Innholdsfortegnelse for April 2024 i Custom Car

Drag Racing lost one of its colourful characters, when Norm was suddenly taken unwell, and passed away in hospital later that same day, on 1 February. A forthright character, and an accomplished builder of excellent quality race cars; his drag racing journey spanned fifty years - with some notable accomplishments along the way. Norm’s working life included many years working in the world of Indy Car and F1, as he worked for March Engineering before joining the Benetton team. The quality culture of top-level racing teams would serve Norm well in his own race car fabrications. Notable achievements on track included the 1976 RAC altered championship win. This would be followed by a memorable underdog Pro Comp victory at Santa Pod in the 1979 World Series event. A new small…

The first time the ‘because I can’ phrase came up during our conversation with Ron Haslett about the build of this car was when I asked why the radiator was in the boot. It was a genuine question, brought about by Ron’s admission that there had been some teething problems with the car’s unconventional cooling system. It’s nothing Ron can’t and hasn’t solved, but it did cause him to laugh. “I love that phrase!” he says, “It’s why we do what we do, isn’t it?” Regular readers of Custom Car, and indedd those that follow drag racing, will no doubt be familiar with Ron’s name, if not with the man himself. Ron and his familiar Cortina estate were a regular fixture in the Street Eliminator class for many years, and…

Event: BHP FuelFest Date: 11 June Venue: Westpoint Arena, Exeter Not content with breaking records in Kent, the team from BHP team did it again at then 2023 FuelFest. Westpoint Arena in Exeter once again became the mecca for all gearheads as Jay and his crew at put on their annual event – which shaped up early to be the best yet and certainly did not disappoint. With 75 clubs registered and a total of 1700 cars on display, including more than 50 inside, what more could you want? It’s not just a hod rod show, of course, which might limit its appeal for some CC readers, but amid the drift demos, extreme bike battles and, a new personal favourite, lawnmower racing, there was no shortage of our kind of…

Event: Breakfast Hop Date: Various Venue: Coppice Wood Farm, Trafford Park Long term hot rodder Bob Booth got to thinking that a breakfast-type run out and meet up was lacking in his locale. And so he decided to do something about it. He made contact with a potential venue and, finding them to be very accommodating, he set a date for the inaugural Breakfast Hop. It took place at Coppice Wood Farm in Trafford Park, Urmston, Manchester on the first Sunday in October. Despite horrendous weather, 15 hardy and hungry hot rodders turned up, confirming Bob’s inclination that there was a need for such a gathering. There was only one thing for it – do it all again a month later. The November meeting was graced with better weather and,…

It’s not for everybody. The grass is not was working on real Ferraris for Cavallo always greener and I know lots of people who have moved to California only to give it up and go back to Blighty. Yes, it’s sunny (most of the time) and yes, the car scene is intense and constant. But you’re expected to work. The hours are long, the holidays are short and the cost of living is quite expensive. That said, if you find a niche and carve a spot for yourself, you can enjoy a nice life in the sunshine, doing what you love. Take, for example, Jay Dean of Nostalgia Ranch, Bonsall, near Fallbrook, California. Jay grew up in Essex, where he completed a traditional automotive apprenticeship in the family’s chain of…

It’s rare for a car to be featured in both rival magazines of the era. That happened with the Kev Rooney-built ’63 Ford Consul Capri though, a car with added Special K. Even more of a rarity is for the same car to be featured once again, over 20 years later. Street Machine was first off the mark in the March ’99 issue. The then satin lilac painted car was actually Kev’s second such Capri, his first being a much greener affair that the magazine had featured in the November ’95 issue. This second-coming car is the one best associated with the builder though, it’s myriad of custom (kustom?) touches creating a cruiser the likes of which are not commonplace on these shores. With Kev discovering the supposed uprated motor…

As we start to look forward to what will hopefully be a glorious summer of 2024, let’s conclude our monthly coverage of last year’s season at Santa Pod by casting our minds back at the STP Summer National, which brought more rounds of the National Drag Racing Championships to the hallowed strip. Pro Mod, Outlaw Anglia, Street Eliminator and many more classes were doing battle, with a full supporting programme away from the track. Saturday was cloudy but dry and the action was pretty much non-stop. Numerous PBs were run and new records were set. Darren Law made the last pass of the day, a poignant moment as his Wicked Lady dragster was carrying the ashes of the late Santa Pod Marshall Dave Rowlands. A similar moment came on Sunday, when…

Approaching the new year, I had cause to reflect on the sad realisation that over the past year we have lost a disproportionately high number of prominent names who influenced the UK branch of the sport in their own special way. In January 2023 we lost John Bennett, who was the most recognisable person in the sport as Santa Pod first opened. A drag racing pioneer who was chairman of the BHRA, editor of Drag Racing and Hot Rod magazine, and the visible partner of Santa Pod, Bennett was seen as the powerhouse of those early years. Two respected names were lost in February. Nobby Hills and his Houndog cars were an always present sight for so many years - and the flamboyant character could not be missed, as he…