What happened to Wheels (Australia) February 1995?

What happened to Wheels (Australia) February 1995?

While trying to update any missing issues on the website I came across Wheels February 1995 which is not in the catalogue.

I can usually find a cover scan for missing issues in a Google search or on eBay but I couldn't find anything for this issue.

It also does not exist in the online Wheels archive at Bauer Media.

I asked Brian at the Motorlife library and they do not have this issue either.

I checked the editorials in Jan 1995 and Mar 1995 and neither mentioned the missing issue.

Just curious if anybody has this issue, or knows for sure that it does not exists and why?

Hi John - it doesn't exist due to a change in printing dates - they brought these forward so that each month's issue was published early the month before. This little note was included in the January issue.

Chris

Other than this one , the only other 'missing' monthly issues of Wheels (that don't exist) are July 1953 (when production was just starting) and January 2019 (when they revamped the format and started 2019 with the February issue).

That's interesting hmm - I know in the UK - there was period of rolling strikes in 1970s and the British Autocar magazine was affected as were a few others - that between June 1974 and November 1974 the publication ceased to be printed - I remember noting this as I was systematically documenting The New Zealand National Libraries collection in Molesworth Street, Wellington in early 2000s of Autocar from cover to cover for massive on-going very comprehensive and detailed car magazine index covering automotive history. tests , letters etc from A-Z which i am still doing to this day although I do not have as much time... (They have it from post war years only from August 1947 - to pretty much present day) Around November 1974 there was a note in one of those issues of this fact! - However The Clover Books (I am not sure if they still going) who compile details not in great depth of a magazines contents (I think they more Engineering focused although they do cover Transport Journal, Commercial Motor, Autocar and Autocars former competitor that got taken over by Autocar in 1988 Motor) mentions the issues June - November as actually been issued - perhaps a smaller batch was produced just for the UK domestic market?

I have a look at my 1995 Wheels issues - I did not know of Motor Life Museum - It pity they have not scanned the contents of the magazines they have particularly rare obscure ones and I see they are linked to this site.

Is the Bauer archive still up? (I often use it as NZ National Library has shocking poor collection of Australian magazines - earliest Wheels in their holdings is only from December 1974 and for Motor previously known as Modern Motor from June 1971)

Thanks Chris, that explains it. I didn't spot that when I looked through the surrounding issues.

@carmagmanNZ, Bauuer archives are still up at https://bauer-archive.x-cago.net/vw/edition.do?year=2021

The Autocar not published issues

The Autocar

According to the Autocar website, they had three interruptions to the publication of the magazine. In 1926 due to a General strike, 1973 due to the fuel strike and 1975 due to print related issues.

The Motorlife collection of bound issues starts in 1928 so I can't comment on the 1926 interruption. There is a gap of about 19 issues from issue #4040 08 November 1973 to issue # 4041 30 March 1974 which corresponds to the fuel strike. There is a gap of two issues from issue #4099 17 May 1975 to issue #4100 07 June 1975 which relates in the magazines words as "printer's industrial action". There also seems to be a hiccup with issue #4053 which is a combined issue dated 22/29 June 1974 but with no comment by the publishers as to the reason. All other issues were published as normal.

I am currently uploading the 1973, 1974 and 1975 issues to the system and will add some comments to the publication description for the reasons for the missing dates.

The Autocar publishers have issued a six month contract to have the entire back catalogue from 1895 digitised and indexed which will be a valuable asset to many collectors.

Australian Classic Car Monthly also has some missing issues. January 2012, 2013 and 2014 were not published which is apparent because it is numbered from issue #1.

Brian

In Reply to Brian - ( I had written a reply earlier today but I was timed out after 20 minutes but here it goes again!)

Regarding the Autocar Magazines - I am now looking at my off line database & I would agree with your dates for the lack of publication of the British mag - in Regard to their absence in 1973-1974 -There were various letters on 30th March 1974 Issue asking the question Has Autocar ceased completely ? Two I will highlight 1 of many letters wondering if & said that the magazine was of print around 8 Nov 1973 to 23rd March 1974 written by Edward N Zoller; Edenby on page 86 Another an American subscriber (Bryan G Gaggs; Sahln B ; California) said he had received a letter from Autocar in December 1973 announcing the temporary suspension of the publication on page 87. I also believe in that issue of 30th March 1974 Autocar in the Editorial section there is a apology -for the reasons of absence of the publication and many of road reports and tests planned for earlier months would be in this and later issues which did happen instead of 1 road test and driving impression there was often two in future issues.

