The editor’s Blowin’ Smoke – 1-Jan-2010
Forgive me for throwing some Shakespeare at you, but a phrase from Romeo and Juliet has been running through my head for the past few months.
It’s not that I’m an avid reader of Shakespeare, though I guess it kind of justifies my BA in English Literature. (Wilfrid Laurier, class of 1989). In the play Juliet asks Romeo “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
What Juliet was getting at was that it only matters what or who you are, not what you’re called.
With that in mind, I’m sure you’ve already noticed the huge red logo to the upper right of these words. Starting with our next issue (Jan/Feb ’09 Volume 4, Issue 4) we’re going to be Canadian Hot Rods instead of Canadian Hot Rods & Classics. Same great magazine, but with a different name.
I’m making the change for a couple of reasons. First, I think Canadian Hot Rods represents more of what this magazine is about. I love modified cars, muscle cars, customs and that is what we feature. With apologies to diehard classic car guys, the regular feature Bone Stock Parking Lot is probably the only place you will find anything resembling the true meaning of that word. Second, we’re a Canadian magazine and I wanted to more firmly establish that on the newstands and in the minds of both Canadian gearheads and Canadian advertisers. From a marketing standpoint I think it’s easier for people to say and to remember and believe me I’ve heard enough MCs and car show announcers butcher the name to know that it’ll be harder to screw up Canadian Hot Rods Magazine than Canadian Hot Rods & Classics Magazine.
The name change also makes sure our magazine stands out from a now defunct Eastern Canada magazine which everybody east of Alberta seemed to always confuse us with. (Just so you know, we are not or never have been affiliated with Canadian Classics & Performance magazine so if you bought or renewed a subscription and never received your issue, we’re not the people to call and ask for a refund).
Along with the logo and name change will be a new website — canadianhotrods.com — which should launch by the new year and will be far more current, interactive and fluid than our previous effort. It will also have a better retail store and cart system making subscribing, buying back issues and CHR apparel a more pleasant and straightforward experience.
Despite the economic gloom, we’re excited about 2009. Our magazine finally cracked the doors at 7-Elevens and starting with this issue will be available on their racks across Canada. (You may be standing in a 7-Eleven thumbing through this issue as you read. Grab a Buffalo Chicken tacito on the way out. They’re delicious.)
We’re also getting closer to having the Budget Rambler on the road and I’m shooting for a spring debut, though, just like many gearheads reading this magazine, money more than time will dictate the debut.
We’ll be attending some major events with the CHR Suburban and 24-foot car hauler/slash retail space so look for us as we drive from show to show. We’ll be hard to miss in the same way a beached white whale would be hard to miss. (Except we’ll be moving a bit faster, unless we’re climbing some steep hills).
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On the next page you’ll read about Osoyoos, BC car builder JF Launier’s Goodguys Trendsetter of the Year Award. First I want to congratulate JF, Kristin and the crew at JF Kustoms on the award. It’s a huge honour but it’s also huge for the Canadian hot rod culture. The win lets our American cousins know that Canada isn’t some gearhead wasteland filled with snow-tired shod, shackled up GTOs and Camaros. Every issue this magazine is filled with feature cars that don’t have to take a back seat to anything built down south. JF Launier is not the only Canadian builder of note, but right now he’s Canada’s best ambassador for the hobby and that’s pretty cool.
In many of our feature stories car owners thank the friends that helped them out during the build. In the gearhead culture, this is de rigeur behaviour. You help your buddy, he helps you, you lend a tool, he lends you a part, etc. I have to thank my buddies Dan and Kevin for all the help on Budget Rambler. I’d be spinning my wheels a lot if you weren’t there to bail me out, so thanks.
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Lastly, I received a lot of positive feedback on my thoughts on maybe building my parts car ’57 Ford wagon into a drag car. Of course, everybody but my wife says I should do it, and make sure I make it a straight front axle car. I even had a guy offer me a 460ci for free. It’s running, but I’d probably rebuild it. Stay tuned.