By the 70s, when HOT ROD went from being our number one source of hot
rodding info, and went from great technical articles and multi page photo
spreads
of really fine cars to a bunch of van and surfing stuff, the final straw for
me was
when I could find it on local newsstands a week or more before it was in my
mailbox . I remembered the early fifties when it arrived in a brown
protective
wrapper, which of course gave way to them coming with torn covers courtesy of
our Postal Service and labels pasted on the cover ( it always seemed to be
the FRONT cover ! ) and these changes, along with a competitive magazine that
had greatly superior in-depth coverage of well known racecars, and excellent
tech coverage, ended my many years of subscribing to HRM for about twenty
years ........ when several years ago, on a foolish whim, I again subscribed,
kidding myself that I
would get the new issues sooner ( NOT ! ) ........ and that some of the
features
and coverage of yesteryear would have returned with the renewed interest in
traditional rods n' customs across the country ( NOT ! ) Also, while I
would not
hold Petersen Publishing to blame for the rough handling in the mail, it all
added up
to the best deal was to buy it at the local news rack, AFTER checking it out
to see if anything worthwhile at all was in the current issue ( SOMETIMES ! )
Just my opinion ....... but the money saved per issue by subscribing
doesn' t
offset the advantages of getting your mag in good shape, and knowing whether
or not it has some reading of interest . I am forever grateful to Robert
Petersen
and the wonderful magazine, and many related yearbooks , specials, and related
publications he put out for us for many years ....... they are a treasured
part of my archives, and will remain so ....... but things sure went downhill
quite a few years
ago . What ever happened to the coverage of land speed events, or some of
the
features that really detailed the construction of any of the many beautifully
crafted racecars that can be found there ? They were such a regular part
of
the issues from the 50s ........ let's hope this article on Maxton is a start
of a
resurgence of coverage of, and increased interest in, this land speed racing
sport / hobby / lifestyle we all on this list find so fascinating !
My thanks to all on this list who helped to bring this article on the
Maxton
land speed racing event to reality ...... I hope to speak with some of you
" at the bend ", in just over two weeks !
This issue' s worthwhile ....... the man with the grin is in it, right
?
I' m off to the newsstand .......
Bruce
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