Innholdsfortegnelse for May 2019 i Classic American

What’s big, white and frightening? Well, it could be the ’62 Chrysler Newport that we’re featuring in this month’s issue. It, along with a few other cars and their young owner/drivers, highlights this month’s theme of young owner/drivers of American cars, a breed you might sometimes be led to believe doesn’t exist. Now, don’t get me wrong, owning and running an American car is never going to be as cheap as running a little Honda Civic or the like... but it’s not impossible, as these hardy souls have illustrated. Having parents or family that are already into the scene is a big help, as is a little mechanical knowledge. For me it’s reassuring to know that there’s another generation of American car enthusiasts coming up and that our interest/hobby/whatever you…

Auction house Historics must have been a little concerned about its annual return to Ascot Racecourse for its winter sale, remembering the problems caused by the so-called ‘Beast from the East’ last year. The snow and freezing temperatures had not completely deterred the bidders in 2018, but visitor numbers were certainly affected. There were no such weather-related problems on March 2, 2019 when the auction house returned to the stunning Ascot Grandstand. There were 168 cars and motorcycles on offer, encouraging some 800 bidder registrations and more than 3000 visitors over the three-day event, culminating in the Saturday sale. After an engrossing seven-hour auction, more than £3 million had changed hands, achieving a remarkable 80% sale rate, despite inevitable Brexit concerns. Of these, there were a modest six cars of…

An announcement from some of the country’s leading event promotors of rockin’ weekenders and events that from now on there will be a ban on what is generally known as the ‘Rebel Flag’, actually the Confederate battle flag, at all of their events has been met with mixed reactions. The controversy stems from the fact that way back in the Seventies, rockabilly music and bands often sported the flag as a nod to the Southern roots of the music. It was regularly seen on record covers, posters, car stickers, and on clothing too, mostly just signifying that the owner was ‘into’ genuine old rock ‘n’ roll music, without a thought for any sinister racist undertones. However, in these emotionally charged, politically correct times, all this has now changed. Not so…

The Sixties witnessed the emergence of a particular subspecies of Ford, both European and American. Italian designers and coachbuilders were employed to rework mainstream models to suit the home market, with everything from Anglias to Taunuses being sold with different bodywork to those found in neighbouring countries. The Ford Falcon could have joined their number had fate been kinder, even if the exact story behind the creation of the Clan prototype is clouded in conjecture. Scroll back to the early- to mid-Sixties, and Carrozzeria Ghia was the coachbuilder of choice for US manufacturers. Chrysler, which had been the firm’s main benefactor for more than a decade, continued to bankroll construction of Crown Imperial limousines, plus a batch of 50 turbine-powered prototypes. However, following the sudden death of its entrepreneurial boss…

Dear Classic American, I really enjoyed reading Tony Oksien’s article ‘Suddenly its 1969’ (CA 334) . It brought back lots of memories for me. In 1969 I was a 29-year-old science teacher at a high school in Windsor, Ontario, and the town was full of muscle cars from the local Chrysler plant, along with plenty of Ford Mustangs and Pontiac Trans Ams from nearby Detroit. I never failed to be amazed at the long line of muscle cars, mostly Dodge Chargers and Plymouth Road Runners, waiting every day at the school gates at closing time. Many of the girls would meet their boyfriends, who all seemed to work at the local Chrysler plant. Most cars departed with a distinctive V8 rumble and chirp of rubber and they were away! I…

This story begins with an unusual set of circumstances. The Seward family had a 1962 Chrysler Newport in an old wooden chicken shed on their property in Somerset, and for year after year they left it there. Charlie Seward grew up knowing about it – his father took the car as payment for a debt back in 1992, when Charlie was a toddler. Yet car-mad Charlie, who grew up around classics and started his own restoration business in 2014, never touched it until last year. “I WAS PONDERING A FULL RESTO-MOD REBUILD OF THE MECHANICALS TO INCLUDE A HELLCAT ENGINE...” If you’re wondering why, and thinking how you would have been pouring fresh petrol into the tank the moment your provisional licence landed on the doormat when you were 17,…

