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Perhaps they are wanted for Fifth Gear.....oh!
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It is Auto Express. Answer 5 questions on V Power and Say in a few words why V Power is better than normal fuel and you are away XD.
Seriously though I thought that the future of journalism was online but Drivers Republic even with very talented journalists like Dickie Meaden (ex Performance Car and evo) behind it, only lasted five minutes.
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We've had Clarksonism for 20-odd years now and it must be time to move on. No-one can deny his talent as a journalist but enough is nearly enough. Although I must confess I regularly re-run his 1989 defence of the XJS on Youtube. Let's hope there are youngsters out there somewhere who are prepared to stand up to the now almost overwhelming odds and get their fresh talent recognised. There must by now be an alternative to the big man - surely the never-grown-up boyracer approach is now long past its sell-by date? Maybe then the fashion for ending every spoken sentence with the last three words being.......uttered......very......slowly will die the death as well.
Having said that, about 15 years ago I entered a contest to win a Toyota Carina E (remember them? No? Hardly a surprise) which required entrants to road test the car and write a review.
Now I had already done a road test/review of the Carina which, if nothing else, encouraged my editor to get one so I thought 'hah! a new car for nothing!' I went to a dealer and staved off boredom to do the road test again, then went home and wrote a stunning review which was nothing but a talented (though I say it myself) take-off of JC. And guess what? I didn't win.
That's when I started going off him, I think.
Who are you mattbod? I'm scratching my head...
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Hey Mike nobody you would know trust me. I did a few freelance pieces. They were assignments for a Writers Bureau course that an editor liked enough to publish. I have always wanted to be a motoring writer and got some encouragement from Quentin Willson when I met him many years go. I met those overwhelming odds though and gave up,switched to the law and became a solicitor! Didn't like private practice so went on my travels teaching English as a second language. I am going back into the law as I am about to do an LLM in European Law. Hopefully then could be a legal scribbler or more likely a legislator. I enjoy writing but I think it will only ever be a hobby horse. By the way thanks for the recommendation of "Driving my Way" by Stanley Sedgwick: located copy for a reasonable price and it was a great read.
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I'm in my 50's now so I reckon I'm about ripe to become the preferred newkidontheblock motoring journalist for the Mr. Flatcap string-back glove niche market. I could kick off by reviving one of the biggest cliche old chestnuts of petrolheads of yore.... Was the Vauxhall 30/98 of the 1920's almost as good as the Bentley 3-Litre?..... Contoversial stuff, what?! ...yawn!
Edited by Sofa Spud on 19/10/2009 at 21:31
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...Hang on a minute.... In a way we're all motoring journalists here on Back Room, in our small way. We're a reasonably articulate bunch - I mean we don't get many people saying things like 'ne1 wanna street race me in my Imprezza coz im da fastest nobody beat me whose game" sort of thing. We might be controversial and sometimes we might get it wrong - but that's just like real journalists!
Edited by Sofa Spud on 19/10/2009 at 21:47
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Ta for the info. I'll check it out.
The future is online but what is lacking is the means of delivery. The amazon kindle is the start with books. You need a digital magazine reader so you can get Evo or Autoexpress delivered paperlessly and without you having to do anything. Once these electronic paper devices are available and cheap enough then you're away.
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...all I'm waiting for is the Bugatti Veyron for my first road test report. OK, Bentley Continental, then! Audi A6? Oh, what about a top of the range Mondeo? Secondhand Ford Ka??? Anything????
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Slightly off topic but I am always suspicious of these electronic readers such as the kindle and statements that the internet will banish print. Trouble is technology becomes obsolete very quickly. I saved my university dis on a floppy for example but printed it as well. Good job as my old PC is knackered and my new cmputer has now floppy drive. Plus there is something aesthetically pleasing about paper.
Disappointed about Drivers-Republic as was a great site.And to reply to Sofa Spud I suppose we are all "journos" on here in the sense that we mainly post interesting and informative stuff that the public can access and nearly everyone on here strikes me as very bright. That's why I like the site.
Edited by mattbod on 21/10/2009 at 00:47
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I would look forward to your piece on a Ford Ka :). It would be like going back to the 1970's with lots of talk of push rods and waxoyl.
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