Hemmings Motor News
Encyclopedia
Hemmings Motor News is a monthly magazine
catering to traders and collectors of antique
, classic
, and exotic sports car
s. It is the largest and oldest publication of its type in the United States
, with sales of 215,000 copies per month, and is best known for its large classified advertising
sections. The magazine counts as subscribers and advertisers practically every notable seller and collector of classic cars, including Jay Leno
and his Big Dog Garage http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/, and most collector car clubs are included in its directory. The magazine was started by Ernest Hemmings in Quincy, Illinois
, in 1954, then purchased by Terry Ehrich, who moved the operation to Bennington, Vermont in the late 1960s. Ehrich published the magazine until his death in 2002. The company was then acquired by American City Business Journals
. Hemmings currently has 100 employees at its Bennington, Vermont headquarters.
Starting in 1970, Hemmings published Special Interest Autos (SIA), a bimonthly periodical focused primarily on American collectible automobiles. From 2000 to 2003, they published the muscle car
and hotrod magazine Hemmings Rods and Performance. In 2003, it was relaunched as Hemmings Muscle Machines, with muscle cars as its sole focus.
In 2004, shortly after the release of Hemmings Muscle Machines, Hemmings ended publication of SIA and began to develop its successor, Hemmings Classic Car, launched in October of that year. That was followed in 2005 by Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car in 2005.
Hemmings Motor News magazine also contains an approximately 80-page section of editorial content. Content includes coverage of collector-car shows and auctions, sports cars, touring cars, classic cars, pre-war cars and historic racing cars, as well as family-type automobiles.
Hemmings also sells a large line of calendar
s, clothing, signs, and other items relating to automobile collecting and memorabilia, and maintains a public display of 25 cars at their headquarters.
Hemmings Classic Car, published by Hemmings Motor News, is a monthly magazine
and successor of Special-Interest Autos, covering the topic of American
-built collector cars, targeting enthusiasts, owners, collectors, dealers, restorers and parts manufacturers.
Hemmings Classic Car captures several distinct collector-car audiences in a single publication, with an emphasis on early post-war 1946–1960 American automobiles. Other categories include the pre-1916 Brass era cars, pre-war
cars, CCCA
-recognized Classic cars, and cars from the 1960s through the early 1980s.
Hemmings Classic Car features photography showcasing these American automobiles at their best. In-construction photographs of the entire restoration process show readers what it takes to produce a concours
-quality, show-winning restoration
. It is the best-selling old-car magazine in the world.
. In 1986, the same team of Terry Erich, former BMW factory motorcycle racer Justus Taylor and Hemmings editor-in-chief David Brownell entered the Great American Race
, and Hemmings later became a primary sponsor of the race. In 2007, Hemmings ended their participation in what was now called the Great Race, and began participating in the Hemmings Vintage Car Rally. Hemmings' sponsorship of the Great Race resumed in 2011.
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
catering to traders and collectors of antique
Antique car
In the United States, an antique car is generally defined as a car over 45 years of age, this being the definition used by the Antique Automobile Club of America. However, the legal definition for the purpose of antique vehicle registration varies widely. The antique car era includes the veteran...
, classic
Classic car
A classic car is an older car; the exact meaning is variable. The Classic Car Club of America maintains that a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be a classic, while cars over 45 years fall into the Antique Class.- Classic Car Club of America :...
, and exotic sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
s. It is the largest and oldest publication of its type in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, with sales of 215,000 copies per month, and is best known for its large classified advertising
Classified advertising
Classified advertising is a form of advertising which is particularly common in newspapers, online and other periodicals which may be sold or distributed free of charge...
sections. The magazine counts as subscribers and advertisers practically every notable seller and collector of classic cars, including Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
and his Big Dog Garage http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/, and most collector car clubs are included in its directory. The magazine was started by Ernest Hemmings in Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
, in 1954, then purchased by Terry Ehrich, who moved the operation to Bennington, Vermont in the late 1960s. Ehrich published the magazine until his death in 2002. The company was then acquired by American City Business Journals
American City Business Journals
American City Business Journals is an American newspaper chain based in Charlotte, North Carolina owned by Advance Publications. It has a range of media including 41 primary metropolitan weekly publications, which reach 4 million readers with business community related news, and Bizjournals, the...
