Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2020 i Classic American

It has been a strange couple of months by anyone’s standards and it brings to mind the serenity prayer much touted by various five-step programmes… you know the one: about being granted the serenity to accept things which can’t be changed, to change things that can and the wisdom to be able to tell the difference between the two. The current situation is definitely the former and I for one have been getting used to it, accepting it and keeping myself busy with the magazine, my cars and various household chores and projects that have been sidelined for years, decades even… While it’s been frustrating to have weeks of dry, sunny weather and not even be able to take my cars out for a spin (both are in storage miles…

Silverstone Auctions have a very exciting catalogue of cars consigned for their Live Online Sale on May 23. One of the fascinating lots is a 1968 Ford GT40 that was created as a homage during 2017 and 2018. But this is no ordinary homage – it was created by the late Terry Drury, who worked for Ford at the start of the GT40 development and also raced them as a privateer. While retaining his close links to Ford, he amassed his own collection of original spare parts, which included a works 320cu in Gurney-Weslake Ford V8 and a ZF Le Mans gearbox. These were then used to create what has been acknowledged as one of the most extraordinary accurate and faithful monocoque GT40s. For more info or to register to…

Bronco is the product of legendary talent, from the teams who won the Baja 1000 to the collectors who restore them today. But there’s one legend in the story of the Bronco who not only helped create the first Ford 4x4 sports-utility vehicle design; he made history, becoming one of the first African American designers in the industry. McKinley Thompson Jr., a Ford designer who helped pen the first-generation Bronco, was the first African American designer hired at Ford Motor Company after graduating from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California with a degree in transportation design in 1956. His first assignment was at Ford’s advanced design studio in Dearborn, working under George Walker, vice-president of Ford design. Among his projects was a light-duty cab-forward truck, several concept sketches for…

Wheeler Dealers seems to be a bit of a Marmite type of TV programme for a lot of classic car fans, both American and non-American. Chief gripe seems to be the fact that the cost of Mike Brewer’s ‘spannering’ companion never seems to be included in the formula of ‘buy-the-projecttart-it-up-and-sell-on-for-a-profit’. Be that as it may, the series certainly seems to have enjoyed a longevity that few of these car resto-type shows are lucky to have, as it now enters its 17th year on our screens. For American car fans, the fact that Mike now seems to include a veritable cornucopia of American metal makes the show that much more palatable and of interest to us. And while we may all bemoan the departure of everyone’s favourite posh mechanic, Edd China,…

Tim Wellborn is a lucky man. Not only is he an avid Chrysler muscle car enthusiast, but he also owns his own muscle car museum where the public can stroll around, taking in his fabulous collection of all things Pentastar – from the rarest cars to unbelievable memorabilia reflecting the heyday of the horsepower years. Now factor in other muscle machines of the era, Mercury Cougar Eliminators, Ford Boss Mustangs, Chevrolet Chevelles, choice AMC products and a 1970 Pontiac GTO Judge convertible (one of only six built!) and you have one of the most impressive displays of the hottest cars on the planet – it’s like a trip in the Tardis back to the Sixties and Seventies! Wellborn cut his teeth on all things Mopar when his dad Doug brought…

If Marc Lamude’s name seems familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen or read about the string of high-performance American cars he’s built and owned over the years - a Pontiac GTO, a well-known ’55 Chevy, street-driven, and capable of eight-second quarters, and a Brodix-equipped ’68 Camaro, also street driven, and boasting more than 2000bhp. Marc’s obsession with building awesome Chevy engines and then adding either superchargers or twin turbo set-ups has earned him a reputation as one of the top engine builders in the country. His company, Lamude Racing Engines, specialises in race engines (the clue’s in the name) and if further proof were needed, LRE has been building a succession of engines and also sponsoring Andy Frost’s Red Victor Series of street-driven Vauxhalls that have demolished many quarter-mile records,…

The Biscayne was originally produced for the fleet market and was effectively a no-frills model, available as either a two-door or four-door model. Price in 1960 with all the options fitted was $2423. In 1960 there were 287,000 Biscaynes built and most were sold with the 135bhp, 236cu in Blue Flame straight-six engine, coupled to a three-speed manual gearbox. There were other engine/gearbox options as upgrades, which often put them into the same price bracket as the slightly higher specification intermediate Bel-Air and the flagship Impala model. The main differences between the Biscayne and the Impala were only superficial items, like less exterior trim/brightwork; and with the interior, where the seats and carpets were not as plush. There were no power-windows or power-seat options and fewer in the way of…

