Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2018 i Classic American

Welcome to the first Classic American of the new year, 2018. It’s a very special year for Classic American, as we’ll be celebrating our 30th anniversary in the summer. I can’t be more specific than that, as the first issue of Classic American wasn’t dated, so that it could stay on the shelves for more than one month as a ‘sampler’… the rest as they say is history! In this month’s issue you’ll find features on the car that won the Footman James Car of the Year award, as well as a couple of the other finalists, along with ashow report from this year’s SEMA show and an interview with TV hot rod celebrity Steve Darnell of Sin City Motors TV show, which is popular on the Dave TV channel.…

General Motors had already announced that the hallowed ZR-1 coupe would return for 2019, but at the LA Auto Show GM pulled the wraps off a ZR-1 convertible! Marking the first time the hallowed ZR-1 moniker has been applied to a Corvette ragtop since 1970, this latest, ultra-high performance roadster features the same 755bhp supercharged 6.2-litre LT5 V8 as its coupe counterpart. Reportedly weighing just 60lb (27kg) more than the ZR-1 coupe, the convertible will dash from 0-60mph in three seconds and reach a top speed of 208mph. According to Corvette chief engineer Tadge Juechter, the chassis and suspension setup of both the ZR-1 coupe and convertible are identical, which made the idea of a topless ZR-1 a realistic proposition. With base price of $123,995 when it goes on sale…

One thing about the classic car hobby stateside is that sometimes, you just never know what might be big. Not too long ago, late-second-generation Pontiac Trans Ams were seen as the embodiment of automotive self-caricature, the ultimate in bad taste on wheels. Today, those same Trans Ams are fetching big money. It’s not uncommon for pristine, W72 engine WS6 suspension Y82 and Y84 special editions to fetch $35,000 or more. They have achieved true classic status, fuelled by demand from a generation of enthusiasts who grew up watching Smokey and the Bandit and Hooper. Which brings me on to the subject of this month’s column, classic sport utilities. For the longest time, the utilitarian first-generation Chevy Blazer and Ford Bronco were simply workhorses, trucks with a little more luxury than…

Ask an experienced concours competitor how to find consistent success with a car and you might expect any number of tips about cleaning products, carnauba wax, presentation or attention to detail. But what they actually say is this: make sure the car is done properly to start with, and then you don’t have much to worry about. Just keep it up to standard. That’s fine in theory, but finding either a perfect original survivor or (more usually) an expert restoration is easier said than done. That’s why many of the people who show cars at major events have overseen the restoration themselves, or even performed their own work. Very few of them have gone looking for a nice car in which to take the kids out on sunny days and…

Buying any classic unseen can be a tricky business, although the risks are potentially even greater when the vehicle in question is more than 5000 miles away. Even if the California-based vendor appears to be honest and trustworthy, the logistics of the purchase can be complex. Yet in the case of the half-ton truck you see here, the ending is very much a happy one, with what looks to be an original vehicle now hiding a few juicy secrets beneath its fabulous patina. The lucky owner of this 1945 Ford is Yorkshire-based John Kellett, a man whose real passion in life is the hot rod scene. He frequently visits the States and, as founder member of the UK-based Originals Hot Rod Club, is a regular attendee at annual events like…

It’s the biggest automotive aftermarket trade show in the world and it takes place in the city that never sleeps, Las Vegas. We let the pictures do the talking on the world’s biggest automotive party, with plenty of personalities, amazing vehicles, aftermarket products and of course promo girls. What more could you ask for? And remember, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, unless of course you head over to the Classic American website where there’s even more cars, girls and Las Vegas loveliness!…

1934 Ford five-window coupe 1966 Ford F100 pick-up 2006 Jeep Cherokee Overland KEITH HARMAN, CONTRIBUTOR, NORTH DORSET In my last Behind the Wheel we talked about the ’58 Buick we rescued and got running again, before swiftly selling it via social media before the article was even published. This month’s subject is a truck that has been waiting in the wings for far longer. It’s a1966 Ford F100 Short Bed that previously belonged to a good friend of ours who sadly passed away in August 2015. David was an Englishman who had emigrated to the US some years ago, but not before he was part of the early British hot rod movement, being one of the first guys to put a Chevy engine in a ’32 Ford on this side…

POLICE CARS OF THE LARGE AND SMALL SCREEN Greenlight specialises in diecast model cars relating to films and TV shows. These two 1:43 scale cop cars are basically the same model with only different paint and minor changes. The boxed car represents a Las Vegas Police Dept. interceptor which appears in the comedy film The Hangover. Compared to online stills from the film, it looks pretty accurate. The other is a Sheriff’s car, as featured in the TV series, The Walking Dead, which also looks a dead ringer, (note pun), to the original. They represent the 2000 and 2001 respectively Ford Crown Victoria. They are nicely finished, with opening bonnet, boot and front doors. The engine bay is well detailed if rather bland, with no paint or decals. An easy,…

