UK, where the automobile industry and the cultural industry are equally developed, "Autocar" has played the role of a "pioneer". They evolved the automobile, an industrial product, into a culture and lifestyle, and gradually formulated many rules. For example, in 1928, "Autocar" put forward the concept of "evaluate after test drive", which had a profound impact on the subsequent automotive media. For another example, "Autocar" recorded the birth of the first McLaren F1 car and commented on the test drive, which is unique in the history of automotive media.
"Autocar" on April 27, 1928
"Autocar" on January 19, 1951
"Autocar" has also attracted many well-known auto media people to find jobs or write articles, including the famous "Captain Turtle Speed"-James May. A former car editor, he wrote a hidden poem in the "Test Drive Yearbook" supplement of "Autocar" in 1992, suggesting that his editing work on "Autocar" was boring. This hidden poem was discovered by sharp-eyed readers and wrote a letter to show off, James May was also fired. The original words of "Captain Turtle Speed" are as follows: "So you think it's really good yeah? You should try making the bloodything up. It's a real pain in the arse."
"Captain Turtle Speed" when he served in "Autocar" in his early years
James May's masterpiece for "Autocar"
The weekly issue of "Autocar" has been unimpeded since its inception. It lasted for more than a hundred years, and it was affected by a strike in the 1970s. However, in the century-old road of "Autocar" and the British automobile industry growing together, there are also strong opponents joining. This is currently recognized as the world's best car magazine: "Car".
"Car" to replace the status of "Autocar"
As a rising star, "Car" magazine, founded in 1962, gradually replaced the old brand "Autocar" and became the helmsman leading the development trend of automobile magazines. The editors of "Car" took the lead in launching the topic of multi-vehicle testing, as well as the car test report with story scenes, which once again became the object of imitation by later generations. They founded the "European Car of the Year" award selection, which has become the most influential car annual award in the world with the participation of journalists from all across Europe.
In addition, the term "Supercar" was also coined by "Car", which shows its pivotal status. It is precisely because of its authority that "Car" never compromises with a certain car brand. Their articles have always maintained an objective, fair, and sharp-pointed style, which is naturally highly sought after by readers and industry insiders.
1981 "Car" Magazine
"Car" created a special production mode of multi-car comparison
The Americans who came from behind were not to be outdone. Their two most famous auto magazines: "Motor Trend" and "Car and Driver" were launched in 1949 and 1955, respectively. "MotorTrend" is a loyal supporter of the domestic car brand, and its tendency is more obvious. In the "Car of the Year" awards that they later founded and are not small in influence, many domestic models of the United States are selected and even won first prizes every year.
In the early days of its publication, "Motor Trend" used the American car life as the main entry point
"Motor Trend" often awards "Car of the Year" honors to local American brands
The annual "Car of the Year" selection is extremely enviable
In contrast, "Car and Driver" is more international. Of course, this is also related to the complicated international background and strategy behind it. "Car and Driver" has different versions in dozens of countries around the world. The style is more pungent and straightforward, and I like to involve some controversial and sensitive topics. For domestic brands in the United States, they are also unceremonious to criticize.
The global influence of "Car and Driver" is second only to "Car"
The rigorous and rigid Germans are also so rigid when they start a car magazine. Their most famous automotive publication is undoubtedly "Auto Motor und Sport". In the eyes of many car critics, this magazine is as rigorous and disciplined as a German car, with typical test control and data control. In terms of professionalism, "Auto Motor und Sport" can be said to be invincible in the world; but its cookie-cutter text and photography style will inevitably make readers feel boring.
"Auto Motor und Sport" in 1952, 1982 and 2016.30 years apart, they look like a family
"Auto Motor und Sport" has a lot of professional charts and data, and even crash tests are done by yourself
In this regard, the Japanese mind is obviously much more flexible.Take Japan’s best-selling modified car magazine "Option" as an example. It is also a very professional car publication, and even modifiedAccessoriesAnd the data makes the laypersons crazy, the Japanese will try to change the content format and layout design to make the magazine look lively and interesting, but also clear, without delay in entertainment and professional information, no wonder Japan and the world Of Japanese modified car fans are regarded as a biblical publication.
"Option" makes a magazine look like comics and TV entertainment
But when it comes to auto publications from other cities that have the greatest impact on the Chinese people, they have to be the "great god-level" magazines in Hong Kong. Whether it is "People and Vehicles", which has regrettably ceased publication, or "Car King Magazine", which is still persevering, from the 1990s to the beginning of the millennium, it has a profound impact on mainland readers who have just come into contact with automobile culture. At that time, it was also in the heyday of the Hong Kong car magazine media, and a number of famous car critics with profound knowledge and unique insights emerged, such as Liu Weihua, Liang Guojian, Di Gangsheng, and Chen Weixiong. They either have writer-level literary skills, or have a very deep understanding of the concept of running magazines, or they have a variety of ideas about car evaluation methods. In short, the auto publications they produced really allowed the readers at that time to carefully chew and taste every article, every paragraph, and even every word, and enjoy it without thinking about it.
"People and Cars" and "Car King Magazine" are the spiritual food for many fans born in the 70s and 80s
Today, there are very few channels to buy these classic automobile publications, let alone the opportunity to pick up a magazine for careful study. If by chance, you want to regain this memory and regain the feeling of reading a magazine that year, then I recommend you to read a Hong Kong magazine called "MM Wu Gang Che Ji". This is an extremely alternative and niche automobile publication. It is so unusual that she not only writes about cars, but also writes about everything you can think of and what you can't think of. From camera watches to bicycles and yachts, from gossip I Ching to food dolls, from outer space to the inner womb... it's nothing unusual. Of course, car evaluation is still its "main dish", and the "chef" is Liang Guojian, the former editor-in-chief of "People and Cars", and he is the one who has the level of writer-level writing.
The strongest Chinese car magazine in history: "MM Wu Gang Car History"
This is a "strange book" that can open up your knowledge beyond the car
If a magazine is not enough to open up your knowledge, why not come to the Shanghai Automobile Museum and be an "old" driver, there are more interesting things waiting for you.
