I never thought of myself as a columnist. After over 30 years of writing columns for our magazines, however, I am at least guilty by association. (You would think a guy would run out of things to say in that length of time, and I have feared that becoming the case, but so far I’m plugging along.) Still, there are …
I enjoy your columns, Tim. With DED, Jr and Yates gone, and Egan enjoying a well-deserved retirement, the pickings are mighty slim. The car mag business has changed greatly, as I'm sure you're aware, and the once mighty titles I've loved for decades just don't hold much interest for me anymore. I depend on Classic Motorsports to serve my car nut needs, to inspire me to keep my Spitfire and not replace it with a Prius. I miss being able to stop by your kiosk at the Glen vintage events, renew my sub, and exchange pleasantries. If things ever get back to normal, maybe I'll be able to do that again. Keep up the good work. It is much appreciated!
Frank Calandra, Webster, NY.
frankcalandra49@gmail.com
JOHN PHILLIPS
Tim,
It seems to me the difference is that neither you nor Peter Egan want to be a celebrity. Yet you try as best you can to make a useful contribution to our lives, on schedule. That is work, not play, nor self aggrandizement. Thank you.
Cheers and carry on,
Peter with a Corsa, an E type, two Giuliettas and two Honda 305s
www.enjoyclassiccars.com
In reply to Frank Calandra :
Frank, Thank you. You are very kind.
In reply to PetervonA2 :
I promised myself I would never get caught up in the press trip life style and start talking down to my readers. Thanks for the kind words.
Sam Smith (Smithology)
Formerly with R&T, now freelancing, but can be found on Hagerty.
So, Tim, there have been a lot of great auto journos over the years. But you're doing just fine. Just keep doing what you're doing. It works. Thanks.
In reply to Gary :
Thank you.
To me, the Gold Standard was always Road & Track. From the John & Elaine Bond days, right up until they fired the superb editorial crew (Tom Bryant, Sam Posey, Paul Frere, Joe Rusz, Dennis Semanaitis, etc. and moved to Ann Arbor. The corresponding move towards Car & Driver / Hearst corporate view, led by Matt DeLorenzo & Larry Webster and finally the dreadful Kim Wolfkill, marked the nearly complete slide of a once great magazine. After subscribing since 1970, I dropped my sub in 2012...
The Car & Driver mentality, as established by D.E.D, Yates, Lindamood, etc. was never close to the cool West Coast vibe the original/authentic R&T had.
I'll respectfully submit that a midwest or east coast automotive periodical simply cannot truly understand the west coast, particularly L.A. vibe. You know, original car culture? (Respects to our pal Burt Levy...)
I like Classic Motorsports & GRM, but really, neither inspire me as much as the "real" Road & Track...
Ed
Automobilist since 1961
Porsche 911-991 / Aston Martin DB7 / M-B 450SL / M-B 500SL / MG TD
Tim,
You're one of a kind! The good kind! Keep it up.
Don't discount Dennis Simanaitis. He's still blogging rhapsodically at https://simanaitissays.com and sometimes it's about cars, too. I look forward to his daily musings appearing in my inbox.
He's retired. Only writes one column a day. It may take a week or so to get another auto-related post. I'll take that and the meanderings too!
And Egan! My Morgan club tried to get him to one of our annual autumnal feasts but the gods didn't align properly and we had to suffer without him. Hey, do you ever get up into New England, Tim?
[My Morgan is a 62 +4 Roadster. Highly authentic. No semiconductors, still running points, SU carbs (without air cleaners) and a Moss box, among other things. I'm debating whether to spend a lot of money to get a modern one (2023 model, a rearchitected Morgan! Will people throw me out of classic car meets?) Do I stay ancient and authentic or move from TR power to twin-turbo-BMW power? A Moss box or a 8 speed dual clutch box? What do you think?]
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