Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2022 i Custom Car

ROB NIXON HAS SET UP a Go Fund Me page, with his sights on raising £10,000 to go towards bringing Australian Outlaw Anglia racer John Willard, and his car, over to these shores next year. John has piloted Aussie Outlaw to a record ET of 6.672 seconds and a record terminal speed of 208.33mph. The question is, what numbers can he run at Santa Pod Raceway? If all goes to plan, that question will be answered at Doorslammers, Main Event, Summer Nationals and Dragstalgia in 2023. The £10k target will only go part of the way to funding it all, but Santa Pod has already committed to contribute financially and also to provide workshop facilities. There is also the possibility of Paul Stephens making the trip over with his Altered,…

Your typical Custom Car feature vehicle is old and modified. Old and modified, probably faster and lower and almost always prettier. One of the most common things we hear from people is along the lines of ‘I’m not much into the newer stuff’ – though when they say it, as often or not they’re talking about anything made since WWII. So this here Chevy S10 SS pick-up breaks one of the big rules. But it also answers most of the big questions with a big yes. A big hell, yeah, actually. It’s definitely post-war (the first Gulf War, let alone WWII) but it’s also more than a quarter of a century old, even if not by very much. It’s definitely lower and very definitely faster, it’s been given a new…

While residing in the UK, Kim Leonard has completed a hat trick of hot rod builds worthy of these pages. The ’29 Ford Model A Sport coupe you’re faced with here is the third to appear in these pages – and that qualifies him for membership of a pretty elite club in our book. The first of those features came in the September ’81 issue, with the opening paragraph concentrating on the traditional English village Kim lived in. Ironically, Clive Prew went on to infer that the closest the residents of said village would ever get to street rodding was the local Young Farmers club. Why ironically? Well, these days, for one weekend a year, that village becomes the hotbed of rodding in the UK. It’s called Old Warden… Enough…

Chilling in a field, surrounded by beautiful countryside and beautiful vans. Sounds alright, right? That was VanJam3, held by Vanditos at Fir Tree Farm Campsite in Warmington, near Banbury. Every visitor got a goody bag containing a VanJam 3 sticker and the all-important bank of Vanditos drink credit to exchange for your choice of eight ales, lagers and ciders in the main marquee. If these weren’t your drink of choice, there was also a bar serving both alcoholic and nonalcoholic cocktails. Being that the venue was a camp site, it won’t shock you to hear that most visitors stayed for the weekend. There were a few day trippers too, but mainly there was a brilliant variety of vans. Naturally, their owners were happy to offer advice on how they had…

Frenchman, Eric Teboul, has been pushing the limits of the human body for 22 years on his self-built rocket motorcycle, and the Euro Finals was to be his final performance as he’s finally decided to hang up his race suit and retire, at the ripe old age of 77. So, there we all were, a jam-packed bank (and a not quite so packed stand, due to the additional £11 per day seat cost), joining in the traditional countdown for his last ever pass. And in return, Eric only went and achieved his lifetime goal of being the first ever – and we do mean ever, anywhere in the world – person to run a four-second quarter on two wheels. An astonishing 4.976 at 290.51mph. If you were there, you witnessed…

If, like us, you’re more a fan of heads-up racing then Comp Eliminator is where it’s at. An equally varied field includes everything from turbocharged rails through Nostalgia Superstock cars to insane front-wheel drive hatches, but there are seven-second runners among them so you’re going to have to bring your A-game if you want to stand any chance of taking the win. Things got off to an exciting start when Lloyd Perkins lost it at the 60ft mark and showed the belly of his Oldsmobile Cutlass to the Thursday crowd, but got out just fine. Paula Atkins then took a six-second trip into the field when the parachute failed to open on her Mustang and Chris Orthodoxou threw a rod on a seven, doing severe damage to his motor in…

When there are nitro classes on the bill, the Top Methanol runners naturally take somewhat of a back seat. But their performance, and the sheer noise they generate, has to be seen to be believed. And, in fairness to the competitors, they’re not much slower than the Fuel cars and, arguably, are more consistent, making it a great class to watch, and hear! Round one qualifying had its problems, but five out of the six entries made it down track, just over one second separating Sweden’s Daniel Jedborn (5.301 / 272) from Belgium’s Sandro Bellio (6.317 / 159). Things really hotted up in qualifying two, ear-splitting side-by-side fives from Tony Bryntesson alongside Jonny Lagg (5.569 / 255 vs 5.432 / 268) raising a huge cheer from the crowd. Likewise, Bellio’s…

