Old Australian car magazines - who has the best collection?

[Syndrome]

My collection of (Modern) MOTOR goes back to the late 60s. It is 95% complete and most magazines are in perfect condition. They are good for reading to remember how things used to be.

BTW - where is the best place to get old magazines as I would like to complete this collection.

[2011G6E]

Ebay, swap meets, other online sites. Try even just putting in a google search for the issue you are after, for example "modern motor april 1990 for sale", and you can have things from Gumtree and other sales sites pop up.

Salvo's stores and Vinnies aren't to be overlooked either...sometimes people will bring in collections of magazines from deceased estates or something and you never know what pops up there.

[Syndrome]

I prefer to use bookshops and the like who specialise in old car magazines.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Syndrome

I prefer to use bookshops and the like who specialise in old car magazines.

Them too...but they're pretty few and far between. Most second hand book shops don't really bother much with magazines...some do, but a lot don't. Good if you have on in your city. And you won't get a big box full of magazines for five bucks like at Vinnies...

[paule11]

Had every streetmachine mag from 1988 to 2008 performance streetcar most of them a lot of customrodder and vans and trucks probably 15 to 20 years worth and random American mags .Gave them away in 2008 to another member his xr6 was full boot, back seats and passenger seat in the front full of boxes of magazines

[4stanger]

I did or still have, a 1967 Wheels mag downstairs some where, one road test features the newly released hb holden toranas, with all three models reviewed, the s, sl and the mighty Brabham toranas.
My uncles used to religiously purchase them monthly and would eventually pass them onto me after a couple of years, because I had a love for cars as a kid.
the 1967 edition was collected after a house clean out some years ago.
Unfortunately my collection is very random over the years and my storage techniques was not the best, so the mags I have are not in tip top condition.
I did have a 1973 edition of Wheels with the 1973 RPO XA GT Hardtop (Green I think) on the cover, Not sure if it is still there, cover definitely gone.

[pottery beige]

yea we got a random stack at the workshop, someone puts them on my chair, i put them on someone elses chair, they put them back on my chair





this is much lols, 1963?? one with EJ on the cover



^^ outrage you make me mads



some dude







yo dudes and yo e10 bs



Sir



another pile in the corner we havent looked at yet / played pass the chair parcel

[b2428]

Unfortunately I'm not old enough to have the early motors. But have every issue from 1993 to present of both wheels and motor. As well as an almost complete collection of top gear, just cars from 2004 I think as well as a similar collection of trailer boat. Does that count.

[amiers]

This will upset a few people. I just moved house and threw away every wheels mag from 1972. yep most in mint condition. I tried to give them to bookshops ect and no one wanted them, go figure.

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by amiers

This will upset a few people. I just moved house and threw away every wheels mag from 1972. yep most in mint condition. I tried to give them to bookshops ect and no one wanted them, go figure.

WTF? There are always people who want this stuff!

[Blem]

Quote "another pile in the corner we havent looked at yet / played pass the chair parcel"

Back in the day when Ford actually competed to win over the consumer

[V8 Ghia Mike]

I have every single edition of Street Machine from 1987 pretty much all in mint condition. I have a few random Summernats specials too and it's great to pull out a magazine at random and see how things have changed! I have a few issues of Motor and Wheels, only the significant ones with new model scoops and release stories.

I also have some cool EB Ghia and GT brochures.

Mike

[2011G6E]

I notice the old advert for the "Doring Torque Improver"...looks like scam merchants are at work in every decade doing their bit to fleece motorists who don't know how engines really work and who are desperate for fuel economy gains...*cough* HiClone *cough*...

My Street Machine mags stretch from the early eighties into the early 2000's. I also have a few "firsts", like Issue Number 1 of Van Wheels, then the first issue with "Van Wheels" (with "& Street Machines" in small letters below it), then the first issue with Street Machine (with "and Van Wheels" in smaller print below it, then the first "Street Machine" magazine.

Others are Motor, Wheels, Car, and a few others, dating back to the early seventies. I also make it a habit, when buying a second hand car, to find the motoring magazine that had the initial road test of that car in it. I just got one off Ebay for my 1982 Celica, with the first road test for the RA60 model (where they revealed that it was a "clean sheet" exercise and a big gamble by Toyota of assembling a brand new design team for the car, none of whom was over the age of 25!), as well as the comparison issue where they put it up against a few other cars of the time.

[vbvbvb088]

Originally Posted by amiers

This will upset a few people. I just moved house and threw away every wheels mag from 1972. yep most in mint condition. I tried to give them to bookshops ect and no one wanted them, go figure.

Bummer! I hope that rare as 82/83 Wheels(?) with (from memory) red VH SS and Burnt Orange XE ESP on front cover. Rare as I seem to recall as batch printed and loaded onto truck - truck caught fire and not many survived. Due to cost and other printing commitments was not re-printed.

Anyone know exact details (month/year etc) and pic of front cover?

