12 replies to this topic

[Mac Lark]

Back in the late 60s/early 70s I used to get a magazine from America that covered mostly USAC and NASCAR - as you'd expect.

I don't have any copies left and I can't recall the name but I think 'Auto Racing' is a likely possibility.

There was a particularly distinctive feature - the photographs didn't so much as have captions but rather drivers names typed near the car 'on' the photograph.

So for example, a photo from Darlington might have 4 or 5 cars in the shot. As I recall, rather than a caption, the photo might have had

LORENZON - PEARSON - YARBROUGH - PETTY - BAKER 'on' the photo.

Does anyone recall a magazine from that era fitting this rather general description?

If so, was 'Auto Racing' close??

Thanks in advance

MAC

[JB Miltonian]

"Auto Racing: Magazine of the World's Greatest Sport"!

I have 22 copies of this magazine, from February 1969 through January 1971. My first issue says it is Volume 4, Number 1, so I assume that it started publication in 1966 (as a bi-monthly). It changed to monthly printing with the June 1969 issue. It was published by Performance Publications in New York. Copies were 50 cents, going up to 75 cents in October 1970. There was very little advertising.

The pictures of the cars in action did indeed have the driver's name next to the car on the picture itself, but they also had captions.

A regular feature was a monthly driver profile done by Andy Granatelli, titled "_____ As I See Him". These could be stock car racers, Indy car, TransAm, F1 (Graham Hill, Peter Revson, Chris Amon, Jo Siffert....).

I see these on ebay from time to time.

[Gerr]

"Racing Pictorial" perhaps ?

[Mac Lark]

Man this place is amazing.

Thanks so much JB - I' needed this for an article I'm working on relating to NASCAR at that time.

Yes I do recall that Andy Granatelli column - gee I wish I still my copies. I have most everything else - including RCNs going way back if you happen to be reading this Ray.

OK they had captions but I don't recall seeing the 'names on the photo' many times over the years.

Thanks again for responding.

[JB Miltonian]

You're welcome!

If there is anything in particular that you are looking for from these magazines, don't hesitate to ask.

Just taking a quick look, I found a picture showing BAKER ISSAC GLOTZBACH PEARSON GOLDSMITH YARBOROUGH. Pretty close to your distant recollection!

[Keir]

I remember it well, Liz Hayward was the featured F1 writer and she did a great job!!

The photos were also top of the heap !!

[Martyj]

I have almost a complete set. Missing maybe two of the earliest issues. It evolved out of two newstand specials in 1966, one on A.J. Foyt (which was #1) and the other on Mario Andretti (#2). The next issue published continued the numbering sequence with #3 and begin the format it was largely to continue for the rest of it's run; grand prix, can-am, stock cars, USAC, etc. reports, with heavy emphasis on personality profiles. In 1970 it began to have a color photo insert that functioned as a pullout poster. Otherwise, it was black and white. It was published by Lyle Kenyon Engel who (I suspect) MAY have been the ghost writer for the "Grand Prix" novel that accompanied the "Grand Prix" movie. (Engel get's an ambiguous credit on the copyright page that leds me to believe this...but I have not proof he actually wrote the thing.) Engel also published books during the same period that were cross promotions with the magazine. One on Formula One, the other on Group 7. There may have been others.

Wonder whatever became of Engel? His name was on so many publications I accumulated in the late 60's. He seems to dropped off the face of the earth after 1971.

[JB Miltonian]

Very interesting reply, Martyj!

I had never noticed the connection, but I have a magazine called "Jim Clark World Driving Champion" from April 1966, and it is listed on the title page as "Volume 1, Number 1, Championship Driving Series", and it is from Performance Publications, Lyle Kenyon Engel.

I have never seen the AJ Foyt and Mario Andretti magazines you mention. Do these all fit together as the precursor to "Auto Racing"? Was there more than one first issue?

[Martyj]

Hmmm. I never saw the Clark special, but if it was #1, then Foyt was #2 and Andretti was #3 (I'm writing from work, so I'm going on memory here. My collection is stashed away somewhere at home.) But I do know the regular magazine evolved from this series of specials. In fact, I believe some of the earliest issues from 1967 and 68 had ads that offered free copies of the Andretti special as a subscription incentive.

[WGD706]

Originally posted by Martyj
Wonder whatever became of Engel? His name was on so many publications I accumulated in the late 60's. He seems to dropped off the face of the earth after 1971.

