Ideas Are Where You Find Them
It appears that some readers take a different view of this magazine than others. Certainly anything that is written is up for interpretation-people have been putting their spin on the Bible for centuries. We get letters from time to time from readers who want to know why we did a particular story when it appears to be in direct opposition to a story we published a year before.
Let's get into an example. A reader recently wrote in a bit exasperated that last year Car Craft did a big story on painting your car at home in your garage and then this year's story pointed the reader in a different direction. Last year's story was a good piece executed by freelancer Steve Dulcich and suggested that any car crafter could do all the work himself.
I believe the confusion comes from readers who take stories that appear in Car Craft, or any magazine for that matter, and immediately assign them as gospel that become the final word on the subject. I guess my question is this: Who died and made us king?
A better way to look at the editorial that spills out of this magazine every month is as material we think might stimulate your interest. Think of Car Craft as a published version of a bench race session-or as a car show you can stick in your pocket. A big part of why we attend car shows is to see what other people are doing with their cars-to get ideas for our own rides. The best show is one where you see what someone else has done to their ride and stick that idea in your back pocket. Then you take it home and improve on it, and ultimately use it on your own car. That's why we go to car shows and nose around in different shops across the country looking for new ideas. Then we return to the office and transcribe everything we've learned onto the pages of this magazine.
Does the CC staff (or any magazine staff) have some divine vision that allows us to pick out trends that no one else can see? Hardly. The truth is, we're just gearheads like the rest of you. We probably talk to more manufacturers and attend a few more shows than most enthusiasts, but ultimately our goal is to give you ideas. These stories are not supposed to be stone tablets that dictate what you should do on your car. We're just here to give you an idea of what's out there. Ultimately, you can (and will) do whatever you want.
The beauty of following a story on an engine buildup, for example, is that if you build your engine just like ours, you have a better-than-even chance that your engine will make similar power. But if you deviate, you might make more, or you might make less. The more you know about the subject, the better you will be at evaluating the direction you want to take. The magazines are all about giving you the knowledge. After that, it's up to you to execute those plans.
If you read something in this magazine that stimulates you to go out and wrench on your car to make it run better, look a little better, get those longing stares at the local cruise, or just to make you feel better about how your car runs, then we've done our job. If you feel we missed the boat on something, we are assured that you'll write us and let us know. Oftentimes, our readers have the best ideas. Together, we can make this magazine the hottest product on the shelf. When that happens, we'll make sure to give you all the credit! You can't beat a deal like that.-Jeff Smith