Unless you’ve been living in a cave in the Himalayas, you can’t help but be aware of the ‘new normal’ around the world brought on by the Covid-19 crisis. Usually, empty roads and rock-bottom fuel prices would be reason for celebration in the American car community. But not now, for obvious reasons… Lucky then that this issue of Classic American offers you 100 pages of American automotive escape and if you fancy reliving some of last year’s shows, head over to the Classic American website and check out our Galleries pages which are bursting at the seams with all of last year’s show pictures that we weren’t able to shoe-horn into the magazine. See www.classic-american.com…

Muscle car lovers and Fast & Furious fans are getting set for the ultimate thrill, as the Lego Group and Universal Brand Development revealed the first Lego set inspired by the high-octane, global blockbuster franchise: the awesome Lego Technic Dom’s Dodge Charger. The 1077-piece replica of fearless street racer Dominic Toretto’s legendary 1970 Dodge Charger R/T will provide an exciting new building challenge as fans gear up for the latest instalment in the Fast saga – F9, due to hit theatres around the world this year. But the fun doesn’t stop once the chequered flag comes down. Once the build is complete, fans can try out Dom’s cool stunts and recreate the daring high-speed chases from the Fast & Furious movies with the model. And when the streets need a…

As I write these words, spring is just about here in the Great Lakes. Normally, that means a flurry of activity in classic car circles as garages open and enthusiasts from Dearborn to Dunkirk realise the fruit of their laborious winter tinkering and get ready to hit the road, drag strip, road course, or even look to sell (in order to take advantage of a hot spring market). This year however, with the rapid spread of the coronavirus pandemic and drastic measures taken, such as the closing of restaurants and many non-essential businesses, combined with the volatility in the stock market, there are already good indicators that, like employment and housing, the classic car market will likely be affected. Michigan-based classic car insurer Hagerty has already pointed to some potential…

1965 Ford Custom Super Stock More than anything else, drag racing and NASCAR are the two types of racing which embody all-American motorsport in the eyes of the rest of the world. Sadly, few people will ever have the opportunity to see historic NASCAR outside of the US, but that doesn't mean the series' aestlietic can’t be enjoyea over,here. Dave and Jill Marriners 1965 Fora Custom was built in the States by an owner wanting the best of both worlds, hence he created a capable Super Stock racer finished in the livery of the NASCAR Galaxie in which Fred 'Fast Freddie' Lorenzen won the 1965 Daytona 500. The car was imported into Britain in March 2017 by a dealer and Dave bought it a few months later: "1 was sold…

By 1968, American cars were starting to get a fairer hearing from the notoriously conservative British motoring press, but it was all a bit too little, too late, as the demand for big, powerful North American motors started to dwindle with the first signs of a recession showing since the war. Cars such as the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Corvette, Camaro and Rambler Classic were put forward as practical alternatives to British and European cars on offer, but policy changes by the US manufacturers and new British type approval regulations which were starting to be introduced would make US models more difficult to import. This in turn affected the number of suitable models that could be made available in the UK. Initially, bias-belted tyres were being replaced by Dunlop SP radials,…

1. We’re back in Oregon this month, for our second and final visit to Mopar specialist Wildcat Auto Wrecking. Last month I showed you a small selection of the restoration projects from its 800-strong mix of Chrysler, Plymouth, Dodge and DeSoto cars and trucks, and this time I’m including some of the parts vehicles too. This largely rust-free 1960 Plymouth Fury wagon looks far too good to break, but that’s exactly what’s happening to it. 2. Hidden away under there is a rare 1951 DeSoto wagon – but not rare enough to avoid being broken. Long gone is the 4.1-litre six-cylinder engine that would once have propelled this car to a theoretical top speed of 84mph. More than 121,000 DeSotos were built in 1951, but a breakdown of different body…

This 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T, created as a tribute to the famous Vanishing Point Challenger, remained unsold after the H&H Classic Motor Car Auction, held online on April 29. The car is located in Cheshire and is finished in Alpine White as a tribute to Kowalski’s rubber-burning ride in the cult 1971 film, Vanishing Point, and was restored to a high standard over a five-year period. It features the correct type 390 bhp 440cu in V8 replacement engine with 727 three-speed automatic transmission. It also features a full custom stainless steel exhaust system and a limited slip diff by Hauser Racing, as well as power brakes, with a ‘Right stuff’ four disc-brake conversion, plus rack and pinion steering. The stock suspension has been overhauled with new bushes and ball joints…

