Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Classic American

Although it’s still September as I write these words, magazine deadlines being what they are, it will likely be October or November by the time you’re reading this on the pages of Classic American. For us here in the Great Lakes, Autumn (or Fall, as we tend to call it here,) is often a special season and one of the most popular. The heat and humidity of summer gives way to warm, dry summer days, and cool crisp nights. The leaves on the trees start turning spectacular colours, with vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. It almost looks artificial-so brilliant are these shades and sometimes you feel like you’re walking through a Disney theme park. As glorious as it is, Fall also brings with it a tinge of sadness, as what…

Forget hundreds of layers of metallic and candy paint, tiny Dayton wire wheels, velvet upholstery, murals, little chain-link steering wheels and bouncing hydraulics, this 1936 Chevrolet sedan is a true lowrider in the original style. The seeds of lowriding culture were sown in 1940s California where Mexican Americans admired hot rods and custom cars, but could rarely afford them. Instead, they used the vehicles they had greatest access to; old four-door sedans. Lowriding was an offshoot of the Californian custom car culture. Customisers favoured two-door Fords, Mercurys and Chevrolets of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Hot rodders loved the Ford Model A and B Fords, 1933 and ’34 and 1939-1940 Ford Coupe and Tudor. This left a wealth of less desirable cars that the lowriders gobbled up. Early 1930s…

1. Aluminium Intake Pros: Lighter, easily-enough installed. Cons: Waiting for the paint to dry. How Easy? A morning-long driveway project if you’re used to pulling your car’s carburettor. It’s long been a street-racing trick: take an aftermarket aluminium V8 intake, grind off the manufacturer’s name, paint it engine-colour to match the rest of your powerplant, and you’re off! Combine better flow and efficiency with removing about 2/3 of the steel intake’s weight off the nose of your car (aluminium weighs about a third of what iron does; weight savings could be 40 pounds or more depending on the car), and none will be the wiser. Of course, you may need to retune your carburettor for the increased air-and-fuel capacity the new intake allows. And this isn’t just for V8s: there…

1. The buzz about a new version of the Chrysler HEMI engine first surfaced publicly in the pages of Popular Hot Rodding Magazine (December 1963) with these words from writer Greg Curtis: “When another engine comes along to replace the old ‘HEMI,’ and matches its performance, it also will have hemispherical combustion chambers. This is the only way to go for ultimate breathing. “Chrysler engineers know this very well – (even though they replaced the HEMI with the wedge-chamber ‘B’ engine). This will be proved next spring when these same engineers introduce a brand-new set of HEMI heads for B Super/Stock engines! That’s what the grapevine has been saying.” There had been talk for a while about Chrysler bringing back the HEMI, but this published report is believed to be…

Hard to believe it but this year’s Kingstown Shipping-Vintage Tyres Car of the Year competition is the 31st running of the series. From humble beginnings in the early Nineties, sponsored by Coors beer, it’s taken many formats over the years, with various sponsors and supporters. In fact, it was only Covid that put a halt to it for two years in 2020 and 2021. However, one thing has remained constant: It’s showcased the best of the American car scene in the UK consistently and has been a stalwart of the NEC Classic Motor Show, with the largest stand in the American section. This year sees six contestants duke it out for the title of Car of the Year and three independent judges will be judging the car over the weekend,…

In recent years over here, it has been possible to view some of the most exotic American cars ever seen over here. A few years back, I saw a 1948 Tucker at the Goodwood Revival, but very few people seemed to notice or recognise it, as it was parked very near the public conveniences and in one of the main pedestrian thoroughfares, just behind some grandstands. And have you ever seen a Duesenberg in this country, in the open and on the move? At this event it was possible to do so – a first for this writer to both see and hear one running anywhere! For those who missed this event, there is a beautiful example in the Haynes Museum at Sparkford, displayed on a turntable, as a major…

