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User:Ckyliu/Sniff Petrol

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Sniff Petrol
Founder and OwnerRichard Porter
CategoriesMotoring satire, Motorsport
FrequencyMonthly
PublisherOnline
First issueAugust 2001
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.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

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  • 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

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Sniff 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]

Twitter

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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

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Sniff 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

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Richard 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

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  1. ^ http://www.interconnectit.com/241/sniff-petrol-case-study/ InterconnectIT (2009) Sniff Petrol Case Study
  2. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue001.html
  3. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue026.html
  4. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue053.html
  5. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/latenews0611_02.jpg
  6. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2009/12/21/troy-tests-7/
  7. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/AllenCampaign02.gif
  8. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign.jpg
  9. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_05.gif
  10. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_04.gif
  11. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2009/04/14/571/
  12. ^ http://shortyawards.com/category/humor
  13. ^ http://shortyawards.com/category/sweatygrunting
  14. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2007/10/08/depressed-hamilton-stops-for-petrol-on-way-home/
  15. ^ Top Gear (2007) BBC, Series 10, Episode 2, News segment, 18m 47s
  16. ^ http://www.carpages.co.uk/mg_rover/mg-rover-charity-calendar-07-01-06.asp
  17. ^ 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'
  18. ^ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article1394750.ece?print=yes&randnum=1151003209000 The Sunday Times, 18 February, 2007, 'Mini Cooper S'
  19. ^ 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
  20. ^ http://www.garethjones.tv/speedrss.xml
  21. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/crapcars_plug02b.gif
  22. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/2008/12/18/please-buy-something-sniff-petrol-has-written/
  23. ^ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dad-Wished-Had-One-Those/dp/0340963247/ref=pd_sim_b_4
  24. ^ 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
  25. ^ http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue075.html
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