It was Leah Kellett who led the charge in this 8.90-second class after the first round of qualifying (9.000 / 162), improving further to 8.924 / 163 in round two. Germany’s Arndt Putzmann, driving his somewhat incongruous looking Volkswagen entry, was still some having troubles, while Richard Tunstall and Steve Hudson were both running right on the class dial-in with times of 8.987 / 154 and 8.993 / 143 respectively. With multiple break outs in qualifying three, Steve Hudson leapfrogged into the top spot with a perfect 8.900 at 144mph. Paul Hudson then made a charge, but Kellett kept her cool, posting a perfect 8.900 / 164 on the board. A long wait for the first round of eliminations on the Sunday saw both Hudsons, Kellett and Tunstall all go…

Some new entries this weekend in the street car class that continues to inspire, though it’s a daunting prospect to enter these days with the number of cars capable of running into the sixes and sevens. Both Rob Turner and Graham Smith had their new / rebuilt ’57 Chevys out to play, 10.55 and 11.97 respectively, with more to come, while Mark Sheridan has recently completed a total rebuild of his ’71 ’Cuda and has the potential to run with the quickest in the class. Kirstie Tramm, meanwhile, made her debut in a Gen 3 Camaro, a 12.27 at 112mph being well within the 13.5-second cut off for the class. In qualifying two there were PBs for Tony Higgs in the outrageously quick Capri (7.734 / 179) and Smith (9.356…

ONE OF THE TRUE PIONEERS OF BRIT-ISH HOT RODDING, John ‘Baldy’ Baldacchino, passed away on 24 September. For over 5 decades, John proved inspirational for many others, not just for the cars he has built but also for his friendliness and approachability. Having joined the NSRA committee in 1974, John subsequently served as the Association’s chairman from ’76 through to ’78. It was during this time that one of his most iconic hot rod builds, the hot’n’bothered Fordson van, burst on to the scene amid great accolades. Having debuted at the first National Custom Car Show in December 1975, where it scooped up no less than 10 awards, hot’n’bothered emblazoned the cover of the March ’76 issue of Custom Car. The van was an instant trendsetter and set a very…

The Crash Box and Classic Car Club’s annual show, titled The Historic Vehicle Gathering, was a new show for me – and one I shall be returning to in the future. It was held in the grounds of the lavish Powderham Castle Estate near Exeter and was blessed with glorious weather. Now, we all know that when the sun shines, it brings out people and their motors. But this was on such a scale it almost matched a national show. Well over 1000 individual cars attended, in addition to around 70 club stands plus a few stragglers in the public car park. Multiple food and drink caterers did roaring business throughout the day and a huge trade area had everything from local companies and produce to auto jumble. Alongside trhe…

Kim pushed it out into the sunshine and his jaw dropped. ‘The body looked crap mounted on top of the chassis. ‘It would have looked better channelled but as it was already chopped that wasn’t an option’…

Hindenberg pre-’59 Dirt Track Races. It has a kind of ring to it. You know that you belong here. And after a two-year delay, or was it three (you know why), I was off. South of Berlin, close to the Polish border, lies the town of Lubbenau. The journey for me started in north-west France, and 1100 miles east lay my destination. Driving an old Ford truck, it was going to take a while… The first day’s drive got me to the town of Cambrai in eastern France. Into the town centre for a few beers and a bite to eat, but can’t be too stupid with another long drive in the morning. This time on to Frankfurt, or just to the south of the city at Gernshime on the…

There may only be a field of three runners in this Scandinavian-dominated, top-of-the-tree class but boy, do they put on a show. Albeit only running over 1000ft, if you’ve not witnessed side-by-side threes, you haven’t lived. It’s a visceral experience that shakes you to the core. This time out, it was Sweden’s Susanne Callin who came out on top, beating Finland’s Antti Horto in the Sunday final, a PB 3.885 / 309 vs 4.144 / 277, though Horto was celebrating too, having clinched his first FIA championship earlier on that day after running 3.821 / 305 on the Saturday. Callin is the championship runner-up. Ida Zetterstrom, on the other hand, didn’t have such a successful weekend, seemingly unable to put down the prodigious power of her machine, lighting the tyres…

