Seasoned journalist and media specialist Steve Smith is to step into the editorial driver’s seat of CAR. He joins SA’s leading men’s interest title on 18 June, becoming only the eighth editor in the automotive brand’s 56-year history.
Currently editor of The Red Bulletin, Smith was also at the editorial helm of SA Sports Illustrated for five years. As a motoring journalist he contributed to a wide range of publications, including Cosmopolitan’s Women on Wheels supplement, which he edited in 2012.
He has also made a name for himself on the bookshelves in recent years, having co-authored the bestselling autobiographies of Herschelle Gibbs and Sarel van der Merwe.
Smith’s broad range of experience includes marketing and publishing – and an in-depth knowledge of the digital world. He was motoring writer, managing editor and subsequently editor-in-chief of website portal Tiscali World Online, while the SA Sports Illustrated website saw significant growth during his tenure.
CAR publisher Neil Piper said he was very excited to have a specialist editor of Smith’s calibre join the team.
“Steve brings a distinctive set of skills to the position – a passion for motoring coupled with knowledge of the broader motoring industry, considerable editorial and specialist multiplatform knowledge, and experience in leading large teams. I look forward to working with him to enhance our activities on all platforms, maximise consumer engagement and deliver great content.”
A self-confessed life-long motoring enthusiast, Smith said he was “keenly anticipating” the challenges of his new job.
“From as early as I can remember, cars have been imbedded in my psyche. Starting with my father’s old Alfas, through to the classics I’ve owned as an adult, they have featured large in my life. As a journalist, I’ve driven every new car I could get my hands on and jumped at every opportunity to write about them. CAR magazine has been with me on that journey. I started reading it in my teens and it not only fed my appetite for all things automotive, it also seeded the notion of a career in journalism. Imagine then being given the opportunity to be the editor of this iconic magazine!”