Classic American Events, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR October 26 TH NSRA NORTHERN SWAPMEET Get ready for one of the largest autojumble with a focus on Hot Rod and American car parts in Europe – the NSRA Northern Swap Meet. At the NSRA Northern Swap Meet, gearheads and enthusiasts alike gather to buy, sell, and trade automotive treasures. Whether you’re on the hunt for rare parts to complete your project or looking for a bargain, this event has something for everyone. Why Attend? – Vast Selection: Discover an extensive array of Hot Rod and American car parts. – Sell Your Treasures: Reserve a pitch to showcase and sell your automotive goodies. – Great Deals: Score incredible bargains on parts, accessories, and memorabilia. – NSRA Member Benefits:…

Vanishing Point is one of cinema’s great cult car chases; a raw, V8-fuelled myth of freedom and fatalism, following ex-cop Kowalski as he hurls a white Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum across the American Southwest at breakneck speed. This journey retraces his tyre tracks through Utah and Nevada. But before hitting the open road, I make a pit stop in Anaheim for ACT Expo 2025; North America’s biggest electric vehicle show where Dodge is showing off something Kowalski would barely recognise. Yes, it’s a Charger. Yes, it’s angry-looking and brutally quick. The Daytona Scat Pack hits 60mph in three seconds and demolishes the quarter mile in under 11. But this one’s electric; 670bhp of instant, silent torque, with a fake engine note to keep the theatre alive. There’s even a…

Pssst… Fancy owning one of the best Boattail Rivieras in the UK? (Wow, that started an argument quick!). Well, check out this bodacious beauty in the Classic American ads: It’s the 1972 Buick Riviera belonging to Adam Pearce and was a car of the Year finalist a few years back, which speaks volumes about its pristine condition in itself. Adam has spent a small fortune improving, restoring and upgrading this beautiful Buick and it really has to be one of the nicest in the UK. Check it out in the classified ad pages starting on page 92……

This behemoth is less than 20 years old but already consigned to history’s dustbin. While it borrowed the name from a 1980s car-cum-minitruck, this was a different beast entirely. The Rampage predicted the coupé/crossover styling treatment that, for better or worse, has latterly become omnipresent across the board. What it lacked in architectural grace, it more than made up for in size. You really couldn’t miss this 2006 show car, er, truck. It was nothing if not noticeable. That was rather the point of the exercise. First seen at that year’s Chicago Auto Show, nothing about the Rampage was in the realm of the ordinary. For starters, despite being dimensionally similar to the large, mainstream RAM pick-up, the Rampage was front-wheel drive. This was in keeping, given that this pick-up…

There are not many people these days who set out to own a Ford Ranchero Squire. It is an odd thing, after all – half-car, half-pickup and bedecked with simulated woodgrain vinyl in the best of 1970s taste – and its usefulness in the modern world is probably rather limited. However, it does make for a nice little curio to own on the rare occasions when one is offered for sale. Certainly, Nigel Hutton had never entertained Ranchero Squire ownership, and he probably never would have done if not for his friend Wayne Wisbey. “Two years ago, I sold my 2006 Ford Mustang GT as I had just retired and did not need two cars,” Nigel recalls. “I was doing the sensible thing, I thought, but Wayne had other ideas.…

Even if you’re not a Ford fan? That’s no reason to skip this incredible Museum on your next visit to the States. Yes, there are Fords inside, let’s not shy away from that, but they’re surrounded by all marques, carefully curated to tell broader stories of innovation. And, it’s not just about cars; planes, trains, and automobiles rub shoulders with experimental housing, homewares and, on this visit, even Hallmark Christmas decorations! The Henry Ford experience is essentially split into three major attractions, the Museum of American Innovation, the Rouge Factory Tour, and Greenfield Village. Put simply, there’s no way to do all three justice in a single day, due to both their size and the unmistakable presence of history you’ll witness at every turn. The Rouge Factory Tour showcases the…

When we last left Allan Bedford and Barry Magness, they were still wandering the streets in search of unusual cars, but they realised they’d have to dig a bit deeper in order to discover the American car scene at its most colourful and varied. To that end, they signed up as careless teenagers to the British Hot Rod Association when it had only just been formed, travelled to some of Britain’s first drag races and, at the other end of the spectrum, started following the similarly nascent pre-’50 American Automobile Club. The young enthusiasts took numerous photos, and this month they’ll be taking us back in time to discover the birth of British hotrodding. BHRA Flamstead 1962 The British Hot Rod Association was formed in 1960 and here, in glorious…