Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2018 i Classic American

I was recently involved in what can only be described as a totally avoidable accident with ayoungster who had only just passed their test. Statistically, these ‘newly passed’ drivers are more likely to be involved in accidents and it’s that inexperience – in this case stopping on a slip road from one motorway onto another– that can lead to such devastating consequences. It was only due to avoidance action by a truck driver in front and myself steering onto the hard shoulder that the results were not much, much more serious. I do love my old cars, but it’s quite a sobering experience to find, at 50mph, one’s wheels locking up, as one slides up the hard shoulder, tyres screeching and leaving a duo of black stripes and tyre smoke…

Whengparts started out in 2006 making Exhaust Flanges for hot rodders, but soon realised that you only need one set per project and that projects can last years, so it rapidly expanded its range. Its items are mostly laser-cut from mild or stainless steel or aluminium and popular ranges include weather vanes, key racks, helmet holders and signs. CAD design is utilised, so custom parts can be cut – they just need a template, sketch or, for the silhouette profiles, or a photograph. Any flat shape can be produced or replicated, handy for worn or broken parts that are no longer available. Whengparts also produce a range of clothing under its Kustom Shack brand and can provide embroidered or printed apparel for clubs, teams and events. Lots of lines are…

The Harley-Davidson and Jeep brands have renewed and strengthened their European partnership for the fifth consecutive year. Under the arrangement, the Jeep brand will remain a key partner and official sponsor of major Harley-Davidson events and rallies throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Brands don’t come much more iconic than Harley-Davidson and Jeep. Each boasts a long and fabled history played out on the world stage. Today both produce vehicles that encapsulate the very essence of freedom and the American spirit of adventure.…

Dear Classic American, Regarding your write-up last month on Wheels Day, Itotally understand from a trader’s point of view that the event was likely a disaster for profits. Checking the condition of the field on Wednesday – assuming the military allowed them access – might still not have provided a definite answer. At that point, unless there were great pools of water on it, things would still be dependent on what the weather did on Thursday. I’m not sure I’d want to be the one to make that decision. If they called off the event then everyone would be angry. If 1000 show cars get stuck/damaged because the field isn’t dry enough, then everyone’s angry. As Isaid before I’m not sure there was a perfect solution…

The words ‘America’ and ‘road trip’ go hand in hand. Imagine if your life revolves around such adventures: what would be the perfect car for the job? For San Diego garage owner Louie Mattar, it had to be a Cadillac. It’s just that no production model was quite up to the job, so he adapted one to suit his needs. Not only that, he modified the car so that he need not ever leave it on any of his mega-mile runs. ‘The Fabulous Car’, as he insisted on calling it, had everything including the kitchen sink. Mattar acquired the Series 62 sedan straight off the lot in 1947. As someone not above spending weeks on the road, he began tailoring the car to his own particular requirements to the point…

“ NICK IS HOPING TO ADD SOME KIND OF CAMPING TRAILER FOR THE FIFTH WHEEL IN THE FUTURE ” Nick Marshall has had a keen interest in British classic cars for many years, but wanted something different and felt it was the right time to own an American pick-up truck. Fate and destiny works in mysterious ways and his truck ostensibly came to him, rather than him going looking for it. “Well, actually it was my business partner Matt who gave me the tip off,” recalls Nick. “He’d seen a truck looking rather forlorn on a farm in Essex, so I went over to take a look and discovered it was a 1952 White WC20 that just happened to be for sale. It was painted white, in a derelict condition…

Author: David Bonaskiewich Published by: Car Tech ISBN: 978-1-61325-320-5 Price: £16.99 I’d been wondering when the Pontiac GTO would make an appearance in this excellent series. It’s well worth the wait! The 1964 GTO is said by many to be the first true muscle car. The protégé of John Delorean, ‘Bunkie’ Knudsen and marketing guru Jim Wangers, the concept was simple: stuff a big engine from a ‘full size’ car into the engine bay of an ‘intermediate’, increasing the power to weight and therefore the performance, substantially. Pontiac achieved this by installing the 389cu in V8 engine with a four-barrel carb and three-speed manual transmission into the 1964 Pontiac Tempest. With a Hurst shifter, heavy-duty clutch, hood scoops and bucket seats for the performance look, the resulting car ran faster…

