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| Founder and Owner | Richard Porter |
|---|---|
| Categories | Motoring satire, Motorsport |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Online |
| First issue | August 2001 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.sniffpetrol.com |
Sniff Petrol is a motoring satire online magazine [1], first published in 2001 [2], although it purports to be over 100 years old[3]. It is published online on an approximately monthly basis and is free of charge.
Regular features
edit- Not advertisements - Spoof car adverts which are usually based on a current campaign but subtly modified. Was frequently directed at MG Rover before their demise.
- The Schumachers - A running gag at the end of every issue since August 2004 [4], it features a picture of Michael Schumacher seemingly snarling at his brother Ralf, along with a suitably current satirical caption and frequently a photoshopped hat to match the latest sponsors/activities of the pair [5]
- Troy Queef - Writes the column "Troy drives..." where Troy reviews and ludicrously hypes up a mediocre, slow and cheap car. Always signs off with the line "the car was a bitch. And I spanked it". Is said to work for "dab-of-oppo" magazine. Has only driven one car in excess 1.8 litres, which he crashed [6]
- Crazy Dave Coulthard - Speaks in a mixture of Scottish and urban slang; firstly mentions Red Bull, then muses on his F1 exploits, usually before plugging a questionable product which bares his name.
- Carcoat Damphands - A used car salesman who is supposedly there to give insider information on the used car market. Actually sprouts whimsical nonsense, punctuated by the word "minty".
Campaigning
editSniff Petrol has run several multi-issue campaigns throughout its history:
- Stop the cock - which aimed to remove James Allen from televised F1 coverage [7] Martin Brundle and Steve Ryder were photographed with people wearing "stop the cock" t-shirts
- Moped (and scooter) campaign - which supported "rid[ding] the world of this sub-250cc menace" [8]
- Car designer face hair removal - attempting to convince car designers to remove any facial hair they probably sported [9]. Met with some success when Peter Stevens, then lead designer at MG Rover, shaved his moustache in response to the campaign [10]
Sniff Petrol launched on Twitter in April 2009 [11]> It covers much the same content as the magazine, with the addition of death-defying mini-cab rides. Sniff Petrol's twitter feed came 17th in the Shorty Humour Awards [12] and came first place in the "Sweaty Grunting" category [13].
Readership and media attention
editSniff Petrol is best known for its spoof car adverts, "Not Advertisements" which have frequently circulated the internet in e-mails and on various websites. Sniff Petrol's spoof adverts have even featured in BBC's Top Gear [14][15].
Some of Sniff Petrol's content has been published, for example, their MG Rover series of spoof advertisements were turned in to a charity calendar [16]
The magazine has also been mentioned in national newspapers such as the Irish Times[17] and Britain's The Times[18].
The Author
editRichard Porter, who uses pseudonym "Sniff" throughout the magazine, is script editor for BBC's Top Gear [19] and has also written for Top Gear Magazine and Evo. Well-known in the UK motoring press, he's also a regular on the Gareth Jones on Speed podcast [20]. Porter has also authored or co-authored several motoring books [21][22], frequently with Giles Chapman [23] [24].
Other contributors write for the magazine from time to time, notably including celebrities such as Top Gear's James May [25]
References
edit- ^ http://www.interconnectit.com/241/sniff-petrol-case-study/ InterconnectIT (2009) Sniff Petrol Case Study
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue001.html
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue026.html
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue053.html
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/latenews0611_02.jpg
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2009/12/21/troy-tests-7/
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/AllenCampaign02.gif
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign.jpg
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_05.gif
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_04.gif
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2009/04/14/571/
- ^ http://shortyawards.com/category/humor
- ^ http://shortyawards.com/category/sweatygrunting
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2007/10/08/depressed-hamilton-stops-for-petrol-on-way-home/
- ^ Top Gear (2007) BBC, Series 10, Episode 2, News segment, 18m 47s
- ^ http://www.carpages.co.uk/mg_rover/mg-rover-charity-calendar-07-01-06.asp
- ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2004/1020/1097847303539.html The Irish Times, Wednesday, 20 October, 2004, Motors, 'From Beetle to Roller - an eccentric survey of crap cars'
- ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article1394750.ece?print=yes&randnum=1151003209000 The Sunday Times, 18 February, 2007, 'Mini Cooper S'
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/bbcworldwide/worldwidestories/pressreleases/2004/08_august/crap_cars.shtml BBC Worldwide Press Office (2004) Crap Cars - by Richard Porter
- ^ http://www.garethjones.tv/speedrss.xml
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/crapcars_plug02b.gif
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2008/12/18/please-buy-something-sniff-petrol-has-written/
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dad-Wished-Had-One-Those/dp/0340963247/ref=pd_sim_b_4
- ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Top-Gear-Dad-Had-Those/dp/0563539194/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1266898025&sr=1-1
- ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue075.html
