For nearly two decades Pete Stout has been the ‘voice on Porsche’ to enthusiasts around the globe. First as the Editor-in-Chief of Excellence magazine and then, for the last three and half years, as the man responsible for the rebirth of the Porsche Club of America’s Porsche Panorama magazine. Last July, when Pete quietly resigned his role at the PCA, many of you were left with a lot of unanswered questions. Perhaps, the questions we heard most often were, “Where will he go?” and “What’s next?” Besides a story on the latest 911 Turbo here at FLATSIXES.com, and a sporadic forum presence, to most people it looked like he disappeared. Today we can tell you why.
Introducing 000 magazine – An Exclusive Journey Into The Storied Porsche Marque
Pete spent the last 4-months working alongside business partner, editor/writer Alexander Palevsky, and with the help of art director Justin Page and creative advisor Jeff Zwart, creating 000 Magazine – a limited-run collectible quarterly print publication. Pete says 000, which is spoken as ‘Triple Zero,’ is a reference to three-digit Porsche model numerology and a promise to explore the marque from its origins forward. Billed as a premium and collectible quarterly journal geared toward Porsche enthusiasts, 000 promises to provide exclusive background insight into the marque.
When it comes to a premium media experience, print is unsurpassed,” says Stout. “We’re curious to see how far we can push that experience—and wanted to build a magazine with more pages you care about, and fewer you don’t…a magazine people really want to curl up with, keep for future reference, and display.”
This is the magazine I’ve always wanted to make,” explains Stout. “It’s a hefty book of a magazine with more than 200 pages in every issue, all thoroughly researched, carefully curated and beautifully presented. Our in-depth feature stories can run 20 to 40 pages—or more—and are complemented by unexpected, thought-provoking departments.”
6 Reasons to Subscribe to 000 Magazine
#1 & #2 Content and Contributors
Pete told us that extremely limited advertising will keep a firm emphasis on independent editorial content, and a lot of it. Behind-the-scenes experiences will be drawn from expert writers and Porsche connoisseurs such as Randy Leffingwell, Jeff Zwart, Patrick Long, Kerry Morse, Alexander Palevsky, Helmut Werb and many more.
“We’ve also sent the best photographers into unusual locations,” says Stout. “Think Jeff Zwart in the urban renewal of Hamburg, Camden Thrasher hunting a 911R in the redwoods, and Linhbergh Nguyen shooting an ex-Le Mans 924 Carrera GTP in Chinatown and L.A. Live…at night.”
#3. Collectibility
000 Magazine offers enthusiasts a physical touch point to be cherished and displayed unlike anything else on the market. The magazine won’t be sold on newsstands, nor will back issues be available—an approach Stout hopes will leave tastemakers wanting even more.
#4. Construction/Format
000 Magazine is focused on value rather than price, and is built to be a keepsake in and of itself. The magazine is sized 9×12 and rendered on extra-thick interior paper. Its card-thick, ‘suede-finish’ cover features an embossed and foiled logo.
#5. Pete Stout at the Helm
Pete’s resume speaks for itself, but it’s more than that. Pete has been a mentor and advisor to us here at FLATSIXES.com since the very beginning and we’re honored to call him a friend and colleague. If you haven’t had a chance to meet Pete at a Porsche event, you should make it a point to do so in the future. Not only is he a fount of knowledge about our favorite marque he’s a genuinely good person.
#6 Jeff Zwart as Creative Advisor
Porsche fans everywhere know Jeff Zwart for his accomplishments both behind the wheel and behind the lens. We reached out to Jeff and asked him about his role at 000 and working with Pete. Jeff had this to say, “I enjoy working with Pete and enjoy developing things from the creative side. I would suppose that my role would be something like ‘creative consultant’ if there actually was a title. My goal is to see that a compelling idea like 000 has the chance to take the form of ‘reality,’ and naturally the creative and art side takes a focused position for me.”
When we asked Jeff what he thought makes 000 special he told us, “Few people not only live the brand but actually experience the brand like Pete Stout. Each time he has been involved in a publication it has brought something that has established a new benchmark for the audience involved.”
Compelling words from someone as accomplished as Jeff!
The First Issue Won’t Be Issue #1
The first issue, with anticipated arrival for Christmas 2016, will be Issue 000. While new magazines commonly create a prototype issue for internal use, Stout plans ‘Issue 000’ to be a limited-run pre-series of sorts that can be shared with friends and early subscribers. As is only appropriate for a prototype issue, its subject matter is Porsche prototypes.
“It seemed fitting to make Issue 000 about prototypes and ‘idea’ cars, which allowed us to work out our visual and editorial concepts while considering every era of Porsche,” explains Stout. “So we planned a feature story on 1939’s Type 64—the real root of the 356 concept as well as the ‘Porsche face’— followed by in-depth articles on the best of the surviving 911R prototypes, the pair of eight-cylinder 914s built by the factory, the 924 Carrera GTPs that went to Le Mans in 1980, the one-off Carrera 3.2 Club Sport prototype, the pivotal 1993 Boxster Concept car, and more than 1,000 miles in a pre-series 918 Spyder along the northern coast of California.”
