Being the editor of a magazine opens you up to a lot of people who want something from you. And everybody always has the best idea going. "Remember that guy who invented sliced bread? This is waaay better than that!" And these people believe they can do no wrong or be off base in the least. Just like when your friend shoves their new baby in your face and says "Isn't she beautiful?" and you think to yourself "No, she looks just like my kneecap-wrinkly and pink."
I recently received some correspondence from a reader who didn't like the fact an owner of a car featured in the last issue took his car to an upholsterer to get his interior done, and had a professional build his engine for his ride.
I cannot for the life of me figure out this train of thought. Who says because someone pays to have a car built that they are somehow less of an enthusiast? I can't do everything myself and, if I want it to be as nice as it can, I'm going to get it done by someone who can do it better than me. I've had my share of skinned knuckles, will spin a wrench at the drop of a hat, and actually get a thrill when I go to the hardware store and buy screws, bolts, or nuts in the 100-count boxes. But I do what I can and don't do what I can't.
Besides, these folks who have others do some work for them are actually supporting the industry! Do you think those people who run those shops hate their customer? I have a friend who bought a Picasso litho because he liked to point it out to his friends, not because he liked the piece for what it is, what it means, or understands what the artist was going through at the time. Sure, there are guys out there who buy stuff just to buy it (cars, art, or anything else), but even their stuff is worth looking at if it is done well and expresses some new ideas.
Maybe it's a glass-half-full kind of approach, but you can even learn a lesson from an ugly car, but you can't learn anything if it was never built! I just don't get people who get down on folks because they don't stitch their own seats, paint their own rides, or build their own motors. I'm sure this complainer doesn't have a foundry in his back yard and is pouring and milling his own blocks, right? "Oh, you had to buy your block from Ford? What's the matter? Couldn't you make your own?" Besides, if you had unlimited funds, what would your garage look like?
Another thing that you can't argue about is the fact there are a lot of Cobra replicars out there. They make up a majority of what the kit and replicar market is, so why are people upset when we run them in the magazine? They're the biggest thing going right now. If they're so peeved, why don't they get a group of 300 of whatever they're driving and have an event or cross-country cruise? I'd love to see a lot more European- and American-based kits being built and driven but, right now, the ratio leans to Cobras, which is why you will always see a story on them, in one way or another, inside KIT CAR.
I wonder if other magazines have that problem, too? "Not another article about string theory! Why don't you guys at Scientific American look somewhere else in the universe for a story!" Or, maybe, "Not another blonde centerfold! You guys at Playboy like only one thing!" Hef, if you see this, please let me know how you handle this.
What I need from e-mails is good information about businesses, events, club happenings, or new products on the market. What I don't need are recipes, fake Rolex watch offers, or jokes. I actually had one Denver-based Cobra club guy get upside-down because I asked him nicely to take me off his e-mail list if I wasn't going to be receiving club news. I really wanted the club news, just not the hokey jokes and e-mail clutter he'd send out every few days. But he couldn't figure that out without being offended.