Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2018 i Classic American

Welcome to the November issue of Classic American! You’d think things would be winding down for the magazine at this time of year; however, things are actually busier than ever as we prepare for the Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC. For many folks it’s the last event of the year before going into classic car hibernation until the spring… whenever that may be! Classic American will have one of the biggest stands in the American section of the show, with all the finalists of this year’s Footman James & Kingstown Shipping Car of the Year competition on display. We’ll be announcing the winner on Sunday afternoon, but of course the main point is to put on a good front for the American car scene in this country…

Shot on location in Missouri, Florida, Sweden and around the UK, Torque American brings you the stories behind some wonderful classic American vehicles and their interesting owners. We all have a dream car, but how many of us really pursue that dream? The Torque American series starts by following its founder and main protagonist, Karl Baumann, a British guy who got tipsy while on eBay and ended up purchasing his dream 1970 Dodge Charger (bet you’ve never heard of that happening before!). Karl visits the vendors of the Charger in Missouri and imports the dilapidated muscle car to the UK. Karl’s long restoration journey begins and he meets others who share his passion for American classics: BIG JOHN – The Restorer – John has been restoring American classics in the…

While at the Victory Wheelers Run, we were pleased to once again see the iconic ‘Coffee Grinder’ hot rod on display. This unique Model A Roadster was first built in Pennsylvania in the late Fifties by a young hot rodder called Adam Coffee. Back then it was ahead of its time in so much as sported a small block Chevy V8 within months of the engine becoming available at Chevy dealers. Not surprisingly, it cleaned up at the local drags and at car shows too, with its cool custom features and show quality finish. In the Sixties it was bought and imported to the UK by pop artist and sculptor Gerald Laing, possibly making it the first hot rod imported to the UK. It changed hands, and for the next…

For many of us in the classic car hobby, the raison d’etre is passion for certain vehicles and marques. Maybe we lusted after them in our teens, or maybe as a kid our dad, mum, aunt, uncle or other relative took us for a ride and we were hooked from that moment on. Many of us have scrimped and saved our hard earned cash to find the classic American car of our dreams even if, at times, the budget meant we couldn’t find the best example. Nonetheless, when we put our minds to something, we often find a way to accomplish it and classic car ownership is no different. With the vehicle acquired, we often spend countless nights and weekends restoring, tinkering and upgrading it. Then one day, we fire…

Dear Classic American, My name is James, I have been in contact with Max on your Facebook page, who suggested I write in to the letters pages. Basically I’ve managed to get my dream ride at 19 – a 1968 Mercury Cougar, with a 302, basically a ‘68 Mustang, underneath. I also managed to get insured on it, with a company called Adrian Flux for £1200, but hey I can’t complain; I didn’t think I would even get insurance on a V8. Although I bought it off ‘Craigslist’ from a guy in North Carolina, the car is an original 47,000 mile California black plate survivor. James Burch Plymouth Devon Wow what a car and what a story! We often hear from younger readers about the difficulty…

The LeSabre name is no stranger to Buick fans having been in use from 1959-2005 in various guises, but the outwardly similar Centurion which was offered by the Detroit manufacturer is a comparative rarity, especially on these shores. Replacing the Wildcat as the company’s mid-level, full-size car positioned between the LeSabre and Electra, the Buick Centurion only saw a short time in production from 1971-73. First witnessed as a concept car, the Centurion was almost identical to its slightly more downmarket LeSabre sister - you had to look closely to spot those differing badges, grille and missing ventiports on Buick’s latest model. “I REMEMBER THINKING ‘THAT’S MY TYPE OF CAR... A BIG OLD AMERICAN BUS!” When first introduced, the Centurion only came with a single engine option, a 455cu in,…

New rad, new cool Cooling is key on classic cars, especially ones with iron blocks, so I knew a new radiator was an important investment. I bought a polished aluminium item three-row high-flow unit which had the pipe in/outlets in the correct orientation (as per original). Although it was listed as fitting the Impala naturally, with Project Beauty Pala it didn’t appear to. As a consequence Simon had to make small bushes to take up the gap before it fitted properly to the radiator core support. Period-correct AC Delco spring-supported radiator hoses were ordered using Classic American advertiser Rock Auto who, I have to admit, were incredibly easy to order from. Their website totted up the postage and ETA straight away – I would definitely recommend them. The radiator bottom…

