''Car Mechanics'' is a British motoring magazine published monthly by

Kelsey Media Kelsey Media Ltd is a magazine publisher and trade fair company based in Yalding, England. Founded in 1989, it has bought and sold many publications over the years, including former Bauer Media Group magazines ''Sea Angler'', ''Car Mechanics'' ...

and edited by Martyn Knowles who took over in 2008 from long standing editor Peter Simpson. It is aimed at DIY motorists and the motor repair trade. The coverage ranges across all major car manufacturers and models sold in the UK chiefly in the last five to thirty years. It is the only news stand magazine of this type covering servicing, repair and restoration, with its nearest equivalent ''Practical Motorist'' having ceased publication in 1997.

History

''Car Mechanics'' was launched in April 1958, originally published by Mercury House, who along with its successors published ''Car Mechanics'' until 1989 when the

Robert Maxwell Ian Robert Maxwell (born Ján Ludvík Hyman Binyamin Hoch; 10 June 1923 – 5 November 1991) was a Czechoslovakia, Czechoslovak-born British media proprietor, politician and fraudster. After escaping the German occupation of Czechoslovakia, ...

bought the company. However he sold the AGB motoring publications within a matter of weeks to

Emap Ascential (formerly EMAP) was a British-headquartered global company, specialising in events, intelligence and advisory services for the marketing and financial technology industries. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was ac ...

after stealing the pension fund. Emap relaunched ''Car Mechanics'' as a performance orientated magazine, however in this form the magazine was not successful and in early 1992 ''Car Mechanics'' was taken over by the Kelsey Publishing who took it back to its DIY/practical routes and turned a title's fortunes around. Publishing transferred to

Bauer Media Heinrich Bauer Publishing (), trade name, trading as Bauer Media Group, is a German multimedia conglomerate headquartered in Hamburg. It operates worldwide and owns more than 600 magazines, over 400 digital products and 50 radio and TV stations, ...

(who had acquired Emap's consumer magazine division in the meantime) from 3 December 2010, as part of a tit-for-tat dispute following Bauer's decision to take another licensed title (''Classic Car Weekly'') away from Kelsey, and Kelsey launching its own Weekly title (''Classic Car Buyer'') in response. As cars have become more complex, with a corresponding increase in the cost and complexity of tools and diagnostic equipment needed, more people are having repairs carried out professionally. This has led the magazine to broaden its appeal to include the independent motor trade whilst still retaining a focus base with the private DIY enthusiast. Kelsey Media later reacquired Car Mechanics from Bauer in 2020.

Project cars

In the early days of Car Mechanics, project cars were an important part of the magazine and Kelsey reintroduced them, having now had over 100 project cars since 1992. Current projects include a

Ford Fiesta The Ford Fiesta is a supermini car that was marketed by Ford from 1976 to 2023 over seven generations. Over the years, the Fiesta has mainly been developed and manufactured by Ford's European operations, and had been positioned below the ...

MkVII and a

Vauxhall Insignia An insignia () is a sign or mark distinguishing a group, grade, rank, or function. It can be a symbol of personal power or that of an official group or governing body. An insignia, which is typically made of metal or fabric, is a standalone sy ...

. Past projects have ranged in price from free -

Volvo 240 __NOTOC__ Year 240 ( CCXL) was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sabinus and Venustus (or, less frequently, year 993 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 240 f ...

Rover 600 The Rover 600 Series was a compact executive car range that was produced by the British manufacturer Rover (marque), Rover from 1993 to 1999. The exterior of the Rover 600 was designed by Rover, a reskin of the European Honda Accord#European Ac ...

Ford Granada Ford Granada was a name used by the Ford Motor Company for two unrelated vehicles sold in different markets: * Ford Granada (Europe), built and marketed in Europe from 1972 to 1994 * Ford Granada (North America) The North American version of the ...

MkIII Ghia to three or four thousand pounds -

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

s etc. They include a Ford Escort MkIV,

Ford Mondeo The Ford Mondeo is a Mid-size/large family car, large (D-segment) car manufactured and marketed by Ford Motor Company, Ford since 1993 across five generations for model years 1993-2022. As Ford self-declared world car, the Mondeo was intended to ...

MkI, Citroen 2CV restoration, MGB restoration,

Austin Metro The Metro is a supermini car, later a city car that was produced from 1980 to 1998, first by British Leyland (BL) and later by the Rover Group. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin Mini Metro (styled AUSTIN miniMETRO). The Mini Metro was inte ...

, a

Jaguar XJ40 The Jaguar XJ (XJ40) is a full-size luxury Sedan (automobile), saloon manufactured by Jaguar Cars between 1986 and 1994. It was officially unveiled on 8 October 1986 as an all-new, second generation of the XJ to replace the Series III, althou ...

, an ex police

Vauxhall Astra The Vauxhall Astra is a compact car/small family car (C-segment) that has been sold by Vauxhall Motors, Vauxhall since 1980. Over its eight generations, it has been made at several GM/Opel/Stellantis plants around Europe - however most versio ...

