[Magazines] Motorsport Magazines. Four decades that take up hardly any room!

[Adam43]

http://www.motorsportmagazine.co.uk/...order_form.pdf
What a great idea! I shall be ordering...

However, has anyone bought these yet? Are they as good as they sound?

[Knowlesy]

Yeah, this is just a fantastic idea.

[JP Sarti]

There was an ad in Motor Sports classifieds a couple of months back looking for a complete run, or at least some complete years pre fifties. As I've got quite a few that would qualify (and found it difficult to contemplate ever finishing a complete run) I gave the number a call. It turned out to be Motor Sport themselves (thought they could have mentioned that in the ad). Put through to someone who told me that they'd already acquired a complete run and was I looking to sell them at a 'commerciial rate'? When I said I had hoped to do that then got the response that they really didn't have any interest and that it was difficult to judge what the going rate was. It's rare for Motor Sport to p*** me off (although I'm still waiting for a replacement of my mailed and mangled March copy) but the tone did succeed this time.

I presume with complete set in hand (and maybe one that they need to seperate up to do the scanning etc.?) that futher years will be on their way.

[mountainstar]

I think it's absolutely brilliant. I don't have room for tons of magazines anymore and increasingly if somethings is not digital, forget it. I don't have any interest in the 50's and 60's but I'm definitely going to grab the 70's and 80's.

[Aysedasi]

Very good idea.....

[Super Hans]

Where have you been all my life?

I predict a payday splurge.

[SPECTATORSAL]

To get a free copy of the 1960-1969 Motor Sport Digital Archive if I took out a two year subscription to Motorsport was a big incentive when I saw the Motorsport stand at the 2008 Goodwood Revival meeting. I am bitterly disappointed with the product though! What I have viewed is of poor quality - like a bad photocopy & I find it very slow to navigate! Having spoken to a friend they have said the self same thing! Are we doing something wrong/should it really be like this?!

[Dutton]

Outstanding. This surely has to be a must for all?

[SPECTATORSAL]

Originally Posted by Dutton

Outstanding. This surely has to be a must for all?

Sorry - not sure I agree with you! Which edition have you got? Is the quality really good/legible? I can hardly read the text this end!! It looks nothing like the inside of the box portrays it might do! Great idea..just not what I'd expected!! Perhaps I need new glasses or a new PC?!

[iucrmh]

I have the 1970's version and am a little disappointed. Having run a digitisation project at work covering about 250,000 pages I appreciate the problems. The resolution is good enough to read, but I'm surprised that they didn't unbind the magazines before scanning (it makes it much easier). They do look like a photocopy, but at £40 for 120 copies (i.e. 10 years) I still consider them as good value. The
searching could be better, I am often sent to the wrong page, but I am thankful that they have actually taken the bother to digitise back to 1924.

Cheers,
Mike

[SPECTATORSAL]

Originally Posted by iucrmh

I have the 1970's version and am a little disappointed. Having run a digitisation project at work covering about 250,000 pages I appreciate the problems. The resolution is good enough to read, but I'm surprised that they didn't unbind the magazines before scanning (it makes it much easier). They do look like a photocopy, but at £40 for 120 copies (i.e. 10 years) I still consider them as good value. The
searching could be better, I am often sent to the wrong page, but I am thankful that they have actually taken the bother to digitise back to 1924.

Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for this feedback Mike. I agree that to some extent they are good value for money but if I'd paid out £40 & not got a free one because I'd taken out a two year subsription then I'd more than likely be asking for a full refund! I have contacted Motorsport magazine to air my opinion & they tell me : "There is an element of compromise with the Digital Archive. The pages are scanned from the original magazines, so the print quality is only as good as the print at the time, and this is not as good as we expect now. Also the magazines have suffered a little in 40 or 50 years reducing the quality further. We have also scanned these at a quality that we believe is readable, but this is not very high quality as this could be a security problem. Your question about the speed is linked to the quality. The higher the quality, the larger the size of the files and the slower it will run. Again this is a balance that we have to make, we could end up with more discs per decade at a higher cost. I guess the speed also depends on your computer"

[Suze]

Anybody know if Motorsport have released or plan on releasing any earlier editions of this? Apparently my great Grandfather was mentioned in Motorsport quite a bit in the 30s and 40s and I'd love to get the chance to see this if possible. We have quite a few of his old photos and trophies and things but interested to see any write ups too.


[edit] Having found the right number for Motorsport [the one on that ad is now out of date, if anybody needs it the number is all the same bar the last 4 digits which are now 8484] I've found they have released more. Waiting for them to get back to me with more info, but at the moment I know they've released a DVD for £39.99 of 1924 - 1949.

[Piglet]

Going off topic slightly, we bought around 20 Motorsport magazines at a carboot sale for £4 yesterday, they range from 1980 to 1992. It's fascinating reading.

So far of note is that even as "late" as December 1992 there are no internet addresses at all. Plus, my absolute favourite, is a description of Martin Donelly returning to test a single seater following his previous crash and Motorsport using the phrase that he is unable to "actuate the clutch" - when was the last time Autosport used the phrase "actuate the clutch"

[Craig]

I have a box full of Motorsport Magazines going spare if anyone wants them? If I do not hear by Wednesday that someone wants them (must be collected from Woking) then they'll be going in the back of the recycling truck when it calls.

[ghinzani]

Originally Posted by Craig

I have a box full of Motorsport Magazines going spare if anyone wants them? If I do not hear by Wednesday that someone wants them (must be collected from Woking) then they'll be going in the back of the recycling truck when it calls.

Surely Ebay them Craig? Even if you give the money to charity? Say collection only then you dont have the boxing or carriage hassles.

[Craig]

Not really worth anything and eBay is such an arseache these days it's really not worth the hassle. T

[Craig]

They've now gone to a new home.

[Gerry Taylor]

I wonder if anyone has, or knows where I might get a collection of MOTORING NEWS Newspapers? Particularly the seventies. I let my collection disappear many years ago, and would like to get a few again.
Any ideas?

[GMiranda]

Anyone is yet interested on the MotorSport DVD's? I have three to sell

[neiltbag]

Originally Posted by GMiranda

Anyone is yet interested on the MotorSport DVD's? I have three to sell

Do you have the 80s one?

[GMiranda]

I have sold them all, sorry.