Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2024 i Classic American

While perhaps not the most graceful of concept cars, the Plymouth XP-VIP was awash with novel features. Styled under Elwood Engel, the man who shaped the 1961 ‘Clap Door’ Lincoln, this two-door coupe boasted a two-piece glass roof with a longitudinal dividing strip. The glazing appeared tinted thanks to a photochemical process, darkening or lightening depending on exposure to light. The roof also could be retracted into the boot area in its entirety or merely the left- or right-hand side. The cabin, meanwhile, was awash with luxury items befitting a Very Important Person, including more than one television (strictly speaking, the dashboard-sited item was a ‘rear-vision scope’); a reel-to-reel tape recorder for dictating letters; a telephone; and controls for a stereophonic system. The ‘innovations’ didn’t end there. This travelling office…

Like most of us are apt to do, Sean Henstridge was casually browsing the internet looking at cars when he first spotted this 1970 Plymouth Custom Suburban wagon. “It was for sale in Seattle, Washington, and I think I saw it advertised on Craigslist,” says Sean, “but later I discovered it had been sold to someone in the UK. I got in touch with the buyer, Richard, who was importing it and bought it off him when it arrived at the docks in October 2015. I just thought it was wonderful: a big, wide, wallowing old cruiser.” Sean was reliving some memories of a previous Plymouth. “I had a 1972 Fury at the time myself and a friend travelled 12,000 miles across America for 10 weeks’ holiday when I was…

It’s fair to say that the majority of American car fans we come across at shows and meets are of a slightly more mature generation. That could well be because the iconic films and TV series back in the day, where the cars were the true stars inspiring us to go out and buy the real thing, are getting on a bit now too – The Dukes of Hazzard first aired 45 years ago, and Smokey and the Bandit was released 47 years ago! On the flip side, many of the most popular current computer games played by people of all ages often do include a variety of American muscle. So, maybe the thought of turning that favourite regular ride on the Xbox into the real deal is the 21st…

events&cruises Classic American Events, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR November 21/22-25 WILDEST CATS WEEKENDER Pakefield seaside village Lowestoft NR33 7PF. Fantastic 3/4 days 1950s Rock ‘n’ Roll weekender, with over 25 top bands from the UK and Europe. Price includes your food. Fantastic Doo Wop from Spain The Velvet Candles; from France the Wild man Mr Jake calypso; from Holland Hot singer Junior Marvel with Darrel Higham on lead guitar; 50-year reunion The Jets; Mr Dynamo; Si Cranstoun; The Jive Romeros; The Spunyboys; The Firebirds; The Bobcats; Danny Fisher; The Lennybrothers; Danny Reno, plus 12 more great bands and hot DJs. See advert in this magazine. Spectacular Fifties ballroom, heated indoor pool, trade stands, plus more. Price includes your own apartment, three-course dinner and breakfast all-inclusive every…

The Hot rod Hayride is a well-established popular UK event for the traditional pre-’66 hot rod and custom car enthusiasts. It was again, this year, a virtual sell-out at Bisley and provided a chilled weekend of spectacular cars and motorcycles, late-night Rockabilly music, Wall of Death, soap-box derby, and epic flag-start oval track racing. The Detonators CC UK has been in existence now for 25 years and in that time has organised and run the car side of the Hot rod Hayride since 2011. Over the years that has included organising traditional flag start 1/8th-mile drags, hill climbs, oval track racing, reliability runs and dirt drags. This year the Detonators staged the ‘Oval Track Pursuit’ race again, a firm favourite with Hayriders, and because of that, over the years the…

Carroll Shelby passed away over a decade ago, but his name will live forever in the halls of automotive royalty. Given his many contributions and achievements – many of which were accomplished in partnership with Ford or via Blue Oval models – it also stands to reason that any vehicle Shelby owned over the years is going to command big bucks at auction. Now, this 1966 Ford Thunderbird is aiming to do precisely that. Up for grabs on the US-based Bring a Trailer website, this 1966 Ford Thunderbird Town Landau is said to be one of 10 that were ordered by Shelby American with the full options package and modified with Shelby-Cragar wheels, though of that 10, only nine were sold. This example was retained by Carroll Shelby as his…

The launch of the Corvair and its reception by the American motoring press of the time had been enviable. Sports Car Illustrated Magazine was quite impressed with the new Chevrolet compact, and stated: ‘It is the most profoundly revolutionary car ever offered by a major manufacturer.’ Which is saying a lot, seeing how that publication regularly road-tested cars from all corners of the globe, including expensive sports cars from Europe. However, years later the editor of that magazine reflected on the testing he did back then, and in general on the car and what he experienced back in July of 1959 at the GM Milford Testing Grounds: “Above all, I was interested in the Corvair’s handling. How well had Chevrolet’s engineers coped with the challenge of a car with 62…

Tech: Winter Storage Options, Car Covers and more! We don’t all have heated garages in which to keep the cars we love in the condition they deserve. Rain is one thing, but if you have to park your American classic outside, the problems don’t end there. The sun’s rays damage the paint, vinyl or convertible roofs and crack the top of the dash, while passing birds leave their own corrosive marks. If you park on the street, you have muck thrown up from other cars and even casual vandalism to contend with. So, what can you do? Take a look through the steps below, and the best solution for your storage problem will soon be obvious. A few hundred pounds invested now could save a lot more on paint, trim…

