{{Multiple issues| {{primary sources|date=February 2011}} {{advert|date=February 2011}} }} {{Use British English|date=January 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2017}} {{Infobox magazine | title = Sniff Petrol | image_file = | image_size = | image_alt = | image_caption = | editor = Richard Porter | editor_title = Founder and Owner | previous_editor = | staff_writer = | frequency = Inactive | unpaid_circulation = | category = Motoring [[satire]], [[Motorsport]] | company = | publisher = Online | firstdate = August 2001 | country = [[United Kingdom]] | based = | language = [[English language|English]] | website = [http://www.sniffpetrol.com www.sniffpetrol.com] | issn = }}
'''''Sniff Petrol''''' is an inactive online motoring [[satire]] magazine<ref>[http://www.interconnectit.com/241/sniff-petrol-case-study/ InterconnectIT (2009) Sniff Petrol Case Study]</ref> first published in 2001<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue001.html |title=Sniff Petrol Issue 1 |website=www.sniffpetrol.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020206110204/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue001.html |archive-date=2002-02-06}} </ref> on a weekly schedule.<ref>[http://www.interconnectit.com/241/sniff-petrol-case-study/ InterconnectIT (2009) Sniff Petrol Case Stud]</ref> Due to other commitments of the writers, the schedule was reduced<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alexa (2010) Site Info, sniffpetrol.com |url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/sniffpetrol.com?p=tgraph&r=home_home |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305035116/http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/sniffpetrol.com?p=tgraph&r=home_home |archive-date=5 March 2016 |access-date=7 February 2011}}</ref>—first to a monthly schedule, then to a regularly updated blog format. It received over ten thousand hits a day.<ref>[http://siteanalytics.compete.com/sniffpetrol.com/ Site Analytics (2010) Site Profile for sniffpetrol.com]</ref>
''Sniff Petrol'' articles comment on motoring and motorsport events (especially [[Formula One]]). Both fiction and non-fiction articles parody the styles of presentation and language used in various motoring fields. Parodies include motor manufacturer press releases, motoring magazine reviews, etc. The website ceased activity in 2022, but articles are still available [https://sniffpetrol.com online]. TopGear now has a dedicated [https://www.topgear.com/car-news/satire Satire] section on its website.
==Regular features==
Alongside satire directed at motoring, motorsport-related news, auto shows, and spiders, ''Sniff Petrol'' has several long-running features, including:
* '''[https://sniffpetrol.com/author/carcoat/ Carcoat Damphands]''' – A used car columnist who aims to give insider information on buying and selling cars. The writing uses a large number of fake motor trade [[colloquialisms]] and made-up [[rhyming slang]], which results in a column of incomprehensible whimsy. The author signs off every report with the word "minty." * '''[https://sniffpetrol.com/author/crazydave/ Crazy Dave]''' – A parody of the racing driver [[David Coulthard]], this feature began during the 2005 [[Formula One]] season. It was a satirical comparison between the public relations attitude of the [[McLaren]] F1 team, who Coulthard had driven for in 2004, and the [[Red Bull]] team, who he was driving for in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |date=May 2005 |title=Sniff Petrol issue 62 |url=https://sniffpetrol.com/archive/issue062.html |access-date=June 1, 2024 |website=Sniff Petrol}} </ref> :''Crazy Dave'' writes about [[Formula 1]] using a fake urban slang. He later switches to conventional English for the closing remark, which is used to unashamedly promote a product or television program with which the real life Coulthard is associated. * '''DriveL''' – The only regular non-satirical content of the site, these are car reviews authored by Richard Porter<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sniffpetrol.com/2015/02/27/a-week-with-a-vauxhall-corsa | title=A week with a Vauxhall Corsa | date=27 February 2015 }}</ref> and primarily written in a day-by-day format.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sniffpetrol.com/2015/02/27/a-week-with-a-vauxhall-corsa | title=A week with a Vauxhall Corsa | date=27 February 2015 }}</ref> Articles are usually titled "A week with a [car name]", though some reviews encompass a shorter time period.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sniffpetrol.com/2015/04/23/a-couple-of-hours-with-a-jaguar-xe/#.VWoeX6aNU7B | title=A couple of hours with a Jaguar XE | date=23 April 2015 }}</ref> * '''Not advertisements''' – Spoof car adverts, usually based on a current campaign but modified for humour. These "adverts" will generally prey upon the perceived attributes of the owners and drivers of the advertised car, or perceived flaws of the car or its manufacturer. [[MG Rover]] was a frequent target of these spoofs until the company's demise in 2005. The last one showed a BMW iX with the caption "The Ultimate Disgusting Machine". * '''The Schumachers''' – A running gag which began in August 2004 and appeared several times in following months,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue053.html |title=Sniff Petrol issue 53 |website=www.sniffpetrol.