In this age of digital media abundance, with hungry readers gobbling up every stitch of information they can on a given topic, the market for information on everything seems flooded. Just Google whatever it is and it's likely you'll find articles innumerable written on it. With this deluge of information it's not hard to imagine what kind of impression a publication or a blogger must make to really stand out. In this humble writer's opinion that's just what Petrolicious has done.


I take in as much automotive information as I can. I try to stay as current as possible on what's happening within the automotive community and what those who contribute to it are offering. This translates into watching a ton of YouTube channels, reading stacks of magazines, and following automotive news online. When you take in this much media on a topic one begins to establish a yard stick to measure what's good within a given genre.

Petrolicious is a standout among other automotive media sources. They blend high quality photos with compelling content to deliver a consistently fantastic product to their readership. The pursuit of quality within their writing as well as their photography is apparent in every article. The word that comes to mind is classy.

With each new video posted on their YouTube channel their audience is reminded of what good automotive journalism is. The creators get out of the way of their audience so the subject may shine through. The high-quality video and graphics convey a the sense that you're watching a professional product. There is elegance in the format of the videos. They have me classically trained. Each time I click on a new video and hear the high-rev exhaust note of a car passing by at speed I start drooling like one of Pavlov's pups because I know I'm in for a treat.

The videos are comprised of gorgeous visuals combined with excellent stories about interesting cars told by their owners. I'm sure the decision not to have a host on their channel was a conscious one. The videos are all about the car, the owner, and the relationship between them. If you have any interest in exciting, rare automobiles do yourself a favor and subscribe to them on YouTube. 

Petrolicious puts out excellent written material too which keeps in line with the clean and classy theme that runs through all of their work. They've opened up a space for owners who wish to share their car story to do so. Under the reader submissions section of their main site you won't find piddly little attempts at involving their audience with tiny, grainy pictures like the ones found many print magazines. No, here you'll find multiple professional looking images next to compelling stories told by the car's owner. It's the perfect balance to their videos.

Allowing car guys, and car girls, to tell the stories of their automobile in their own words is a refreshing refrain from other programs where the message is muddled by a host. The cars and their owners are allowed to speak for themselves without competing with another personality whose job it is to convey witticisms and commentary. I don't always need this oftentimes half-cocked wisdom. Show me the car, let me hear the story from the owner who by default has expertise, and let me suss it out. Thanks Petrolicious for the great work you're doing. Stay classy!

Citation:

Petrolicious Productions. “The Ferrari 330 P4 is One Sexy Beast.”  YouTube, 15 Jul. 2013 Web. 29 Aug. 2014 

Petrolicious Productions. “Fiat 500: Speed of Sunshine.”  YouTube, 30 Apr. 2013 Web. 29 Aug. 2014 

Shank, Larry. (2014). Willys Jeep Carries Family Through Sixty Years of Desert Adventure. Petrolicious Productions. Retrieved from http://www.petrolicious.com/willy-s-jeep-carries-family-through-sixty-years-of-desert-adventure

Satuday was the Memories Car Show and Cruise night at Yesterday's Diner in Bridgeport, Texas. There was good food, good people and plenty of gorgeous rides.

This radical '26 T was on hand complete with friendly owner.

Burt Reynolds wasn't there but his the Bandit's ride was.

The folks who run Fearaphobia were there with their tricked out hearse. 

There were a handful of really righteous muscle cars like this 1970 AMX.

This killer 'Cuda was packing a modern Hemi under the hood and was clean inside and out.

Not many cars look meaner than a black '68 Charger. This one sported tasteful upgrades.

This '59 Ford Galaxy 500 was flawless. I didn't get a picture but the trunk that convertible top folds back into was immense.

This clean '56 still had it's original six pot under the hood. They did church it up though with the Fenton dual carb intake. Also not the polished top tank on the radiator and the aftermarket exhaust manifold.