MkIII, ex-customs seizure Citroen XM TD, even a Sherpa minibus and, more recently, an ex-police

MkIII, Jaguar X300,

Volvo V70 The Volvo V70 is an executive car manufactured and marketed by Volvo Cars from 1996 to 2016 across three generations. The name ''V70'' combines the letter ''V'', standing for ''versatility'', and ''70'', denoting relative platform size (i.e., a ...

diesel,

Mazda MX-5 The Mazda MX-5 is a lightweight two-person sports car manufactured and marketed by Mazda. The convertible is marketed as the or in Japan, and as the Mazda Miata () in the United States, and formerly in Canada, where it is now marketed as the ...

MG ZR The MG ZR is an MG (car), MG branded "hot hatch" version of the Rover 25 supermini class car, produced by MG Rover at their Longbridge plant in Birmingham from 2001 to 2005. Compared to the Rover 25, the ZR featured a number of styling modificat ...

Saab 9-5 The Saab 9-5 is an executive car, manufactured and marketed by Saab from 1997 to 2012, across two generations. The first generation 9-5 was introduced in 1997 for the 1998 model year, as the replacement of the Saab 9000. At the time, the car ...

Land Rover Freelander The Land Rover Freelander is a series of four-wheel-drive vehicles that was manufactured and marketed by Land Rover from 1997 to 2015. The second generation was sold from 2007 to 2015 in North America and the Middle East as the LR2 and in Euro ...

Volkswagen Golf The Volkswagen Golf () is a compact car/ small family car ( C-segment) produced by the German automotive manufacturer Volkswagen since 1974, marketed worldwide across eight generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplate ...

MkIV,

Skoda Octavia Škoda means "pity" in the Czech and Slovak languages. It may also refer to: Czech brands and enterprises * Škoda Auto, automobile and previously bicycle manufacturer in Mladá Boleslav ** Škoda Motorsport, the division of Škoda Auto respons ...

Audi A6 The Audi A6 is an executive car manufactured by the German company Audi since 1994. Now in its fifth generation, the successor to the Audi 100 is manufactured in Neckarsulm, Germany, and is available in saloon and estate configurations, the l ...

Avant,

Land Rover Discovery The Land Rover Discovery is a series of five or seven-seater family SUVs, produced under the Land Rover marque, from the British manufacturer Land Rover, and later Jaguar Land Rover. The series is currently in its fifth iteration (or generat ...

, Jaguar S Type, Vauxhall Astra MkIV, Ford Escort Mexico,

Alfa Romeo 156 The Alfa Romeo 156 (Type 932) is a compact executive car produced by the Italian automobile manufacturer Alfa Romeo. It was introduced at the Frankfurt Motor Show#1997, 1997 Frankfurt Motor Show as the replacement for the Alfa Romeo 155. The 156 ...

, Lexus IS200,

Audi A3 The Audi A3 is a small family car (C-segment) manufactured and marketed by the German automaker Audi, Audi AG since September 1996. The first two generations of the Audi A3 were based on the Volkswagen Group A platform, while the third and fo ...

Daewoo Matiz Daewoo ( ; ; ; ; literally "great universe" and a portmanteau of "''dae''" meaning great, and the given name of founder and chairman Kim Woo-choong) also known as the Daewoo Group, was a major South Korean chaebol (type of conglomerate) and aut ...

, a

Nissan Micra The Nissan Micra, also known as the , is a supermini car (B-segment) that has been produced by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Nissan from 1982. The March name has always been used in the Japanese markets but also in many export markets a ...

, a

Ford Focus The Ford Focus is a compact car (C-segment in Europe) manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1998 until 2025. It was created under Alexander Trotman's Ford 2000 plan, which aimed to globalize model development and sell one compact vehicle worl ...

Diesel Estate,

Vauxhall Zafira The Opel Zafira is a car manufactured and marketed across three generations between 1999 and 2019 by Opel. Based on the Opel Astra platform, it is developed to occupy the multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) segment. The Zafira was also marketed und ...

, Jaguar X Type,

Toyota Prius The is a Compact car, compact/small family car, small family liftback (supermini/subcompact sedan (car), sedan until 2003) produced by Toyota. The Prius has a Hybrid vehicle drivetrain, hybrid drivetrain, combined with an internal combustion ...

Mercedes-Benz E-Class The Mercedes-Benz E-Class is a range of executive cars manufactured by German automaker Mercedes-Benz in various engine and body configurations. Produced since September 1953, the E-Class falls as a midrange in the Mercedes line-up, and has been ...

diesel Estate,

Ford Ka The Ford Ka is a small car manufactured by Ford Motor Company from 1996 to 2016 as a city car and from 2014 to 2021 as a subcompact car. It entered its second generation in 2008, produced by Fiat in Tychy, Poland. A third generation was introduced ...

and Peugeot 207CC . Some of their restoration project articles were compiled and sold in book form.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official websiteMobile Mechanics
Automobile magazines published in the United Kingdom Conservation and restoration of vehicles Magazines established in 1958 Mass media in Peterborough Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom 1958 establishments in England