It was the 8.50 – 11.99 second Pro ET class that kicked off the racing when the track was dry on Thursday morning, with Brett Featherstone leading the championship. But, with a massive entry of 49 cars, it wasn’t going to be an easy ride for anyone. Laura Baynton was back out in competition and Alfie Wratten was on fire, bagging a Tig Napier Perfect Light Award on the Thursday for lighting all the zeros. At the end of qualifying one, the top three were John Dalrymple (9.315 / 152 on a 9.28 dial in), Germany’s Andrew Nahler in the VW Beetle (10.156 / 128 on a 10.12, later improving to a PB 10.09) and Lee Huxley (9.477 / 140 on a 9.44). Next time out, Andy Garnett nailed a…

Fuel Funny Cars are a rare breed outside of the USA, but the Euro Finals attracted four of the unpredictable beasts to the Pod, running against one another in the Funny Car Cup. The first round occurred at midday on the Friday and saw Sweden’s Patrik Pers bag a solo PB, 4.561 / 208 after Jason Phelps was shut down. Steve Ashdown and Kevin Kent then came round, blasting through on 4.475 / 244 and 5.778 / 126 respectively. Refuelled, Phelps put in a 7.085 / 94 to close the round with Ashdown on pole. Session two was a bit of a damp squib, so we’ll move on. Late sleeping campers were awoken at 9.30 on the Saturday morning by Kevin Kent blasting through on a 4.738 / 191 to…

A huge field of 30 signed on for the 8-17-year old Junior class where reaction times are everything and, by the end of the second qualifying session on Friday morning, the top three on the tree were Ted Sullivan, Ellie May Brown and Tom Peters. After qualifying three, though, it was all change – Luke Mugridge, Ted Sullivan and Harry Peters respectively, with Ada Cassisi, Jessica Bishop and Chevy Checkett all making huge leaps. It stayed that way until after the thick fog had cleared on Sunday morning and the class opened the racing just after 11am. Sullivan then went out to Liam McDonald, while Mugridge went through on a bye. Special mention should go to Grace Smith and Ada Cassisi who had a fantastic race, both bang on their…

This year’s British Drag Racing Hall of Fame gala will be taking place just a few days after this issue of Custom Car is sent out. The event will be overshadowed by the sad loss of Jon Morton, who was just so joyous at being selected for induction into the HoF but tragically succumbed to a heart attack at the Euro Finals. Now, Jon would be the last person to want those present to be downbeat, as his prescription would be to raise a glass or two – and enjoy the food, with gusto! There will no doubt be many stories about Mort shared during the evening. Also being honoured are the National Street Rod Association, Mark Flavell, the Stones team and overseas inductee, the late Dutch bike racer Henk…

Honestly, you wait all this time for one feature car to come along and then two of them turn up at once. I blame the government. Talking of which, halfway through our photoshoot with John Williams’ Ford Pop, a very well known former cabinet minister wanders over and starts enthusing about it. So they are human after all. Said politico then heads off to the karzi, before jumping in his motor and disappearing in a cloud of dust, very nearly spanking it into the front end of Andy Murrell’s Consul which is on its way here for a photoshoot of its own. Both will be appearing in the near future, but at present it’s looking less likely that matey in the posh suit actually has one……

In 1977, having been inspired by what he’d seen in American rodding magazines, a young Merv ‘Magoo’ Barnett started building a ’32 Ford roadster. Back then using a steel body for such a build was virtually unheard of on these shores, so Merv opted for Jeff Jago fibreglass and the build began. The body was mounted on a Jago chassis, with the rolling stock comprising of a drop-tube front axle and Jaguar IRS and power coming from a 2.5-litre Daimler hemi mated to an automatic transmission. Assisted by a few fellow Bristol Hotrods members, the roadster appeared at the 1978 NASC Street Rod Nationals, finished in primer and sporting multi-coloured suspension parts. Merv then spent the next few years driving the car to as many events as he could. Eighteen…

