Skip to main content

Magazine

Print’s not dead – all hail these 10 must-read car magazines

Classic Driver might have lived online for the last 22 years, but that’s not to say we don’t have a heart for beautiful print car magazines. With the following 10 magazines we can hardly wait for the next issue…

The Road Rat

Our friend Guy Berryman is not only the bassist in Coldplay – he’s also the publisher of The Road Rat, the print magazine we’ve always dreamed of. It is an object of exquisite beauty, in which you savour every single story. In addition to the four issues published so far, the talented team behind the magazine has also released ‘The Ratchet’, a free pdf fanzine that you can download, print and enjoy while self-isolating at home. 

Automobilsport

If you’re someone who believes the glory days of motorsport are long gone, then you probably haven’t read Automobilsport yet. With his magazine dedicated to historic racing, Robert Weber succeeds in bringing the fastest racing epochs of the 20th century back to life. The depth and entertainment are nothing short of incredible. 

Magneto

With Magneto, publishers David Lillywhite and Geoff Love have proven that automotive magazines are in no way inferior to the glossy titles of the fashion and watch worlds. Elegant, timeless and filled with genuinely surprising stories (what do you know about Enzo Ferrari’s sunglasses, for example?), Magneto is one of our favourite publications. Generously, the first edition can be downloaded free of charge. 

Curves

The most sensual connection between two points is the curve – and photographer Stefan Bogner has turned his love for asphalt serpentines, hairpin bends and sensational Alpine roads into one of the most beautiful, authentic and useful print magazines in recent years. Curves is more than a travel magazine about dream roads for driving disciples – it’s an attitude towards life that’s shared by a global fanbase. It’s soulful driving at its very best. 

Vehikel

If you were a teenager in the 1990s, the Berlin-based magazine Lodown was probably a bible for skateboarding, street style, graffiti, graphic design, music and counterculture. Since 2013, the magazine’s founder and avowed lover of angular Italian runabouts Thomas Marecki, aka ‘Marok’, has also published a special counterpart issue titled Vehikel. It approaches locomotion in an artistic and experimental way. We can thoroughly recommend it even to those who can't stand car magazines. 

Ramp

Michael Köckritz launched Ramp, the first ‘auto-culture magazine’ in 2007. As casual as it is experimental, thicker than Vogue and full of unconventional stories, Ramp is driven by the love of literary and visual storytelling. Since 2007, the publication has morphed into an entire publishing house, with numerous sister titles across the world. 

Octane

It’s almost unbelievable to us that the very first edition of Octane did not appear until 2003, for it seems as though the great classic car magazine has been around forever. With its detailed and meticulously researched features and aesthetically clean and glossy photography, the English edition of Octane is still a must-read after all these years. 

000

No other brand boasts as many dedicated magazines as Porsche – sometimes it feels new titles are being added every month. And yet the American title 000, which owes its name to the three digits in Porsche’s model nomenclature, is an exceptional publication. As heavy as a telephone directory, generously laid out and with revealing stories by well-known writers and photographers from all over the world, 000 has become the benchmark magazine for all Porsche disciples. 

Waft

With its luxurious hardcover format and plentiful imaginative stories, the Belgian title Waft is what is referred to as a ‘bookazine’ in media circles. Photographed, written and edited completely by Bart Lennaerts and Lies de Mol, each issue of Waft is a fantastic journey of automotive discovery. What’s more, issues three, four and five can be ordered as a special ‘Quarantine Pack’ for half price. 

Autoitaliana

If there was ever a better excuse to brush up on your high-school Italian, it’s Autoitaliana. Among the very first automotive magazines in Italy, Autoitaliana has been published by Editoriale Domus once again. The elegant and generously designed publication tells surprising stories about automobiles and design ‘made in Italy’ and presents the most important protagonists from then and now. 

Did we forget your favourite print magazine? Drop us a line at [email protected]