The Torq Thrust II wheels are probably the first thing you notice. They’re such a popular addition to American classics from the great V8 years of the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies that we don’t immediately associate them with niches like ‘hot rod’ or ‘resto-mod’. Quite often, they’re the only modification the owner has made. That’s not the case here, not by a long chalk. Those exhaust tips are the next clue. Four of them in the middle…was that ever an option? No, but custom Corvettes have sported four tailpipes before. Usually in a more obvious manner, not a neat job like this. The paint isn’t a 1962 Corvette colour, but then it’s not a ‘look at me’ shade of candy pink or tangerine either. It’s a sober gunmetal finish, one…

Fred Lorenzen was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, on December 30, 1934, and began his racing career at the age of 13, building a car from scrap parts. After winning a high-school demolition derby, he entered NASCAR in 1956 and rose through the motorsport ranks to become the first NASCAR driver to win more than $100,000 in one season, amassing $113,570 in 1963 when driving for the Holman Moody team. More impressively, he achieved this having competed in only 29 of the 61 races scheduled for the season. Lorenzen was to be found behind the wheel of Holman Moody Fords in the famous blue-and-white #28 livery from 1961, until he unexpectedly announced his retirement from NASCAR after 158 races in 1967. The story attached to the sponsorship from Lafayette, a local…

1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Modified World-famous custom car builder and high-quality billet parts manufacturer Ringbrothers unveiled its newest, one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang, the 1969 Mach 1 known as “UNKL” on the Flowmaster (Holley) stand at last year’s SEMA Show. “UNKL” is the first Mach 1 to leave the Spring Green, Wisconsin, shop after a series of memorable Mustang builds. The widened body and unique race-inspired theme make the most of road and race technology in one car. “UNKL” is powered by a 520cu in Jon Kaase Boss engine making 700 horsepower. A reworked Bowler six-speed Tremec transmission backs the high-powered engine, and a QA1 carbon-fibre driveshaft transfers power to the rear wheels. The Mach 1’s growl comes from a custom stainless-steel Flowmaster exhaust, while Prestone coolant keeps the engine at…

In their Sixties heyday, jacked-up gassers were the fastest stock-looking drag cars around. More than 50 years later these spectacular racers, based on cars from Willys, Chevrolet, Ford and more, still capture the imagination of enthusiasts and race fans around the globe. When Jeff and Tracy Spear of Hampton, Iowa, took their newly restored, stock ’55 Chevy to the Tri-Five Nationals, Jeff was captivated by the look and sound of the gassers at the huge event in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Says Jeff: “I told my wife, we’ve got to have one of those…” The Spears’ incredible ’57 Chevy 210 gasser, named Cherry Bomb by Tracy, started life as a rolling shell that Jeff acquired in 2015 with just 27,000 miles on the clock. It was transformed over two years by…

GREENLIGHT HITCH & TOW FARM & RANCH SPECIAL It’s a shame that so many models these days, especially in the smaller scales, are sealed tight into transparent bubble packs, thereby preventing detailed examination without destroying the packaging that in many cases is their primary reason for being. Not that this excellent-looking 1:64 scale 1969 Ford F100 pick-up, with its substantial and beautifully painted red hay wagon, is particularly collectable. It’s unlikely to lose future value if the outer casing was breached and the model removed. No, I’m sure this pairing in Greenlight Collectibles’ popular ‘Hitch & Tow’ series is intended for play, rather than permanent display, but the principle remains. The well-defined metallic green and white on the truck can clearly be seen, as well as the delicately sculpted finned…

This Buick wagon was imported three or four years ago by Billy McDermid, who runs Topspeed/Frosts in Northamptonshire. He, in turn, sold it to a guy called Glynn in Cambridgeshire, and Andy purchased it from him last August. The guy in Cambridge never registered it, although he had some work done to the engine and brakes and got it up to MoT standard, then advertised it due to health issues. Andy found it advertised on Facebook on a Long Roof group, bought it and sent off all the paperwork and it is now UK registered. The Buick is fitted with the 300cu in V8 engine, which in ’65 had iron heads; the previous year’s motor had aluminium heads, which are renowned for issues. It’s also fitted with the ST300 Jetaway…