Santa Pod Raceway, Northants May 6, 2018 The second VHRA Vintage Nationals returned to Santa Pod race way for what promised to be another year of rubber burning drag racing action from the UK’s best selection of vintage hot rods. With my tent set up it was time to have a quick look around and catch up with old friends. A good selection of flatheads, four bangers and overheads had already started to fill the pits outside the track ready for the racing on Sunday, which I had a quick browse around. Back at the bar evening entertainment was provided by the Doel Brothers, playing their unique brand of rockabilly fused with blues and hillbilly, which kept the crowd dancing for the rest of the night. With the sun down…

Of course we know and recognise Burt Reynolds now as a massive film star, but his ‘overnight’ fame took many years to achieve. Born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr, Burt Reynolds frequently claimed he was born in Waycross, Georgia, although in 2015 also stated he was actually born in Lansing, Michigan. Either way the date was February 11, 1936. After the war the family moved to Florida where his father became chief of police. A gifted football player, Burt received multiple college scholarship offers and attended Florida State University on a football scholarship, playing halfback. He planned a career in professional football, but injured his knee in the first game of the season. Soon after he lost his spleen and injured his other knee in a car accident, and in 1957…

Check out the full report on the Hot Rod Drags in next month's issue and on the Classic American website, but our first impression of the event, now moved from Shakespeare County Raceway to Santa Pod, was where were all the hot rods? In this context when we refer to ‘hot rods’ we are referring to the cars, or ‘Street Rods’ that make up the majority of National Street Rod Association members. Thirty years ago the event was devised as another date on the NSRA’s calendar where members could bring along their street cars and enjoy pitting them against each other in a Run What Ya Brung format. Sadly fewer and fewer members seem to be participating themselves, especially when you compare the numbers of cars that turn up for…

Picture the scene: It’s the early Sixties and you are a professional designer, if not a name above the title star. You have talent, but you’re unsure how to realise your ambition of creating an exotic-looking super-GT. If your name was Gordon Kelly, you simply flew from Wisconsin to Turin and rocked up unannounced at every styling studio and carrozzerie until you found one willing to take you seriously. What’s more, you did so despite not being able to speak Italian. That, in a nutshell, is how Kelly came to create his take on the C2-generation Chevrolet Corvette. An employee of legendary industrial designer and sometime car manufacturer Brooks Stevens, this remarkable man had been mapping out his dream car for several years before he created a 1:8-scale model. Kelly…

Dear Classic American, I just wanted to drop you a line to say how fantastic I thought last month’s (September issue) story was about the South African Marbles and his quest to bring back to the UK his dad/grandad’s ’73 Chrysler Valiant Charger. I won’t lie when I say the story actually brought a tear to my eye. Keep coming up with stories like that and you’ll have me as a subscriber for life! We all love the cars, that’s indisputable, but often it’s the human stories behind them which can be so fascinating. I know when I fall off my perch my boy will be getting my Chevy – it’s in my will! David Ash Via email It’s good to get feedback from readers on features and Marbles’ feature…

One must wonder what had to be going through the heads of the other 29 drivers that were lined up with Richard Petty at Richmond International Raceway on September 10, 1967. It was a warm late summer day with temperatures hovering near 80 degrees. The stands were packed with rabid stock car racing fans who came to see the one thing that every other racer was trying to deny them from seeing. They came to see Richard Petty keep the greatest consecutive winning streak in NASCAR history rolling, and as history shows, they did not leave disappointed. After all, once Petty and his crew chief Dale Inman started their historic winning streak on August 12 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, they wouldn’t lose another NASCAR race until October 1 when the…

Nick Axford hadn’t especially intended to buy a 1959 Plymouth, but when he saw this one he couldn’t resist. “A friend saw it for sale and suggested it,” remembers Nick. “I was looking for a classic car but actually considering an MGB, until I realised something like the Plymouth would be a lot more fun and more of a head turner. I liked the fact it was an unusual classic. There are four or five MGB clubs within a drive of my house and lots of MGs, but you don’t see many Plymouths. It’s not quite my first classic, since I’ve had a couple of Minis and a Triumph Vitesse before, but it’s my first American car. “I bought the Fury in September 2015,” continues Nick, “and it arrived two…

