Innholdsfortegnelse for October 2021 i Classic American

Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming, the number of challenges facing American vehicle owners in this country, from the introduction of E10 petrol (petrol with 10% ethanol content, designed to lower carbon emissions) to the rollout of smart motorways. Of course, in truth, there’s often more brouhaha and drama around these things than is probably necessary. For those afraid of the arrival of E10 fuel there are additives and the availability (for now) of petrol with no ethanol in it (Esso Synergy Supreme) or only 5% (many of the premium/non-regular fuels). Long term it’s possible to convert engines that are currently not suitable for E10 with new hoses and so on. Smart motorways? That’s slightly more problematic, although I have noticed that I prefer to travel on these at…

There was a time, in the not-too-distant past, when it was often widely considered that Detroit didn’t build any collectable cars after 1971. The idea behind it was that with the emergence of safety regulations, fuel economy and emissions standards, all the fun and excitement that once characterised cars that rolled off Motor City assembly lines was essentially gone or vastly reduced. Today it is perhaps quite significant, for that cut-off (beginning with cars of the 1972 model year, we might add) is almost exactly 50 years ago. Granted, when we look at cars like the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth ’Cuda, Ford Mustang, Pontiac GTO, Oldsmobile 4-4-2 and others, 1971 marked the last year these cars were either available with true big-block engines, were still offered as stand-alone models, or…

Back in the spring of 2017, Anders Hildebrand, the founder and boss of Anglo American Oils, invited me along for an interesting and fact-filled tour of the company’s impressive, purpose-built facility near Poole in Dorset. You can read all about Anders, his racing and car background and all manner of interesting oil and fuel facts in my Classic American People feature in Issue 315, July 2017. At the time, Anders’ business truck and daily driver was a modified black 1972 Chevrolet C10 stepside pick-up, which also happened to be his first American vehicle. We didn’t pay too much attention to it as our focus was elsewhere. Four years further down the line, the work-weary truck has been given a complete makeover and dressed in a new uniform. It still has…

“Man, I was what you call… ragged. I mean, way beyond torn up. I wasn’t going to be no man’s friend today.” Thus opens the 1982 cult film The Loveless, Kathryn Bigelow’s sexualised fantasy portrayal of 1950s America. The voice belongs to Vance, the leader of a gang of drifting bikers travelling through Florida on their way to the Daytona 200. If only it could talk, this 1950 Ford Custom Club Coupe would probably say something similar. It belongs to Delwyn Mallett, and its raggedness is playing on his mind somewhat. It looks great and he knows it, but at the same time he thinks it might be deteriorating too much and too fast, and he’s got a guilty conscience. What to do? Before we get to that, let’s run…

Chrysler Corporation certainly had a good run with their 1967-and-up Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant lines. These A-body ‘compacts’ were very popular cars that were top sellers for both divisions. The Plymouth Duster, which was based on the Valiant, arrived in 1970 and came to be a big segment of the A-body success story, and Dodge debuted their ‘Demon’ Duster equivalent for 1971, later changing the name to Dart Sport. These vehicles were a big part of what had kept Chrysler Corporation going through the ‘gas crunch’ of the Seventies. However, by the time the 1976 model year came around, it had become time for new replacements. Designed with a clean sheet of paper, in came the Dodge Aspen and Plymouth Volaré; brand-new platforms which differed greatly from the previous…

AMT 1970 Ford Galaxie Taxi Once a model car manufacturer has created the basic tooling, they can often reissue the kit in as many different forms as their imagination takes them. Take this 2021 release of a 1970 Ford Galaxie four door sedan, for example. While it might appear at first glance an odd choice, as traditionally most model car manufacturers seem to favour the sportier, two door and convertible bodies for their kits, it’s actually quite clever. They released the same kit last year as a police cruiser in their James Bond 007 line. This time they have reboxed it with colourful retro-style artwork, substituted the decals for new ones, added a few new parts and hey presto, it is reborn as a taxi! No doubt it will be…

When it comes to liquid engineering, internal combustion engines rely on quality oil and quality fuel to run efficiently. Over the years, however, tightening emissions regulations have forced changes within the petrol industry and altered the formula of standard fuel. Leaded petrol disappeared from UK forecourts at the turn of the millennium, E5 biofuel was standardised in 2019, and from September 2021 the recipe of standard grade unleaded petrol was changed to double the content of renewable, non-fossil ethanol available at the pumps. This new petrol will be identified by the code E10, something that’s been discussed many times on these pages. While these changes are welcomed by the general public and government in order to help cut harmful emissions, they’ve always impacted the use and performance of historic vehicles…

If you’re thinking of buying or selling an American vehicle or parts, Classic American’s private classifieds still take some beating. The listings are free and run for three months, but can be amended or extended by phone, email or letter. And you still have the option of uploading your advert online or by post, using a photograph and the coupon printed in the back of the magazine. It couldn’t be easier and offers buyers and sellers alike the confidence of knowing they are dealing with genuine buyers and sellers, unlike on some famous online auction platforms which are plagued with scammers and con artists. Best of all, you’ll find all kinds of rare and exciting vehicles, like this super rare 20th Anniversary Trans Am which has only 38,000 miles on…

