RICHARD MEADEN

Meaden recalls the late Ian Fraser, pioneering publisher and inspiration to so many

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IT SADDENED ME TO HEAR NEWS THAT IAN Fraser – editor, publisher and eventual co-owner of Car magazine during its glory days – has passed away. I hadn't seen him in many years but remember him fondly.

I first met Ian Fraser in 1993 as a fresh-faced, recently hired road tester for the then yet-to-be-launched Carweek. Two of his sons also happened to be working at the new weekly spin-off from Car: Brett as features editor, Dom as staff photographer.

It was often my good fortune to find myself tagging along when Brett or Dom popped in to see their old man, usually when we'd been driving and photographing test cars in Fraser's adoptive county of Norfolk. As a total Car fanboy, it was surreal enough to be working with Brett, who had been Car's road test editor prior to his role at Carweek. Walking round Ian's garages admiring his cars, or sitting in his home office, chatting – but mostly listening – about anything and everything to do with cars was initially a little overwhelming but became a very special way to while away a late afternoon.

By this time Ian had already sold his interest in FF Publishing, the business entity behind