Undoubtedly one of the biggest stars of the 2017 LA Auto Show was the newest Jeep Wrangler, which goes on sale as a 2018 model. Offered in Sport, Sahara and Rubicon versions, the new Wrangler will be built in Toledo, Ohio, the ancestral home of the original Jeep and while looking familiar, features a number of concessions to lighter weight and better fuel economy. These include the availability of a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 270bhp and 295ft-lb of torque, teamed with an eight-speed automatic transmission; a 3.6-litre Pentastar V6 with 285bhp and 260ft-lb of torque that features engine stop-start technology and is teamed with either a six-speed manual gearbox or the eight-speed automatic; plus in 2019, the option of a 3.0-litre EcoDiesel V6 rated at 260bhp and 442ft-lb. Like…

Reminiscent of the old Park Avenue Ultra offered back in the 1990s, the new Buick LaCrosse Avenir aims to crank up the luxury factor in the brand’s full-size sedan. The LaCrosse Avenir comes loaded with standard equipment, including a standard surround sound system, panoramic sunroof as well as an exclusive Chestnut themed interior colour and special first row embroidered headrest, plus Avenir scripted sill plates. Power comes from a 310bhp 3.6-litre V6, driving the front wheels through a nine-speed automatic transaxle. Options on this new high-zoot Buick sedan include a twin-clutch AWD system and a Dynamic Drive Package with continuous, real-time damping. Outwardly, aside from the Avenir scripting, the new top-level Buick sedan features a special chrome cross-hatch grille designed to add a subtle yet distinctive appearance that sets the…

It’s always great to see a good turnout of classic American vehicles at any event, but some lend themselves more to attracting classic American metal than others and some even make a feature of it. Take for example Rhythm Riot – not only is this a fabulous long weekender of Forties and Fifties music, it also hosts a great variety of traders dealing in clothing, accessories and various other items. And of course, there’s the cruise. The promise of a Sunday afternoon cruise through the countryside from Camber to Rye is enough to guarantee a turnout of cool cars to go with the non-stop rock ’n’ roll at Rhythm Riot, and if you add clear skies and a cool autumn sun to the mix then that turnout might just break…

Dear Classic American, Following the passing of the Low Volume Motor Vehicles Manufacturing Act 2015 in America, I was wondering if information and details of cars already or proposed to be built, could be included in future editions of Classic American magazine. A modern ‘repro’ is not for the purist who can buy the best and/or has unlimited time to rebuild a classic to ‘as built’, however, but there comes an age in life when time spent under the car becomes time that could be better spent behind the steering wheel. A replica ’59 Chevy would suit this 74-year-old ‘fins and chrome’ buff for sure! Roger Faiers, Felixstowe Suffolk The details haven’t been finalised yet, but when they have, we’ll be sure to run something on it in the magazine.…

As we usher in 2018 we think of the significant half-century anniversaries to be celebrated in the muscle car hobby. Can it really be 50 years since the Road Runner appeared, ’68-70 Charger and this month’s column filler, the second-generation Oldsmobile 442? Oldsmobile raised the bar for 1968 and continued with brute power for their ’69 models, as the luxury cruisers associated with Olds gave way to a new breed of exciting designs with performance to match. At last the 442 (which supposedly stood for a combination of four-barrel carburettor, four-speed manual transmission – despite the availability of automatic transmissions – and dual exhausts) became a standalone model in itself, lasting through to 1971 when it reverted back to largely a performance option. The 442 package that appeared in 1964…

Stewart Arthur has a nice collection of cars. You saw his big green 1970 Plymouth Sport Fury within these pages back in late 2011 and there’s a very tidy 1987 GMC Vandura 2500 and a 1979 Jeep J20 wrecker gracing his driveway too. But pride of place in the garage goes to this immaculate 1987 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. “I bought the Monte Carlo in 2006 as a treat for myself,” explains Stewart, “seeing it in a Classic American classified advert with a local phone number, I arranged to view the car, then bought it on sight since it was so nice. I have American relatives so I’ve had loads of holidays out there. Watching these cars driven around meant I always wanted one. “I used it as a daily…

The owner of this wonderful car, Sven Larsen, pauses and thinks about my question. What would have been the British or European equivalent to this now long-gone American marque? With the bold use of aerodynamics, the technical innovation and the somewhat left-field image, we settle on Saab – though it’s hardly a perfect parallel. Just as there seemed to be one family in the street who always had a Saab or a Citroën in front of the house, there was once a family in many American streets who chose Nash. “I grew up in Canada in the Fifties and Sixties and they were never common,” says Sven. “My father had a ’58 Edsel and various Fords and Meteors, the Canadian equivalent to Mercury. But I got a fondness for these…

