Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2025 i Classic American

Born Robert Arthur Allison in Miami on December 12, 1937, Bobby Allison became one of the most successful and well-liked racers in NASCAR. Leaving Florida for Hueytown, Alabama, in the Fifties, he comprised the so-called ‘Alabama Gang’, along with brother Donnie and veteran driver Charles ‘Red’ Farmer when the trio began to dominate short-track racing. Being a skilled mechanic gave Bobby the ability to perfectly set up his cars. Although he competed successfully on dirt tracks in Modifieds winning the 1964 and 1965 titles, Allison preferred paved tracks. “I felt like I had a really good touch for pavement,” he explained, moving to stock cars in 1961. He took the podium in three races and competed in NASCAR for the next two decades. Despite being named NASCAR’s most popular driver…

Here in North America, the last five years in particular have seen an aggressive push for electric vehicles. California announced that it was going to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel fuelled light vehicles by 2035, and a number of other states, namely Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, as well as British Columbia, Quebec and the Canadian federal government, decided to jump on the bandwagon. These so-called mandates were seen as a key part of achieving so-called Net Zero emissions targets, which those governments that have bought into this idea wanted to achieve by 2050. On November 5, however, while I was in Las Vegas attending the annual SEMA Show, the re-election of Donald Trump as U.S.…

It started years ago with two guys who liked show cars, although they didn’t know each other. One of them was Beau Boeckmann from California, who had started collecting cars. He’s also involved in Galpins Big Car Sales Emporium, both with buildings and facilities for old car restoration. The other guy was Dave Shuten from Michigan, who had been chasing famous show cars and had restored a few over the years. Dave had a regular job at GM in Detroit as a toolmaker, when he received a phone call from Boeckmann asking him if could come out to the West Coast and help restore a car he’d just found. Dave took some leave from GM and got on a plane to California. When he found out that it was an…

Cartoon Christmas! Turn your Classic American car into a Cartoon Masterpiece Featuring Yourself, Family, Pets and Favourite Scenery. If you’ve ever wanted a family portrait with a twist, this is your chance because it’s time to capture your cherished car memories in vibrant cartoon form. Whether it’s commemorating your first car or immortalising a significant life event, these custom cartoons are a delightful way to remember and showcase your life. And it’s bound to dazzle anyone to whom you gift this nostalgic and personalised surprise. Mail cartoonist Rob Middleton at rob_middleton2002@yahoo.co.uk and he can get drawing for you, too. www.Robcartoons.com The Beast Book Paul Dodd of Surrey Street Muscle fame is a familiar face on the drag racing circuit, campaigning his Olds 442 at events like the Mopar EuroNats at…

1. Hanging in Ron’s Auto Salvage office is an aerial photograph depicting hundreds of cars parked in an open field. I must assume that the picture was taken at least 30 years ago, because today the plot is unrecognisable. While the cars remain, the entire site has been overtaken by dense forest. Hidden within the foliage are well over 1000 vehicles, including this misshapen 1967 Ford Fairlane Ranchero. 2. While many of the residents of this yard have been heavily stripped of useful parts, or are suffering from spending decades under the trees, this 1969 Buick Electra 225 appears to be largely complete and in relatively good health. It’s one of 16,000 of these four-door hardtop sedans built that year. The Electra was Buick’s flagship offering from 1959 through to…

It’s that time of year again and that can only mean a new Kingstown Shipping Car of the Year! And in this case, it means the very worthy winner of this year’s competition, which was the magnificent 1960 Buick Invicta belonging to Colin Shepherd from Hertfordshire. This fantastic car has been on Classic American’s radar for a few years, as much as anything because of its incredible back story. Sold new through Lendrum and Hartman (it has the badge to prove it!), it is that rare beast of a new UK-sold American car, rather than an import. And its first owner (or possibly nearly first owner!) appears to have been quite a character in himself. As an Italian émigré who had a Vespa dealership in Soho, London, he drove the…

Classic American is still looking for the owner of this magnificent 1946 Hudson Commodore Six. Whilst we have the photo set, we have absolutely no details of the owner of this car, so can’t get the full story on it until we’re able to speak to them. So, if you’re the owner or know who they are, please get in touch, either by email at: email@classic-american.com or call or text: 07843 632 558. GET YOUR SHOW DATES IN! Spring may be a long way off, but this is the time of year when people’s minds turn to what events they’d like to attend next show season and already we have two pages worth of Shows and Events listings in our Blue Pages (pages 72 and 73). So, if you’re a…

What’s that famous saying? ‘If these walls could talk.’ Well, the same could be applied to vehicles. Imagine the places they have driven, the people they have carried, the meetings and conversations that took place in those seats. Sometimes these get lost to history, or the vehicle gets scrapped or destroyed. However, this 1941 Pontiac has survived, and so has its history. And for its new owner Rob Aitchison, it’s a way of remembering those who gave for their all for our futures on both sides of the Atlantic. The Silver Streak was launched by Pontiac in 1933 and was marketed by GM as ‘the most beautiful thing on wheels’. The name derives from the parallel chrome ribs that race up the vertical grill and streak across the bonnet to…

