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Most titles never turn a profit and fail within a few issues. Fewer still manage to become acknowledged leaders in the industry.
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And although our long-term readers have lived much of this history with us, we would like to share our story with the thousands of readers who have joined us along the way. In , Kipp Kington presaged the growth of an import-tuning scene in the US. In that year he had a revolutionary idea: there must be people in the US interested in learning more about turbocharged-vehicle performance.
A small but loyal cult following soon began to grow. Meanwhile, domestic manufacturers were also dabbling with forced induction and turbo power.
Kipp and his editors pioneered the first magazine that recognized performance vehicles from all countries of origin while showcasing modern technologies such as turbocharging, electronic fuel injection, and centrifugal supercharging. Sure, the job was half the pay, but it offered Michael the opportunity to dive into a subject that he loved. My friends were all driving imports.
Very few people had a clue or understanding about import performance.
DSPORT : Past, Present and Future
Fortunately, we knew enough to know that the tech was dead wrong. Soon after, we wired up the first aftermarket engine management system on a turbocharged Honda. It contained the worst-of-theworst cars that could be found on the street. In the original Sport Compact Car, the feature cars were hacked and ugly.
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However, the content of the magazine and its direction soon changed. An aggressive advertising salesman by the name of Tony Mercadafe and an editor by the name of Larry Savedra began to make SCC a true player. With two magazines focused on the same potential enthusiast, a rivalry between Turbo and SCC developed. Every month, each magazine tried to outdo the other.
SCC was soon outselling Turbo on the newsstand thanks to better distribution. In an ironic twist, the industry perception was that Turbo was bigger than SCC. It was crazy. SCC was outselling Turbo by two or three to one. The guys at Turbo were doing a much better job of self-promotion. Competition in the import enthusiast area soon got even more intense when Petersen Publishing launched Super Street in However, in just a year after launch, Super Street began to grow.
Back at IGC, the publisher of Turbo magazine, the management knew that a decision had to be made. Either Turbo would have to broaden its scope to address the entry-level enthusiast, or it would need to launch a new magazine to compete with Super Street. However, the IGC staff was divided on the need for another import performance title. Kevin Convertito was a talented artist that could bring a whole new magazine design to the performance arena.
Edward Eng had the ability to spot feature vehicles that the enthusiasts wanted to see. As for myself, I was willing to do whatever it took to launch the new title. In particular, the bulk of the sales staff believed that a title directed at European car performance should be launched instead. In , the original Import Tuner launched with unprecedented success. Providing useful tech to the entry-level enthusiasts was exactly what the industry needed.
Later, under the editorial direction of Edward Eng, much of the focus changed from performance to show.