From the mid-1980s North American car manufacturers began to experience a performance renaissance, as they started to offer serious performance versions of their sports cars. The most obvious examples of these were cars like Ford’s 5.0-litre Mustang and the Camaro Z-28. Both these cars relied on V8 power and rear-wheel drive, whereas over at Chrysler, a totally different approach was being taken… Chrysler was probably the most radical manufacturer in terms of its downsizing programme and all-new engineering – and its K-cars led the way with their front-wheel drive and transverse-mounted four-cylinder engines. Co-operation with Mitsubishi motors of Japan had resulted in new engines, such as the 3.0-litre V6, and by the mid-1980s, seeing what was going on over at GM and Ford, Chrysler decided to create its own performance…

Classic Recreations announced last year that it was teaming up with SpeedKore Performance to build the world’s first carbon fibre bodied classic Mustang, which it named the Shelby GT500CR. Then, last September, the builder revealed that it had begun production on the very first of these carbon fibre bodies. Finally, the first 1967 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500CR is complete and ready for its moment in the spotlight. “Our carbon fibre Shelby moved from concept to completion in an unbelievable nine months, all during a global pandemic,” said Jason Engel, founder and co-owner of Classic Recreations. “This first car in the production series demonstrates our ability to engineer and hand-craft amazing cars by collaborating with key partners like SpeedKore. The muscle car is a breathtaking 600 pounds lighter than stock, and…

Like a lot of indoor events, the London Classic Car Show had to reinvent itself this year and take place outside. Amazingly it was one of the last car events of 2020, taking place indoors at Olympia in London literally weeks before the first lockdown. Syon Park in West London was the new chosen venue and it translated surprisingly well into an outdoor event, especially since the weather was warm, sunny and pleasant. One would think there might not be a lot to interest American car fans at such a show, but there was actually quite a surprising amount of American content, including the Classic Corvette Club UK’s stand and plenty of Yanks going under the hammer at Classic Car Auctions’ pitch. As the theme for this year’s show was…

What a weekend. Due to the pandemic Dragstalgia didn’t go ahead last year and unfortunately there were still a few restrictions in place this year, but the event is now in its 10th year and was not to be missed. From racing, static displays, the vintage hub, traders, a big screen drive-in movie and the Pod shop to browse through, there was plenty going on to keep everyone amused. I personally got there not long after the gates opened on Friday morning to make the most of the weekend. On track Friday was just Run What Ya Brung with many races getting plenty of runs in, including some of the Nostalgia Super Stock guys and girls just before the heavens opened drastically, calling a very wet end to the day.…

Harold Baggott, now 101, had his first taste of getting behind the wheel of the Model T aged 10, driving the family’s milkman’s delivery float on a farm. He went on to get his licence in 1936 (the first year they were introduced), and purchased his first car, a Ford 8 Popular in 1937 for £100 and a Ford Anglia the next year. Since then the family have owned 20 Fords privately, as well as Ford commercial vehicles in chassis form, converted into coaches for a fleet of 140 run by their travel and coach business. Mr Baggott was reminded of his Model T experiences with rides in a 1915 model from Ford’s heritage collection, before moving bang up to date and behind the Mustang Mach-E’s steering wheel.…

For one night only, Redhill in Surrey was transformed into a scene from American Graffiti… or was it the famous Reno, Nevada Hot August Nights cruise? Either way, the cruise, organised by the UK’s oldest and most well-known classic American car dealers Dream Cars (www.dreamcars.co.uk) was an overwhelming success. The event, which was started last year, was promoted online, by word of mouth and via social media and the turnout was exceptional, with cars coming from as far afield as Manchester, Sheffield, Ipswich and Leicester. Dream Cars organised a barbecue before the event for customers and friends in the afternoon, which was well patronised, offering visitors the chance to fill up on delicious burgers and hot dogs courtesy of caterers Healthy Yummies (www.yummies.film) and peruse Dream Cars’ remarkable stock of…

The ‘neoclassic’ is a uniquely American breed of luxury car, and one that is rarely subtle. The Excalibur established the template as far back as the mid-Sixties, but it had perhaps been eclipsed by the super-tacky Clénet by the mid-Seventies. However, just as night follows day, most of these operations don’t last long, usually because partners fall out, or the ‘talent’ jumps ship. In the case of the Matco Diamante and its instigator, Bill Mathews, it was a bit of both. The sometime Clénet production manager departed in 1977 and set about creating his own variation on the theme. The basis for the car was a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham chassis, with the wheelbase lengthened to 136 inches. Power came from a stock 6965cc V8 that produced a giddying 195bhp, the…

If you have decided to realise your dream of owning your first classic American car, I am sure it will be an extremely enjoyable experience... from huge land yachts that make you feel like you’re floating on air as you cruise down the road in total silence to the incredible muscle cars that are still unmatched for style and performance, all featuring an incredible V8 soundtrack. Not forgetting the cars from the fabulous Fifties with their acres of chrome and massive tail fins – there’ll never be anything like them ever again. If you are looking for your first American car, there really is something for everyone. They’re all great cars (well, most of them!), with their own distinct personalities, and are totally addictive. Once you’ve had one, you will…

After two long years of waiting, the UK muscle car fraternity packed their bags and fired up the engines to head over to Santa Pod Raceway for the 27th Mopar Euro Nationals. With plenty of folk making use of the Thursday entry pass available this year, the newly laid out race paddock was a hive of activity and made a great backdrop for catching up with friends after such a long break. On Friday, the tail end of Storm Evert arrived as predicted to dampen the track, but not the spirits. Despite the lack of race action, the place was alive with the Euro Nats faithful making up for lost time discussing all things Mopar and muscle. This continued into the evening with more arrivals in time to enjoy the…