Hello again, all you classic Volvo fans. Much has happened since last issue and, well, I thought we'd be back with a new one long before this. In the last year, the appearance of new issues of this web-zine has gone from late to sporadic, and there's been some concern about VClassics "dying a slow death."

Not so. My enthusiasm for old Volvos and for publishing stuff about them remains undiminished. I almost have enough time and energy to pull it off, but there's none left over. When other obligations intervene, and we all have jobs, families, friends, and extracurricular activities that cannot be dispensed with, working on the magazine is sometimes the only thing that can be deferred. We've simply had a string of such events this year.

For this issue, the Archive has been reformatted and updated. A new Photo Gallery is in the works, but not ready yet, sorry. The Classifieds New Ads section is not new to this issue, although many of the ads are. We'll have another purge of obsolete ads by the end of the year.

As for the print edition, which people pay money for and therefore must take priority, we've also been embarrassingly tardy. Our production process now runs smoothly and I have no one to blame but myself. I have a possible solution to all this -- I am considering changing my work schedule into four-day weeks, leaving Wednesdays devoted to VClassics business. Trying to do it all on weekends simply isn't working reliably. I have not made a final decision about that yet, but I'm liking the idea so far.

On to other business...

I've got two Volvo projects in the works. First, our 122S has entered re-restoration at the capable hands of Shayne Green (with un-clubbers chipping in). Shayne has not only gotten his 122 wagon (this issue's cover car) into prize-winning shape, but he's also completed a dandy sedan for his wife Sarah. Bob Moreno at The Works will do the fine bodywork and paint. The project is not to remanufacture the car completely (although we will have a final installment on Bob's amazing rebuild of Carolyn's Amazon soon), but rather to produce a strong, comfortable, and good-looking daily driver on a sensible budget. We'll document every step of this, of course.

The second project is to build a street performance motor for our 1800S. After a series of "How Not To" experiences, I'm ready to do one right -- not the only way, mind you, but one good way. I have a complete '74 B20F core in the garage, and have pretty well decided on components and suppliers. I'll do the work with the help of a local machine shop as before, but this time, I've got guidance from Those Who Know (really!). We'll also document everything about this project in future issues.

Lee "VolvoGirl" Holman is well along in a project of her own: building a new shop at Amazon Acres, her home in Maine, where she will be taking in paying work repairing and providing Common Sense Car Care for Volvos. We've given her a break from this issue, understandably -- but you can follow the shops progress on Lee's own web site, www.volvogirl.com. Lee is very much part of the VClassics crew, and we'll feature more of her writing here soon.

David A. Hueppchen (OJ Rallye) is focusing on writing for our print edition, as we try to provide less and less duplicate content between the two versions of the magazine. I had hoped to use a new process to publish the print edition in color, but that's not going to work, I'm sad to say. It will remain in black and white for the foreseeable future, but it also remains the most content-rich publication about Volvos anywhere, to the best of my knowledge. As Brooks Townes says, "It ain't braggin' if you really done it."

So, late we might be -- and we may not always be able to do six full issues of the web version a year, although that's still the goal -- but we're not quitting. Let's see if 2001 doesn't run a little more smoothly.

Until next time, then, I wish everyone a festive holiday season, and all the best for the new year. Drive happy; drive safe!

Phil, editor@vclassics.com