Rumor that Muscle Car Review magazine's DOA again

[Tracker1]

I love Muscle Car Review. I have every single issue including its first as Popular and Performance Car Review, collecting them all since I was 15 years old. It is my favourite Musclecar mag and I hope it stays around forever. But something in the latest issue boiled my blood and I just sent Drew Hardin an e-mail to let him know.

Arvid you do great work, but this month was a misstep. A big one. Five colour pages including two(!) spreads on a 318 Poly '66 Coronet does not belong in Musclecar Review. It isn't a musclecar, it never was one, and no matter how big the hemi you jam down in the engine compartment, it never will be. I was getting ready to read an article on a rescued, banged-up but original Hemi Coronet (wow!) and then realized this guy is writing about some 318 wreck he dragged from a boneyard surrounded by other Mopar mediocrity.

You did save a potentially nice car from the crusher - good on you. You could even give us a little half-page on it, with a pic of the crate hemi you purchased next to it. That's acceptable. But five(5) colour pages in a national magazine? Was Drew asleep? It's FILLER. And after all the shows and meets this summer there were plenty of cars that guys and girls worked hard to restore and find parts for - real cars, rare cars - that deserved to go in those five pages. Not your own car.

You came on here. I'm just giving you my two cents. Keep doing the great work you usually do, just don't do something like this again to "my" magazine. End of rant.

[The Dude]

I think a lot of Olds guys emailed after that article.

Hey Arvid, any chance on doing that red 65 442 we talked about?

[Svendsen]

Tracker1, thanks for the kind words about my other articles.

I like your passion for muscle cars, original cars, and for the concept of good cars deserving space. On that point, I would definitely concede that my car is not worthy of space. I'm glad I didn't build the article around my '70 Javelin, because frankly that car is in much the same league as my Coronet, except that it is more heavily modified/butchered. I'm certainly aware that there are quite a few guys in muscle car land that only pay attention to real deal cars. I've been fortunate enough to hear firsthand their passion for the genuine article, and it is very cool, even inspiring to hear of the work they've put in to make their cars perfect. You might be one of those guys, if so, way to go, keep it up.

My reaction to your post is that your comments are based on the premise that clone cars are not worthy of attention, and have little relevance to restoring muscle cars. On that point, I would respectfully disagree.

Drew's words are essentially "clones are a significant portion of our hobby." As a matter of fact, I believe next month's theme is "clones cars", so get ready. In that issue I feature a very nice 64 Pontiac full size car that started life as a 389 column shift automatic, converted to 421/four speed power. That guy loves muscle cars, is passionate about his Pontiac, and is presently working on a "real" muscle car. A lot of guys I meet in this hobby often have a clone or two hanging around so they can drive something.

By the way, issue after the clone cars is "Hemi Cars". Hello happiness.

Yes, there are plenty of real cars out there, but honestly, I can't afford them. Five kids, two of them in college, right now, I'm just happy to work on any old car (uhh, I mean any old Mopar ). I'm guessing that if my Coronet was a real Hemi car, I would have been close to 20 grand just to buy the car. By not buying a real car, I saved almost 20 grand by going with my 318 car.

I've also learned that building a clone car is better than having an empty garage. It gives me a chance to build a car while my sons are still around. Drew's receptiveness to building clone muscle cars stems from his belief that my situation might be similar to many of our readers. Last years biggest issue was the barn find issue.

I believe there has been good reaction to the "409 On a Dime" articles, and the Coronet is along those lines. Many of the tech articles covering restoration are the same whether a car is a real muscle car, or a clone... Media blasting my car will be about the same as it would be for a real Hemi car. The hook in the story was answering the simple question "how do I get my barn find home?"

I'll be honest, maybe I liked doing the article on the Coronet because growing up I always wondered if the guys writing in the magazines were actually into cars themselves... kinda liked it when they talked about what they were working on.

Tracker1, buddy, it's a good thing you care about these issues. Most of the articles will be about the premier cars in the hobby, but fortunately the muscle car hobby allows for participation on a smaller budget.

Come to Chicago, and as I said to Andy, I'll buy coffee, even on my budget


Arvid Svendsen
[email protected]

[Tracker1]

I agree- clones are here to stay. People have been putting SS badges and stripes on Chevelles for 25 years or more. The Black 1969 Motion Chevelle clone that Dan (postsedan) did at his shop is a work of art. Correct clones of period Super Stock cars like Hemi Darts and such- awesome. I saw an article somewhere on a guy who had a collection of original shelby interior and exterior pieces and built himself a 66 GT-350. Shelby himself even signed it, it was so nice. No problem there.

But five pages, dude. 5 PAGES! That's almost 6% of the magazine. Insert air being sucked back through my teeth here.

Like I said, you guys are awesome over there at MCR. I just think that much coverage for an employee's clone project is out of balance.

Chicago is on my travel list for 2011. See ya then. Starbucks dark roast- cheers.

[Svendsen]

The Dude, email me, thanks.

Tracker, We're on, 2011.