Project Car Magazine

Anyone ever read it? It only comes out every couple months. I've picked up three issues so far when I saw them on newsstands (They don't do subscriptions)

I'm just wondering if anyone else has read it and what they thought. I think it's a fun little mag.

Haven't seen it before. What store did you pick it up at? Sounds like my kind of mag, depending on execution.

Bryce

How long has that been around?

About 5-6 years ago, I tried to convince a few friends that it would be a good idea to start a magazine called project car. They didn't want the commitment.

I think it's been around for three years or so. It has a very -- I don't want to say "ricer" but definitely Californian Asian flavour. If you can slam it and go clubbing in it and it's not an American nameplate, that gets you extra points. Having said that, they're honest about problems that come up, straight up about parts prices, and have a plunge-in-and-find-out-what-happens attitude. I like that, but at the end of the day they're all in their early 20s and can't remember a time before Lexus.

They're last issue featured a WRX (they do 1 car per issue plus a few minor updates on other projects). It's a friggin automatic. They blinged it out and did an STi intercooler swap.

Stealthtercel wrote: I think it's been around for three years or so. It has a very -- I don't want to say "ricer" but definitely Californian Asian flavour. If you can slam it and go clubbing in it and it's not an American nameplate, that gets you extra points. Having said that, they're honest about problems that come up, straight up about parts prices, and have a plunge-in-and-find-out-what-happens attitude. I like that, but at the end of the day they're all in their early 20s and can't remember a time before Lexus.

Well I'm in that age range myself so maybe that's part of why I like it.

I don't necessarily like everything they do with the cars, but for a mag that started essentially as a Super Street spinoff, I think they do a pretty good job at keeping things cheap and fun.

It's a spin off of Super Street. I've read a couple issues, and for their first issue they actually modified a Cavalier. I'm not a big fan of the writing style for most of that family of mags over at Primedia, so I haven't read any of it in a couple years. I'm thinking they've been around for not quite 3 years now. If you like Super Street you'll like Project Car. Of course the may have changed since I read an issue too.

It's not a bad rag but it's not GRM caliber either. My biggest nit-pick with it is that it seems that they (like many other mags) tend to use parts that they may get for free and it becomes a big love fest for those manufacturers.

Example being the Miata issue. They used over $7k to do the engine, exhaust, wheels and the evar needed Wings-West body kit. The car gained 8hp. The best part was that it was being built for a super-lap battle. I can't think of one person who would spend that kind of money on a Miata without at least one piece from FM, especially when it came down to the suspension bits.

I will give them props for the install break downs as it reads like a Haynes manual with better pictures, even down to wrench sizes.

Marty! wrote: It's not a bad rag but it's not GRM caliber either. My biggest nit-pick with it is that it seems that they (like many other mags) tend to use parts that they may get for free and it becomes a big love fest for those manufacturers. Example being the Miata issue. They used over $7k to do the engine, exhaust, wheels and the evar needed Wings-West body kit. The car gained 8hp. The best part was that it was being built for a super-lap battle. I can't think of one person who would spend that kind of money on a Miata without at least one piece from FM, especially when it came down to the suspension bits. I will give them props for the install break downs as it reads like a Haynes manual with better pictures, even down to wrench sizes.

Point their install how-to's are really good with the photos at key steps in the process. Like I said, I'm just not a fan of the writing style, then again I'm also not in their target demographic.

I don't know what GRM's official stance is, but don't you guys feel like bad hyping a magazine on a forum provided for free by another magazine? It feels like going into a Ford dealer and going up to each customer telling them that Toyota is offering huge discounts on Camrys, Corollas, etc.

I know the GRM folks are really laid back and never really say anything about this, and the two magazines may not be in direct competition, but it seems like a basic etiquette thing. Maybe I'm off base, but that's how I feel.

Bob

We appreciate the sentiment, Bob. We don't have a policy about this sort of thing, so every case is a bit different. If it turns into something that reflects badly on our magazine, it will be removed. Free speech only goes so far when we're paying to host the conversation.

The magazine in this example is a pretty blatant...facsimile...of the GRM formula, but as the examples discussed already show, it seems they're aiming for a different market. And where's the driving? Building isn't much fun without some driving at the end of it.

