Fuelmites: VOLUME
1, ISSUE 1
I have never felt so
damn green. I am entering the great unknown.
As the summer of 2006 approaches, I'm faced
with new and potentially monumental challenges.
1- I will participate in my first Hot Rod
Power Tour with friend Charlie "Tuna" riding shotgun.
2- I am starting a virtual magazine and car
club with my friend and now partner, Bill
Howell. And -most importantly-
3- I'm becoming a father (Yes, with my wife
Mary).
It's probably not the best time to launch
another company, but it's always good to try
new things. I can't control the kid thing
or the weather forecast during Power Tour,
but when it comes MuscleRides.com, our new
virtual magazine and car club, Bill and I
are large and in charge! We are here to bring
about positive change and have fun doing it.
Our hobby is full of magazines and message
boards. The best message boards, usually grassroots
efforts, are great for problem solving and
sharing information. Beyond that, they may
not be very entertaining. Conversely, print
publishing is big business. Magazines usually
serve as slaves to many masters: Bean-counters,
newsstand distributors, paper mills, print
houses, advertisers and yes - even readers.
It is difficult to put the reader first.
We think there is way to bridge the gap between
grassroots message boards and big time print
publishers and your hosts Bill Howell and
I are willing to give it a try. MuscleRides.com
is a virtual destination designed to educate
and entertain. It is a place where you can
feel a sense of community. MuscleRides.com
is a new car club and is the one place where
you can find car features, tech articles,
a message board, and events. You can even
show your car club colors by choosing from
a wide selection of MuscleRides.com apparel.
And I do mean apparel? not just T-shirts.
All items will be affordably priced so that
you can show-off without going broke.
MuscleRides.com doesn't cater to just one
hot rodding niche. Some of you might think
that Bill and I are staunch pro-touring enthusiasts.
Baloney. In truth, we both appreciate all
kinds of hot rods. This is not a pro-touring
site. If you need a hardcore pro-touring fix,
there are already two excellent sites online
(check out our links page). Instead, Bill
and I will attempt to spread the ethos of
functionality to a wider spectrum of vehicles
including street/strip, pro-street, vintage
hot rods, and trucks as well as pro-touring.
As long as it is modified, American, street
legal and FUNCTIONAL, anything goes. If you
have chrome plated brake rotors, you've come
to the wrong place.
Unencumbered by publishers, distributors,
or paper mills, Bill and I are taking the
magazine article to a whole new level. No
doubt, print magazines are powerful resources
but we don't want to compete on that level.
True, most magazines now have articles on
the web. But they are usually just re-prints
of their paper articles. If you're a big print
publisher, the web is more of an afterthought
or a distraction. What our webzine lacks in
page count, we will more than make up for
in quality. The library will continue to grow.
Articles will be accessible from now until
the end of time. Think about this: You will
be able to read an article and then go to
the message board and communicate directly
with its writer.
Most importantly, MuscleRides.com will showcase
cars and provide tech articles without the
ass kissing and tippy-toeing found in traditional
print magazines. Our advertisers will not
pay us much. So we don't have to worry about
becoming slaves. Manufacturers are already
used to being slammed on the world-wide-web.
We will fix that by detailing the strengths
as well as the weaknesses in a clear, concise
manner with photographic proof.In the end,
I believe we will dispel much of the BS that
flies on message boards. We hope that our
advertisers are pleased. Our freelance house
consists of popular and familiar freelancers.We
pay for these articles, so you had better
take advantage of our free membership before
we take it off the cuff.
As for content, car features will suggest
possible upgrades where necessary. For example,
this month's featured pro-touring car could
use better seats. We make that clear in the
text. Our tech articles will get particularly
gritty. If we find a problem during an install,
we'll point it out.If a part needs tweaking
(and they usually do), we will make that clear.
If we lose an advertiser in the process, they
will lose the opportunity to reach our membership.
Showing these installation problems is the
best way to ensure that manufacturers improve
their products.Instructions suck? You will
know BEFORE you pry open your wallet.
Events are an important part of any car club.
MuscleRides.com will host its own events as
well as provide coverage from numerous key
events across the country. Please join us
for our first one. Run in conjunction with
Pro-Touring.com, the event will be held in
Pigeon Forge, TN, in September. We look forward
to cruising, racing and partying together.
Message board, events, apparel, and take-no-prisoner
articles: will this formula lead to the demise
of MuscleRides.com or will it launch and accelerate
like a fuel car? I don't know. Like I said:
I'm green. But Bill and I will stick to our
guns. We hope you enjoy and appreciate our
efforts. Welcome to the club.
/Steevo
