Innholdsfortegnelse for November 2025 i Custom Car

Updated policies aimed at modernising the process for notifying the DVLA when a vehicle has been repaired, restored or modified came into effect on 26 August. The changes relating to modified vehicles are most pertinent to CC readers, so that is what we will concentrate on here. On face value, the opening gambit from the DVLA is very favourable towards our sort of cars. “Vehicles that have had significant structural modifications will be able to keep their original Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) and registration number, but the registered keeper must notify DVLA of the changes.” The policy then identifies such significant modifications as cutting into the chassis monocoque or frame, changing the vehicle’s appearance or dimensions from the original manufacturer’s specification and conversion from an internal combustion engine to electric…

In the January ’22 issue of Custom Car, we brought you a feature on a phantom Austin A40 Somerset pick-up. Jonny Gracie was the man behind the build, with the pick-up having started life as a Ford Fiesta Courier van. That didn’t cut it with Jonny’s rock and roll lifestyle, though, and having come across the Somerset stashed in a barn, he cut it in half and mated the front section to the Fiesta van body. Okay, it wasn’t as simple as that sounds, but you get the gist. The hybrid Somerset/Fiesta was a step in the right direction but it still didn’t cut the mustard in the looks department as far as Jonny was concerned. Having run around in it for a while, he once again bit the bullet,…

When someone tells you their previous build was a GMC Stepside pick-up dropped over an ’18-plate Ford Ranger chassis, and before that they built a Ford Thames pick-up on a Puma floorpan with a 1720cc twin cam, you know you’re dealing with a different kind of hot rodder “I just like to do something a bit different,” explains Mark Ackroyd in his broad Yorkshire accent. “I’ve had loads of Pops, Squires, Thames, I’ve had all sorts. But then I got bit by the Yank bug, and that were it.” The word ‘different’ came up time and time again during our animated and eminently enjoyable conversation. The enthusiasm 60-year-old Mark has for modifying cars and trucks coming over loud and clear. Along with his wife Karan, he runs CC Car and…

The entertainment on the main stage and in the party tent kicked off at 4pm on Thursday and finished after midnight on Saturday. There was no need for more of the same on Sunday, as checking out the expansive show field kept everyone fully occupied. In saying that, Dave Shuten did slip in one last workshop tour on the stage either side of midday, giving day visitors a chance to hear some of his enlightening stories. In addition to the entertainment, there were a couple of Q&A sessions and an IVA chat with NSRA Legislation Officer Trevor Gardiner – and for the younger participants, a kids’ party with DJ Jazzbell. Saturday also saw the mass cruise out, leaving the park around noon. Despite the enormity of it all, or maybe…

For many, Dragstalgia is up there with the Nostalgia Nationals and Hot Rod Drags as the true highlights of the racing season. And the second of the NSRA’s annual events at Santa Pod was blessed by balmy weather – warm, sometimes humid as the breeze dropped, the air heated up and the temperature on track continued to climb. The show was scorching and the action was non-stop. The first rounds of qualifying kicked off late on Friday afternoon, by which time the early arrivals had already been treated to a full day of pre-1980 RWYB. And from there on in, it was non-stop nostalgia racing all the way, with the usual set of classes providing a pretty relentless diet of action with mercifully few clean-ups required and no nasty incidents.…

Since hot rodding and customising took off in the UK during the 1970s, the humble Ford Anglia has been probably the most popular route for newcomers to get into the hobby. Over time, hundreds have been modified either for the street or the strip, from mild and subtle customs to out and out in-your-face. From the humble home-built first-time custom to the high-end, high-budget creations of professional speed shops, the Anglia has been at the helm of British hot-rodding. If a thing is possible to do with them, it’s been done. So how does someone go to work on an Anglia and achieve an original design? It has required a lot of thought and years of hard work – but Chris Smith, owner of this ’53 Anglia, has managed it.…

In the run up to this year’s Supernats, NSRA member Gary Hollamby put the word out that his son was hoping to be photographed with as many hot rods as possible. At the tender age of 10, Jack Daniels (his real name!) is already a confirmed car nut – and a future hot-rodder in the making. Gary is well known for his ’32 coupe, and he says Jack already has his eye on it. ‘He’s always been into cars. He’s had lots of tot rods – at the moment he has a full Pop one based on a mobility scooter. He actually drove my ’32 at the Supernationals! ‘He likes to get involved in the garage. He’s very hands-on and helps me clean the ’32 – he’s my wheels man.…

In the early part of last year, I enjoyed a trip to see Nick Davies and Rob Loaring, to take a look at Nick’s new machine being constructed with Rob and Scott Barnes in the workshop. It served to give me a good feeling that we might enjoy seeing some more wild fuel altereds in the near future. Since that uplifting day, the No Quarter Topolino has made its impressive debut at Dragstalgia – and whetted the appetite for more. You get a real sense of nostalgia with this breed of machine. Dragstalgia this year provided an indication of what is approaching, with at least two cars well into construction – and two already running – ahead of the introduction of the OSCAR class. A real surprise was seeing Bob…

PROGRESS REPORT: PART 1 In the August issue of CC, there was a feature on Graham Slater’s exquisite Mk VII Jaguar, a car that never previously existed. Graham’s vision and expertise had transformed a 4-door sedan into a sublime 2-door coupe – no mean feat at all. In that feature, we referred to another project that he was working on, a Jaguar Atlantis belonging to his good friend Steve Cook. Naturally, we had to find out more. In years gone by, Barnsley-based Steve built a ’39 Chevy, a car we featured in the July ‘14 issue. However, even back then, Steve had an itch, one he was determined to scratch one day. That itch was in the form of a Cruella de Vil-style car. You know the sort of thing,…

NB: We advise you to double check with organisers that the event or show as listed is still going ahead, to avoid any wasted journeys. To submit an event, email alan.kidd @assignment-media.co.uk SEPTEMBER 26-28 Flat Caps and Ferrets. Elland Cricket Club, Halifax. Facebook: Flat Caps and Ferrets Huddersfield 26-28 Yorkshire American Car Club American, Rod and Custom Show. Fort Paull, Hull. yancs1@yahoo.co.uk 27 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 27 Waterlooville Car Show. Waterlooville town centre. portsolentcarmeet@outlook.com 27 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 27 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon. www.straightliners.events 28 Old Skool Cruisers Meet Anglia Motel, A17, Spalding, Lincs Facebook: Old Skool Kruisers OCTOBER 1 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 4-5 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: ManstonRacewayPark 4-5 Malbourne Finals and Fireworks Melbourne Raceway, York.…