Guild Member Profile – Chris Rees
Chris becomes the latest to contribute to our initiative to help with member recognition and making introductions easier at industry events, by revealing a bit more about members than can be gleaned from their Year Book entry. We would welcome further entries – simply pen your answers to the questions below and send with a suitable landscape-shaped photo to the editorial office.
Name and job title: Chris Rees – Editor of Auto Italia and Motors Editor of The Ferrari Magazine.
How did you get started in automotive journalism? I got chatting to a publisher at a car show when I was just 18, and he suggested I write for one of his titles, Alternative Cars. I wrote a piece that, to my surprise, got published. That led to summer university break work at the magazine and the eventual offer of a job post-uni.
What’s been your most memorable car review or feature piece? Probably my first ever car launch (Citroën AX GT) but otherwise driving the Maserati Levante Trofeo through the Arabian desert – unforgettable.
Which motoring story or investigation are you most proud of? Probably my motoring books, such as Magnificent Seven (the story of the Lotus/Caterham Seven), because so much original research is required. Book authorship makes you more aware of how important it is to go to original sources for authentic stories and information that readers can rely on.
How has motoring journalism changed since you started? The delivery and telling of stories has drastically changed for most journalists, who must now be social media commentators, online news hounds and often videographers, too, as well as journalists in the traditional sense. When I started, I wrote all my stories by hand and passed them on to a typist.
What was the first car or motorcycle you ever owned? A Bond Bug three-wheeler which I drove every day to sixth form college. Then I sold it because it tried to kill me.
Do you have a dream car or other vehicle you’d love to own or drive? Alfa Romeo 33 Stradale. I’ve sat in the Alfa Museum’s 1967 example but never had the chance to drive one. It’s my number one car in the world: unsurpassed beauty, motorsport underpinnings and ultra-rare.
What’s the best road trip you’ve ever been on? Last year’s drive in my Triking Moto Guzzi trike from the UK to the southern tip of Sardinia and back was exhilarating and exhausting in equal measure. Every minor disaster – and they inevitably happen – gives you a story to tell.
Which motoring event do you always look forward to? Our very own Auto Italia Italian Car Day at Brooklands in May – it always delivers surprises.
What’s the biggest challenge facing automotive writers today? Getting a foot in the door. Don’t be afraid to knock on as many doors as you can, and roll with the inevitable rejections.
Where do you see the future of automotive journalism heading? ‘Content creation’ is superseding pure journalism but I hope there will always be a place for good writing.
How do you think vehicle manufacturers could improve their media engagement? Keeping in contact with journalists of all varieties is important – print, channels, influencers.
What’s the strangest or funniest thing that’s ever happened on a car launch? Being ‘treated’ to a town crier at every turn on a launch; throughout the day, he rang his bell and bellowed bellicosely in our ears. Still no idea why.
If you could swap jobs with someone in the industry for a day, who would it be? Head of car design at Ferrari. Not that I can sketch to save my life.
What’s your go-to driving music or podcast? Robert Fripp & Brian Eno’s Evening Star.
