Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2025 i Custom Car

The NSRA presence at the 2024 NEC Classic Motor Show displayed just what the club is and has been about, from Charles Baldacchino’s Small Fry, built by his brother John nearly 50 years ago, through to debut cars from 2024 such as Adam Sayers’ Model A and Graham Slater’s couped Jag. Mark Barrett’s Chevy pick-up (CC Dec ’23) was also on display. Pre-29 members were represented by Dougie Hill with the Mighty Mouse slingshot, Richard Woolmer’s Austin A30 with JPS livery and, for the smallest members, the incredible ‘halfpint’ tot rod built by Dave Spicer for daughter Natalie. The stand was nice and busy all weekend thanks to the great choice of vehicles chosen to represent the club by NSRA committee member Matthew Stanley. Dougie never stopped chatting to attendees, who…

There are few things in the world of Custom Car I like more than turning up at a show and seeing a new car – one that we didn’t know was in the works and hasn’t been shared in some form or another on social media. And so it was, while wandering through the pits at Santa Pod in the rain at the Hot Rod Drags a few years back, that I saw Dave Bird’s Mk 10 Jag’. I’m easily old enough to remember Dave’s old Jaguar, which had its moment in the CC sun in November 1999, so there was definitely something familiar about the car. At the same time, there was something very different. It took a while for me to penetrate the crowd surrounding it, and it…

Event: Surrey Street Rodders Picnic Date: 13 October 2024 Venue: Godalming-Tilford When looking back through memorabilia from years gone, up popped the flyer for the first ever Hot Rod Picnic hosted by Surrey Street Rodders. The venue was The Cricketers public house in Kingsley, near Bordon, and the year was 1996. The plan was devised by the then SSR chairman, the late Mike Payne, and the picnic’s longevity is a fitting memorial to someone who put so much into our sport. This year’s picnic was not much different from Mike’s original idea, as the day had quickly evolved into a run out for the drivers and passengers culminating with a free picnic / BBQ at the end. The rationale behind this was to thank some of the more local Wheels Day…

If you run a Flathead-powered car of any kind and fancy stretching its legs on the strip, you need to be part of the Flathead Meltdown at Santa Pod. This has been moved from its HRD slot for 2025, to keep it away from the Pendine weekend, and is now part of the Nostalgia Nationals weekend on 3-4 May. It will feature classes for four-bangers, V8s, V12s, OHV conversion Sidevalve blocks and race cars. The Flathead Meltdown isn’t confined solely to VHRA members and anyone with a qualifying vehicle can take part. www.vhra.co.uk…

The NSRA Fun Run at Billing in 1997 is firmly etched in the memory of Dave Spreadbury. That event saw the first public appearance of his Pro Street ’41 Willys, which he’d named Rat Catcher. The tunnel ram-equipped small block Chevy-powered coupe went down a storm, with Dave’s name being called out as the recipient of the coveted Participants’ Choice trophy. Understandably, this made that particular Fun Run very special for the Spreadbury family. But there was more than that to come from the weekend. Walking around the show field, Dave encountered fellow Willys owner Mike Taylor. While chatting to him, Dave spotted a for-sale notice displayed in Mike’s coupe, proffering a ’39 4-door Willys sedan he was looking to move on. Dave was smitten, a deal was struck and…

With summer turning to autumn, the Hot Rod Drags takes place at a time of year when you can wake to anything from glorious sunshine to frost on your windscreen. Given the all-round washed-out state of 2024, it’s probably no surprise that September’s climax to the nostalgia racing season was grey, damp and miserable – but that was very much only the weather. On the strip, the action brought forth a feast of closely fought racing as multiple championships approached their conclusions – not to mention PBs without end and plenty of thrills, spills and wild rides. There was also an element of frustration over the weekend as a large number of oil downs led to something of a stop-start pattern in the action at times. And, while the rain…

It’s fair to say progress on Trevor Gardiner’s ’78 Ford D series project has been steady in recent months. It is moving forward though, with Trevor devoting as much time to it as he can. That’s not always easy, however, as he has to juggle his hours between working on customers’ cars at Gardiner Fabrications and serving on the NSRA committee, along with the odd bit of family life thrown into the mix from time to time. The basic rolling chassis is assembled, the cab has been painted, the wiring is done and the interior is being worked on. Trevor has a goal of getting this hot rod transporter finished and on the road before the end of the upcoming rodding season. There’s still a lot to do and, like…

Straight to it Speed Show 2025 is a family-friendly weekend of straight-line entertainment, celebrating everything from drag cars and bikes to jet cars. Taking place at Elvington Airfield, York, YO41 4AU on 22-23 February, it offers static displays and live drag racing action. Opening times are 9.30 am to 5.00 pm on Saturday and 9:30 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. www.straightliners.events Swapsies The NSRA season opener, the Southern Swap Meet, is on Sunday 2 March at North Weald Airfield in Epping. This is the event to move on all the parts you never used, buy more parts you may never use or just catch up with friends you haven’t seen for a while. Trade pitches are available with admission from 7.30 am, and the public gate opens at 9.30…

Velocity Vintage Drags is a new series of events being run in conjunction with No Prep racing at Manston Raceway Park in Kent. Run over the eighth mile, the first of these period-style race meetings takes place over the early Spring Bank Holiday weekend, 3-5 May. Vintage Velocity Drags is purely about the racing, with Saturday being grudge race day and Sunday elimination day. The categories of racing are 4-Banger sponsored by O’Neil Vintage Ford, V8 Flathead sponsored by Royal Kustoms and Overhead Valve sponsored by Namco American Motor Co. Spectator admission costs £20 per day, with the daily price for racers being £45 which includes the race licence fee. Velocity Vintage Drags T-shirts are available in sizes S to XXXL. The shirts are either forest green or black in…

I received one of the regular press releases from Santa Pod recently, focused on an initiative by a group called More than Equal. In collaboration with Santa Pod Raceway and Women in Motor sports North America (WIMNA), it has released a white paper highlighting the lessons other motor sports can learn from drag racing’s success in female representation. The group’s aim is to find the first female F1 champion. Sometimes, it can be a worry when people advocate positive discrimination. But when you consider that the last female F1 driver was 40 years ago, one can understand that the system is pretty skewed. If there are women who can compete with those deemed good enough to run in the top classes, then surely it is only right that they are able…

Pick-ups have become sought-after commodities in recent years – and very popular indeed in the custom world. And yet way back when Ford, Chevy, GMC and others were building these their vehicles, their purpose was to be workhorses and nothing else. Much like the white van image we have in Britain, trucks were used, abused and, once done with, either scrapped or sold for a newer version. As it is with the vans used by businesses, utilities and tradespeople today, there was no sentiment towards them – a truck was a tool, pure and simple. Yet today, that same purity of purpose is one of the things that makes these trucks so appealing. Especially if their history is known. Whether it’s classic or customised, an old pick-up has stories to…

BRENTACRE CUSTOM CAR & HOT ROD INSURANCE 01792 650 933 www.BRENTACRE.co.uk CUSTOM CARS | CLASSICS | HOT ROOS FEBRUARY 2025 16 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey 16 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 18 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 21-23 Race Retro. Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. www.raceretro.com 22 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 22-23 The Speed Show. Elvington Airfield, York. www.straightliners.events 23 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com MARCH 2025 1 Only Fools and Motors Meet (TBC) The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs. Facebook: Only Fools and Motors 2 NSRA Southern Swap Meet North Weald Airfield, Essex www.nsra.org.uk 5 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 6 Run What Ya…