Ford axle assembly on a Pontiac… what is this madness, I hear you say? Well, this particular GTO was set up for straight line stuff and has Dick Miller Racing axle and suspension. I am now gently taming it for street use. As you may or may not know, a Detroit locker set up for drag racing can be problematic on the street, mainly if you want to make a turn. The problem is especially noticeable on roundabouts as it notches its way around, trying to lock both wheels at the same speed, not the greatest sensation, mechanically or physically! Okay, let’s start the taming of the goat. Once the car is up high enough and well supported (at this point it’s always depressing that I don’t have a lift!)…

Steve Miles’ series of photographs of American cars that he took as a youth in the Sixties around London and his hometown of Oxford, and its surrounding countryside have been perennial favourites of Classic American readers for years. Sadly, with his passing a few years ago, the series came to a jarring halt (he was slowly digitising his collection of hundreds of slides) and what happened to the remaining ones is unclear. Nevertheless, that remarkable archive of American motoring in the UK during the Sixties has inspired other contributors, such as Zack Stiling, to hunt out such images. Or, as in this case, prompted a reader, namely Alan Rowe from London, to submit their own photographs from back in the day. Alan wrote in to Classic American to say: “Noting…

Bonhams recently auctioned Elvis Presley’s last Cadillac, a 1977 Seville, by sealed bid. We take a closer look at this historical vehicle, which is expected to sell for a record amount… On the afternoon of August 16, 1977, the legend that was Elvis Aaron Presley permanently left the building. It’s thought that Elvis bought at least 200 Cadillacs over the years, with nearly all of them gifted to friends, relations or sometimes just strangers who’d been particularly helpful, friendly or kind. But the day before he died he wasn’t driving just another of the many Cadillacs he owned, he was driving this particular car which just recently went under the hammer at Bonhams. It was the last car he purchased for his personal use. He chose the colour scheme and…

Ford created a series of show cars and limited-run offerings during the late Seventies and early Eighties, with styling inspired by its participation in International Motor Sport Association (IMSA) racing. Devised by Ford’s Special Features Studio, and built in 1979, the first offering – dubbed simply ‘IMSA’ – emerged at the following year’s Chicago Auto Show. This third-gen Mustang makeover comprised fat arches that covered Pirelli P7-clad deep-dish Gotti alloys, a blanked-off grille, massive front and rear spoilers, and a ‘shaker’ bonnet scoop with additional louvres. Painted in pearlescent silver with oh-so-period graphics, power came courtesy of a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder unit that produced a giddying 132bhp. This inspired the visually similar Mustang McLaren M81. The British marque’s US arm had form working with OEMs, not least fielding factory BMWs…

There’s an increasingly popular trend to restore cars to ‘day-two specification’; adding parts the car could have received soon after the first owner purchased it, such as aftermarket wheels or a bigger carburettor, better brakes, spotlights, maybe a spoiler or two. Simon Hoar, owner of this 1967 Camaro SS/RS convertible, is a big fan of day-two modifications and it was always his plan to incorporate some within its restoration. “I’m a licensed aircraft engineer,” explains Simon. “I spend my days inspecting and repairing Boeing and Airbus aircraft. It was perfect preparation for rebuilding this Camaro. Previously I had a 1979 Stingray, but classic British Fords were my main interest. I’ve owned 20 Capris. Selling my Mk4 Cortina 2.3S (an extremely rare variant) in 2022 gave me the funds to buy…

As you may have noticed, we don’t often feature right-hand-drive American vehicles here in Classic American; probably a combination of the relative rarity of RHD-supplied ‘survivors’, and/or the fact that most American car fans in the UK prefer the novelty and authenticity of an American-spec left-hooker, despite the small inconveniences they have. However, in the case of this stunning mid-Sixties custom truck, the overall fit and finish is what catches the eye, long before the position of the steering wheel. Not quite what it seemed… Owner Matt Burberry from Sussex has owned the C10 for around six years, having bought it online via an advert on social media. He admits that because of the distance (the truck was advertised somewhere in Wales), he actually bought it blind without a personal…

Americana Deluxe Editor Ben Klemenzson relives the four busy days in the middle of November that bring this year’s Car of the Year finalists on to the Classic American stand for a weekend of what can only be described as ‘Americana Deluxe’… Each year the Classic Motor Show held at Birmingham’s NEC provides the setting for the UK’s biggest indoor classic car show, acting as the closing event of the year’s car show calendar. And for us here at Classic American it’s also the grand finale of the Car of the Year competition, this year sponsored once again by Kingstown Shipping. As in previous years, the Classic American stand was the biggest in the American section and provided the focal point for it in Hall 5. There were five Car…