Dodge has recently introduced the quickest, fastest and most powerful muscle car in the world with the 1,025-horsepower 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170, which is the brand’s seventh and final “Last Call” special edition model that marks the end of the brand’s V8 production muscle cars. The Challenger SRT Demon 170 hits 1,025 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 945 lb-ft. of torque at 4,200 rpm from its HEMI engine, reaches 60 mph (96 km/h) in an insane 1.66 seconds, and features the highest G-force acceleration of any production car at 2.004 gs. The Challenger SRT Demon 170 is the quickest vehicle ever produced in Dodge’s 100+ year history and is the first factory production car to run the quarter-mile under nine seconds with an NHRA-certified 8.91 second ET at 151.17 mph (243.28 km/h). In fact, the NHRA served the car with a violation letter for running a sub-nine second quartermile without a safety cage or parachute, which follows in the footsteps of the original Demon which was also banned from NHRA quarter miles. Dodge is banning black keys from the Challenger SRT Demon 170, which will be delivered only with a red key, as this newest model unleashes horsepower levels by sensing the percentage of ethanol fuel content. Some upgrades to achieve these insane power numbers include a modified 3.0L supercharger, driveline upgrades such as a 240mm ring gear and 53-percent stronger differential housing, plus massive drag radials from Mickey Thompson, to name a few. Production of the 2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 will begin this Summer and will be limited to 3,300 units with just 300 coming to Canada.
Ford has announced it has created a distinctive collection of colours and materials to amplify the precision of the all-new 2024 Mustang Dark
Horse performance model. “The sinister and track-hungry attitude of Mustang Dark Horse inspired us to curate colours and materials in a way that underscores the vehicle’s athleticism,” said Carrie Kennerly, Ford senior colour and materials designer. “We spent extra time on the cockpit, ensuring the look, feel and function of everything a performance driver could want conveys the performance Mustang Dark
Horse is capable of.” The heart of the Mustang Dark Horse’s interior is its all-new anodized blue, lightweight titanium manual shift knob that won’t get as hot to the touch as previous aluminum knobs in warmer weather. Automatic transmission customers will get anodized silver paddle shifts in place. The Dark Horse features a flat-bottomed steering wheel wrapped in performance suede, while blue stitching adds detail across the instrument and door panels, seats and gear shift boot and centre console trim and lid. Ford created a new, signature paint colour for the Mustang Dark Horse called Blue Ember metallic that features special effect pigments of deep blues infused with a warm amber hue which allows for a dramatic colour shift in different lights and angles. Also featured on the Dark Horse will be available vinyl or hand-painted striping options that Ford says will artfully accentuate its performance. The all-new 2024 Mustang Dark Horse is set to go on sale in the Summer of this year.
Volume 21, Issue No. 2
April / May 2023
Second Class Mailing Agreement #40050183
Publisher: Dean Washington dean@rpmcanada.ca
Associate Publisher: David Symons david@rpmcanada.ca
Managing Editor Jordan Allan jordan@rpmcanada.ca
Distribution Manager: Brenda Washington brenda@rpmcanada.ca
Copy Editor: Gerry Frechette gerryf@rpmcanada.ca
Advertising Sales: Elaine Fontaine elaine@rpmcanada.ca
Contributing Writers / Photographers:
Jordan Allan
John Gunnell
Cam Hutchins
Muscle Car Plus Magazine is published six times per year by RPM Media Inc.
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Egauctions.com Canadas Largest Collector Car Auction Company presents its live auction schedule for 2023. The 16th Annual Red Deer Spring Collector Car and Memorabilia auction was held in Red Deer, Alberta in March and sold over 80%! Join us for the Jerry Hoines Estate Collection Online Timed Auction April 28-May 6 selling out of Gainford, AB. Over 300 collector cars selling No Reserve. Register to bid online now at egauctions.com. The inaugural Sylvan Lake Collector Car and Memorabilia Auction at the Lake selling Saturday, May 27th in beautiful Sylvan Lake, Alberta. Featuring the No Reserve Wild Rose Collection. Consign today and join us in beautiful Sylvan Lake, one of Alberta’s best resort towns.
For the 52nd time, Central Alberta Vintage Auto Club will be hosting its annual swap meet in Red Deer. With over 500 vendors coming from four provinces and occupying 110,000 square feet, it is arguably the largest event of its kind in Western Canada. Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6, Westerner Park at Red Deer’s south end will be car-guy headquarters. Vintage parts, custom parts, tools, antique license plates, literature, whole cars, restoration services and more will all be on display and for sale.