KEITH HARMAN CONTRIBUTOR, NORTH DORSET 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe Hot Rod 1929 Ford Model A Roadster Hot Rod 1955 Chevy 210 Townsman Wagon 1956 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe 2000 Ford F150 Harley-Davidson Pick-up (now sold) This latest Behind the Wheel is a bit of a cautionary tale for those of you who own, or maybe are thinking of owning, a Ford F150 pick-up like mine. Don’t get me wrong, these are great trucks and I have thoroughly enjoyed driving my LPG-equipped Harley-Davidson edition Super Cab for 18 months. However, the problems started in late 2023 when the truck went in for its annual MoT. I had just given the front end a bit of an overhaul, with new discs, calipers, and brake pads, plus a new pair of front…

AMT Ford C-600 City Delivery Truck It’s been a while since I have featured a truck kit. I’m sure there are still plenty of readers who build them and many of the classics are reappearing, often with new decals, to keep them busy. Such is the case with this AMT 1:25th scale Ford C-600. I thought it apt for the December edition, as this latest incarnation of the kit is decorated as a Coca-Cola delivery truck in Christmas colours, complete with Santa Claus graphics on the side. The C-series of Ford trucks, the ‘C’ standing for ‘Cab Over Engine’, was first introduced in 1948 with similar bulbous designs to the pick-ups of the period. There was a major restyling exercise in 1957 which proved so successful that it remained largely…

1902 Oldsmobile Model R ‘Curved Dash’ 4½HP Runabout London to Brighton run eligible runabout. Previously part of the Ward Brothers’ collection Estimated at £40,000 - £50,000 Brass-era vehicles such as this are a bit of a curate’s egg in a sales sense, in that they seem to be facing a shrinking market of buyers. Fifty years ago, the market for these types of vehicles was much bigger. Now, for whatever reason, they face a dwindling pool of potential buyers. After all, other than the London to Brighton run, it’s hard to think of many modern driving situations that they’d be suitable for. Of course, the curved dash Olds is a landmark historical vehicle, being one of the earliest mass-produced American cars, long before Henry Ford’s Model T, which usually gets…

The mid-Eighties were interesting times in North America. By late 1984, the economy was bouncing back from the doldrums of 1980-81. The second energy crisis and Iran hostage situation were becoming a distant memory and there was a wave of optimism spreading across the land. Fuel prices had stabilised and were beginning to decline, and with more people having more disposable income, car sales started increasing again. In Detroit, this sense of optimism was reflected in a new breed of vehicles — machines that once again emphasised performance, although they were wrapped in a package that focused more on balance, rather than just outright acceleration. By the 1985 model year, there were signs that this new performance revolution was clearly underway, and that was reflected in showrooms up and down…

Alex Szczepanski has been involved in British hot-rodding pretty much since day one. Certainly, the hobby was very much in its infancy when Alex got wind of an exciting new sport called drag racing. By 1973, he was on the road in his first American car, and many others have followed since. That first one didn’t go anywhere, though; it just took a long hibernation. Now it’s back on the road, and it stands apart as one of the most historic and best-preserved early British customs still in use. “It all goes back to my teens,” says Alex, “when I went to the second Dragfest at Blackbushe in 1965. I was into American cars at school when everyone else was into hopped-up Minis and Cortinas, and I went to the…

This month I’m covering an area of safety concerning the dilution of pump fuel (petrol) with the addition of Ethanol. With the advent of E5 and then E10 fuels, we need to be mindful of the implications of the many problems which have arisen and will be thrown up in the future. Now, this isn’t the first time that industry-wide changes have been made to the contents of our fuel. If you are of a certain age (a category I fall into,) you will remember regular petrol had a lead content, the purpose of which was mainly to be able to increase cylinder compression and therefore the octane levels. This was great for regular and higher performance engines, but not so good for one’s health, which led to it being…

Back during the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic, during the 2021 Consumer Electronics Show, General Motors CEO Mary Barra famously declared that the automaker was “all-in”, when it came to battery electric vehicles. Part of that strategy was the creation of EVs in virtually every size and price category, from small commuter cars like the Chevy Bolt, up to towering pick-ups and off-road vehicles such as this, the Silverado EV. While the idea of a battery electric pick-up may seem like a contradiction in terms and has created a lot of disdain among truck diehards, Chevrolet has gone to great lengths to try and make the Silverado EV appeal to at least a portion of buyers who consider low emissions and efficiency as a key factor in their purchase…

1. Take my advice — if you’re planning a visit to Ron’s Auto Salvage in Allison, Iowa, don’t forget the bug spray. After an afternoon exploring the wooded yard, I felt like a human pincushion. But it was worth it, as beneath the foliage lie over 1000 cars and trucks from the 1930s to the 2000s, including this fifth-generation Mercury Comet. Aside from a different grille, taillights, hood and badges, it’s essentially a Ford Maverick in disguise. 2. If elderly yard owner Ron ever decides to list this rare GMC Motorhome on Airbnb, it will no doubt be a hit with parts hunters and classic car enthusiasts — though the sound of 1000 rusting cars might keep holidaymakers up at night! Uniquely, these RVs were not only bodied by GM,…