Nostalgia revs up interest in classic car magazine Retromotive

Nathan Duff’s business model for his fledgling car magazine is simple: nostalgia sells.

Founder, owner and publisher of Retromotive, Nathan Duff, says niche magazines have a bright future. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

Nathan Duff’s business model for his fledgling car magazine is simple: nostalgia sells.

And, if the growing international demand for quarterly glossy Retromotive is any guide, the 42-year-old’s publishing career is set to go into overdrive.

Duff, a Brisbane-based photographer, started the classic car magazine in June 2018, ostensibly as a one-off promotional tool for his freelance photography business. But after posting it on his personal blog, word of mouth soon alerted passionate automobile owners and lovers across Australia, and Retromotive was born. Duff taught himself graphic design and layout skills watching YouTube videos, and within months he was producing the 164-page glossy magazine.

With thousands of subscribers in Australia, and 600 newsagents across the country now stocking the magazine, Duff is turning his attention to the overseas market.

The most recent issue of Retromotive enjoyed a 15,000 print run in the US, and Duff’s intention is to replicate that in the lucrative UK market for the magazine’s next edition.

“We might start to look to other countries as well, where we feel there might be a bit of demand,” he said. “We’re getting a lot of inquiries from overseas.”

Duff has a clear vision for what Retromotive should, and shouldn’t, be.

“We’re not a technical magazine because there are people out there who do that really well, and we don’t do car reviews for the same reason,” he said.

“Our stories need to be relatable to enthusiasts … it’s aspirational, inspirational and attainable.

“For instance, let’s say we’re going to do a story on a Porsche 356 — there have been thousands of stories done on that car, we can’t tell you anything new about the history, the design or the technical aspects … But we can tell you the story about what it means to Joe Six-Pack, who’s got an old 356.

“That’s basically the premise of the magazine — telling stories through cars and their owners.

“So much of people’s love of classic cars is tied up with nostalgia. It might be a story on some guy who has tracked down the model and make of his first car, and this time around they are never letting it go.

“Or someone might see an old car in the magazine and it reminds them that their dad or grandad used to have a car like that. It’s a good feeling because it reminds you of better times.”

The US launch issue (April 2021) of Retromotive Magazine.

Duff is aware he’s breaking into an industry that is struggling to survive. But he is bullish about the capacity of the “right kind of magazine” to flourish.

“I think the ‘old way’ of doing magazines is on the way out. So many of them were reliant on ad revenue, and they had massive staff, and lots of overheads,” he said.

“But if you can find a niche, and produce something that’s really good quality, there will always be a market for it. I also believe that when it comes to magazines, a lot of people still value the experience of a printed product, over something they might read online.”

The magazine is complemented by a website (www.retromotive.co), which grew out of Duff’s original classic cars blog.

Duff, who now works full-time on the magazine, with one full-time staff member in Brisbane and two employees now in the US, said with so few overheads, the magazine has been profitable despite not having a significant ad revenue stream.

But as the magazine branches into overseas markets, Duff concedes it makes sense to look for advertising partners. “At he end of the day we want to be able to expand the business, and we’re going to need advertising to do that,” he says. For now, revenue is derived from the strong subscriber base, and the $19.99 cover price.

As for Duff’s favourite story to have featured in Retromotive, he opts for a tale of a classic car owner who treasured his Series 2A Land Rover. “That car didn’t even go. It was just sitting in this guy’s shed. It was a story about him and how he planned to get it back on the road ‘one of these days’.

“How many people do you know like that!”

Originally published as Nostalgia revs up interest in classic car magazine Retromotive