Only information I can find is as follows:Lyle Kenyon ENGEL {US} (M: 1915 May 12 - 1986 Aug 10)
Apparently, he had many interests in his life, considering he authored "The Fred Astaire Dance Book" (New York: Cornerstone Library, 1962) and a book on "Bicycling for Fun & Health" in 1975.
Here's alink to some of the many books he wrote...http://www.allbookst.....20Lyle Kenyon
He was the editor of a few magazines like "American Agent"...Secret Agent magazine dominated by lead novels. First issue all by John Jakes; second issue almost certainly by Michael Avallone under alias John Kennedy.Editors: Lyle Kenyon Engel overall packager; Michael Avallone compiled the issues.
Another magazine he edited was Space Science Fiction Magazine in the late '50s.
Another book was the"Calypso Song Book".Edited and Compiled by Lyle Kenyon Engel. Illustrations by William Charmatz. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1957.
I found this quote:In the "book packaging" field (where literary agents produce anthology-type volumes commissioned by publishers) Lyle Kenyon Engel was "one of the most prolific book packagers over the years."
Warren

[R.W. Mackenzie]

The first racing magazine I ever bought was the issue of 'Auto Racing' that had the 1968 Indy 500 and Monaco Grand Prix. I bought a number of other issues in 1968 and 1969 but it became harder to find them and so I eventually subscribed to 'Autoweek' and 'Road & Track'.

I wish I still had those issues but they are long gone. 'Auto Racing' was an excellent magazine because it covered the top series (Grand Prix, USAC, Nascar and Can-Am) and had interesting driver profiles (the ones on Jackie Stewart and Jacky Ickx were memorable) without diluting the product with a lot of advertising and non-racing items.

The inside pages were black and white but the covers were always well done with excellent colour action photos. They always seemed to find pictures that I've never seen elsewhere (one close-up of Scarfiotti in his Cooper-BRM in the pits at Monaco and one of Ronnie Duman's airborne car from his fatal crash at Milwaukee are two examples).

I don't know if this material is still protected by copyright but I've often hoped somebody would gather all of the issues printed and make the entire collection available on the web.

Bob Mackenzie

[Martyj]

Originally posted by R.W. Mackenzie
They always seemed to find pictures that I've never seen elsewhere (one close-up of Scarfiotti in his Cooper-BRM in the pits at Monaco and one of Ronnie Duman's airborne car from his fatal crash at Milwaukee are two examples).

I remember that Duman photo, too. One of the most graphic depictions of a driver's death I can remember seeing. And the crowd reaction was very vivid, too. It says a lot about the attitude toward death that the sport has taken over the years. Compare how acceptable it was to show that photo in a popular newsstand magazine in 1968, versus the way the camera pulled away after Senna's accident...

[Martyj]

Originally posted by WGD706


Only information I can find is as follows:Lyle Kenyon ENGEL {US} (M: 1915 May 12 - 1986 Aug 10)
Apparently, he had many interests in his life, considering he authored "The Fred Astaire Dance Book" (New York: Cornerstone Library, 1962) and a book on "Bicycling for Fun & Health" in 1975.
Here's alink to some of the many books he wrote...http://www.allbookst.....20Lyle Kenyon
He was the editor of a few magazines like "American Agent"...Secret Agent magazine dominated by lead novels. First issue all by John Jakes; second issue almost certainly by Michael Avallone under alias John Kennedy.Editors: Lyle Kenyon Engel overall packager; Michael Avallone compiled the issues.
Another magazine he edited was Space Science Fiction Magazine in the late '50s.
Another book was the"Calypso Song Book".Edited and Compiled by Lyle Kenyon Engel. Illustrations by William Charmatz. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1957.
I found this quote:In the "book packaging" field (where literary agents produce anthology-type volumes commissioned by publishers) Lyle Kenyon Engel was "one of the most prolific book packagers over the years."
Warren

Interesting. Thanks for the research. It seems to imply that Engel was a publishing professional who simply sniffed a buck to be made. Perhaps he caught wind in the mid sixties of a major motion picture in production at MGM, saw increasing coverage of racing on Wide World of Sports, saw Jim Clark on the cover of TIME magazine, etc. and figured there was a sizable audience for racing publications. And once that 5 year experiment panned out, he moved on to other things.