Re-Launch of Performance Car Magazine

Even though we’ve all gotten quite used to getting great content on the web for free, there is still something to be said for reading a well-produced print publication. There’s still that visceral appeal of seeing large photographs on a glossy printed page, or better yet, spread over two pages. That, combined with well-crafted words, is almost the next best thing to being behind the wheel. And I’m happy to say that there’s a new kid on the block worth a look, a new title from the UK, Performance Car. More…

Being the magazine junkie that I am, I did a double take about three weeks ago when I saw the premiere issue of Performance Car on the racks of my local Barnes and Noble (it’s also available at Borders and specialty automotive book stores) because the title was very familiar. From the mid 80s eighties to the early 90s, there was a title of the same name imported from the UK. Venturing out to my garage, I found a box of them, dated from 1985 to 1990. Checking out the masthead I noticed several familiar names, evo’s Peter Tomalin, Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson, and Car and Driver’s Barry Winfield.

The original Performance Car was geared to the supercars of the day, but they also specialized in multi-car group tests of wonderful combinations, like in 1988 when they compared the Audi quattro to a brace of AWD competitors–the BMW 325iX, the Ford Sierra XR4×4, the Mazda 323 Turbo AWD, and the Lancia Delta HF Turbo 4×4. Thumbing through the issue brought back some great memories for sure.

The new itineration of Performance Car is a bit different. Like almost every car magazine on the planet, there’s the obligatory story on the new Nissan GT-R, but the focus of the magazine promises to be different. Editor Dominic Holtam has this to say in his first editorial: "We promise to fill each issue with the latest high performance machinery from all corners of the globe – but stuff you can really buy and really can drive, not unfeasible one-offs or playthings of the super rich. That’s not to say that we don’t love supercars, or that we won’t be keeping up to date with the latest goings on, just that our feet are firmly on the ground. And we aim to show you that motoring is still a hoot, even without a lottery winner’s bank balance."

No where was this more evident in the first issue than Brett Fraser’s drive from Spain back to the UK in a Lotus Elise SC, stunningly photographed by Max Earey along the famed Route Napoleon from Grasse to the Alps near Grenoble. I’ve driven this route myself and was simply green with envy reading the story, knowing that they were behind the wheel of a thoroughbred like the new Elise SC. (I did the run several years ago in a Chrysler Crossfire SRT6, which wasn’t too bad either.)

The rest of the first issue of Performance Car is equally mouth watering, with a focus on several cars that will not reach our side of the pond, such as Renault’s new Clio Club hot hatch, which they compared it to the legendary Clio Williams. The other story that caught my eye, and in the true spirit of the first-generation Performance Car, was editor Holtam’s 80s comparison between the Audi Quattro 10v, the BMW E30 edition M3, a VW Rallye Golf, and the Lancia Delta Integrale HF 8v. If ever a group of guilty pleasures was assembled into a single story, this had to be it.

Performance Car is published by Unity Media, who also produces some other familiar UK imports such as Performance BMW, Performance VW, BMW Car, GT Porsche, Banzai, and Performance French Cars (that must be some sort of cruel joke). But Performance Car, right out of the box has clearly established that they are a force to be reckoned with and if the first issue is any indication, it has a bright future ahead of it. Take a look at their web site, or better yet, pick up a copy at your local newstand.