- Performance Car
Infobox Magazine | title = Performance Car
| image_size = 200px | image_caption =
Final issue cover, July 1998
editor = hidden|ta1=left|Editors|Ian Wearing
Jesse Crosse
Paul Clark
Brett Fraser
frequency = Monthly
category =Automobile magazine
company =EMAP
firstdate = October 1983
country =United Kingdom
language = English
issn = 0265-6183
finaldate = July 1998
finalnumber = 178Performance Car, commonly abbreviated to PC, was a
automobile magazine from the United Kingdom published by EMAP between October 1983 and July 1998. As suggested by the title, the magazine focussed on the high performance sector of the car market, from hot hatches through tosupercars .History
Buisness Publication Limited launched Performance Car in October 1983. It replaced Hot Car magazine, a magazine that focussed on the tuned & modified car scene. The change of name came about due to a slight shift of focus to manufacturer built performance cars. Early issues were titled "Performance Car (incorporating Hot Car)". The editor at launch was Ian Wearing.
In 1986,
Jeremy Clarkson joined the magazine. He would later go on to present the BBC motoring TV series, Top Gear, but continued to write for Performance Car until 1994, following the launch of "Top Gear magazine".In the mid 90s, the magazine changed it's style aiming to bring in a larger readership. The move backfired, and they later admitted they "went looking for extra readers that weren't there, and pissed off several thousand that were". [cite journal | last = Fraser | first = Brett | title = The End | journal = Performance Car | pages = p14 | date = July 1998] Attempts to revert back were somewhat successful in regaining readers, but publishers EMAP decided that as performance cars were being covered by other magazines there were not enough readers to justify keeping Performance Car. The final issue, July 1998, was published on June 12th 1998 before the magazine was merged into EMAP's other motoring magazine "Car". Following one issue of Car with a Performance Car supplement, it remained much the same magazine as it was before, with little influence from Performance Car.
Following it's demise, several of the writers from Performance Car, including Richard Meaden and John Barker went on to found a new magazine, Evo, which was launched at the end of 1998 and covered similar topics to those of Performance Car.
References
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