Innholdsfortegnelse for March 2024 i Classic American

Welcome to the March 2024 issue of Classic American. Winter is always a bit of a melancholy time for classic American car owners; for many of us the cars are squirreled away, hibernating and waiting for spring… Although, if you’re like me, you might be waiting for one of those bright, dry days after it’s been raining heavily (to wash the salt away!) to get your car out and give it a run, even if it’s just around the corner. We expect to see beautiful classic cars in the summer, but what a nice surprise to see one in the depth of winter and if you are one of those ‘winter warriors’ who dares to take your car out between November and March, more power to you – you’re probably…

Cost: £68.02 ex. VAT/£81.62 inc. VAT Available from: www.lasertools.co.uk Product rating: 4/5 Stars Laser Tools’ new mains-powered 4A intelligent battery charger (part number 8699) says it’s here to “simplify your life and ensure your batteries are always in top-notch condition”. We tested it out to see if it’s all it claims to be… Winter is a bit of a bummer for classic car folks, especially if you’re one of those ones who puts your car away for the winter. Hesitant starts, often caused by tired or almost flat batteries and an inability to take a car out and give it a proper run due to salt, grit and snow, all combine to make things very frustrating. However, having your car hooked up to a good trickle charger can at least…

“I was a boy from Compton, Southern California, who invested his $200 savings in a 1949 Chevy when he was only 12. Not much before that, my father had taken me to Los Angeles to see the legendary General Motors Motorama Exhibition. When I saw myself there in front of the LeSabre concept, I decided at that very moment that I would do my best to one day become a GM stylist. As a teenager, I drove every morning to George Barris’ workshop; the most fascinating place in the world. It was packed with spectacular hot rods and customs. I was amazed by all that and I was especially enamoured by the incredible and spectacular paint finishes on the cars. One of his employees opened his own business and I…

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 WHEELS DAY The 49th Wheels Day has a new venue: Newbury Show Ground – more details on this to follow, but the organiser statement says: “In the next couple of weeks myself and Andrew will bring full details on entry and everything else as it happens... This is a great step forward for the club with a purpose-built show area and…

It’s back again! The biggest gathering of all-American vehicles on the island of Ireland is happening once again on Sunday, April 21, from 11am at the Midland American Auto Club showgrounds opposite Kilbeggan Racecourse in County Westmeath, in the middle of the Republic of Ireland. For the 23rd year in a row, the Midland American Auto Club is opening its gates to all American cars, pick-up trucks, big rigs, vans, fire engines, huge RVs and bikes from all over Ireland, the UK and further afield. Some UK attendees have confirmed they will be travelling over and staying for the week to tour Ireland in their classic American vehicles. This is the largest all-American show in Ireland and is only open to American vehicles. Some 300-plus vehicles regularly attend, from Harley-Davidson…

Where Are they Now Part 1 Dear Classic American, I saw a letter in your magazine from Ray Wright (CA393 January 2024, page 24 – Ed.) and it mentioned a Mustang with the numberplate YTR 900J, wondering where it was. Well, I am the owner of that now in the UK, and it is stored in a garage, fully restored inside and out and I’ve had it for around 20 odd years. I have attached photos of it so maybe you would be kind enough to send them onto that reader via his email for him, so he can see how it looks now. Farran Grant Via email We did just that and had a reply back from Ray from Dagenham, who initially wrote in with the picture of his…

Long-time fans of the American classic car scene, Carol and Andy Fanshawe always dreamed of owning an iconic ’57 Chevy one day. After an agonising 30-year wait, this rare 210 Townsman Wagon amazingly appeared for sale locally, though a little work was required to transform it into the stunning show car it is today. It’s now 29 years since Carol and Andy first met and, thankfully, they share each other’s passion for old American cars: “When I first met Andy, he’d already built and modified numerous custom cars,” Carol explains. “Before I knew it, I became involved too and soon I was also helping him pull out engines, cut roofs off or conduct some other form of radical modification.” Carol denies any form of brainwashing took place but it’s safe…

1972 Chevrolet C10 If, like most readers do, you scanned through the pics of this cool C10 before deciding to read the words, you’d be forgiven for thinking that it was conceived and put together by either a member of the drag racing fraternity, or at least, a serious hot rodder. But nothing could be further from the truth. This truck is only the second American vehicle that the builder, Patrick Pierson, of Gillingham in Dorset, has owned. Patrick’s always been into messing with vehicles, however, and up until we met him locally a few years ago, he mainly bought, sold, and restored old Land Rovers as a hobby/sideline to his regular job running a Komatsu plant agency. We asked Patrick what made him switch from a classic British brand…

Well having been gifted an additional bank holiday in May last year courtesy of the Coronation, the Detonators Car Club decided to make the most of it and organise a hot rod and custom show to mark the occasion and raise funds for a local charity. The CC has been organising a range of rod-based events for the past 20 years. These include traditional flag start 1/8th mile drags, dirt drags, oval track pursuits, hill climbs, reliability runs, car shows, barbecues, winter parties and infamous Cannon Ball runs! They have also been responsible, since 2010, for staging the popular oval track races at the Hot Rod Hayride. This year the CC decided to do something a bit different and invited 100 of the best pre-1966 hot rods and customs in…

1970 Maximum Muscle – The Pinnacle of Muscle Car Power Author: Mark Fletcher & Richard TruesdellPublished by: MotorbooksISBN: 978-0-7603-6678-3 £32.00 Do we need another American muscle car book? Well, if it is as nicely written and presented as this one that was published in 2021, then yes. The year 1970 was the high point of American muscle car production, though many models were actually released in the closing months of the preceding year. It couldn’t last. The four main domestic car manufacturers Ford, GM, Chrysler and AMC, could see the writing on the wall and all worked exceptionally hard to produce the most powerful and desirable performance vehicles before being prevented from doing so, widening their ranges beyond the typical ‘pony cars’, to include their larger and more luxurious models.…

With New Year’s Day gatherings now an established tradition for many car enthusiasts, we’re spoilt for choice with events up and down the country and one of the best is Vintage Stony, held in the historic market town of Stony Stratford, near Milton Keynes. The event attracts all sorts of vehicles, with the vintage element corralled into the central market square while post-war classics pile into the surrounding streets until the whole town centre is taken over. American classics were out in force, and it seemed there was a particular taste for late Sixties and early Seventies muscle. A ’67 Camaro RS was for those for whom a standard Yank isn’t quite enough. It looked discreet enough while parked, but when it fired up the whole town shook. Fifties cars…

Howard Johnson Ford C Series Truck In something of a coincidence, I had been looking at an eBay advert of this 1984 Ford C Series truck cab with refrigerated trailer by Iconic Replicas, a range produced by Florida-based Industrial Diecast Design, when I was visited by a good friend who had recently returned from a holiday in the US. I was surprised when he produced the very same model which he’d brought back, along with other car and train models. This gave me a chance to have a decent look at it. The model is 1:43 scale, somewhat unusual in that many diecast trucks are smaller, at 1:50 scale. It represents a Ford C Series truck cab dating from 1984 with the large articulated refrigerated trailer, lettered for the now…