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by vbvbvb088

Bummer! I hope that rare as 82/83 Wheels(?) with (from memory) red VH SS and Burnt Orange XE ESP on front cover. Rare as I seem to recall as batch printed and loaded onto truck - truck caught fire and not many survived. Due to cost and other printing commitments was not re-printed.

Anyone know exact details (month/year etc) and pic of front cover?

I believe I have that one sitting right here if you are thinking of a silver ESP...


That's the issue I love to look at as it really gives a picture of the era, and what constituted a "performance car" at the time...especially the "power" outputs of the romping stomping V8's in those cars. The Brock modified 5 liter in the Commodore SS Group Three was rated at a claimed 180kw...perfectly respectable for the time (in fact mind bending for the time) when a standard five liter only put out 132kw...

But Ford fans shouldn't laugh too hard...the last of the 351's in the XE ESP put out...wait for it...149kw. Almost outshone by Corollas of today.

Yes yes yes, some people will shout and say "But they started formulating the power outputs differently!!!", and yes, you're quite right...they did.
Instead of a bare-of-all-ancillaries engine bolted to a dyno with open exhausts, they used engines as fitted to the street cars...full exhaust, alternator, water pump, fan, air cleaner, all emissions equipment, etc...just as the engine you actually bought in the real car would produce it's power.

That's why after about 1977 when ADR27A was really starting to bite, that you notice in the back of the magazines where they had the big listing of all the new cars for sale, their details, and their prices from all the makers, that they suddenly stopped quoting the power output along with all the other information...everything else was there, except power output. It was clear why...they were embarrassed by the shocking loss of power once they had to comply with the new regs under ADR27A.
I mean hell...the 253 V8 in our WB ute, when new, only put out 100kw. However, most four cylinders of the time were only wheezing out 60kw, so that wasn't too bad I suppose...

Sure were different times...

[SVR73]

My uncle has thousands of car books and magazines like modern motor in his house, it's wall to wall in his den. Some awesome books in there and a **** tonne of manuals

[Syndrome]

Originally Posted by SVR73

My uncle has thousands of car books and magazines like modern motor in his house, it's wall to wall in his den. Some awesome books in there and a **** tonne of manuals

Is he willing to offload any of them?

[pottery beige]

what was NZ pesos worth in 1976





this hurts my eyes


one in the khyber



and workshop / owners manual for some Jowett thingy

[vbvbvb088]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I believe I have that one sitting right here if you are thinking of a silver ESP...
image

That's the issue I love to look at as it really gives a picture of the era, and what constituted a "performance car" at the time...especially the "power" outputs of the romping stomping V8's in those cars. The Brock modified 5 liter in the Commodore SS Group Three was rated at a claimed 180kw...perfectly respectable for the time (in fact mind bending for the time) when a standard five liter only put out 132kw...

But Ford fans shouldn't laugh too hard...the last of the 351's in the XE ESP put out...wait for it...149kw. Almost outshone by Corollas of today.

Yes yes yes, some people will shout and say "But they started formulating the power outputs differently!!!", and yes, you're quite right...they did.
Instead of a bare-of-all-ancillaries engine bolted to a dyno with open exhausts, they used engines as fitted to the street cars...full exhaust, alternator, water pump, fan, air cleaner, all emissions equipment, etc...just as the engine you actually bought in the real car would produce it's power.

That's why after about 1977 when ADR27A was really starting to bite, that you notice in the back of the magazines where they had the big listing of all the new cars for sale, their details, and their prices from all the makers, that they suddenly stopped quoting the power output along with all the other information...everything else was there, except power output. It was clear why...they were embarrassed by the shocking loss of power once they had to comply with the new regs under ADR27A.
I mean hell...the 253 V8 in our WB ute, when new, only put out 100kw. However, most four cylinders of the time were only wheezing out 60kw, so that wasn't too bad I suppose...

Sure were different times...

Thanks for the post / image. I think you have jogged my memory. I remember it being more colorful which got me thinking... maybe it was Modern Motor of same era. . I seem to remember ACP Publishing?

[tranquilized]

I've got every edition of Wheels minus a few from around 1976 till now, with plenty from before then as well including all of 1953 - 1954 (minus the first edition damn it)

Its such a great resource - full info and specs on virtually any car ever sold in Australia plus some that weren't.

And then there are the awesome ads:

[2011G6E]

Oh, the adverts! The days before political correctness!! The Drum tobacco girl with the short short cut off denim shorts and a pack of Drum in the back pocket!! The Chiko Roll girl!!!

I also used to like the Camel cigarette adverts...you'd wait for the next one to come out to see where the guy was and what he was doing when the new campaign pictures started...usually stuff like rafting a battered CJ Jeep across a South American river in the middle of nowhere on a raft made out of logs, or setting up a camp by a remote mountain lake. They were great.

And funnily enough, they never made me want to spark up a durrie...