Innholdsfortegnelse for September 2025 i Classic American

I remember a famous racing driver saying to me that these days, he was surprised that anyone wants to go to a race circuit to watch racing cars going round and round in circles when there are so many other things to do and see. Well, even as a petrolhead, I guess he has a point. Sure, Formula One and British Touring Cars are immensely popular, but most club meetings struggle to get folk through the gate. Goodwood and Silverstone Classic have succeeded because they offer so much more by way of entertainment with live music, funfairs, air displays, stunt shows, auctions, track parades, oodles of trade stands and a wide variety of food and drink outlets. Last year, Thruxton Circuit near Andover in Hampshire was bought by local businessman…

When most people think of muscle cars (or super cars as they were known back in the 1960s and early 1970s) the image that most often comes to mind is that of something American, like a Chevy Camaro or Chevelle SS396, Dodge Challenger or Hemi Charger, Pontiac GTO or Ford Mustang or Torino Cobra Jet. Yet visiting family in Australia this summer gave me a chance to take a look at something completely different: factory hot rods that were conceived down under, for local market conditions. While today, Australia doesn’t really have homegrown cars anymore, for decades, Ford and General Motors’ Australian subsidiaries churned out millions of cars specifically designed for the local market. Chrysler also got in on the act, operating in Australia from 1951 to 1981 and then…

A chance sighting six years previously led Barry Hedley to buy this 1970 Mustang Mach 1. “I was an 18-year-old student at Cambridge in 1964 and saw a brand-new Mustang,” remembers Barry, “and thought it was terrific, but an impossible dream. Then, I got a fellowship to college in the USA, living there and later working in Boston. My wife Sheena and I would watch the Trans Am racing at the Bryar Motorsport Park where the Camaros and particularly the Parnelli Jones Boss 302 Mustangs really appealed. Knowing I was returning to England permanently in 1971 I decided to buy a new Mach 1. “The Boss Mustang had boy racer appeal, but the Mach 1 was more suitable for everyday use. A friend also wanted one, so on May 9,…

Despite growing up in a small northern town, Chris Rushton has always had a fascination for old American cars and he’s gone on to own quite a few since his youth. His latest acquisition to create havoc in his local neighbourhood is this very imposing 1960 Cadillac Series 62. It’s fair to say, any old American car will stand out from the crowd in the UK, but there are always certain scenarios when such a sight seems so positively bizarre, you can’t help but smile. Witnessing the vast proportions of Chris Rushton’s unmissable Arroyo Turquoise metallic 1960 navigate its way through the tight and narrow streets of its current hometown of Bacup in Lancashire was certainly one such occasion. Surprisingly, Chris’s Series 62 isn’t the only American classic in this…

Returning to Le Mans Classic for the ninth time is the one and only Christophe Schwartz with his iconic car: the rebrewed ‘Oly Express’ Dodge Charger. Why rebrewed, you ask? Well, let me tell you one of the greatest stories I know. Back in 2002, Christophe, his wife and their two daughters took a normal family trip. They got in their Belvy and drove two hours to watch the first edition of Le Mans Classic. Of course, it was Christophe’s idea. What he didn’t know at the time was that only four years later he’d be driving on that exact track. A year later, Christophe, engineer and freelance journalist at the time, was in contact with Claude Lefèvres, a good friend of his and editor-in-chief of Nitro magazine. Christophe told…

RICHARD CONEY, CONTRIBUTOR, MIDDLESEX 2021 Ford Mustang GT Reviewing Veloce Publishing’s excellent book on Ford’s early Seventies Maverick recently reminded me of my first American car, a 1970 Maverick two-door coupe, with a 200cu in straight six engine and a three-speed manual transmission, with a column change. It was 1975 and I had just achieved that magic age of 21, when car insurance premiums started to reduce dramatically, as long as one had a clean licence. I’d wanted an American car, preferably a Mustang, since passing my driving test in 1972, but whether or not I could find or afford one was irrelevant – the insurance was the killer. At that time, I had an early MkII Ford Cortina 1600E, a desirable car then and now, though mine was already…

Sad news has reached Classic American regarding the passing of Stan Prosser, probably one of Scotland’s most famous classic American car enthusiasts. Stan’s ‘real job’ was as a marine broker and his business, Stan Prosser Marine Sales, specialised in selling motorboats and launches. Stan was a familiar face at American car events up and down the country and he owned many interesting and topnotch American cars over the years, from Lincoln Continental Mark Vs to Ford Skyliner retractables and many, many more. His most recent acquisitions included the stunning 1962 Corvette which graced the front cover of the November 2023 issue of Classic American and the stunning 1973 Ford Mustang Mach 1, which he drove down to the Stars & Stripes show last year. Stan leaves behind wife Jacqui and…

The Sunny Sunday American & Custom Car Show in Worthing, West Sussex is held in public gardens called The Steyne, adjacent to the promenade and Victorian Pier. It is held annually on the last Sunday in July and forms just one part of the Worthing Lions Summer Festival and unusually, the event is free to both participants and the public. Along the promenade to the west of the pier are a whole variety of charity and commercial stalls making it an ideal destination for a family day out. The focus is on American classic cars, including hot rods, customs and bikes, complete with a variety of stalls selling clothing, model cars, American memorabilia and the like, all forming part of this great show, which is well supported by enthusiasts and…