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041012204054/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/issue053.html |archive-date=2004-10-12}} </ref> it features a picture of [[Michael Schumacher]] appearing to snarl a cruel, topical remark at his brother [[Ralf Schumacher]], based upon the public view that younger brother Ralf was a lesser driver than Michael. The photograph has been Photoshopped several times during the life of this recurring joke to give the Schumacher brothers hats and clothes that reflect their current team or sponsors.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/latenews0611_02.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=7 February 2011 |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726103931/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/latenews0611_02.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> * '''Small Ads''' – Classified-style ads, generally spoofing recent Formula 1 activity. * '''Roy Lanchester''' – A former local newspaper journalist turned blogger, Lanchester typifies a breed of freeloading car writer more concerned with getting fed and plied with alcohol at someone else's expense than with reviewing a car or product, which he always does in a fawning and uncritical way, often resorting to copying and pasting the manufacturer's own words to fill space. Frequent references are made to his enormous alcohol intake, and tendency towards accidentally soiling or otherwise destroying press cars while drunk. * '''Troy Queef''' – A spoof columnist claimed to be the Executive Associate Editor-At-Large for ''Dab Of Oppo'' magazine. Queef uses an over-written, pretentious and self-aggrandising style inappropriate for the cheap, slow cars he reviews and signs off each column by claiming that the car in question was "a bitch" which he "spanked". Queef has only driven one car with an engine capacity in excess of 1.8 litres, which he crashed.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sniffpetrol.com/2009/12/21/troy-tests-7/ | title=A-rumble with palpable potency | date=21 December 2009 }}</ref> * '''Trentham Sleaves' Grand Prix Preview''' – A parody of [[Formula 1]] print journalists and their accounts of [[Grand Prix motor racing|Grand Prix]] weekends, which are often perceived as being overly romantic, self-indulgent, and clichéd. He frequently mentions his "casual" encounters with people such as "my old mate [[Alain Prost]]," and "a certain [[Mika Häkkinen|1998/1999 World Champion]]", and misinterprets their open disdain for him as jovial banter.<ref>{{cite web|title=2015 Abu Dhabi GP preview|url=https://sniffpetrol.com/2015/11/27/2015-abu-dhabi-gp-preview/|website=Sniff Petrol|date=27 November 2015 |accessdate=1 January 2016}}</ref> He often eats alone at "a charming little Italian off the beaten track, the name of which discretion prevents me from mentioning,"<ref>{{cite web|title=2015 Belgian GP preview|url=https://sniffpetrol.com/2015/08/21/2015-belgian-gp-preview/|website=Sniff Petrol|date=21 August 2015 |accessdate=1 January 2016}}</ref> and closes reports by predicting, in turn, that every single competing team may win on Sunday, signing off by reminding the reader that he will be enjoying every moment, "Because remember, I’m here and you’re not." ==Campaigning== ''Sniff Petrol'' has run several satirical campaigns since its inception. These have included * '''Car Designer Face Hair Removal''' – An unusual campaign which offered money to car designers if they shaved off their existing beard or moustache.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_05.gif |title=Archived copy |access-date=7 February 2011 |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726104012/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_05.gif |url-status=dead }}</ref> Met with some success when [[Peter Stevens (car designer)|Peter Stevens]], then lead designer at [[MG Rover]], shaved off his moustache in return for a donation to charity.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_04.gif |title=Archived copy |access-date=7 February 2011 |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726104026/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Offer_CarDes_04.gif |url-status=dead }}</ref> * '''Jordan Sponsorship Offer''' – A short-lived campaign in which the [[Jordan Grand Prix|Jordan F1]] team was offered £20 to write Sniff Petrol on the side of their racing car.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Jordanoffer01.gif |title=Archived copy |access-date=26 February 2011 |archive-date=16 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716100056/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Jordanoffer01.gif |url-status=dead }}</ref> * '''Moped (& Scooter) Campaign''' – A campaign which aimed to "rid the world of this sub-250cc menace".<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign.jpg |title=Archived copy |access-date=7 February 2011 |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726103948/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/Mopedcampaign.jpg |url-status=dead }}</ref> * '''Stop The Cock''' – A long-running campaign which aimed to remove commentator [[James Allen (journalist)|James Allen]] from the then-current ITV F1 coverage.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sniffpetrol.com/AllenCampaign02.gif |title=Archived copy |access-date=7 February 2011 |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726103938/http://www.sniffpetrol.com/AllenCampaign02.gif |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sniff Petrol produced Stop The Cock T-shirts to promote the campaign leading to the publication of photographs depicting supporters sporting these shirts whilst standing next to F1 pundit [[Martin Brundle]] and ITV F1 anchor man [[Steve Rider]].
