Ohpants,
I agree that some of the cars featured in TRJ fall into the "elitist show off" (ESO) category you mentioned. A perfect example for me is TRJ #15, which features Eric Clapton's ‘40 Ford Coupe. Clapton got bit by the hotrod bug while hanging with guitar-slinger pals Jeff Beck and Jimmy Vaughan. Then he basically commissioned Roy Brizio to build him one. To me, the write-up is more about Brizio and the megabuck-build than Clapton, but since he wrote the check (or cheque in this case), he gets his name on the cover with the ’40 Ford.
But as I leaf through the same issue, I also see an interview with Art Chrisman, Gene Adams, and Don Garlits ( I believe all three gentlemen qualify as “real hotrodders”), discussing their experience with the 6-71 Hemi in the ‘60’s; a story about Bill Kelly’s ’32 coupe, which he built in 1948 and then brought back 52 years later (you might be happy to know that the paint is not shiny on this one); a piece on Jimmy Shine and his 1934 Ford pickup (another non-shiny owner-built hotrod for ya); a write-up on a car club in Sweden that has built some amazing, period-correct rods; and a spread on Rick Dore’s custom ’63 T-bird (yes, another big $$ car, but at least he was integral to the design and final assembly of the car,). There’s also an article on a ‘41 Willy’s Gasser (striped by Von Dutch at one point), and coverage of the 2000 NHRA Reunion Cackle Fest in Bakersfield, CA.
Granted this is a limited sample of TRJ content (a single issue), but based on the issues I have read, ALL feature some amount of big name/big money cars; people, cars, and events of historical hotrod/custom significance; access to vintage photo archives; and build details for pro and owner-built cars alike. TRJ articles are crafted with genuine writing, journalistic, and photographic talents, to provide relevant content, without having to wade through page after page of advertising.
And if the $10-13 price-tag is the simplest way to maintain the high content-to-crap ratio – so be it. For me, the $40 per-year is money well spent and I don’t believe there is a better automotive publication on the market. Many of the other mags I have subscribed to (or picked up onesy-twosy over the years), end up in boxes or shoved in out of the way places. Not so with TRJ. I’m not saying they are treated like National Treasures in my house, but they do share a shelf with my other car books, where they are accessible. There are plenty of greasy fingerprints on the covers, and the spines are worn to the point that they tend to fall open to my (or the kid’s) favorite articles/pictures.
I’m sure there is some amount of ego-stroking that goes along with those ESO cars. I’m okay with that. As long as the staff at TRJ continues to do their homework, and produces quality issues like the last 28, I’ll “endure” the small percentage of cars/articles that don’t interest me. And for those Stovebolt members and readers not familiar with TRJ, I suggest you draw your own conclusion as to whether it is the type of publication you might like to add to your library.
-murph