Dana Mecum’s 36th Original Spring Classic Indy Collector Car Auction is set to take place May 12th to 20th at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana. Gates will open daily at 8am and close one hour after the final vehicle of the day crosses the block. Around 3,000 vehicles will be up for auction at the event, which will be broadcast on MotorTrend TV and MotorTrend+. For more information on the event and to view the vehicles that will cross the block, please visit www.mecum.com
Get ready for the ultimate collector car auction in Salem, Oregon on May 19th and 20th. With a diverse range of classic and vintage cars up for auction, there is something for everyone at this exciting event. Whether you’re a seasoned collector or a curious newcomer, come and experience the thrill of bidding on some of the rarest and most unique vehicles around. Don’t miss this chance to own a piece of automotive history, and to learn more about the fascinating world of classic cars. Join us in Salem for an unforgettable auction experience!
Canada’s Longest Running Collector Car Auction, the Okotoks Collector Car Auction is pleased to announce the 49th Annual Event May 26/27th. This sale dubbed the “Enthusiast Collector Car Auction” is being held at the New Horizon Mall in Balzac just North of Calgary. With it’s highly successful Hybrid Auction format of Live Viewing with online bidding only, last years event was the 2nd most successful in our 48 Year history. This format works! Cars went all over North America! Check occauction.com for the continually updated docket or to consign yours, or call 403-938-4139.
Gord and Linda Koropchuk’s 1968 Beaumont SD396 is thought to be one of only seven to still exist!
There is an old saying about there being nothing more certain than death and taxes. It seems the 1968 Pontiac Beaumont SD396 convertible was built with cheating both, even if just a little bit. The first part....death, is inevitable. But, driving a badass big block convertible in the swinging 60’s certainly is a way to live...as the Italians put it, “bella vita”, the good life!
The second part, taxes, well the whole story of Pontiacs built in Canada is a tax avoidance scheme if there ever was one! The Big Three U.S. auto makers have been building cars in Canada for well over 100 years. In the beginning it was not out of the goodness of their hearts that they filled the driveways of a country with only ten percent of their population. It had more to do with Canada’s close ties to “Mother Britain.” It seems if cars were made in Canada, there were fewer tariffs on them when those cars were sent overseas to Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as were right hand drive cars, and to South America and other global destinations, who desired “American Cars.”
Story and photos by Cam Hutchins
They certainly were not big sellers. The total of all Beaumonts ever made is something like one month’s production of the 1965 Chevy Impala. GM only made 65 Beaumont SD396 Convertibles in 1968, which was one less than the 1967 SD396 convertible production. They made convertibles in non-SD versions with both 6 and 8 cylinders, but they only made just shy of 400 of them, so 1968 was the last year for the Beaumont convertibles.
By 1970, the rules which were constantly changing, lessened the ‘tariffs’ and there was no need for Beaumonts, as most of the American cars could be sold in Canada. The American Pontiacs had always been available in Canada, but as some exotic “Import” with massive import duties. One source claims almost $1,000 on a 1964 Pontiac GTO! Of course, according to a newspaper ad claiming Hogan’s Pontiac as “Toronto’s Oldest - Canada’s Largest - Pontiac Dealer,” you could “talk to Jim Templeton and Ken Hudson, our top specialists in sales and service on imported widetrack Pontiacs.”
But Beaumonts and Acadians were their own brand, sold at Pontiac Dealerships across Canada. This probably helped out in smaller markets that may not have had a Chevrolet-Oldsmobile dealer as well as a Pontiac-Buick one. This gave the public access to the smaller cars rather than the big Parisienne of the early ‘60s. The Chevrolet Chevy II in 1962 was sold as an Acadian Invader, and the upper scale Nova was sold as the Acadian Beaumont. For 1963, there was the Canso added between the Invader and Beaumont and the Beaumont added an SD or Sport Deluxe model. Convertibles were offered on Beaumont and Beaumont SD models only in 1963.
For 1964, there was the new Chevelle-based Acadian called the Beaumont as the entry level, the higher level Beaumont Custom, along with the “Malibu SS” clone, Beaumont Sport Deluxe. The Chevy II was still Canso and the upscale Nova was the Invader. The Convertible was
only offered on the Beaumont models and in 1966, Beaumont was no longer an Acadian and Beaumont became a stand alone car line.