. Hemmings currently has 100 employees at its Bennington, Vermont headquarters.
Starting in 1970, Hemmings published Special Interest Autos (SIA), a bimonthly periodical focused primarily on American collectible automobiles. From 2000 to 2003, they published the muscle car
Muscle car
Muscle car is a term used to refer to a variety of high-performance automobiles. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines muscle cars as "any of a group of American-made 2-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." Usually, a large V8 engine is fitted in a...
and hotrod magazine Hemmings Rods and Performance. In 2003, it was relaunched as Hemmings Muscle Machines, with muscle cars as its sole focus.
In 2004, shortly after the release of Hemmings Muscle Machines, Hemmings ended publication of SIA and began to develop its successor, Hemmings Classic Car, launched in October of that year. That was followed in 2005 by Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car in 2005.
Hemmings Motor News magazine also contains an approximately 80-page section of editorial content. Content includes coverage of collector-car shows and auctions, sports cars, touring cars, classic cars, pre-war cars and historic racing cars, as well as family-type automobiles.
Hemmings also sells a large line of calendar
Calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial, or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. The name given to each day is known as a date. Periods in a calendar are usually, though not...
s, clothing, signs, and other items relating to automobile collecting and memorabilia, and maintains a public display of 25 cars at their headquarters.
Hemmings Classic Car
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
and successor of Special-Interest Autos, covering the topic of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-built collector cars, targeting enthusiasts, owners, collectors, dealers, restorers and parts manufacturers.
Hemmings Classic Car captures several distinct collector-car audiences in a single publication, with an emphasis on early post-war 1946–1960 American automobiles. Other categories include the pre-1916 Brass era cars, pre-war
Pre-war
The term pre-war or prewar is usually applied to the most recent or significant war in a culture's history.Antebellum is most often used to denote the period before the American Civil War while pre-war typically refers to the period before WWII.In real estate the term refers to buildings from the...
cars, CCCA
Classic Car Club of America
The Classic Car Club of America is an organization founded in 1952 to celebrate the grand automobiles of the prewar period. At the time, the vehicles covered by the Club were considered too modern to be of any interest by such organizations as the Antique Automobile Club of America and despite...
-recognized Classic cars, and cars from the 1960s through the early 1980s.
Hemmings Classic Car features photography showcasing these American automobiles at their best. In-construction photographs of the entire restoration process show readers what it takes to produce a concours
Concours d'Elegance
A Concours d'Elegance dates back to 17th Century French aristocracy, who paraded horse-drawn carriages in the parks of Paris during Summer weekends and holidays...
-quality, show-winning restoration
Automotive Restoration
Automobile restoration is the process of repairing the degraded aspect of a car to return it to an overall "authentic" condition. To renovate a car without updating or upgrading it by keeping in line with how it would have appeared when first offered for sale...
. It is the best-selling old-car magazine in the world.
Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car
Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car, published by Hemmings Motor News, is an automobile enthusiast magazine with content consisting solely of collector cars built outside the U.S. In 2008, it was the fastest growing automotive title in the U.S.Hemmings Muscle Machines
Hemmings Muscle Machines is a monthly periodical published by Hemmings Motor News focused on the postwar muscle car era. Content includes original cars, restorations, modified cars and new-production muscle cars.Racing Activities
In 1979, a team from Hemmings participated in the Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy DashCannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash
The Cannonball Baker Sea-To-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, widely known simply as the Cannonball Baker or Cannonball Run, was an unofficial, if not outlaw, automobile race run four times in the 1970s from New York City and Darien, CT, on the US Atlantic coast, to Redondo Beach, a Los Angeles...
. In 1986, the same team of Terry Erich, former BMW factory motorcycle racer Justus Taylor and Hemmings editor-in-chief David Brownell entered the Great American Race
Great Race
The Great Race is a classic rally for street-legal vintage automobiles at least 45 years old. Vehicles must use original factory parts, and modern navigational aids like GPS are prohibited....
, and Hemmings later became a primary sponsor of the race. In 2007, Hemmings ended their participation in what was now called the Great Race, and began participating in the Hemmings Vintage Car Rally. Hemmings' sponsorship of the Great Race resumed in 2011.