Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2024 i Classic American

Here in North America, public sector strikes have been on the increase. Inflation, high interest rates and cost of living increases have eroded the purchasing power of many Americans and Canadians. Since being elected in March 2023, Shawn Fain, the new president of the United Auto Workers’ union – that represents employees at US assembly plants run by Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (Chrysler) – has taken a hardline approach to labour negotiations. When the UAW failed to reach a labour agreement with the three automakers, coordinated strikes were launched on September 15 at assembly plants across the country. This represented the first time in the union’s history that all three carmakers were targeted simultaneously. Ford’s Wayne, Michigan, assembly plant that produces the Ford Bronco and Ranger; Jeep’s Toledo facility…

It seems that more and more people are getting American vehicles, and for many of them it is their first or only car. So, for those of you who are new to the American scene or new to motoring, we get right back to basics with general maintenance and servicing. When we say ‘general maintenance and servicing’, what are we talking about exactly? Well, it’s the small simple jobs such as changing the filters, spark plugs and oil and checking the major components of your vehicle for wear or damage. It’s all about trying to prevent a major breakdown. Remember that old saying ‘prevention is better than cure’? It is so true when it comes to looking after your vehicle. The jobs being covered here can all be carried out…

This 1953 Cadillac flower car was built by Superior. The museum explains that “very few flower cars survive, as from day one the flowers in the back of them were watered and while the coach-built body is stainless steel, the chassis and existing bodywork rusted away due to water seepage…” This 1956 Cadillac by Meteor is a ‘Combination’ vehicle, meaning it could function both as an ambulance and hearse. Interestingly the colour scheme reflects a fashion in the Fifties to ‘add more’ colour to professional vehicles and as such, the colour scheme is Tangier Tan, Cocoabar Brown and Pecos Beige. Got to love those Fifties colour scheme names… Not a professional vehicle as such, but one of Cadillac’s most famous offerings of the mid to late Fifties: the 1957 Cadillac…

News Congratulations to the winners of the 2023 Kingstown Shipping Car of the Year competition, Stuart Curtis from Cheshire, whose stunning 1965 Chevrolet Corvette won the prize after three long days of serious judging. Stuart is an active member of the Classic Corvette Club UK and is a real ’Vette head, with four of them in total. This Nassau Blue C2 won the final heat of this year’s competition at the Isle of Man Festival of Motoring American Extravaganza, where it was taking part in the driving events held over the weekend of September 16/17 in sun, rain and wind – so no trailer queen! Powered by a 327cu in V8 engine hooked up to a four-speed manual transmission. It’s a nicely optioned car with power-windows, -steering, -brakes, -antennae and…

The Royal Automobile Club has named Andy Saunders ‘best debut author’ for his book The Automotive Alchemist. Classic American has covered Andy’s incredible Kustom builds and ones that he’s been involved with, such as low rider ‘Sundancer’ created by his partner Maxime Xavier last year (January 2023/CA 381). Andy is a hugely talented and unassuming man and little did he know that he’d make a great award-winning author. The book is a vividly illustrated celebration of this design genius’s work and provides a fascinating insight into Saunders’ imagination and workshop as he deconstructs and then rebuilds each vehicle, laying bare his motivations, influences and passions. The narrative covers the work involved in creating 60 unique cars, 42 of which now reside in museums and private collections across the world. Andy…

NEC, Birmingham November 10-12 Ah, the NEC Classic Motor Show… For many classic car folk it’s the final event of the year, before we all get sucked into the madness that is Christmas for the next six weeks, popping out the other side to be greeted by three or four months of miserable dark winter weather that’s not very…. errr… classic car friendly at all. Here at Classic American, it’s the bookend of the Kingstown Car of the Year competition, which kicks off on the Good Friday at Wheels Day, traditionally the first show of the year for many American car lovers. At this year’s Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor show, the American content seemed to be a bit more dotted around the halls of the NEC, rather than concentrated in…

March 10 (TBC) NSRA SOUTHERN SWAP MEET North Weald Airfield, Merlin Way, Epping CM16 6HR. The opening event of the rodding and American calendar – huge outdoor swapmeet and autojumble. From window winders to complete cars, this is the place to buy and sell new, used and vintage auto parts and accessories! Traders from 7.30am, public gate open 9.30am. For trade enquiries or for more info see: www.nsra.org.uk 29 (TBC) WHEELS DAY Surrey Street Rodders annual season-opening extravaganza to raise money for charity and kick off the UK car show season takes place on Good Friday, which this year is on March 29. Expect to see Americans, hot rods, custom cars, British classics, VWs – basically anything interesting on four or two wheels. John Price will be on the PA…

From here to obscurity It appears achingly cool in the present day, but then it was broadly popular for about five minutes in 1977. The AM Van was a concept car, er… commercial vehicle, that aimed to inject some much-needed razzmatazz into the ailing AMC brand. This hardy independent had punched above its weight time and again, innovating out of necessity with development budgets that wouldn’t cover the catering bill for the Big Three in Detroit. However, scroll back to the mid- to late-Seventies and the wider media sensed blood. American Motors was ailing, and its management attempted to deflect attention – create positive press – by initiating a programme that would showcase how forward-thinking it was. Ignore the doom and gloom. Concentrate instead on the shiny baubles. ‘Concept 80’…

1959 Buick Invicta Convertible Nineteen fifty-nine was the year America grew up. If the Fifties ever seemed like it was too good to last, it was. As teenage innocence died with Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan started singing of trouble and strife. The Cold War in Cuba got much hotter and following the 1958 recession, Detroit’s car-makers were forced to realise that, for many consumers, economy might be a more important consideration than glamour. Fortunately, the American automotive dream had no intention of fading away quietly, and 1959 marked the pinnacle of the chrome-and-fins era, with General Motors leading the charge. The ’59 Cadillac is today held up as the ultimate symbol of the excess, optimism, imagination, prosperity and stylistic excellence which defined the era, but might it not be that…

What a lucky fellow Lloyd Price is, with not one but two gorgeous American cars, both very different, but fantastic in their own way. First up is the 1988 Mercury Colony Park Station Wagon which was ordered new by a Dr Zeidan in Saudi Arabia. It was he who brought the car to the UK in the Nineties and kept it until August 2011. Lloyd then bought the car, had it a month then sold it. Then he bought it back again in August 2014 (for more money of course). He has the original bill of sale (in Arabic of course) and says it runs great – it will drive anywhere and is ideal for camping trips. His other car is the handsome 1965 Cadillac Coupe DeVille (in Cape Ivory)…

1. If you’ve seen the Netflix true crime documentary series Making a Murderer, you will no doubt be very familiar with Avery’s Salvage. Located on the edge of Two Rivers, in Wisconsin’s Manitowoc County, this is perhaps the USA’s most well-known junkyard. Back in September the yard’s owner granted me permission to spend a few hours exploring the place which, unfortunately, is a shadow of its former self. 2. The yard has been in operation since 1965, but according to the elderly man I spoke to, probably not for much longer. In recent years the family have crushed a lot of cars, putting a question mark over its long-term survival. Look at all the empty space around this Pontiac Firebird. 3.The salvage yard features heavily in the documentary and is…