Max Power Magazine July 1997 Renault 5 R5 Turbo 50th Issue Sam Coles SKU 1540

Original Max Power Magazine – July 1997, a particularly interesting Special Collector’s Issue from the early era of the UK modified-car scene.

Full date: July 1997
Original UK price: £2.95
SKU: 1540

This is a strong period issue for collectors of 1990s Max Power, modified cars, Renault performance models, early UK tuning culture and retro car magazines.

The magazine is packed with modified-car features, ICE/audio coverage, reader cars, cruising, technical material and classic Max Power lifestyle content.

Main Cover Car – Renault 5 / R5 Turbo

The cover is dominated by a heavily modified Renault 5, presented under the large “GIMME 5” headline and promoted as an “ICE Cool 140dB R5 Turbo.”

Inside, the cover feature gives a much clearer look at the car and highlights some of its period modifications, including:

• Bright blue bodywork
• Twin 4-inch tailpipes
• Large 17-inch wheels
• Extensive ICE / in-car entertainment installation
• Lowered modified stance
• Smoothed/custom styling
• Large wheels filling the arches
• Period show-car presentation

The internal feature identifies the car as part of the magazine’s cover story and is a great snapshot of the extreme styling trends that defined the UK scene in the late 1990s.

Special 50th Issue / Top 50 Feature

This issue is marked as a Special Collector’s Issue and celebrates a major Max Power milestone.

The front cover advertises:

“Top 50 Cover Car Frenzy”

Inside, the contents refer to “The Max Top 50”, celebrating the magazine’s history and looking back at notable cover cars from its first 50 issues.

That makes this issue especially appealing to collectors interested in the history of Max Power itself, rather than just one individual feature car.

Other Featured Cars

The contents pages show a very broad selection of late-1990s modified cars, including:

• Vauxhall Corsa 2.0 16V
• Peugeot 205 Cabrio
• Renault 5 / R5 Turbo
• BMW Compact
• Volkswagen Golf Mk3 Colour Concept
• Rover V8 4.6
• Golf GTI
• Calibra 2.0 16V
• Ford Fiesta RS Turbo van
• Several modified Vauxhall Novas
• ICE-equipped show cars
• Readers’ cars and club vehicles

There is also visible coverage of a yellow modified Ford and other period show cars, giving the issue a very broad cross-section of the UK tuning scene of 1997.

Max Tuning Power / Technical Content

The contents show plenty of practical and technical material including:

• Top Gear
• Performance information
• Buying guide material
• Power surgery / technical advice
• Tuner coverage
• Car club guide
• Project cars
• ICE mega guide
• ICE test
• Audio amplifiers
• Car entertainment equipment
• Reader cars

The magazine therefore has plenty of interest beyond the glamour/lifestyle sections and is a good reference piece for 1990s tuning equipment and trends.

Project Nova / Cruise & Scene Coverage

The cover advertises “Project Nova Lift Off”, while the contents show further Vauxhall Nova-related material and club/reader features.

There is also an Essential Max Tour Update, plus material covering cruises, readers’ cars and the broader UK modified-car community.

This is particularly useful for anyone collecting material relating to the original British cruise scene before the peak 2000s Max Power era.

Passenger Seat – Sam Coles

The photographs clearly show the magazine’s “Passenger Seat” feature.

This is a multi-page glamour/lifestyle feature featuring Sam Coles, photographed in a police-themed outfit inside a vehicle.

The feature includes large full-page photography together with a Max Power-style question-and-answer interview.

This is original editorial content from the magazine and is representative of the magazine’s late-1990s mixture of cars, humour, interviews and lifestyle material.

Condition

This is an original July 1997 magazine and is now close to 30 years old.

From the photographs provided, the condition appears used vintage / good for age, with visible age-related wear.

Noted from the images:

• Front cover remains bright and highly presentable
• Main cover artwork and text remain clear
• Visible wear along the spine
• Some rubbing and small areas of edge wear
• Corner wear is present
• Light surface marks and age-related handling wear
• Some minor creasing/curling consistent with storage and use
• Internal pages shown remain bright and readable
• Pages shown appear securely attached
• Back/spine area shows some rubbing and wear
• No major detached sections are visible in the supplied photographs
• No obvious major tears are visible in the photographed areas

Please inspect all supplied photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the condition description.

Important – Original Extras

Any posters, supplements, competitions, free gifts, promotional items, stickers, inserts or other loose items that may originally have been supplied with this magazine are no longer included unless they are clearly shown in the listing photographs.

This sale is for the magazine itself only.

Packaging

UK orders: Magazine will be sent securely in a hardback envelope.

International orders: Magazine will be sent in a cardboard mail-size box for additional protection during transit.

SKU: 1540