About Us
What It Is!
The McHenry County Vintage Car Gazette is a collaboration of automotive writers exploring the unique enthusiasm for old vehicles that exists in the McHenry County, Illinois area. That’s the formal way of saying that we have a thing about old vehicles and get a kick out of writing about them, so we started this blog. At its core, the McHenry County Vintage Car Gazette is a personal website rather than a commercial venture. Products and Sponsorships are offered merely to try to cover our considerable expenses for hosting, hardware, and fuel.
Who It’s For
Good or bad, the unique things about the McHenry County Vintage Car Gazette, besides the wonderfully hard-to-remember name, are that first, we use the global power of the Internet only to write to our core readership: old car enthusiasts in and around the McHenry County, Illinois area. Other websites better serve cars and events you will never see in person. Here, if you can’t get there and back in a day with plenty of time to spare, you probably won’t see it on this website. We want to show you regional vehicles and events that you can easily go see for yourself, and we want to motivate you to go see them firsthand.
Another difference is that we very seldom cover new vehicles. That’s far better covered elsewhere. We like the old stuff, from cars to trucks to motorcycles to tractors. We don’t specialize only in rat rods, or muscle cars, antique or collector cars. Is it old? We’ll probably like it, and you’ll probably see it here.
Posting Schedule
Our lead time from event to publication is 3-7 days, so except for the few story contributions that have been recycled from other publications, you can miss an event and see coverage about it just a few days later on our website.
We gots us two seasons here: the Event Season, and the Off Season. The Event Season runs from June-October, and the Off Season goes from November to May. The Event Season is much more active, since automotive events in this area start in May, actually. It’s not unusual to have to select between 4-6 events in one weekend. Posts are weekly or more often. Our Off Season is more laid back, a mix of one-car feature articles, the odd winter car event, opinion pieces, and oddball posts intended to inform and amuse. The Off Season is also when work takes place trying to develop new offerings that have been requested by readers. Posts then are biweekly, or more often.
Original Content
Over 90% of our content can’t be found anywhere else. The remainder are things like announcements of upcoming events which may also be found in other venues. But, our stories are exclusive to the Gazette. Our goal is to ensure that the McHenry County Vintage Car Gazette will be your preferred source for the best in exclusive old-vehicle stories and prompt event coverage.
Contributors
Feature Writer Fred Blumenthal, popular automotive writer and veteran speed freak, owns and shows one of the few vintage slingshot dragsters still in existence. Knowledgeable in just about everything automotive, he’s obsessed with car shows. Obsessed.
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Ag Writer Tom Jurs has a fixation on just about anything vintage. A man of many talents, his enthusiasm is contagious.
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Vintage Racing Writer George “Lotus George” Hovsepian is on the Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association Board of Directors, and enjoys helping people get informed and started in his favorite pastime. With a finger in every pie, he’s also closely associated with MIRPA, the Meadowdale International Raceway Preservation Association. If George says here that something is neat or fun, you can take it to the bank.
Editor and Chief Data Wrangler Doug Begley is a retired Industrial Designer. Doug obsesses over trivial design issues and things that were once cutting edge – not so good at a party. His only street cred for this gig is that is that he once owned lots of old cars before they turned into speculative investments, and at one time dabbled in autocross for several years with a ‘67 Camaro SS 350, trying to find ways to turn wheel hop, power steering lockup, worn gear sychronizers and severe understeer into competitive advantages. Other than that, having no professional background whatsoever in writing or photography (is this not obvious?), his interest in vehicle design theory is just about the only thing he has going for him. He “just likes old cars.” Pathetic.
What about you? If you have a yen to write something appropriate for the Gazette, either in an ongoing basis or a one-shot deal, contact Doug Begley using the Contact Page link above. Look at our website. We obviously have low standards, so what’s to worry?
It’s for you, Baby
We hope you enjoy our MC Vintage Car Gazette website. It’s for you. If there is something you’d like to share with everyone else in the area, something that other enthusiasts should know about, please let us know by using our Contact Page. If there is some additional type of content or focus that you would like to see us cover, then ditto!
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