Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2021 i Classic American

The latest victim in our series introducing the writers and photographers behind the pages of Classic American is Nigel Boothman, who jumped in at the American automotive deep end with a mid-Sixties American limousine! My love of American cars was sealed pretty early in life, when my father’s job took the family from England to New York state in 1981. I was seven at the time, a pretty impressionable age for any car-mad boy, and while I could identify every car on British roads by that age I had my work cut out to learn everything I saw in America. I’m still trying, nearly 40 years later… It was an interesting time for American cars – spectacular Sixties and early Seventies land-yachts and muscle cars were still common, but people…

One of the most vital items in our world today is the humble microchip. It’s used in everything from kitchen items like toasters, fridges and dishwashers to smartphones, tablets, TVs, cable and satellite recorders – and of course our cars. Since the Seventies, we’ve seen vehicles become more and more like computers on wheels. First it was breakerless ignition systems, then electronic feedback carburettors, fuel injection, ABS brakes, traction control, airbags, stability control – the list goes on. In many cases, the modern vehicle can have more than 20 computer modules controlling everything from start-stop function, to air/fuel delivery to steering assistance, remote locking, power window operation, infotainment and telematics functions like onboard roadside assistance. Yet all these electronic functions – the vast majority of which have been driven by…

1931 Buick and 1972 Chevrolet C30 Transporter Other than them both being a product of General Motors, you might struggle to find a connection between a 1931 Buick Sedan and a 1972 Chevrolet C30 truck, but for Stuart ‘Chubby’ Checksfield, his owning one of those vehicles is a direct consequence of buying the other. “After I bought the Buick I soon realised it wasn’t ideal for driving long distances to shows,” admits Chubby, “so I started looking for a suitable truck to transport it. In the end, I built one. “A friend had a 1931 Chevy and I liked it so much I wanted something similar. I’d sold my ’57 Chevy and spotted the Buick on American eBay in 2005. It didn’t sell, so I phoned the guy, Tom Carson…

Proper lubrication is essential to the functioning of your engine. A dead battery will stop it temporarily, but a lack of lubrication will rapidly become terminal. As with all technological advances, modern oils are very different from what your engine may have used when it was new. The most common lubrication used in vehicles is mineral oil, created over millions of years from dead sea creatures and extracted by drilling. As it comes from the ground, it is a mixture of molecules of varying lengths which are sorted by fractional distillation. Among the shortest are petrol molecules, with lubricating oils in the middle and tar the longest. The most basic property of oil is its viscosity. Obtaining oil of a particular viscosity is done by selecting molecules of the right…

SPRING BREAK Stonham Barns Park, Suffolk April 25 The Knucklebusters car club and Stonham Barns Park Holiday Park collaborated to put on what was effectively the first custom/ hot rod/American car show of the year – and for many, literally the first event of any kind for 12 months… The sense of joy at being released and in the company of fellow rod, custom and American enthusiasts was almost palpable, despite a somewhat chilly and overcast day. “Hey, at least it’s not raining!” was the common refrain. Normally it would be Wheels Day down in Aldershot on Good Friday kicking things off, but that was not able to go ahead for the second year running and so in a way, Stonham was lucky to get that first event of the…

Gooding’s Geared online was just getting under way as we went to print, taking place from May 3 to May 7. There were some very tasty classic American morsels going under the hammer, including this very original-looking 1956 Chrysler 300B which had an estimate of $25-$35,000. One of 1102 built and just 233 estimated by 300B historians to remain, it’s been stored for nearly 50 years and features the FirePower 354cu in Hemi V8, accompanied by a dual carburettor set-up with batwing air cleaner and manifold. Wearing its original patina’d paint, it looks every bit a barn find, so would require recommissioning. It would make such a cool car if its current appearance could be retained, while it was made driveable, stoppable and safe – it even comes with an…

American Motors for 1971 launched their second generation and last design for the Javelin. The car would cease production in 1974, being replaced by the Matador. These ‘later’ models have never captured the car collector’s imagination and been somewhat forgotten; which is a good reason for including them in this column, as I think they deserve some better press. The Javelin first appeared in August 1967 and went on sale to the public on September 26 of that year as a new model for ’68. The cars were built to rival the Mustang, Barracuda, Firebird and Camaro and were a wonderful creation by AMC’s head designer Richard Teague. Within five months and hot on the heels of the Javelin came the AMX, a two-seater smaller version of the Javelin and…