Wheels Day after party You’ll probably have already read Editor Ben’s report on this year’s Wheels Day event in last month’s issue. While there’s not much more to say about the event itself, for us, the day went a little better than the Classic American staff committed to the trade stand. Once we’d had a look around, as usual we left Rushmoor Arena and headed over to nearby North American Motor Co in Farnborough. Known locally as just plain ‘Billy’s’, (on account of its owner Billy Roe), there has been a tradition there in recent years to throw the doors open at the workshop and host an informal barbecue and get together for customers and friends etc. It’s always well attended, especially by the local hot…

SPORTS COUPE Vendor: Mark and Loz, West Midlands Telephone: 07807 814280 Price: £14,500 Words and photography: Paul Bussey This month’s Drive-Buy feature will be of great interest to enthusiasts with a penchant for large Pontiacs, and those in the market for such a car will love this “Coke bottle”-styled Bonneville two-door, pillarless coupe, that was the subject of a major body restoration back in 2012. It was imported into the UK from Minnesota in 2016 and remains in excellent all-round condition, having retained much originality. Taking a good look at the body panels, they are remarkably straight, especially the rear three-quarter panels, bereft of any ripples. When the body restoration was completed, a full repaint was also undertaken when the colour was changed from white to its current red body…

The American Car Centre in Fulham is now taking orders for the 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The all-new Trackhawk is said to be the most powerful SUV ever – its supercharged 6.2l V8 engine delivers 707hp and 645 lb-ft of torque. It’s also reputed to be the quickest SUV ever too, doing 0-60 in 3.5sec, the quarter-mile in 11.6sec, and offering a top speed of 290km/h (180mph). The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is a Hellcat by another name. Under the hood is the same 707hp supercharged V8 from its corporate cousins Charger and Challenger. Jeep claims the Trackhawk’s 0-60mph and quarter-mile stats are in line with those of the Challenger Hellcat. The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk package also offers a unique difference to the Hellcats, and it’s not just the SUV…

Classic American photographer Jonathan Fleetwood was recently named Automotive Photographer of the Year at the annual Newspress awards in London. Jonny started snapping for Classic American fresh out of college four years ago and has been responsible for many of the magazine’s recent covers, as well as main features in the intervening years. It will probably come as no surprise to discover Jonathan did a placement with yet another famous Classic American photographer, Mark Fagelson. Classic American congratulates Jonny on all his hard work and achievements – it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!…

Celebrations start early for the Fourth of July festivities with the Classic American Stars & Stripes car show, the famous family-friendly event at Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. Held over the summer weekend of June 30 – July 1, the show is a US-style extravaganza featuring American machinery of all shapes and sizes. From Fifties fins ’n’ chrome classics, to rip-snorting Sixties muscle cars to customs and hot rods. There are even military vehicles, big rigs, as well as motorhomes and all will descend on the 1000 acres of deer parkland at the centuries-old Tatton Park. Showgoers can marvel at the vast array of American-themed vehicles, as well as ex-US Army and military vehicles, with some magnificent motorcycles thrown in too, including Harley Davidsons and Goldwings, all added in for good…

Dear Classic American, I have been reading your magazine for around 10 years now because I am the wife of a subscriber and American car fan. I find your historical articles especially interesting. Ihave been following the news about vehicle emissions and its impact on the industry – some of the articles in Classic American (usually by Huw Evans on how the car manufacturers will achieve emissions targets) present interesting viewpoints. Recently I read an article on the BBC News website presenting another problem, that may be of interest to you and your readers, that is where are all the resources going to come from to produce all these electric cars once 2040 comes and we stop selling petrol and diesel cars? (see: www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/deep_sea_mining) The supplies of copper and minerals…

These days, Detroit automakers are using turbocharging as one method to try and meet tough Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards. You can get a whole range of relatively small displacement turbocharged and direct-injected EcoBoost engines from Ford, in everything from a compact Focus to a full-size F-150. Over at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, turbocharged engines can be found in everything from compact sedans to Jeeps. Even General Motors offers them in Buicks, Cadillacs, Chevrolets and GMC vehicles. Yet, like many things in this business, using turbocharging to improve fuel economy while maintaining performance is nothing new. In fact, Detroit has been offering turbocharged cars since the early Sixties. The very first production examples were offered for the 1962 model year. The Oldsmobile F-85 Jetfire compact featured a 215 cubic inch, turbocharged…