“ WOULD THE ROADS SUDDENLY BE CLOGGED UP WITH UNROADWORTHY OLD BANGERS... ” I’m sure like a lot of people, when the Department of Transport announced that all vehicles over 40 years old were to be exempt from the annual MoT, I felt like this was marvellous news, like an unexpected birthday gift or Christmas present. But then of course the reality started to dawn… Would people really stop having their cars checked every year, or put through some sort of annual safety test? Would the roads suddenly be clogged up with unroadworthy old bangers, as skinflint owners short-sightedly regarded themselves as free from any duty of care or safety for themselves and other road users? How long before some terrible accident involving a classic car turned the glare of…

Shooter’s Hill, SE London July 22, 2018 Believe it or not, a fun, laid-back day out with cool cars amidst the smoke and congestion of London is not quite consigned to the realms of fantasy. Though it sounds about as likely as a fairy godmother popping up to turn your pumpkin into an Eldorado, the hard-working men and women of the Detonators Car Club make it a reality – at least for one day of the year, anyhow, with their annual BBQ. The venue is Oxleas Wood Cafe, a small cafe in Shooter’s Hill in the south-east of the region, perched on the crest of Oxleas Meadows with fantastic views south into Kent, its appearance belying its proximity to the South Circular and the dirty old city beyond. Also out…

1957 CHEVROLET 150 ‘BLACK WIDOW’ It’s good to see Revell’s reintroduced the 1957 ‘Black Widow’ Chevy 150 Utility Sedan kit in 1:25 scale. Although it can be built stock, the kit represents one of a small number, said to be six or seven, new vehicles Chevy provided to be converted into NASCAR stock cars. Briefly, before a racing accident persuaded the car manufacturers to officially withdraw from racing, Chevy was extremely successful in NASCAR. Assisted by the Atlanta-based Southern Engineering & Development Company, (SEDCO), they modified and tuned the cars within NASCAR’s increasingly stringent rules. The gambit paid off, the story of which is described here: www.57chevyblackwidow.com . The kit has 151 parts and assembles into a nice model with detailed engine bay, chassis, suspension and interior.…

“In this business you don’t know, from one day to the next, what the next phone call will bring,” says the yard owner, who goes on to explain that a recent call led him to this 1939 Buick. The car had been stored in the same Portland, Oregon, garage since 1962. The original owner’s grandson, who fitted the new whitewall tyres before deciding he had bitten off more than he could chew, is the person who called the yard. I’m reliably informed that since the picture was taken, the car has been sold. The Fairlane 500 Skyliner, with its retractable hardtop, was built from 1957 through to 1959. Soon after 1959 production started, the car changed its name to a Galaxie, but this unusual example still carries the original Fairlane…

Don Scott’s thunderous 860-horsepower Plymouth Superbird nostalgia stocker – the massively-popular tribute replica of Richard Petty’s No. 43 NASCAR machine – will be re-entering the fray next year supported by American Autoparts of Redhill in conjunction with Lucas Oil. American Autoparts is now helping with the preparation of this most versatile competition car, under the in-house care of Darryl Setchell. Powered by a mighty 572cu in Keith Black aluminium hemi (that’s 9.4 litres!), the car regularly performs at historic NASCAR demos during the Brands Hatch American Speedfest, becomes a 9.91-second quarter mile car in the Nostalgia Super Stocks class at Santa Pod Raceway and appears at selected car shows around the country. The ‘bird’s best terminal at SPR thus far is 141mph. Don considered retiring the car at the end…

In recent years we’ve all see the rise of events staged on firm sandy beaches, harking back to the earliest days of motoring when racetracks were few and far between. This trend was kicked off simultaneously (and by complete co-incidence), on the same weekend a few years back, when the Vintage Hot Rod Association held the first Pendine beach races, and on the east coast of America, the first Race of Gentlemen, (or TROG as it’s known) was held. Both events have thrived since then, despite, (or because), they’ve stuck to their respective formulas of vintage and period machinery only. These now well-established events have now been joined by the Romo Festival in Denmark, which was held for the second time this year with an even stricter pre-1947 rule. We…

