OVERVIEW:
Auto Enthusiast was a new title created from the consolidation of seven magazines published by Amos Automotive Publishing.
These included: Cars & Parts, Mopar Enthusiast, Corvette Enthusiast, Muscle Car Enthusiast,
Pontiac Enthusiast, Mustang Enthusiast and Chevy Enthusiast. The new publication was partitioned
to highlight different niches or vehicle brands. For example, there were sections for Chevrolets, Mopars, classic vehicles, general automotive
topics and classifieds. And to enter the brave new world of online publishing, the title had an associated
digital platform for news, car and technical features, and an online community. The magazine was considered a competitor to Hemming's
Muscle Machines.
Numbering continued from Cars & Parts magazine. When the predecessor title was ended, the multi-decade editor, Bob Stevens and his team in Sidney were all terminated, as the new title was published from Florida. John Nichols became the new editor.
It is uncertain why Auto Enthusiast ended after a short publishing period. Amos had a long string of successes, and, granted, it was launched when the automotive publishing industry saw lots of market changes, declining readership and terminated titles. However, it is a stretch to think you could go from multiple, niche-focused titles to a single generalist title. This was a complete reversal of the long term trend from the 1950s forward to create more specialized titles and product packaging geared to more narrow reader interests.
The table of contents, if available, can be seen by clicking on the icon.
OWNERSHIP:
The parent company was Amos Press in Sidney, Ohio. Amos got into the car magazine business with the acquisition of Cars & Parts
in 1978. Amos purchased the title from Don Horn in Memphis, Tennessee, who had started it in the summer of 1957. Amos Press has a long history with
coin and stamp enthusiast magazines.
PUBLICATION DATA:
No publication data are available at this time.
CONTENT COMPLETENESS:
A total of 33 issues was printed from December, 2010 through its end date, February, 2014. All images are complete.