Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2025 i Classic American

I don’t know about you, but the more I read about electric cars and their rollout in this country, the less inclined I feel to acquire one. In fact, I’ve never driven an electric car, possibly something of a shock admission for someone who works in automotive publishing and is even described as a ‘motoring journalist’ from time to time! Government interference in banning petrol and diesel cars and insisting on quotas of electric cars that manufacturers have to sell don’t sit well with me; that type of activity always seems to result in unintended consequences. And, indeed, sure enough, it seems manufacturers are already starting to ration the sale of ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles to try and mitigate the fines they’ll get for not selling enough electric cars.…

Each year in early November the Las Vegas Convention Center opens all its exhibit halls for the SEMA Show. The 2024 edition was once again filled with all kinds of new products from major vendors and was a place to take care of business, all the while having a fantastic backdrop of spectacular parts and show vehicles on display. Primary focuses were GM, Ford, Mopar of course and as seen here, there was no shortage of innovation and creativity in the various builds – the buzz of the show was incredible! While there was some Convention Center remodelling taking place at the main entrance area, that didn’t change anything in terms of cool cars displayed everywhere in the building. The SEMA Art Walk exhibit was in a new place; however,…

MPC 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T hardtop For no particular reason, I’ve always thought of MPC as somewhat overshadowed by AMT. The AMT kits went together as well as their competitor’s, the company had a varied and exciting range and introduced innovative ideas, such as the Switchers hot rod kits with swappable parts and the superb Gangbusters Prohibition Era kits. Nowadays, it hardly matters, as both ranges are under the Round 2 LLC banner, along with Lindberg, Hawk and Polar Lights. This new 1:25 scale MPC kit will please the Mopar fans, as it is said to have been newly tooled for better fit and accuracy. The majority of the kit will be familiar as it was first released in 1968 as a two-door coupe, complete with a small Haul-Away two-wheeled…

GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY! It’s with a heavy heart that last year’s Car of the Year contender Graham Howard-Wall has decided to sell his beautiful 1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville. Readers will remember that this amazing car is in incredible original condition, from its slightly faded paintwork to its gorgeous interior. Cars in such original condition as this are hard to find and Graham has attempted to keep the car as original as possible. Being a Coupe de Ville model, it boasts Cadillac’s first V8 engine, a 331cu in beauty, rated at 160bhp, and it is also fitted with the groundbreaking (at the time) HydraMatic automatic transmission. Other unusual features include hydraulically operated power-windows and seats! Interested parties can contact Graham on: grahamhowardwall@gmail.com Syrian delight Well, here’s a funny thing. While the…

LEADED QUERY Dear Classic American, I apologise if I appear to be pedantic, but the article by Martin Mumford gave the impression that leaded petrol was banned in 1975. In fact, in the UK, leaded petrol was not banned until 2000, and in the USA it was banned a few years earlier, in 1996. It is true that concerns over the harmful effects of lead in the atmosphere prompted the introduction of lead-free gasoline in the USA during the 1970s, but it was sold alongside leaded gasoline in gas stations until the end of 1995. In the UK, unleaded petrol was introduced during the 1980s – through pumps with a green filler nozzle – and sold alongside the leaded variety (with a red nozzle) until 2000. By the late 1990s,…

Prior to getting my car on the road, a check around the suspension revealed that the left side of the front suspension was showing some slight play in the bottom ball joint. On many cars this ball joint can be replaced separately; however, the inner end of the arm, sometimes referred to as the track control arm, has a rubber bush which is prone to wear, so a new complete arm was really the most realistic and thorough option. If a ball joint is in good condition, but with a split/perished rubber boot (an MoT fail or advisory point at the very least) then these can be replaced separately – that’s if you’re lucky enough to find one that can be fitted successfully! Before starting work on the suspension, it’s…

KEITH HARMAN CONTRIBUTOR, NORTH DORSET 1934 Ford 5-Window Coupe Hot Rod1929 Ford Model A Roadster Hot Rod1955 Chevy 210 Townsman Wagon1956 Chevy Bel Air Sport Coupe Work on my ’56 Bel Air that we last mentioned in BTW in the October issue has progressed steadily. Following completion of the welding, it was moved a few miles to another friend’s workshop for a re-wire and also some brake work. I’m pleased to say the re-wire went well courtesy of my mate Jess Shearing who made up a new loom from scratch, including a new fuse box and new bulbs and holders for the original instrument cluster, which also received new Perspex as the old one was badly crazed. The workshop is an hour away from my home but I’ve managed to…

If you were to put a 1958 Buick beside the car which followed it in 1959, you’d struggle to believe the cars were from the same manufacturer, let alone separated by one model year alone! The ’58s were boxy, upright looking and slathered in chrome. The ’59s (and by extension the ’60s, which were mildly facelifted) were long, low and lithe, with a minimum of chrome adornment and wore new distinctive ‘Delta wing’ rear end tailfin design and ‘canted’ front headlights. It’s believed that Chrysler’s new ‘Forward Look’ cars which took the American automotive world by storm in 1957 with their distinctive long, low and be-finned look and were a tremendous sales success and so spooked GM, that clean sheet designs were hastily demanded by the bosses in Flint, resulting…

events&cruises Classic American Events, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR February 5-9 RETROMOBILE Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles. France’s biggest and most famous indoor classic car show. This year offering: “More space for exhibitors, more comfort for visitors, more reasons to buy, to dream, to find out information and to admire new and old products at the countless booths. More artists, more clubs, more federations, more spare parts and scale model vendors, more event organisers, more restorers, coachbuilders and car sellers doing their level best to satisfy visitors from the four corners of the world. And there are even more surprises that only this show can offer. Heritage and history meet at Retromobile, where the entire dedicated team is eager to welcome you. A major international event in…

How To Wire 1947-1987 Chevy & GMC Trucks Author: Dennis W ParksPublished by: Car TechISBN: 978-1-61325-796-8Price: £32 I can foresee considerable demand for this new book. The enthusiasm for classic Chevy and GMC trucks shows no sign of diminishing, either in the States or here. Examples seem to be a staple of those firms who specialise in importing American classics to our shores. Many of these, and indeed a good proportion of those imported years ago, will have original wiring, which will by now be many decades old and will have been altered. The looms will have been spliced into numerous times over the years, often by less than knowledgeable home mechanics. There have been a number of excellent books on rewiring cars and street rods over the years, but…