After last year’s washout, we were glad to see that this year’s Victory Wheelers rod run at Stansted House near Havant in Hampshire was a success, especially the Sunday show and Shine. Good weather prevailed meaning there was a fine selection of rods, customs, trucks, American vehicles and bikes too, all displayed on the large grassed arena in front of the impressive stately home. The Wheelers have a long standing track record of events and shows stretching back nearly 40 years! That’s some achievement for a local custom club, we’re sure you’ll agree.…

This month I would like to look at the nation’s drag strips. Anyone into the American car hobby will surely have visited a strip at some stage in their life time, drag racing and Detroit muscle go hand in hand; it’s a totally natural combination. Shakespeare County Raceway closed its doors to Drag Racing this year, having served the UK drag racing community admirably, notching up 44 years of affordable, enthusiastic and successful racing. It gave amateurs, ‘run-wot-you-brungers’ and even professional teams a fabulous place to race. More importantly, it offered an alternative to Santa Pod and therefore more days to race. Over the years, the track has variously been known as ‘Long Marston’ and then ‘Avon Park’. I cut my teeth at quarter mile racing there in a bright…

Dear Classic American, Congratulations on your achievement of hitting the 30-year milestone of publishing a great magazine. Being a reader of most of the common US-based vintage car publications, I would have thought Classic American magazine wouldn’t have been much different, but I was sure wrong! While the US-based magazines focus on the more higher-end body styles, or convertibles and hardtops, Classic American gets my appreciation for featuring more of the lower-line vehicles and sedans, or ‘pillared saloons’ in British terms; a good example being the 1958 Ford 300 in the November 2017 issue, as opposed to a dressier Fairlane 500. Perhaps my favourite cars I get to see in Classic American and almost no other magazine on a regular basis, are genuine UK or European-market vehicles which were sold…

Some would say, himself included, that many of the car films Burt Reynolds made in the 1970s and 80s were a successful way of ruining his own career. They were fast, cheap and fun – but they also typecast him as a moonshining, fast-driving redneck and virtually ended any chances he had of a serious acting career thereafter. They also made a lot of money and made Burt a hero of the American south. A year after Deliverance (1972) had finally made Burt the household name he deserved to be, he made White Lightning. Burt plays Bobby ‘Gator’ McKlusky, released early from an Arkansas prison to go undercover for the FBI and catch the crooked sheriff who murdered his younger brother. Gator infiltrates the local moonshiners at a stock car…

When you buy a classic American car – whether it’s a fully restored Sonic Blue 1956 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz or a seen-better-days 1967 Chevy Impala SS in black with that Big Block V8 – choosing the right insurer is vital. The last thing you need when you’re anxiously stripping down your new pride and joy to investigate why those power windows won’t wind is to discover that your new insurer has tacked on a few little extra fees for ‘administration’ and ‘document handling’. It’s important to have confidence and trust in your insurer – that they are going to understand the giddy highs and occasional lows of owning a beautiful classic machine from an era when manufacturers and owners did things rather differently. They also need to understand that although…

With the advent of eBay, online bidding and the increasing popularity of US classic car dealerships websites, more and more often here at Classic American we hear about people deciding to go it alone, buy a car in the US and then sort out the shipping themselves. For many it can be quite a daunting prospect, but by following a few basic rules and principles, what may initially seem quite a complicated proposition can actually become a pretty straightforward, easy and even, dare we say, pleasurable proposition! WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A SHIPPING COMPANY As with any business, it’s always a good idea to seek out a well-established shipping company and, it goes without saying, one that has a good reputation through word-of-mouth recommendation is definitely a plus point.…

1937 Redfern Saloon Tourer Vendor: Stewart Jones, Torbay, Devon Telephone: 07703 606699 Price: £40,000 ono Long term readers of Classic American, may remember that we featured Stewart Jones’s 1937 Buick in issue 160, back in August 2004. He has owned the car for 17 years and knows it intimately. However, the time has come for it to go to a new keeper. The Redfern saloon tourer is one of four that were coach-built by Maltby’s of Folkestone, Kent, with only two known survivors. The car is built on the Buick Special chassis and features aluminium bodywork. It has led an interesting life, commencing with being the Paris Motor Show car in 1937. The first owner ran the car for 30 years, followed by a student, who was once pulled over…