It was quite a surprise to many when it was announced last year that the Hot Rod Hayride would not only be on for 2022, but that it would be returning to its spiritual home of Bisley Shooting Ground in Surrey. As you’ll know if you’ve ever been there, Bisley is by far the coolest venue that ever hosted a rod run in the UK, and the previous Hayrides held there from 2007 to 2016 provided many with awesome memories that will last a lifetime. However, it’s fair to say that many folk wondered whether it would be the same without the use of the old pavilion building, the atmospheric focal point that hosted much of the evening entertainment, which had reputedly been sacrilegiously turned into a conference centre and…

The Kernow Old Vehicle Club staged its annual rally on a plot of land opposite the world-famous Rattler Cider Farm on a scorching weekend in July. Amazingly, this was the 47th staging of the event (they missed out on couple of years because of you know what) and yet the first time I had heard about it. ‘Everyone had a good time, surrounded by interesting cars and the sort of people we all enjoy hanging out with’ The glorious sunny weather attracted lots of vehicles, from classic cars to traction engines, buses and lorries. Some people came for just the one day, while others brought their tents and made a weekend of it; what they all had in common was that they had a good time, surrounded by interesting vehicles and…

Let me start this report by saying if you haven’t been to the Euro Finals before, or even if you’ve just had a break from it for a few years, go next year. It is an outstanding race meet that stretches over a full four days and entices a truly international entry, along with a huge crowd of spectators to the Pod. Book an early bird ticket and it’s good value too, if you think about what you’re getting for your money, which includes all manner of off-track two and four-wheeled entertainment, frequent jet car demonstrations and all the usual Pod entertainment. Sure, there was a bit of rain in places this year, and consequently the meet was called earlier than planned on the Saturday, which threw the schedule a…

Jan Ericsson once again proved he is the man to beat, carding a magnificent 5.816 / 247 in qualifying one, while Swedish countryman Roger Johansson, now running a converter in place of his clutch, clicked off a 5.949 / 232. Bobby Wallace was the quickest of the sixes behind. A new car on us was Walter Strobel from Germany with a very tough looking, blown ’69 Camaro, doing licensing passes on the Friday and straight into the 7.10s on Saturday afternoon. Ever the crowd favourite, though, it was Freddy Fagerstrom that had the hill on its feet every time he pulled his old pick-up into stage – and never more so than when he ran a Santa Pod PB of 6.033 / 232 in qualifying two against Andy Robinson (6.562…

With a 6.00 – 8.99 index, Super Pro ET is the quicker cousin to Pro ET, and draws a huge range of cars into competition, from Outlaw Anglias to slingshot dragsters, floppers, rails and just about everything in between. This meet saw the first full pass from Andy Thetford’s sinister The Black Pearl twin turbo Camaro, which is definitely one to watch. Not so good was seeing Swiss racer, Thomas Haas, hurt the motor in his tough-looking Plymouth Valiant on the Thursday, ending his weekend far earlier than he’d have liked. After the first round of qualifying was interrupted by rain, the top three on the tree were Tom Atkinson, Harrison Brown and Mark Bailey, with 26 further runners behind them. Come Friday morning, Alan Didwell’s 7.73 on a 7.73…

Six entries listed, but only five made it to the track for this event, the Dirty Deeds Camaro of Rob Elsom conspicuously missing. Once again run to the Cannonball format of aggregate times with the quickest two going through to the final, the teams laid out their stalls in round one. Tim Garlick and Andy Raw were first up, Andy running a spec outside of class regs as, in his words, “I just want to go as quick as I can.” 6.229 / 221 for Garlick, 6.540 / 180 for Raw. Great match race Tony Betts pedalled his bye to a 7.586 / 166, while Wendy Baker was pushed back after the burnout in the Time Warp Mustang. A series on incidents in round two saw only Raw put in…

Fifteen cars were signed on for the 9.90-second class, which consistently produces ultra-tight racing. Pete Cresswell was in the top spot after the first round of qualifying, 9.954 / 152, while Dutchman, Ronald Huis, was obviously excited to be back, charging through to a too quick 9.139 at 148mph. Come round two on Friday, there was a sombre moment when Dan Page staged for the sadly departed Jon Morton against Mark White, who then took the win for his old friend. Meanwhile, Andy Dibley drove Jon’s old No Hair Camaro into the no.1 spot (9.903 / 145), with Simon Fulton (9.926 / 144) and Colin Morrice (9.941 / 145) right behind him. Just to confuse the crowd, in qualifying three Jazmine Tunstall pulled round in the T roadster her dad…