Just about every magazine printed on paper, or even those that are just on the web, put up their top ten lists about this time every year. Ten best cars, trucks, tool, tech gadgets, vacation spots… you name it, and somebody out there rates it.
So, in an effort to be like everyone else, while being VERY different, I decided that I should do my top ten list of magazines… Of course, I have to be a little more different than that, so, they are not in order… It just seems like they are.
#10. Grassroots Motorsports. GRM is dedicated amateur motorsports. Solo I & II, Pro Solo, Rallying, Club Racing, etc… but not drag racing. Not only do they have great articles for the budget sportscar enthusiast, but they have an excellent classified section.
#9. Crawl Magazine. Hardcore rock crawling, both trail riding and competition. They also have great technical and fabrication articles as well as event coverage and trail ride coverage.
#8. SportsCompactCar. Kind of the Hot Rod Magazine of sport compacts. Add drag racing to GRM, and make it a bit less about the amateur events, and more about street performance… you are right there.
#7. DirtSports. While Crawl is all about the… well, Crawling… DirtSports is more about the desert racing. There is good coverage of the competition crawling scene, the desert and speed are more in tune with DirtSports. But, they have some great tech, and the trucks, buggies and cars are definately cool.
#6. Hot Rod Magazine. This is a cultural icon. This magazine has been around since 1948… that’s right, 60 years of hot rodding. While they are mainstream, they have earned a place on the cutting edge.
#5. 4×4 Builder. Very much less about the racing of the rigs than the building of the rigs. Excellent fabrication and tech articles. Despite the name, there is also tech for building buggies and 2wd desert toys.
#4. Rodder’s Digest. I love rat rods. While their rods are usually pretty clean, they are definately rat flavored. of course, while many people think rat rods are just ratty street rods, they are more of a homage to 1940’s and 50’s rods… many with thoroughly modern twists.
#3. Garage. Like I said, I really love the rat rods. Garage is all about the rats. And these aren’t the slick ones, these are the down and dirty traditional rods. Be warned… tatoos, pin-up girls (not naked… think nose art… like on World War II bombers). The chick from LA Ink was in here a few issues ago.
#2. Dupont Registry. HIGH END. Seriously. If you like really expensive stuff (I like really expensive stuff!!), this is a great resource. Not just cars, but property, planes, watches (more than I spend on cars!?!) and anything else that is really expensive.
#1. Hemmings Motor News. Some people say that the New York Times is the chronicle of our times. Well, for car junkies, HMN is the chronicle of our addiction. There are a few articles, and a little bit of featuring… but it is all about the classified ads. If it exists in car world, it exists in HMN. Old cars, fast cars, rods, trucks, freaky junk, gas pumps… it’s in there. And be comfortable in knowing that while you are reading it… so is Jay Leno.
There is my list. It isn’t complete, and the order is changeable depending on my mood.
If you need a house in the Atlanta area, and these are the kind of magazines you like, I just might be the agent you have been looking for.