The first issue of Irish Vintage Scene Magazine hit the shelves in May 2006. Founded by Tom Heavey, his mission statement was simple, and has remained the same to this day, over five years on:
“To provide the vintage and classic vehicle enthusiast in Ireland with one place to source all they need for their hobby.”
Tom, a keen enthusiast himself, felt that there was a need to connect enthusiasts from all over the country, as he found that there were far more events and clubs in existence in Ireland than he could find out about with any ease. Even though we were in the age of the internet the vintage and classic enthusiast seemed to be getting left behind, and was in dire need of a comprehensive source of information. Tom’s initial thoughts were to produce some sort of newsletter that would inform other enthusiasts what was taking place around the country; then the idea progressed to featuring cars as well, but the more events he attended and the more enthusiasts he spoke to, he realised that the classic tractor scene was every bit as popular as that of the cars. So, after a lot of thought he decided to launch a magazine that would cater for all types of collectable vehicles, including motorcycles and commercials; this was to be a first, as no other magazine in the world had this format. Tom believed in keeping things simple, and so his magazine could be described by the following points:
- Ireland’s only vintage and classic vehicle magazine
- Featuring cars, tractors, motorbikes, commercials and other vehicles
- Highlighting all old vehicle events in Ireland
- Providing the reader with a top-quality product
- Magazine content restricted to vehicles built before 1980
Providing enthusiasts with the most up-to-date information on news & events in Ireland. Since 2006 the business has grown from a home-based, part-time business to a full-time business, and is now based in an office in Oranmore, Co. Galway. As the business grew, Tom needed to expand the team to spread the workload; now there are four full-time staff members and up to fifteen freelance journalists affiliated to Irish Vintage Scene in Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain. When choosing a person to work for, or to represent, Irish Vintage Scene, Tom’s criteria were simple; they must be vintage and classic vehicle enthusiast themselves, and indeed they all are.
In 2011 Irish Vintage Scene launched a second publication, entitled Retro Classics. The idea was based on the success of a Retro Special Edition which was published in 2010. Both Tom and Andrew Pollock, feature writer for Irish Vintage Scene and now Editor of Retro Classics, kept coming across some amazing cars in Ireland that would not fit into the profile of Irish Vintage Scene, and so Retro Classics was born. Retro Classics is a quarterly publication aimed at fans of high-performance and modified classic cars. With a growing interest in this sector, particularly in 1980s cars, this magazine fills a niche not previously catered for in Ireland. Since its introduction in early 2011 Retro Classics has proven to be very successful, with many shops selling out within days of the magazine hitting the shelf. Again, each issue is packed with feature cars from all over Ireland including original sports cars, replicas, historic racing cars and highly modified classics from the sixties up to the eighties. To find out what’s in the current issue click on www.retroclassics.ie
With such large numbers of enthusiasts using internet sites to buy or sell vintage and classic vehicles, Irish Vintage Scene realised that we needed to supply an online service to our readers. So, in early in 2011 we bought Classiccarsales.ie, a top-ranking online site for buying or selling classic cars. Now those wishing to advertise their car for sale in Irish Vintage Scene can also have their advert put live online with up to six pictures, and vice versa for those advertising online. By using Classiccarsales.ie and Irish Vintage Scene, sellers are guaranteed to get noticed by potential buyers not only in Ireland, but all over the world. With expansion of the site currently being planned by Tom and the team, Classiccarsales.ie will become a force to be reckoned with and will provide Irish, and indeed international, internet users with a professional and dedicated alternative to large multi-choice sales sites. Check out www.classiccarsales.ie today.