It looks so pure and innocent, doesn’t it? Well, the car itself is innocent enough, but it had at least one owner back in the US who was certainly not on the side of the angels. This Corvette is now in the UK, owned by Adrian Dromey, who tells us the tale. “The car belonged to an LAPD detective when I heard about it. The story was that this gentleman had been pursuing a major drug dealer in Los Angeles for four or five years before he was finally able to make the arrest, after which the dealer went down for seven life sentences. When he was convicted, his property was seized as proceeds of crime and later auctioned – at which point the detective won the bidding on the…

With the ending of compulsory MoT testing for 40-plus-year-old cars, it’s important that owners take care to ensure their car is fully safe and roadworthy. Bear in mind that roadside police checks could possibly be on the alert for MoT-exempt vehicles. If Classic American car owners are able to find an obliging garage to undertake a basic safety check, rather than an official MoT test, this could be helpful to check the important difficult-to-see areas on the vehicle underside. In our series of inspections here, I’ve started off with a check on the car lighting and electrical systems. With most 40-plus-year-old cars, these are fairly minimal. All these checks, if done properly and thoroughly, should ensure a safe driving experience; however, it’s important to remember that although MoTs are not…

Jada models have an enduringly attractive chunkiness about them that is amply evident in this 1:25 scale 1955 Chevy tow truck. With dramatic ‘Thunder Towing’ graphics and gleaming black paint, it sits purposefully on its oversize, yet stylish multi-spoke chromed wheels. With the stepside pick-up box replaced with a purpose-designed twin boom and manually operated lifting rig, it looks beefy enough to recover anything. Notice the chromed spotlights mounted behind the cab and the spare wheel attached transversely to the crane’s supporting frame. Jada is not renowned for the detail it supplies, but in this case the bonnet opens and inside there’s a one-piece chromed engine. Similarly, the doors open and the black of the interior is relieved by a red-rimmed steering wheel and chromed speakers in the door panels.…

BEN KLEMENZSON, EDITOR, MANCHESTER 1964 Ford Falcon Futura Convertible 1970 Oldsmobile 442 Convertible 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Like many Classic American readers’ cars, the two older classics have been off the road for the winter, while the daily driver Classic American Jeep proved its snow-busting four-wheel-drive credentials against the so-called ‘Beast from the East’. Sure-footed and confident it went through snow, sleet and ice… What a rugged old bus! Meanwhile, regular winter lay-up attention to my Olds revealed a leaky bottom radiator hose. I suddenly realised that actually most of the hoses and belts were probably now well over 14 years old, as that’s how long I’ve owned the car and none have been changed during my ownership, except possibly a top hose. Many moons ago, one of the tyres…

It’s always nice when readers get in touch with their latest automotive acquisitions and we were especially pleased to hear from John Smith from Bolton when he got in touch about his latest purchase, a super-rare 1956 DeSoto Firedome two-door hardtop coupe. The Fifties Mopar boasts a 330 cu in Hemi (5.4l) V8, with a push-button two-speed Powerglide transmission and is Silver Blue with a darker blue accent strip. It’s undergone a nut and bolt restoration by its previous British owners, returning it to its former glory while it’s been in the UK, although when it arrived on these shores in 2007 it was adistinctly different affair, painted pink and white. Since John has owned it, he’s had the transmission rebuilt by Transmission Repairs Northwest of Leigh in Lancashire… then…

It was July 11, 1940, when the US Army High Command made an announcement to 135 manufacturers that bids were now being accepted for a lightweight command and reconnaissance vehicle, something that would suit the Army’s needs for modernising its fighting fleet. Only American Bantam, Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company responded. Price matters with all US government purchases, and the low bid for this proposed new vehicle was won by Willys-Overland Motors Inc (pronounced Will-is). However, it was decided to commission both Willys-Overland and Ford Motor Company to produce them, with Ford getting the rights by licence from Willys. Time was urgent and it was important to the US government that there be two sources for production of this new wartime vehicle, soon to be known as the Jeep. What…

As if getting your car on the front cover and a major feature in the UK’s only American car magazine wasn’t enough (shot by Jonny Fleetwood, Automotive Photographer of the Year no less – see right) lucky Diego Presenza’s 1963 Ford Falcon Futura was awarded the Footman James Kingstown Shipping Car of the Year heat trophy for this year’s Wheels Day heat. While we were unable to find a suitable car at this year’s event due to the poor weather, Diego had been awarded the heat win at last year’s Wheels Day, but was unable to attend the finals held at the Classic Motor Show, NEC Birmingham, due to a serious medical operation.…

