Automobile Quarterly launched in the spring of 1962 as a hardbound, advertising-free periodical publication dedicated entirely to collectible cars, motoring personalities, and rich automotive heritage. Founder and first editor L. Scott Bailey envisioned the publication famously as a cross between The New Yorker and Encyclopædia Britannica in the world of auto mania, operating out of New York City before expanding its publishing footprint to Kutztown, Pennsylvania.
The publication earned international acclaim for its exceptional writing quality and stunning photography, distinguishing itself from standard newsstand car magazines. Featuring the subtitle "The Connoisseur's Magazine of Motoring Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow," the periodical meticulously documented automotive design milestones and engineering marvels without the interruption of commercial advertisements.
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SubscribeOver the decades, ownership shifted through several corporate hands, beginning when CBS Magazines purchased the asset in 1986 following Bailey's retirement to the English Cotswolds. The publication later passed to Kutztown Publishing in 1988 before finding its final corporate home in October 2000 under Automobile Heritage Publishing and Communications in New Albany, Indiana.
The golden era of the hardbound magazine eventually concluded in 2012 with the release of Volume 52, Issue 1, marking the final chapter under the stewardship of final editor Kaye Bowles Durnell. Following the cessation of publication, the comprehensive collection was preserved and later donated in late 2018 to America's Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio, ensuring future generations can access digitized samples of automotive history.
Preserving a Half Century of Motoring History
The legacy of the publication lives on through dedicated archiving efforts led by America's Packard Museum in Dayton, Ohio, which received the complete collection from final editor Kaye Bowles Durnell. Museum staff have worked diligently to digitize samples from the expansive collection, making historical articles and photographs accessible through their Omeka online platform.
Automobile enthusiasts, researchers, and historians continue to reference these vintage volumes for deep-dive profiles on classic marques, coachbuilders, and industry pioneers. The enduring appeal of the hardbound journal demonstrates the timeless value of exhaustive automotive journalism and uncompromising photographic standards.
Scholars of print media often study the publication as a unique business model that sustained high production values without relying on advertising revenue for half a century. Its distinctive hardcover format ensured that each quarterly issue was treated as a permanent library book rather than a disposable magazine.
From its inception in New York offices to its final days in Indiana, the publication defined an elite tier of automotive publishing that celebrated cars as rolling works of art. The comprehensive archive preserved in Dayton remains a monumental tribute to L. Scott Bailey's visionary approach to motoring journalism.