‘Subscription S’ Even More Exclusive
The $250 annual subscription buys four soft-cover issues of 000 Magazine with more than 200 pages each, delivered in protective mailers. For customers seeking even greater exclusivity, a ‘Subscription S’ limited to 999 subscribers worldwide is offered at $999. While the interior pages remain the same, each hardcover (that’s right, hardcover) Subscription S edition will carry a uniquely individualized subscription number. An exclusive Subscription S slipcase made from premium materials will arrive in time for Christmas each year, and Stout says there are longer term plans for Subscription S customers.
How to Subscribe
Both the standard subscription (if you can even call it that) and ‘Subscription S’ allocations are available online at http://www.000magazine.com/subscribe
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View Comments (23)
$250 for the Base model, and $999 for the 'S' version? Is today April 1? Why do I feel like I'm being trolled....?
Hey, Thomas,
Nope, not being trolled. Other than being friends with Pete, we have no association with his new venture. With that said, we think it's an excellent idea and the response so far has been pretty overwhelming. In other words, it's not for everyone. For those that "get it", they jump right in. For those that don't, which is just fine, their response is similar to yours.
Personally, I think the only place where Pete went wrong is using the term "magazine". In actuality, this is a high-end quarterly publication that will be similar to receiving a well researched and exceptionally well written book each and every quarter. It's not meant to be for the mass market and my guess is that it will do very well within the niche it targets.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment. It's always appreciated.
As I read the website and additional details, I'll likely be in for the 'Base' subscription, though I doubt I'll call it a magazine either.
But, I still think he hired someone from the Porsche marketing department that came up with the 'S' model, for four times the price. I hope it comes with leather vent slats, and an LED lighting package to read by! :)
Fortunately, didn't need to pay a dime to Porsche's marketing department. :-)
As for that S, some details are emerging...including a metal VIN plate stamped with the individual subscriber's number on the cover along with some other surprises.
I'm in for a subscription. Pete did great work with Excellence and Pano. Now that he has even more control of the end product, I'll really look forward to the 1st issue..
Site won't take my CC.
Did you contact them?
Will there be more than 4 issues? In other words, is this publication expected to continue for more than just one year? There's no denying that the depth of Porsche knowledge behind this publication is immense, but what is the life expectancy projection, at least according to the organizers?
Hi, Lee,
That is definitely the intent. Any start-up has risks, but our understanding is the response has been very positive. I'm sure Pete has a strong business plan and knows what numbers (subscription wise) he needs to achieve for this to be sustainable. Unless something strange happens I would expect 000 Magazine to be around for a while.
Totally fair question. I didn't choose to leave Panorama lightly; this is what I want to be doing, and a lot of thought went into the business plan. While there's no telling what the future hold, our plan is to do 000 for 10 years with some thoughts about another 10 or even 20 after that. We'll see. I'm 43 now, and "30" has some symmetry with the book's name...
Do you know if the protective mailers will prevent folding? The local mail delivery person insists on violently folding every single magazine I receive, even thicker ones like Panorama and Christophorus. This despite the fact that the mailbox is quite large enough to take any magazine without folding.
Politely speaking to him seems to have done no good; he now folds them even more violently. I'm not going to spend $250 to receive creased and manhandled magazines. For that price, is there any chance they'd use UPS or other private courier?
"The Rodders Journal" which is a high quality hot rod magazine is shipped in a cardboard sleeve that is very effective in preventing shipping/handling damage.
We went a bit overboard on the mailer, as I hate damaged spines from anything other than reader usage.
The box 000 is shipped in costs more than some magazines cost to print…
After entering my email address and name the prompts ended. No place to pay.
Alan
Very excited for Pete, et al, with the new venture. I have no doubt the this will be a welcome addition to the Wonderful World of Porsche.
Hello all! Thanks for your interest, and thanks to PepperGirl for the story!!
For those who have had or are having problems on the site with signing up, please reach out via the "Contact" page on the site. We've had a few come to us with issues, but in a few cases these were ancient (not merely old) browsers—and the problem could be resolved. We've also had heavy traffic, but the site is on a platform that should be able to deal with it. In any event, we appreciate your interest and are here to help!
000 Magazine
I'm In! As an ex-magazine editor myself, I truly appreciate what Pete did for Panorama, and I look forward to seeing what he can do when really turned loose.
My copy of 000 showed up a few weeks ago, excellent photos and articles. The amount of detail put into some of those articles and stories made me a fan and admirer of vehicles I never thought twice about before. (one such car is the 924 Carrera GTPs, I want one badly now!)
I do hope there will be a more in depth article about the Indy engine, that block was such a tease!