Beaulieu is proud to announce the launch of its brand-new summer exhibition entitled ‘The Art of Kustom’ featuring incredible creations from the imagination of car customiser Andy Saunders. Visitors to the National Motor Museum can catch a first glimpse of the new exhibition from June 17 when Andy will open the event by driving one of his stunning machines around the grounds of the attraction. The full showcase of Andy’s most famous jaw-dropping creations will be on show inside the museum until September. Andy – described as an artist using cars as his canvas and one of the best known customised car builders this side of the Atlantic – will unveil his new project, Metropolis, as part of the exhibition. The 1939 Peugeot 202 pick-up has been transformed from a…

Without a doubt the most anticipated car show of the year is the traditional Good Friday, Surrey Street Rodders Wheels Day gathering held at Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot, Hampshire. This extravaganza heralds in the UK classic car show season and, after what seems like an extra-prolonged winter, I couldn’t wait for it to come round. Unfortunately, climatic conditions played a huge part in ruining the day for all those brave souls that made the pilgrimage to Aldershot. Rain of biblical proportions lashed down, the showground resembled a quagmire and the lack of inactivity just escalated folk’s disappointment on the day. I will add that the traders, general public/helpers and participants who showed their cars should be awarded bravery medals for an outstanding cause. Let’s all hope that next year’s bash can…

Talking to cars is probably a sign that the men in white coats are coming to take you away, but I’d love to have a chat with this old Falcon. It’s had an incredible life and there must be a wealth of detail we’ll never know. But we’re lucky to have the next-best thing: that’s the car’s owner, Diego Presenza. Diego’s immense enthusiasm for it has ensured that the life history of this 1963 convertible remains etched in his memory. Diego heard a lot of the story from the car’s previous owner when he found and bought it in Barcelona in 2006, but we’ll get to that later. We’re going to begin at the beginning, which in this case is the state of Florida in 1963. It seems the Falcon…

Many regular readers of Classic American Magazine will be aware of the MAG American workshop based in Bishop’s Stortford, Herts, run by the ever affable Malcolm Springham. Indeed, a great many readers may have had their American vehicles repaired, modified, serviced or painted in his workshop over the years. However, he has decided now is the right time to retire. He’s had a colourful and illustrious career in the motor trade and he is a font of knowledge on American vehicles and the drag race scene here in the UK, having been a key member of Nobby Hills’ ‘Houndog’ Racing Team for around 12 years, first starting with drag cars and then evolving into racing Funny cars. Back in the Seventies, when custom paintwork and airbrushing were very much in…

Classic American has covered the Power Big Meet in Sweden for many years and we’ve often said that it is a must-do event for every American car fan at least once in their lives – there are some Brits who never miss it and for whom it has become an annual ritual. However, in recent years things have changed. Ferry operator DFDS ceased its crossings to Scandinavia from the UK back in 2015, meaning Brits who actually want to take their American vehicle to the Power Big Meet now have to cross over to Holland, drive through Holland and Germany, take another ferry from Germany to Denmark and then drive through Denmark up to Sweden. Phew! All in all, it’s a journey of almost 1000 miles, something a lot of…

The Pre’50 American Auto Club is one of the oldest American car clubs in the UK and was established in 1965 when pre 1950 American cars were regarded as old. However, as time has passed post-1950 cars are now old and considered classics. So over the years the club name has lead to the misconception that the club only caters for pre-1950 vehicles, which is definitely not the case. The Pre’50 AAC now welcomes all American vehicles regardless of their age and the majority of its members have post-1950 vehicles. The club slogan is “The Club for enthusiasts of ALL American vehicles” and the membership is very diverse. They include those who want to ensure everything is period correct, to those that have magnificent show cars, as well as owners…

Jeep’s top-of-the-tree offering, the Grand Cherokee, has successfully transitioned to its new Fiat Chrysler owners and remains one of the premier offerings in the luxury SUV category. Arguably the Wagoneer (and later the Grand Wagoneer), the Grand Cherokee’s forefathers, preceded the Range Rover by almost a decade, but that’s a moot point now and few would argue that Range Rover is the king of that particular hill these days. The featured example we took delivery of was a very handsome white Summit version; the Grand Cherokee’s current hierarchy of spec levels runs from Limited Plus, to Overland with Summit at the top, and an even pricier, but off-road specialised, Trailhawk version. With its quilted white stitched interior (called ‘grey’), it certainly didn’t feel like the type of vehicle you’d want…