Imperial was once synonymous with luxury transportation, whether as the highest of high-end Chrysler models or as a marque in its own right. However, you could argue that the name increasingly lost its cachet from the late Seventies on. The Imperial tag would be dropped, then reheated, only to be abandoned again before being revived and applied to unworthy cars as a glorified trim level. However, after a lengthy hiatus, the name was revived once again for a car that echoed the ghosts of Imperials past. And how. The 2006 Imperial Concept is largely forgotten now, but it made quite an impression 19 years ago. It was imposing, that’s for sure, but then it was 178mm (seven inches) longer than a contemporary Chrysler 300C saloon and 152.4mm (six inches) taller.…

Imagine your dream car museum: historic dealerships recreated, housing rare and iconic versions of your favourite marques. Imagine a road network with potential stop-offs for warm summer evening meets. Imagine an authentic diner serving up classic American food. Imagine no more! This, and so much more, awaits you at the Gilmore Car Museum in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Originally started as a private collection by Genevieve and Donald S Gilmore, the museum opened to the public in 1966. It was founded “to preserve the history and heritage of the automobile in America” with a mission to educate and build community. The Gilmores invited car clubs to take up residency on site, creating a collaborative, living museum experience. Among the earliest vehicles collected were Model Ts and the nearly forgotten Pierce-Arrow; laying the…

This year’s Stars & Stripes had an unwelcome guest: rain! Although it did clear up and both afternoons turned sunny and dry, just as everyone was packing up to go home. Still, in this part of the world (Manchester!) if you let a bit of the wet stuff put you off, you’d never do anything and for many people in the North, this is their must-do event, come rain or shine, so the turnout for both days was good. One of the fantastic things about the Stars & Stripes show is the sheer variety of vehicles that turn up – everything from military vehicles, big rigs, motorbikes, customs, rods and even brand-new American vehicles for sale. There’s a massive autojumble/trade village selling vintage automobilia, parts and automotive supplies and everything…

So, this month I’m trying to offer up some encouragement to keep those bearings, brakes and ball joints in good order. It’s a straightforward service and prevention, which simply means it’s best to check out a few basic areas, service them and prevent a disabling issue while en route to a show! I’ve always been an advocate of ‘prevention is better than cure’ and with a relatively short amount of time and money spent now, you can prevent the possible costly replacement of parts in the future. It’s best to check out the condition of brakes, wheel bearings and steering joints on at least an annual basis, or a couple of thousand miles. This is especially relevant today, with so many American vehicles that are not required to have a…

With some drivers away on ‘Street Weekend’ duty, others stepping aside due to mechanical woes and one late addition, the third round of Melbourne Raceway’s exclusive American Super Stock series gave us a tightly contested six-car field. Topping the timing sheets after the LCQ (Last Chance Qualifier) was A/SS points leader Craig Elliott, whose big-blocked 493cu in 7.2-litre Plymouth Savoy ran .012 over its 7.29 dial to the tune of 7.302s. Taking second slot with a 7.385s on a 7.34 dial was Street Weekender Tyler Smith’s ‘Ford Grabber Blue’ Mustang GT. After a series of electrical issues and fuse blowouts to the double fan cooling installation, he returned to the track rather than try and make the return leg back down to Santa Pod to support the class. Staying on…

Mustang owners are a rather dedicated group and tend to relish learning as much as they can about their cars. Besides obtaining the original factory literature, reference photographs, technical data and related information on their particular year and model Mustang, owners love to read about ‘all things Mustang’ as evidenced by the high number of Ford Mustang-specific books that have been published over the years. Retail bookstores and online websites like Amazon are an obvious source for automotive books and besides the big book shop chains there are discount book outfits where you might find a book on Mustangs at discounted prices. Certain mail-order businesses that specialise in Ford parts offer a selection of Mustang books and many of the major automotive swap meets across the country have vendors that…

Hudson Commodore Six While Hudson would take the motor industry by storm with the announcement of its highly sophisticated ‘Step-Down’ models for 1948, for 1946 and ’47 it had to be content with simply facelifting its pre-war models. There were two engines, a 212cu in six and a 254cu in eight, and two trim levels: the basic Super and higher-spec Commodore. This is a 1947 Commodore Six four-door sedan, seen in Ilford in 1962. Studebaker 1953 Seen in 1962, at a location which is still recognisable as the New Cross Road end of Hart’s Lane in New Cross, this 1953 Studebaker sports Q-prefixed temporary import plates. A little while after 1953, Raymond Loewy’s design studios would imitate the styling cues of these Studebakers for the revised Hillman Minx introduced in…

Classic American Events, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR August 16 REDHILL DREAM CRUISE From 7pm. Head for RH1 1NP - the onus is definitely on old school Chelsea/Swedish style cruising the streets in classic American cars and trucks - there is a town centre route and a longer scenic route both of which fully overlap… there are plenty of eateries and vista points around town which will be sign posted this year! Check out Instagram and Facebook for latest info! Keep it low and slow! 16-17 GREENLIGHT NATIONALS National Drag Racing Championship event in the peak of the British summer, with a huge variety of race cars and bikes that will keep the track action-packed all day long. NO ACCESS to UK Monster Truck Nationals on Sunday.…

1. Welcome to our third and final visit to Cooley’s Statewide Scrap and Salvage of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. This business traces its origins back to 1964, and having spent an afternoon exploring the place, I reckon some of the stock has been here for most of those six decades. But as you can see, there are some newer vehicles too, like this late 1970s/early 1980s Chevrolet Chevette. Often the punchline of automotive jokes, Chevettes have never enjoyed much love from enthusiasts, which may explain why this tidy four-door example remains untouched. Despite being in surprisingly good condition for its age, it hasn’t attracted a second glance. Still, the humble Chevette was a huge seller in its day, with 1980 alone seeing nearly half a million roll off the production line.…