There’s something about talking to Jordan Parker that cheers you up. As we get older, it gets easier and easier to believe that there are no young people left with any interest in the cars we love. You start to wonder what’ll happen to these cars, the specialist businesses… the classic American scene as a whole. And then you have a chat with a 22-year-old who only ever wanted one thing: “A 1967 Ford Mustang coupe. Black with a red interior or Candy Apple red with a black interior. I was always pretty sure about that,” says Jordan. Jordan’s father, Royce, had a similar obsession when he was young, only that was with AC Cobras. The original ones have always been a little bit pricey but Royce fulfilled his dream…

When thinking about royal conveyances, Bentley comes to mind, Rolls-Royce too. Maybe Daimler, even Mercedes. But Cadillac? What king would be seen in a Cadillac? Well, in Norway this has been a common sight for more than a hundred years now. Classic American travelled to Oslo to find out why Norway’s first state Cadillac was an electric car. Throughout his life, Norway‘s King Olav V (1903-1991) was considered a car guy. His family had close ties to the US, with the American President Roosevelt harbouring part of the Norwegian royal family in exile during the Second World War, so Olav always had a thing for American cars. Not surprising, as so soon after the war, German cars were considered an absolute no-no. Olav’s love affair with Cadillac started at the…

The Sixties would prove to be Pontiac’s most successful period in terms of new product creation and technical innovation, and the name of John Z DeLorean would be indelibly stamped on that success. He had joined the division in 1956 under general manager, Semon E ‘Bunkie’ Knudsen, a man whom DeLorean had an immense respect for as a manager, and who he felt was a ‘good teacher’. As head of advanced engineering, DeLorean had been given the task of bringing Pontiac engineering up to date and in 1961 was made chief engineer of Pontiac. During his time as head of advanced engineering, much of DeLorean’s focus was on vehicle safety. He started looking at how improvements in vehicle structure, brakes, drivetrain and suspension systems could be made, which resulted in…

Last issue Simon fitted the back bumper and overriders, with only a few tiny jobs left before completing the ’64’s back end – namely the boot lock and latch and trunk weatherstrip. The former had sadly been lost at some point during body restoration and paint, so we had to order a new repro lock/ latch. The lock key/barrel kit had a long square-section peg which first needed to be shortened (universal GM kit?) and stainless fittings (bolts/washers) needed to be sourced. Simon could then fit this and adjust it as necessary. When the boot clicked shut firmly around the newly fitted and adhered weather strip, and opened freely on the key, Simon then took micrometer measurements of the boot’s closed gap and adjusted both hinges and new latch to…

The Classic American Jeep and marquee are being dusted down for a busy show season this year, kicking off with the first heat of the Car of the Year competition at the Surrey Street Rodders’ Wheels Day show in Aldershot on Good Friday, April 19. The following Sunday – April 28 to be precise – sees Classic American head across the Irish Sea for the Midland American Auto Club’s annual knees-up in Kilbeggan. It’s the biggest American car event of its kind in Ireland and visitors can expect to see every kind of American vehicle, as well as big rig trucks, motorbikes, customs, rods and just about everything and anything else automotive and American you can imagine. Classic American will be on hand to dish out magazines, subscriptions and merchandise…

St Patrick’s day, which occurred on March 17 this year, is a big deal Stateside, where throngs of people celebrate Irish heritage and pay homage to everything green. This year, Ford Motor Company decided to join in the fray, revealing a Grabber Lime Mustang, which will go on sale as a 2020 model. Ford says the colour is inspired by its high-impact “Grabber” colours of the early 1970s and is sure to give the retinas a workout. “It’s lime green on steroids,” said Barb Whalen, Ford’s colour and materials manager. “This colour traces back to a Mustang heritage colour while bringing it forward with more modern, dynamic pigments and bold new energy.” Besides Grabber Lime, another bright hue, Twister Orange, will debut on the 2020 Mustang. There will also be…