The advertising of the day was so great, referring to the entry level 1964 Beaumont as “the easiest Beaumont series to own”. As ‘kitschy’ as that sounds, for the 1962 Acadians, the sales brochure claims “Wait till you see the gay new colors and upholstery designs!” Interestingly, the word colour is spelled the American way, color, so we don’t even get our own Ad men!!!
Flash forward to the 1968 Beaumont sales brochure found at all Pontiac dealers in Canada, which states very clearly on the cover that the “Beaumont ‘68 is designed for people who are ready for new ideas.” Of course they are assuming those same people have not walked across the street and looked at the nearly identical Chevy Chevelle!
The creative people who invent these creative descriptions probably came from some office tower in Manhattan and never drove except on summer vacations; I have seen Madmen. But they really were hampered by having to sell virtually two identical cars. Let’s turn the page and see what else they had to say..... “Beaumont Sport Deluxe, the new kind of automobile for the new kind of enthusiast.” After the grabber headline, the first paragraph starts off with “Modern Driving needs a modern road machine. SD 396!”
The big multi-page sales brochure for the Beaumont certainly did all it could to promote the sporty stick shift. In almost all instances where a shifter was seen, it was for a four-speed manual transmission, but in reality, the four-speed stick was a rare option on the 1968 Beaumonts! For Gord and Linda Koropchuk of Surrey, B.C., they wanted a three-speed automatic car to pull the ski boat with. Linda was adamant she was not going to drive a station wagon.
A friend had a ‘67 Beaumont and the Koropchuks decided that is what they wanted as well, so they headed to the biggest Pontiac dealer around, Bow Mac in Vancouver. Gord wanted a small V8 with a three speed automatic in a convertible, but the small blocks only came with the two-speed Powerglide and that was what was in their 1964 Malibu SS and it was not up to
pulling the boat. The only way to get the Turbo Hydramatic three-speed automatic TH400 was behind the 396 cu. in. V8. Sitting on the lot that November day was a white 1968 Beaumont SD 396 Convertible with a blue interior and white roof. This was November of 1968, so this car had sat there for who knows how long. Judging from the low production numbers of convertibles, they probably built them and would have built more if the first ones sold well. That never happened!
The car was perfectly outfitted for their needs. Gord wanted a bench seat so the third person did not have to sit in the back. The column shifter was perfect and it had an AM radio, and power roof, brakes, and steering, and enough power to pull a boat....up a hill......a very steep hill! The car was not ordered with many options, which could have included hide-away concealed windshield wipers, air conditioning, lamp monitoring system, tilt steering wheel, tape player, new optional gauge cluster including tachometer, AM-FM radio, speed and cruise control, and electric clock. This car only came with the hide-away wipers and electric clock with 24 hour markings, good for going on patrol!
For 1968, Beaumonts claim to have had new wider tread, full carpeting on Custom and Sport Deluxe models, a buzzer to alert you that the keys were in the ignition when the drivers door was opened, “throw away” oil filters on V8 engines, crank operated vent windows, and glass rear windows in the convertibles.
Lordco Auto Parts has undergone many changes over its 48 years, but nothing compared to the opening of its 328,194-square-foot distribution centre in 2022.
Designed for today and future growth, the center supports semi-autonomous order pickers and autonomous robotic forks and has room to scale operations by up to fifty percent. More than a state-of-the-art distribution center, the new building symbolizes our commitment to modernize, expand and grow our business alongside yours.
The car came with the 325-horsepower 396; a 350horsepower version was available, but not the 375horse solid lifter cam engine. The positraction rearend had the highway gears, 2.73, and got pretty good mileage. Gord liked convertibles and traded his 1964 Malibu SS in for $2,300 on the $4,700 Beaumont.
Linda drove the car to her job as a teacher at Queen Elizabeth High School in Surrey and she remembers one winter, a big snowfall turned her ten-minute drive home into an hour slog! She commuted in the car for a decade before they factory-ordered a Mercury Bobcat station wagon with a V6. When the Bobcat arrived, they decided to teach Gord’s mother how to drive, because his Dad had never driven and was frail. Mom’s only problem with the big-block Beaumont was all the “youngsters who wanted to drag her at the lights”!
With Gordy and Linda’s attention to cleaning the car, it never rusted and the paint under the car is original. The car has not been restored, but a decade ago they gave it a new coat of paint and redid the interior and changed the roof to black as the white was so hard to clean. They added a set of gauges to complement the idiot lights that come with the car.
