I know magazines take heat on a regular basis for their lack of content for non-Chevys, but I'd like to share with you guys the numbers for Hometown Hot Rodding letters I received for Popular Hot Rodding magazine. Johnny Hunkins is the new editor there and has asked me to write that column for him, as I did at GM High-Tech Performance magazine. Keep in mind, the numbers I am listing are of letters fowarded to me by Johnny. These were letters he received from readers who wanted to see their car in the magazine:
38 Chevys
3 Fords
2 Willys
2 Mopars
1 Pontiac
0 Mercurys
I have to write up four cars for every issue and my ultimate goal is to make three of them non-Chevys. Obviously, I wouldn't be able to do that for more than two months before I ran out of cars, leaving the remaining 36 Chevys to run in the magazine.
Reader's Rides sections of magazines are one of several ways magazine editors gauge interest for certain makes, which helps them choose future editorial material (features, tech, etc..) We think there are a lot of Mercury readers out there, but based on Hometown Hot Rodding letters, we know there are a lot of Chevy readers. I would like to invite all of you to mail a nice picture (no instant photos or low-res digital images) of your car to Popular Hot Rodding's Hometown Hot Rodding section. The address is:
Popular Hot Rodding
Attn: Hometown Hot Rodding
720 Hundley Way
Placentia, California 92870
(e-mail submissions cannot be accepted)
Please be sure to include some basic information on your car, as well as a good way to contact you (preferably a phone number) in case I have any questions. Also, if you are a member of this site, be sure to include that in your letter and I'll mention it in your write-up.
I covered the Hot Rod Power Tour this year for several different magazines and tried to include Marauders in the story for Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine, but the pickings were very slim. I will also be covering the Bristol Bash later this year and would love to see some Marauders out there. Last year blue ovals were virtually nowhere to be found. You guys do drive your cars, don't you?
Jim McIlvaine
Contributing Editor, Popular Hot Rodding Magazine