Top Gear Magazine/UK/October 1993

Top Gear Magazine #1
We've got the lot: every car is here in our great first issue
Issue No.	1
Price	£2.40
Cover date	October 1993
Page count	250
Editor	Kevin Blick
Publisher	Redwood Publishing Ltd.
Next issue	Issue 2 (November 1993)

The first issue of Top Gear Magazine/UK was released for the cover date of October 1993. Published by Redwood Publishing Ltd., the issue contained 250 pages and was edited by the magazine's first editor-in-chief, Kevin Blick. Marcel Ashby, who was known at this point for working on some of Redwood Publishing's other magazine titles involving BBC intellectual property, also provided editing duties for the inaugural issue.

There was some controversy over the magazine's launch, with some perceiving that the BBC was using Redwood Publishing for free advertising. After the success of similarly-launched Good Food and Gardener's World magazines, each themed off of programmes broadcast by the BBC, Top Gear would quickly become Redwood's biggest campaign in the weeks leading up to the first issue's release. It was expected that much of the magazine's readership would be attracted through the ongoing Top Gear television programme.

Cover

Digitised full-view of Top Gear Magazine #1's cover.

Issue #1 of Top Gear Magazine's cover‎‎ collectively, among many others, featured the Lada Samara, Lamborghini Diablo, and a Nissan Micra, with a real-life background photographed at the top-most curve of the former Brooklands race track. The cover photograph was taken by Frank Herholdt. The cover was intended to feature every new car on sale in the United Kingdom as of August - September 1993, with the only major exceptions being the Ferrari 348 and Ferrari 512 TR, due to the Italian manufacturer objecting to the appearance. Close to 150 cars are featured on the cover in total, which also came in poster form, the latter of which is extremely rare to find nowadays.

Peculiarly, the Caterham K-Series Sport, which was driven by Richard Meaden at the time, was noticeably shrunk for the cover version of the photograph, perhaps to allow for a greater contrast between itself and the other cars on the cover.

Contents

Upfront

• First Gear: The danger of door bars; the French mystery sports car; exclusive look at the next Porsche 911; TV out-takes; Bore of Britain; and much more.
• First Steer: Wild 165mph Viper coupe; weird semi-automatic BMW Alpina; wicked Prowler; well hard Mustang Mach III; plus the Fiat Punto, Volvo 850 Turbo and 400 and the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet.
• Steering Columns: Hello, good evening and welcome to Top Gear from Jeremy Clarkson.
• True confessions of a second-hand car dealer: Quentin Willson.
• Me and Mansell, or how I learnt to spell Fittipaldi, by Tiff Needell.
• Guest columnist Sir Clive Sinclair on electricity and bright sparks.
• RAC Advice: What? Who? Why? How? Where? Any questions, technical, legal or financial, answered by the RAC's experts.
• Write Turns: Your chance to prove that you can write as well as read. Let us know what you think about cars, motoring, and Top Gear - good, bad, or indifferent.

Showroom

• Big Fight: Six Superminis: A new kind of six-car test finds out which of half-a-dozen little hatchbacks best combines being capable with being cute.
• Kewet El-Jet 3 Electric car: Electric cars - future or fad? And what's it really like to live with one? Nik Berg spent a whole week with a volts wagon.
• War Games: TVR's awesome Griffith 500 takes on sports cars from France, Germany, Japan and America. Over the top, lads...
• Trans-Europe Expresses: Saab's new 900, the latest Mercedes C-Class and a top-spec Rover 600 take the ultimate business test; driving across the Continent to a meeting in Hamburg.

Competition

• Win Clarkson's Cosworth: Jeremy is not pleased. We've convinced him to give away his prized Escort Cosworth. Could you win it?

High Octane

• Bryan Adams: His last album sold 10 million. He drives... a Land Rover? Andy Wilman tells all.
• Power To The People: America has the JD Power index to tell buyers how good cars really are. Why don't we? Join our campaign.
• Smash & Grab: Inside the criminal world of stereo theft. Andy Wilman investigates.
• Boring, It Ain't: Isn't motorsport all bobble hats and stopwatches? Not this. Touring car racing is frantic fun, says Jeremy Clarkson.
• An Airbag Saved My Life: Airbags aren't a gimmick. Andy Wilman met a man who proved it in a 75mph crash.
• High Style, Low Bids: Beautiful classics for tiny sums - why not try an auction? By Quentin Willson.
• In Suspense: Two motorbikes with funny front ends but serious price tags. Pat Devereux rides the latest from BMW and Yamaha.
• Gearbox: All the best in auto accessories and add-ons tracked down by Nat Barnes.
• Rear View: The big picture, worth a thousand words.

Database

• Quentin Willson's Good Used Car Guide: Our man in the trade - and in the know - tells all about the best second-hand cars you can buy in Britain.
• Used News: Quentin Willson on used ups and downs.
• Out Of The Shadows: Cars that are capable, likeable, but unjustly neglected - and cheap.
• Expert Eye: Check out a used car like the experts do.
• Used Car Listings: Prices for all the major models, plus Quentin Willson's pick of best buys.
• New Car Listings: Every new car analysed and annotated.
• Our Top Cars: The ones we like and why.
• Manufacturers Directory: Contact names and numbers, A to Z.