Sniff Petrol has also produced a number of books, like ''Crap Cars'' (2005).
==Twitter== ''Sniff Petrol'' started a [[Twitter]] feed in April 2009.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sniffpetrol.com/2009/04/14/571/ | title=Twit Petrol | date=14 April 2009 }}</ref> In October 2014, it had over 57,000 followers.<ref>[https://twitter.com/sniffpetrol Twitter (2013) Sniffpetrol]</ref> The ''Sniff Petrol'' [[Twitter]] account is used chiefly to give real-time commentary on [[Formula 1]] races and brief comment on motoring news as well as reports of mini-cab journeys undertaken by the author. The ''Sniff Petrol'' Twitter feed came 17th in the Humor category at the 2010 Shorty Awards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://shortyawards.com/category/humor |title=Best Humor on Twitter - the Shorty Awards |accessdate=2011-02-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110209024341/http://shortyawards.com/category/humor |archivedate=9 February 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
==Media coverage== Sniff Petrol content has been reproduced on many other websites including US car blog [[Jalopnik]]<ref>{{cite web | url=http://jalopnik.com/#!5739964/the-ferrari-ff-has-a-sad | title=Jalopnik }}</ref> and in other media, including the [[BBC]] TV series ''[[Top Gear (2002 TV series)|Top Gear]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sniffpetrol.com/2007/10/08/depressed-hamilton-stops-for-petrol-on-way-home/ | title=Depressed Hamilton Stops for Petrol on Way Home | date=8 October 2007 }}</ref><ref>Top Gear (2007) BBC, Series 10, Episode 2, News segment, 18m 47s</ref> Porter credits the site (and [[Jeremy Clarkson]]'s enjoyment of it) as being instrumental in his getting the job of script editor on ''Top Gear'' and later ''[[The Grand Tour]]''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://sniffpetrol.com/2022/04/29/who-writes-wrote-this-rubbish/ | title=Who wrote this rubbish? | date=29 April 2022 }}</ref>
''Sniff Petrol'' has been mentioned in national newspapers including ''[[The Times]]'',<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20110604224450/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/driving/jeremy_clarkson/article1394750.ece?print=yes&randnum=1151003209000 The Sunday Times, 18 February 2007, 'Mini Cooper S']</ref> the ''[[Daily Telegraph]]''<ref>{{cite web |title=The 20 most useful car websites |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=28 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406152916/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2752004/The-20-most-useful-car-websites.html |archive-date=6 April 2023 |url-status=live |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/2752004/The-20-most-useful-car-websites.html}}</ref> and in the ''[[Irish Times]]''.<ref>[http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/motors/2004/1020/1097847303539.html The Irish Times, Wednesday, 20 October 2004, Motors, 'From Beetle to Roller - an eccentric survey of crap cars']</ref>
In 2006, a series of ''Sniff Petrol'' spoof [[MG Rover]] advertisements were turned into a charity calendar.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.carpages.co.uk/mg_rover/mg-rover-charity-calendar-07-01-06.asp |title=MG Rover Enthusiasts 'Sniff Petrol' for Charity |accessdate=2011-02-07 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20120723001316/http://www.carpages.co.uk/mg_rover/mg-rover-charity-calendar-07-01-06.asp |archivedate=23 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
==See also== * [[List of satirical news websites]]
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
[[Category:Automotive websites]] [[Category:Driving in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:British satirical websites]] [[Category:2001 establishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Internet properties established in 2001]]