MOTOR's final ever edition on sale July 7. Where to from here?

This is it. The very last edition of MOTOR will be appearing on shelves tomorrow, July 7.

We’ve put together a special collector’s edition to send the old girl off in style, featuring landmark road tests, all-time features, editorial from editors past and a few surprises.

Oh, and a road test of MOTOR’s undefeated champ – the only car to win Performance Car of the Year, Bang For Your Bucks and every single comparison test it ever entered. Clue: it’s not a Porsche.

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Wading through the title’s 68-year archive was bittersweet. There were so many incredible stories that it was easy to lose yourself for days, discovering writers you’d never previously read, cars you’d long forgotten and hilarious yarns that were scarcely believable had they not been documented right there in gradually yellowing print.

That chapter ends here. It feels like the harshest of decisions, but the balance sheet of the title told its own story.

When I took over the magazine in 2020, under different ownership, I was given two or three issues before it went exclusively online.

To give you an idea of how parlous our finances were, previous editor Dylan Campbell was even mulling the possibility of paying a contributor out of his own pocket. Thankfully things got better.

We negotiated a workable budget, and a small team of hugely dedicated writers, designers and photographers kept the magazine not only afloat, but tracking ahead of a declining market for 22 issues. It wasn’t enough. A 25 per cent price hike in paper stock, coupled with the coup de grace of fuel surcharges on top, tipped the financial balance against us.

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But for every cloud there’s a silver lining. Recognising that MOTOR had transformed itself into something beautiful, thoughtful and genuinely exciting, the team that brought you the magazine has now been given the keys to Wheels.

I’m taking over the editor’s chair from the capable stewardship of Ash Westerman and we’re looking to inject even more passion and quality into the flagship title. So you’ll see a few changes in the coming months. Above all, I want Wheels to be a forward-looking magazine; one that leverages its heritage without leaning lazily on those laurels. We’ve got work to do.

In the meantime, we’re transferring the subscriptions of MOTOR readers across to Wheels. If you’ve subscribed to both titles, the balance of your MOTOR subscription will be added to Wheels.

Of course, should you prefer not to continue, that’s an option too. By now, all subscribers should have received an email detailing exactly this.

I’d like to personally thank everybody that kept MOTOR alive for all those years. In a world of free content, it takes something special to put your hand in your pocket – and that’s not a commitment we take lightly. We’d love to be able to repay that loyalty with a rejuvenated, re-energised Wheels.

The crew is back in a brand-new office, the vibe is back, and we’re keen to get after it. All we ask is that you stick with us. It might be the end of the road for MOTOR, but the same team now has a different sign above the door. We felt we were just hitting our straps. Help us make good on that.

Regards,

Andy Enright
Editor MOTOR / Wheels

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