The 2019 Doorslammers preparation is already underway; the racer entry system is live and drivers are jealously eyeing the riches on offer. News of the Doorslammers’ incredible first-year success has spread across the North Sea and the tempting £80,000 total prize money has stirred Viking blood in the Swedish Top Doorslammer community. Look out everyone – the Vikings are coming! 2018’s welcome revival of the Doorslammers concept at Santa Pod Raceway, after a long hiatus, put down a marker. The atmosphere and enthusiasm generated by the event signalled that big prize money and back-to-basics racing are where it’s at! The Doorslammers filled a hole and scratched an itch they knew was there, but couldn’t quite put their finger on. The event left everyone eagerly wanting more, and more is exactly…

The VHRA has just added an interesting new feature to its website whereby members can advertise their traditional hot rods on the club’s news page. Naturally all cars advertised on there will be VHRA membership eligible, including any unfinished projects; just the ticket if you want to get involved with the club which, as you know if you follow the column, put on some of the best hot rod driving events around. All cars will have full details, price and contact details. Go to www.vhra.co.uk and click on the news page.…

Following their recent racing exploits in the US, the Williams Brothers racing team from Northamptonshire finished up racing in Florida in March at both the NHRA Divisional event, the ‘Baby Gators’ at Gainesville, and the following weekend at the 50th Anniversary Gatornationals. The team has been running Nic’s ’69 Camaro ZL1 in the Stock Eliminator class, and although the winners’ circle was out of reach this time due to an unfortunate red light, the team has already vowed to return next year with Dan’s ’69 Nova SS, which is also an NHRA legal stocker. No doubt they’ll be back out in anger at Santa Pod this coming season.…

It’s perhaps hard to imagine that 1969 is now 50 years ago. When we think of all the amazing offerings Detroit was cranking out back then, among the factory hot rods available, General Motors’ COPO machines were among the most prized. In classic car circles, the COPO story is well documented; so I’ll cover it briefly in this column. In a nutshell, it goes like this. In the late Sixties, burgeoning consumer interest in hot cars and drag racing led to larger engines being introduced into intermediate and compact Detroit offerings. With monster engines factory available from Chrysler and Ford, General Motors appeared to be getting left in the dust, thanks to a corporate edict that limited motor size to 400 cubic inches in compact and intermediate cars. Some enterprising…

In today’s classic vehicle market values are constantly on the move. So, when you’re looking to buy insurance, should you have your cherished car insured on an ‘agreed value’ or a ‘market value’ basis? It’s a distinction that can suddenly become very important in the unfortunate event of your car being stolen or becoming an insurance write-off. Choosing market value Let’s take ‘market value’ first. Insuring your vehicle on this basis means you will receive UP TO the amount stated on your schedule (and not a penny more). Indeed, the amount you receive could be less than the schedule amount if the current market value is less than the value you’ve insured your vehicle for. Choosing agreed value If, on the other hand, your vehicle is insured on an ‘agreed…

‘Mid-life crisis’ is a cruel phrase, but it strikes quite a lot of us at one point or another. Jordan Harkin used those three words in connection with a few interesting buys his father made a few years back, but to understand the context, we need to rewind. Jordan’s dad, Terry, was a proper car-mad kid at one time, cycling around his home town of Goring in West Sussex looking for cool cars. Jordan tells a story of him seeing a mid-Sixties Ford Galaxie from his classroom window at school, and when he finished his final school year, buying it for £50. “He never got it running,” says Jordan, “but he fixed it up a fair bit and learned a lot about cars.” From there, Terry eventually owned a big…