For another mag to be a threat, one would have to choose another mag over GRM. There may be some mags that are worthy to share the toilet tank with GRM, but none that could replace it.

I am still pissed at Primedia for canceling Sport Compact Car.

Marty! wrote: Example being the Miata issue. They used over $7k to do the engine, exhaust, wheels and the evar needed Wings-West body kit. The car gained 8hp. The best part was that it was being built for a super-lap battle. I can't think of one person who would spend that kind of money on a Miata without at least one piece from FM, especially when it came down to the suspension bits.

Well, they did ask The concept of a Time Attack car built out of the cheapest possible 1.6 Miata seems to have been a popular one a couple of years ago, lots of requests for complete turbo kits and the like. I can think of at least three magazines with the same idea, none of which were named GRM.

I don't think any magazines pay for the parts that appear in their pages. It works well for both the mag and the company donating the parts - usually. But each party has to be bringing something desirable to the table.

I'm definitely not hyping one magazine over another. I subscribe to several myself, and GRM is definitely my favorite.

I wouldn't call Project Car a facsimile any more than I would call Modified or the old SCC a facsimile. Most enthusiast magazines do just about the same thing. (Build projects, review stuff, cover events, write features on people's cars) They just do it with a different writing style and different demographic. I haven't seen any other one that focuses purely on projects, which is why I thought it was noteworthy.

Well, I was one of the people who bought issue #1 (and I think #3 and #4, too) but I quickly figured out that I wasn't their target demographic on account of being an old fart (even though I still feel like I'm 18...).

Probably not being helped by me finding GRM & CM on the same shopping trip.

I've read it while waiting for a prescription at Target. I like it but I am a bit too old for them I think. I did notice a lot of typo's though. Lots.

That's part of the appeal to the kids

I saw one issue in a CVS while waiting for a prescri[tion. I didn't like it. Way too little real info but lot's of un-needed pictures.

Of the Primedia stuff, it's probably the best. They actually do things and cover what they do. Their last project (before the WRX) was a fairly out-of-the-way swap.

That said, they do have the same awful editing and every page has 2-3 typos, as with any other Primedia magazine.

As to whether it comes close to GRM, well, that one's obvious.

I'd say the one thing I really liked about it is the prices. It's always a pet peeve of mine when I used to read Jeep mags or some of the hot rod like mags. They do all this work and get .2 seconds shaved off the quarter or are able to fit larger tires but at what cost?

I've picked up a few copies of PC, when they had a car that really interested me. Sometimes they manage to "recycle" parts onto their projects from pretty wild sources.

The last issues I bought had an Infiniti M30 as a project, which intrigued me. Then I added up the cost of their little project.......$10K-$11K PLUS the car. I couldn't see the point, tho I imagine there are a few folks who think this is cool. Before that they had a "head to head comparo" of a 5th gen. Civic and an Infiniti G20 that was interesting....at least to me, the previous owner of a G20.

I liked it - a few issues ago they featured a P10 Infiniti G20 (first Gen in the states) and matched it up against a Civic - both cars fairly equally budgeted for mods, and ran them down the 1320 - the Gdub belonged to a Infiniti enthusiast forum I frequent, so I purchased it. I liked the mag a lot and could imagine subscribing if they offered the service.

Has anyone seen anything like "retro cars" magazine in the US?

I subscribe to both GRM and Classic Motorsports GRM fills my tech desires but I must confess I really care nothing about dyno tuning a BMW 330 or dumping buckets of cash into a CRX to remove the speed limiter. I like old cars plain and simple.

Classic motorsports tickles my vintage car itch but I would rather see these old cars heavily modified and a lot of cars featured in it are restorations or mildly modified.

Retro cars is chock full of random old cars heavily modified. From street rod stuff to crazy suspension mods and wild motor swaps

Sadly Unity Media has no subscription options in the US.

I've read alot of their issues, even bought 1-4, but they went from 3-7k budgets including the price of the car, to way out in left field, with 15K budgets when you include the cars. Their goal from the start per issue 1 was to keep things "reasonable, and on a real world budget" That went away quickly. I was super disappointed with the results of the miata build, maybe that's what turned me off. They did have a decent article on welding a diff for drifting recently(perused while waiting on a perscription, go figure)