Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Classic American

Viewpoint Wow, ‘2024’ sounds like one of those dates that flashes up at the beginning of a science fiction film set in the future… but it’s actually here and now. What will it bring the American car community here in the UK and elsewhere in the world? Well, unpopular as I know this will be, I’ll bet we’re going to see a lot more electrified classics; cars like the Ford Mustang readily lend themselves to this trend and it could even be done without sacrificing existing ICE (Internal Combustion Engined) cars, using Dynacorn bodies and all the other bits and bobs available from the Mustang aftermarket business. That direction probably won’t appeal to existing classic American aficionados. Why? Well, we already know some folks have a problem with cars that…

STAR Letter IT’S ME! Dear Classic American Wow, there I am, page 79 in the Dec ’23 issue. The Michigan state police cop! To say I was pleased to see myself in Classic American is an understatement, I am over the moon. We had a stand at the classic car show at the NEC in November, and I felt so proud that your editor came to our stand and I was able to meet and chat with him; he said he remembered us from the previous year with our three ex-cop Crown Victorias. As for the show, well what a fabulous weekend, to see so many cars, bikes, trucks, and unusual vehicles that people have lavished so much time and energy on is brilliant, and what a great bunch of…

1970 Chevrolet Suburban Custom Since founding his company ICON, Jonathan Ward has been at the forefront of reinterpreting historic vintage automotive designs, bringing them back to modern roads to the delight of collectors across the world. Famous for cleverly reimagining classic Land Cruisers, Broncos and Thriftmasters, the company has just introduced its newest creation – the 1970 Suburban custom. As part of the ICON Reformer series, the one-of-one build is the first Suburban ever created by Ward and is a million-dollar masterpiece with no detail spared. “Interestingly enough, this is our first Suburban to date,” said Ward, “yet it has been one of my favorite truck builds for a variety of reasons. The Suburban allows our designers such a great canvas with tons of room to get creative with how…

SEMA stands for Specialty Equipment Market Association and the annual SEMA Show that’s held in Las Vegas, Nevada, is a special event that previews new trends and innovations. There’s competition between high-profile builders, as well as lesser-known shops to come up with worthy, head-turning cars and trucks that get recognition for fresh ideas. Display vehicles are inside, outside, and in the various hallways. The parking lots out front have overflow displays and everywhere you look there’s something to see and absorb. There were loads of GM and Ford vehicles as feature cars displayed, and while the cancelation of all Stellantis displays (as a result of the then-ongoing UAW negotiations) was disappointing, it meant an all-out effort was made to walk the entire show and gather-up the ‘best-of-the-best’ of everything Mopar!…

1. Situated on the eastern shore of the environmental disaster they call the Salton Sea; the southern Californian town of Bombay Beach is a shadow of its former self. Back in the Fifties holiday makers would flock to the resort, to enjoy swimming, fishing and water-skiing in the 890sq km manmade lake. However, it became seriously polluted by agricultural run-off in the Eighties, killing much of the wildlife that lived in it, and putting a stop to tourism. Consequently, today Bombay Beech is little more than a ghost town. A couple of hundred people live here (down from 1000 in the Nineties), and from what I can tell, most of them seem to be artists. There are giant sculptures dotted all over the town, including an aeroplane that’s been turned…

General Motors announced that the new right-hand-drive Cadillac Lyriq recently confirmed for Australia and New Zealand will expand the brand’s global reach to more markets where that driver configuration is used. The automaker has just revealed that the RHD Cadillac Lyriq marks the beginning of Cadillac’s global expansion with its all-electric model strategy, opening new doors and growth opportunities in important right-hand-drive automotive markets around the world – which tend to be very receptive to zero-emission technologies. As such, the Lyriq is the first RHD Cadillac EV to serve these markets. “Cadillac is experiencing great sales momentum thanks to our strong product portfolio – and we are now expanding our business globally,” said vice president, global Cadillac, John Roth. “The introduction of a right-hand-drive Lyriq will enable new opportunities in…

HUW EVANS, BARRIE, ONTARIO, CANADA 1985 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am 2018 Chevrolet Sonic RS So, what’s new regarding the Evans fleet? Well, the 1985 Trans Am (as I write this) is still in winter slumber. This year I was a lot more cautious and made sure that the car was cleaned, the storage facility contained no edible substances and that the interior, engine bay and trunk area were filled with bounce sheets to ward off any potential critters. I also disconnected and removed the battery. My last visit to check on the old girl revealed that the rear hatch struts wouldn’t keep the massive rear window/decklid open, so I will likely be replacing those in the spring. My plan is also to install fresh oil, change the serpentine drive belt…

Roland “The Hawaiian” Leong – Drag Racing’s Iconic Owner & Tuner Author: Lou HartPublished by: Car TechISBN: 978-1-61325-778-4 £34.00 Car Tech continues to commission books relating the history of the golden age of drag racing, with emphasis on the Sixties and Seventies. This latest volume features the story of Roland Leong, a Chinese-Hawaiian who from a young age knew that he wanted to be a drag racer and team owner. Despite initial resistance from his Harvard-educated father, his mother supported his decision to drop out of school to seek a racing career. With her support and with natural skills at both driving and tuning he had a meteoric rise through the ranks, first in front engined dragsters and later with Funny Cars. He progressed from racing his mother’s 1959 Oldsmobile,…

Stuart Curtis’s fascination with Corvettes sprang from a famous poster of a white 1970 Stingray, one that planted a seed. At the age of just 23, Stuart bought his first Corvette: a C4 coupe. “The car was only a year old, and there was nothing like it among my group of friends,” says Stuart. “They were in Ford Capris and Escorts!” But setting up his business meant it had to go after just two years, and Stuart’s life would be Corvette-less for a decade. Then, in 1999, came a pair of Corvette C5s in quite quick succession, each one sold to plough funds back into the business. An even longer hiatus followed until 2016 when Stuart visited the Stars n’ Stripes show and discovered the Corvette Club stand, where stood…

1955 Cadillac Coupe de Ville Mark Lamude, the owner of this uber-cool ’55 Coupe de Ville, is no stranger to the pages of Classic American with a string of very desirable high performance American cars to his name, some of which he not only built but still owns. If we tell you that includes a well-known ’55 Chevy that’s been on the scene since the Seventies, a ’69 Camaro that already had a race pedigree in the USA well before it arrived on these shores, plus a GTO Judge, and a ’64 Mercury Comet, (which we featured most recently in CA back in June 2020), you’ll see what we mean. While all the above cars are firm favourites of muscle car fans, a slammed and patina’d ’55 Cadillac Coupe de…

1966 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 W-30 Hardtop The Oldsmobile 4-4-2, later simplified to 442, was initially produced on Oldsmobile’s F-85 platform as a direct competitor to the Pontiac Division’s LeMans-based GTO. As an upmarket division to Pontiac, Olds was not renowned for its performance cars, producing more comfortable, middle-of-the-road type vehicles. However, there was a surprising degree of competition between GM’s divisions, the result being some interesting innovations, all designed, of course, to boost sales. By 1966 the 442 was based on the popular Cutlass, with a higher than standard performance 400cu in V8 engine and available as a two-door coupe, a pillarless coupe and a convertible. The subject of this new AMT 1:25 scale kit is the exceedingly rare W-30 version of the 442. Only 54 examples of this extra-special car…