Peter Wilcock first encountered his 1979 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 when it was barely eight years old. That was at a South Wales American Car Club meet at The Railway pub in Newport and its appearance wasn’t quite as you see it today. The Camaro had been customised; painted yellow with blue and red stripes over the aftermarket front spoiler and across the rear quarters. Owner Mark Jones of Newport sold the car to fellow enthusiast John Morgan in April 1988. Around 1991 John had the Camaro repainted silver with black and silver Z28 stripes and a large Lamborghini Countach-style whaletail was added on the boot. It stayed this way until Peter purchased the car in October 2014. “It had been stood on John’s drive since 2010,” recalls Peter. “Within a…

Many classic American cars from the Fifties and Sixties were originally only fitted with lap seat belts. Arguably it’s a good idea to upgrade these lap belts which don’t offer support for the upper body, preferably going for a three-point inertia reel design, as this allows the driver to lean forward with the belt automatically keeping the correct tension. This design requires a top mounting which is located behind the driver or passenger’s shoulder, and providing the car body is substantial in this area it’s usually possible to find a suitable fixing point. The car here is Classic American’s project car from a few years ago: a ’64 Ford Falcon convertible. It’s very similar to the first-generation Mustang. However, many different makes of cars of this era are similar to…

Back from the trimmers we have two cardboard rear interior side panels and the two metal armrests. The reason for needing to take these to a professional trimmer is because years ago when the seats and door cards were given to a previous trimmer, they invoiced me and boxed up the bits but never actually finished the job properly. I only found out some eight years later when I opened the box. A lesson learned – check the products before you pay! The condition they were in – they had survived, but the material had been left open to the elements for 50 years and needed replacing. The factory stainless trim on the armrest and side panels were removed by Simon prior to trimming for restoration. These were very saveable…

Renowned automotive re-imaginers ICON 4x4 recently completed the newest of the company’s concours-inspired Reformer series: a 1965 Kaiser Jeep Wagoneer. ICON founder/lead designer Jonathan Ward posted a video that provides insight and background on the project, which you can see on the Classic American website at www.classic-american.com The video gives an overview of the vehicle’s history and revival. In brief, the Jeep SJ Wagoneer was the successor to the beloved Willys Wagon. It is one of Brook Stevens’ finest designs (although others might argue that his Harley-Davidson Hydra-Glide and Oscar Mayer Weinermobile are even more iconic). Jonathan Ward created the commission for a customer who wanted the ultimate family beach machine. A first-generation Wagoneer was sourced because Ward preferred the look of the 1963-1965 ‘shovel nose’ front end over later…

General Motors’ Cadillac brand chose to reveal its new CT5 sedan via a social media campaign. Called “Sensory Symphony,” the campaign, which was launched on Cadillac’s YouTube page and additional social media channels, used a technique called autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) The idea is to stimulate senses, such as a spine-tingling sensation, by focusing on specific sounds, such as the CT5’s exhaust note, audio system and the sound from whisking off the cover during the car’s online reveal. The CT5, officially introduced at the 2019 New York International Auto Show, represents a breath of fresh air in some respects, signifying Cadillac’s plans to invest in the sport/luxury sedan segment, instead of focusing on more crossovers and SUVs. The CT5, which employs Cadillac’s Alpha architecture, will be offered in rear-wheel…

No doubt there’ll be a full report on the NSRA swap meet with pictures elsewhere in CA, but having just got back ourselves, it seems there was a universal thumbs-up to the new venue at North Weald. Plenty of space and all the hard standing was a boon to traders and punters alike, in contrast to the old Arena stock car track. Add in plenty of catering and decent loos and it’s a win-win for the NSRA. As for the weather, well, it’s never exactly tropical in Essex in March, but the wind did fair whip across that airfield, followed by driving hail at pack-up time!…