I have never owned a hot rod or rat rod and yet I am always drawn to them whenever I see one. Maybe it’s because no two are the same and that rather appeals to me in a world of conformity and strict legislation. Or maybe it’s because lurking deep within me is a little bit of rebelliousness itching to get out. I know I’m not alone. The actual number of folk who own hot rods and rat rods is quite small and yet the TV viewing figures for America’s Las Vegas Rat Rods (or Sin City Motors as it’s called here in the UK) is enormous. For those who haven’t seen the show, the first series of which was aired in 2014, it centres on Steve Darnell and his…

A new name on a somewhat familiar vehicle, the Nautilus is essentially a re-freshened version of the MKX crossover, with similar front grille treatment to the new Continental sedan. Inside, the Nautilus features a dominant and free-flowing centre console, signature push-button transmission controls and optional Ultra Comfort seats with up to 22 individual adjustments. Other features include a hidden wireless charging pad for smartphones, as well as a digital instrument cluster, 13- and 19-speaker Revel sound systems, plus a central touch screen that houses a SYNC 3 voice-activated infotainment system with ApplePlay and Android Auto compatibility. The Nautilus offers three distinct interior trim packages, labelled Chalet, Thoroughbred and Gala, all grouped under the Lincoln Black Label envelope and designed to convey a feeling of craftsmanship and exclusivity. Under the hood,…

Sometimes it can be a bit depressing hearing about UKbased American cars that are leaving our shores and heading over to Europe (predominantly Germany and Sweden) or even back to America. The drop in the value of Sterling means the British American cars are a bit of a bargain for our European cousins (up to 20% cheaper than two years ago in some cases) so it’s not uncommon to hear of them flying in with bags of money, jumping in said cars, putting them on the ferry and driving them home. How heartening then to discover that the traffic is not just one way. One Classic American reader got in touch with us to share the news of his recent acquisition, this beautiful Continental Mark II. We look forward to…

Dear Classic American, Further to the recent article and letters regarding the 40-year MoT exemption, may I throw this into the mix? Clearly there are pros and cons to this subject, but perhaps readers might be interested to know of the issues with MoTs on older HGV vehicles and the odd system in place. I’ve a 1970 Mack truck. It is too ‘new’ for the current 1960 exemption cut-off date. However, if it had been built after, Ithink, 1983, then I would NOT have been able to MoT the truck as it could not have been through some form of ‘single type approval’. Yet it could still have been registered, insured and used on the UK roads (as are many of the more ‘modern’ American HGV trucks). So too ‘old’…

We live in a world where the internal combustion engine is considered an endangered species. The thing is, this is nothing new. Turbine power was once touted as being the next big thing, the Sixties in particular witnessing all manner of vehicles, from passenger cars to Indy 500 weaponry, trucks to Le Mans sports-prototypes, being thus equipped. Of all the many manufacturers who sunk time and money into developing the species, none were more evangelical than Chrysler. It spent more than two decades trying to refine the turbine vehicle to perfection. The car pictured here, however, is the least well remembered of the many Mopar prototypes. First seen in 1977, and built with funding from the US Department of Energy, the LeBaron Turbine was powered by what is widely referred…

Twenty-one years is a birthday that’s traditionally marked the transition from rebellious youth into adulthood and the legal drinking age Stateside. It was also a great excuse to party all weekend at this year’s Rhythm Riot which was celebrating its own 21st birthday! With the success of last year’s Thursday start, it was back to Camber Sands again for even more bands and DJs and four days of non-stop rockin’ action. The unusually mild November weather resulted in many owners making the trip in their classic cars, and the resulting array of machinery lined up outside the music venues looked simply stunning in the autumn sunshine. We arrived after a leisurely cruise along the coast from Brighton, picked up our wristbands and headed to the chalet where our friends had…

NSRA AGM Late November saw the National Street Rod Association hold their AGM at The Bell Hotel, Stilton, near Peterborough. Apart from the usual club business, this year saw the inclusion of a guest speaker from the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs to gain some insight into the recent DfT proposals that have been scaring everyone crazy recently. Members were pleased to hear that there was to be no sudden drastic legislation intended to drive hot rods and modified vehicles off the road, and that the FBHVC had been successful in pointing out that some of the initial proposals were, quite probably, unworkable. Although not finalised until any future legislation is passed, it is unlikely that the rule limiting a 15% engine power upgrade for genuine ‘Historic’ tax classed…

Vendor: Carl Wakeling, Hunstanton, Norfolk Telephone: 07787 966081 Price: £22,900 ono For devotees of Fifties fins ’n’ chrome, this month’s Drive-Buy will definitely strike a chord. The car was sold originally by F A Roethke of 1001 Monticello Avenue, Norfolk, Virginia, the oldest car dealership in Virginia, whose garage building was built in 1915. The building was subsequently occupied by Mid Town Motors, Kline Chevrolet and various other businesses and is now preserved for its historical architecture. Anyway, we digress, back to the DeSoto Firedome Sportsman, which is believed to have been imported from Virginia in the mid-Eighties and registered here in 1989. From Norfolk, VA to Norfolk, UK! The current owner and vendor, Carl Wakeling, has owned the car for around three years, during which period he has spent…