Best automotive magazines

was about to suggest EVO, but you already read it.. their italian supercar book-a-zine is awesome
 
Cars and Car Conversions CCC is also nice Tech magazine.
 
I like Octane magazine, although it's more about old stuff. Classic and Sports car and Motor Sport are very good too.
 
Of the American mags, I also prefer Car and Driver. They tend to be more performance oriented and a tad bit more biting in their reviews, although not enough to anger their sponsors. Plus, their editors write some truly entertaining stuff. Their recent article about their experience at the 24 Hours of LeMons had me laughing hysterically:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12174/beaters-rule-the-24-hours-of-lemons.html

Road & Track and Automobile have improved greatly in recent times and so has Motor Trend, but I tend to like Motor Trend the least. Online mag Winding Road is also really good. David E. Davis is the editor-in-chief over there.

http://www.windingroad.com

The Euro mags are too expensive to subscribe to and are filled with cars not available in the US, but are entertaining to read none-the-less. Thankfully my local Barnes & Noble carries all the Euro mags, so I can get my fix for free.
 
I've been an avid CAR Magazine (www.carmagazine.co.uk) reader for a few years now, and I still think it's one of the best mags out there. However, the people I liked most in CAR mag have moved on to other mags, mainly TG Mag (Tom Ford & Jason Barlow) come to mind first.

Still, CAR is the only mag I pick up monthly.
 
BimmerFan said:
Road & Track and Automobile have improved greatly in recent times and so has Motor Trend, but I tend to like Motor Trend the least. Online mag Winding Road is also really good. David E. Davis is the editor-in-chief over there.

http://www.windingroad.com
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I like Winding Road, not least because it's free! It's photography is getting better and better, and whilst vast swathes of it are still irrelevant to me (not being American and missing out on loads of US stuff), it's a good read. I've noticed a few names from EVO there recently - Richard Meaden and Gus Gregory, for two.

If you're looknig for British mags, besides the obvious choice of TG, Auto Express is great for new car news as is Autocar.
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To state the blindingly obvious : They are good for new car news mainly as 1. they're weekly instead of monthly and 2. They are not that reliable, relying on spy shots and photoshops and so on. Plus if you buy them every week it's more expensive than a monthly fix.

I read EVO monthly - I'm subscribed - and I'd second the motion that it's the best at the moment. I like Top Gear, but it seems to be featuring more and more 'wacky adventure' stories I have no interest in, and I really don't care for their reviews. Indeed, I realised a bit back I only bought it for the 3 'opinion' pieces, by Clarkson, May, and Paul Horrell, so I stopped buying it. Now I'm getting it free by spending my Tesco Clubcard Points for it though, so all is well.

I also read Autoblog daily for my new-car-fix. Again, it's American-centric, so much of it is of no interest to me, and their 'In The Autoblog Garage' features tend to be long adverts as opposed to containing any opinion, but for instant news, they're pretty much the best.
 
superchevy, sports car international, hot rod, motor trend, and car & driver.

i also like to look through parts catalogs like jegs, summit racing, and pace performance.
 
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Over here we have Motor and Wheels which would be the equivalent of EVO and CAR. EVO has always been a great magazine, but I think CAR has decreased in good content its filled with too much advertisements. However the last April Issue with the SLR 722, Gallardo Superleggera was a great issue. The cost of these European Magazines are also very excessive.
 
thedguy said:
Race Car Engineering is an excellent one out of the UK, Circle Track magazine (probably not available outside the US) is great for engine and suspension and chassis articles.
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I love Race Car Engineering so much I can look past the high cost. If you want excellent objective coverage of all kinds of racing tech, it's the best (at least that I've found). RCE is one of the few mags that I really learn something from everytime I pick it up. Grassroots Motorsports is another good one that I pick up every month or two. Good event coverage and very useful tech, I don't know why I haven't subscribed. The only magazine I currently subscribe to is Car Craft, because I will always love leaf springs and pushrods :D, but I doubt it's the kind of mag you're looking for.
 
Car and Evo pretty much outclass all the other car mags on American newstands. In terms of content, writing, photography, american mags like R&T, C&D, Automobile don't come close.

That being said i read them all.

Ed
 
I've always been a Car and Driver reader. The writing is coherent and elaborate; there's no dumbing down and it gives a lot of good, detailed information. The visual styling took a dive in 2007, but it's still a good read. I don't subscribe, though, because I can always get it through the local library.

I recently picked up the April 07 Automobile, which I found to my liking. It's not quite up there with C/D, but the founder is a former C/D writer, so it's close. They also have a regular British contributer, which adds a nice touch. I do also like how they push the envelope and stick it to political correctness. I'm considering subscribing to this one.

I was also given a copy of HCI (Hot Compact & Import), and I have on word for that rag: ricer.
 
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First of all, thanks for all your replies. You're right, British magazines cost a lot also here in Italy: buying them in the international libraries, they're about 11 ?uros, which are 15$. A subscription, when the mag's editor does not sell overseas, is even more expensive. Apart from EVO - as I said I already buy it almost every month - I've heard of CAR, too. But giving it a fast look in the shop, it seemed more a fashion-oriented magazine than one about cars. A sort of GQ Cars. But, hey, I'm surely wrong, and I'll try it. And a friend of mine is shipping Car and Driver from the US. Talking of it, I have a question: on the website I see that a year subscription to Italy is 10+8$. How can it be that little? How much does an issue cost in the US?

avanti said:
I think italian magazines are quite good, I buy Al Volante every month and I have a subscription to the italian version of Autocar.
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Well, I read sometimes Al Volante. It does not deal with accurate and complete reviews, but, hey, it costs 1 ?uro or little more and has the whole prices. I used to read Quattroruote, I've a quite big collection from 1998 to 2006, but having the reviews become worse than ever, I gave up buying it. I often buy EVO IT - I know a photographer of this mag - or Automobilismo, but they aren't worth 5 ?uro, in my opinion. So, I'm looking for something better. :)
 
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Angst said:
And a friend of mine is shipping Car and Driver from the US. Talking of it, I have a question: on the website I see that a year subscription to Italy is 10+8$. How can it be that little? How much does an issue cost in the US?
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I think it's just $4-5 an issue here. If subscriptions are any thing like the other magazines I get, i'm not suprised it's so cheap.
 
Add me in for CAR. It is expensivish but it is honestly the only mag I actually find interesting to read, not just look at pretty pictures.
 
Angst said:
I seriously need to read something about cars. And I mean no blogs or sites (however, if you know some very well made post 'em...), but magazines. Italians are getting worse and worse at every issue, therefore I'm looking for an English or German. These are the only two languages - apart from Italian, of course - I've no problem to understand. I only read, nowadays, EVO UK, but I'd like also something more general, not only about sports cars. So, please suggest me. :_:
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EVO
 
jetsetter said:
I have read British magazines and Car and Driver is still good in comparison.
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Of the American mags I'd say Automobile is more targeted for folks like us.
 
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