THAT OLD CLASSIC Dear Classic American, After reading the latest issue from March 2019 I was left wondering if this is still the magazine about classic cars that I subscribed to! Here in Germany a car has to be older than 30 years to be called an old-timer and what did I find? Nine articles, more than 45(!) pictures in commercial ads and more than 20 cars in the private classifieds, younger than 1989. Not to mention Will Shiers‘ Discoveries, a column that I usually love... does he have to flatter Dodge with nine pictures of their new Ram? Years ago I switched to your magazine because I couldn‘t find something comparable in German, but now... Excuse my German English but I guess you understand what I want to say.…

I had a dream recently involving the Impala. Yes, it had been finished and yes I was driving it, but the car was silent. Controversially I had decided to junk the 350 crate small block and instead build a lithium-ion battery pack and pair of electric motors to powerfully propel the ’Pala along in total silence. The hydraulic suspension already needs batteries, so maybe my brain put two and two together. That, and the fact that before Christmas I visited a company in the US called Icon who specialise in making better-than-new resto-mod Ford Broncos and Toyota Land Cruisers and even the Wagoneer featured on page 97. I was there to see the patinated 1949 Mercury that we featured in our January issue (CA333) and which was fresh back from…

ENGINE: MAKE: GM MODEL: Erod LS3 Disp. 378cu in /6.2-litre EXHAUST SYSTEM/HEADERS: 2-1/2” tubing, single muffler, stock exhaust manifold WIRING HARNESS: ICON custom MIL Spec OIL PUMP: Stock OIL PAN: Stock COOLER: Setrab ALTERNATOR: Vintage Air (front runner kit) BATTERY(S): Interstate COOLING SYSTEM: Griffin custom radiator, Spal electric fan DRIVELINE: CLUTCH/TORQUE CONVERTER: Gearstar converter STALL SPD.: CUSTOM W/ LOCK-UP TRANSMISSION: Gearstar 4L80E Level II SHIFTER: Ididit column shift TRANS MODIFICATIONS: Gearstar Level II PAN: Stock TRANSFER CASE: Atlas 3.0 FRONT AXLE: Custom Dynatrac DIFFERENTIAL: Dynatrac Pro Rock 44 REAR AXLE: Custom DYNATRAC DIFFERENTIAL: Dynatrac Pro Rock 60 AXLE RATIO: 4.10 AXLE SHAFTS F/R: Dynatrac DRIVESHAFTS: Heavy Duty. General Driveshaft, Monrovia CA BRAKES (F/R): Brembo GT brake system w/ Wilwood master cylinder and Hydratech Hydroboost SUSPENSION: (coil/leaf, torsion bar, air, mfg.…

FABULOUS FATHER’S DAY AT BEAULIEU For an unforgettable Father’s Day treat, Hot Rod and Custom Drive-In Day is back at Beaulieu on Sunday, June 16 with amazing cars and bikes set against the backdrop of live music and style from the custom scene. More than 500 hot rods and customised vehicles will make an amazing display, ranging from smooth cruisers and low-riders to powerful hot rods, stripped-out specials and mega-powered monsters in the grounds of the National Motor Museum. Two- and three-wheeled machines will also take their place alongside classic Camaros and modern Mustangs at the show, which is held in association with classic American car club Solent Renegades. Why not make a weekend of it and go to Simply VW on Saturday, June 15 then camp with your qualifying…

Vendor: Dave Wood, Stockport, Greater Manchester Telephone: 07836 226228 – 01245 248888 Price: £6500 Now here’s a turn up for the books: a diminutive little Ford Falcon that would really make a great daily driver, or starter American car for someone looking to dip their toe in American car ownership for the first time. It’s not perfect, but it’s a solid, tidy and handsome little thing. It has four-door practicality and dimensions which mean it will fit into most standard British-sized garages. It has some interesting history too; originating from Colorado, it was shipped to the UK to take part in the Mongol Rally (yes, it’s been to Mongolia and back, via the tip of Norway apparently! It even has its own Facebook page, search ‘Mongol Falcon’). Vendor Dave bought…