I was interested to hear that Autocar has agreed to have all its issues from 1895 scanned - and I think they are a bit optimistic to get it all done in 6 months! as well as all the software work to create the searchable database!
Commercial Motor has their archive up for over 2 years and there are bugs likewise with Motorsport both very valuable and useful resources that I use a lot!

Kevin Clarkson Editor and Head of the Editorial Committee of The Vintage Club of NZ took 15 years to scan all the issues of 'Beaded Wheels' that produced from 1956 Broadsheet to magazine it is now (Mind you he was working full time for Vero and it was only he who did it but he had help from some bright young things to put it on a database!) It was originally issued as 2 CD set and 1 set was given to each of Vintage Car Club branches and including myself :)

I hope Autocar will also scan The Motor Magazine (later to be called Motor) that it took over around November-December 1988 and future issues for first 3-6 months of Autocar were called then Autocar & Motor on the cover. Motor is not mentioned by Autocar and they have regarded it as poor relation - That's a pity because Motor did test quite a few cars that Autocar did not test. For example the first Road Going Ford GT40 and closer to home (I have yet to find the magazine approx. late 1979 - I saw in the library when I was at Boarding school in 1979) a Australian Ford LTD based on the ZD (Model FC) that was featured on the cover - Ford were bringing a few in- for the Undertaker market but later they were deemed too expensive compared to a stretched coach-built Ford Granada - Many of these LTDs and the Granada limos are no more - dying their death on the Banger Races!

More information on the Motor takeover can be found in Michael Worthington-Williams column -By the Way in The Automobile in Feb 1989 Page 55-56 Vol 6 Issue 12 and I quote

" MWW discusses -Motor been merged into Autocar - title Eliminating the competition - provided from interesting history of other magazines prior mergers and renaming - this time the casualty is Motor ; in a swap of titles between Reed and Haymarket ; Motor has been absorbed by Autocar ; as one who collects and binds Motor I regret this loss of identity for a title which has been with us now for over 80 years ; apparently Autocar needed Motors strength in road testing and the remaining 15 editorial staff were facing redundancy ; another era comes to an an end Autocar will not have the field to themselves - quite apart from the phenomenally successful CAR ;whose circulation exceeds that of AUTOCAR and MOTOR put together; a new title AUTO EXPRESS has recently been launched with an initial print run of 700000 yes 700000 by United Magazines ; to me ;healthy competition is essential if standards; are to be maintained ;and the advent of AUTO EXPRESS is therefore to be welcomed ; but it is still sad when a title which has been part of the motoring scene for so long ;is closed down ; not because its unsuccessful (ABC circulation 52967 earlier this year) but only to eliminate some of the competition"

As regards the short time span of publication of the Australian Classic Car Monthly - when it first started it was quarterly then it was offered every 2 months and then monthly. It did not last long! I don't believe it was a good seller for its owners
Traditionally over the Xmas period many magazines produce a December issue and their next issue that year is not until February. While others combine December and January as does NZ Trucking. A few of the British Classic magazines & Motor Trend has done it a few times etc
Also to note the speed new issues coming out is nuts! -When I was producing a very detailed summary of NZ Publications on my website (sadly no more and taken down) Dec 2006 - Feb 2017 known as carmagreviews.co.nz it was hard to keep up - particularly Parkside Media who owned NZ Classic Car (started its Aussie subsidiary Australian Classic Car) , NZV8 and NZ Performance Car - it got to stage they were issuing March 2016 issue in January 2016 and at one stage they produced April in December!

I find it very frustrating from a Database point of view where there is just a issue number - No month is mentioned - We see it on Survivor Car, Street Machine and its competitor (I forget which?) Australian Muscle Car and of course Restored Cars - It really pisses me off and others! - (In my database I put it down as the month it was issued)

Last edited May 9 '21 at 08:10 (UTC)