SHOWS 2021 MAY 17 SCOTCH PIPER CLASSICS An informal weekly meeting of all kinds of classic cars, usually a good number of Americans. Held at the Scotch Piper Inn, Lydiate which is the oldest pub in Lancashire, with plenty of parking on the field to the rear. Hot and cold food available along with tea, coffee, beers and soft drinks. Every Monday evening, winter and summer once lockdown ends (May 17) 6pm-9.30pm. Free entry. Scotch Piper Inn, Lydiate. Lancs L39 4HD. JUNE 20 BEAULIEU ROD & CUSTOM The south’s biggest hot rod and custom event features hundreds of cool, colourful, custom cars, live music and hip entertainment throughout the day! Hot rods, customs, American muscle, chops and bobbers will be among the hundreds of vehicles on display. You can expect…

General Motors has rowed back on its commitment to get rid of all of its petrol vehicles by 2035, claiming that this was merely a goal, not a declaration of intent. However, it appears that Cadillac will continue to aim for an all-electric future. When it introduced the 2023 Cadillac Lyriq – the automaker’s first all-electric vehicle – Rory Harvey, vice-president of Global Cadillac, was quick to point out that it also marks the start of the brand’s transition away from petrol-powered vehicles. “Every new Cadillac that we introduce from this point on in North America will be a state-of-the-art luxury electric vehicle,” Harvey said. “It is public record that we said we would enter this decade as an ICE brand (internal combustion engine) and we would leave this decade…

Confused? Well, we were a bit at this rather interesting creation from MK Coach/Parks Superior. It uses a Ford Explorer fitted with a Lincoln Nautilus grille for the basis of this hearse/combination vehicle. The switching of the grilles is presumably as customers may already have Lincolns in their fleets, for uniformity, or also the desire to create a more upmarket-looking vehicle. Availability as a ‘combination’ vehicle means the rear landau panels can be removed, enabling its use as a flower car or suchlike. As the manufacturers explain, their 2021 MK Ford Explorer Combination can function as: “Lead car, front-line hearse, back-up hearse, airport runs, first-call vehicle, cremation vehicle, flower car – the combination coach satisfies all your business needs with grace, dignity and impeccable style. Built on a heavy-duty chassis,…

One of the great Fifties show queens, the Chrysler-financed, Ghia-crafted Dart was a stylistic tour de force. The name was appropriate given that this 5664mm (223in) projectile was honed in a wind tunnel, its dart-shaped outline boasting massive rear fins that were not just for show. Chrysler labelled it a ‘…hydroplane on wheels’, the fins aiding stability if the marketing spiel was to be believed. There was no reason not to, given that the shape was influenced by, if not necessarily mapped out by, Giovanni Savonuzzi. This brilliant designer, engineer, aerodynamicist, test driver and engine builder just happened to be the head of Ghia’s design department (he would go on to become a prime mover behind Chrysler’s gas turbine project). The Dart led to the visually similar Dart II, another…

As the saying goes: “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it” and no one could accuse Lincoln of messing up a successful formula, as the Continental Mark III gave way to the restyled Mark IV (1972-1976) and the equally successful Continental Mark V (1977-1979). Both cars were broadly like the original progenitor, the Mark III, with long bonnets, a two-door format, formal grille and hood ornament, with hideaway headlights, padded vinyl roof and super plush luxurious interiors and of course their trademark continental spare tyre hump on the boot lid. Out back the Mark III’s elegant and understated lines that echoed the Fifties Mark II were replaced with rather more ordinary units within the bumper that coarsened its appearance somewhat, smacking of more mainstream mass-produced vehicles like the Dodge Polara.…

1973 BUICK RIVIERA Geoff Saunders, Mijas, Spain “I’ve had this car for a while and gone through some interesting times with it. While waiting for delivery of a crate engine built by Jim Wiese – who is the world expert on Buick 455s – the car was locked inside the workshop of the mechanic who, unbeknown to me, had just gone bust. I lived in France at this time and I was working in Moscow, so chasing him, the bank, the property owner who owned the workshop and so on, was more than a little tough. It took two years to sort out, by which time the car had been moved (without my knowledge!) to a breakers yard. Eventually I had to basically bribe the breakers to give me back…