The car has just over 94,000 miles or 150,000 kms, and she has been driven lots of places. Lots of times pulling their boat to all sorts of lakes for water skiing. The car was well loved at Reno’s Hot August Nights and the various GoodGuys shows they have driven to. This car is thought to be one of only seven 1968 SD396 convertibles to still exist. The Korupchucks don’t get to drive it as much as they would like to, since they have a number of cars parked out back.... but the Beaumont SD396, Linda’s car, always gets parked at the garage upfront with the house and is ready to go anywhere they want to go!
You might call Roger Nelson’s ’68 Charger the “Dodge Podge” car. He’s had it for over 40 years, since he was 19 years old. He’ll be 60 soon and his Charger has been powered by a variety of drive trains during those four decades. The car has also been painted different colours over the period that Roger has owned it.
At one point, Roger spun out and the car hit a tree and suffered heavy damage. But he loved the car and completely rebuilt it, by himself, although it sat for seven years before the job was completed. To straighten it out, he chained it to the floor of his father’s shop, which didn’t go over big with his dad when he found out. After he finished doing the Dodge, about 15 years ago, his friend Kirk Boutwell painted it.
“The only pieces on the car that were on it originally are one door and the trunk,” Roger—a resident of Iola, Wisconsin--told Muscle Cars Plus. The drive train in the car today includes a 440 Magnum V8 with a four-barrel carburetor, an 18-spline four-speed gearbox and a 3.54:1 Dana 60 axle that all came out of a ’68 Coronet R/T. The Charger had at least two other engines, including a 440 Six-Pack. At one point, Roger took the motor out and couldn’t drive the Charger for 10 years.
Mike Olson—a super-talented body man better known to local enthusiasts as Spike-- painted the car black and it came out awesome. Olson also had someone he knew install a vinyl top for only $1,165. “A top like that would probably cost me $11,650 today,” Roger guessed. He got a lot of positive comments on the car’s restoration, but later he crashed the car again and Spike said he wasn’t going to paint it a second time.
The 0 came out of a Coronet R/T.
type, taped-headlight look. On the left rear fender, a chrome cap that looked like a racing-style flip-up gas filler also was added. The sculpted scallops in the hood could be optioned with turn indicators. The doors were also scalloped. There was an integral rear spoiler, a blacked-out beauty panel and round taillights on each side.
Motor Trend magazine summed up the look of the new R/T model-option as a Charger with a set of mags, Wide Oval tires and a bumblebee stripe. The R/T (Road & Track) also
The Charger’s new roofline was low and more rounded than the original.
Roger got the car redone in red and then he ran into a deer. So, it needed another redo and also got a second black vinyl top installed, this time by Spike and Bill Dugenske from Bill’s Auto in Waupaca, Wis. Roger also put a black Year 1 bucket seat interior into the car. Another enthusiast might have abandoned the car after the first accident, but Roger had a real appreciation for the Gen 2 Charger that bowed as a ’68 model.
New aircraft-inspired styling characterized the 1968 Dodge Chargers and boosted model year sales of the flashy fastback to 96,100 units. Dodge called the Charger’s new look “airplane fuselage” styling. That name was characterized by a slippery streamlined design with a smoother, rounded Coke-bottleshaped fastback body and a low roof line.
Hidden headlights were continued from 1966-’67 and a blacked-out grille was used to give the Charger a race car-
had name badges, heavy-duty underpinnings and a 440-cid 375-hp Magnum V8. The engine was good for 0-to-60 mph in 6.5 sec. and a 15 second quarter-mile at 93 mph.
Standard on Chargers were all federal safety features, plus all-vinyl front bucket seats, carpeting, a three-spoke steering wheel with padded hub and partial horn ring, a heater
Black bucket seat interior has horizontal white seat cover accents.
and defroster, an electric clock, a cigar lighter, an ashtray light, a heavy-duty suspension, a sway bar, heavy-duty rear springs, front torsion bars, front and rear bumper guards, wheel opening moldings, concealed headlights, the quick-fill gasoline cap and—get this—either a 225-cid six or 318-cid V8--and 7.35 x 14 tubeless black sidewall tires.
The R/T model had all the standard Charger features, plus the big 440-cid Magnum V8, a TorqueFlite transmission, dual exhausts (with chrome tips), heavy-duty brakes, the R/T handling package, bumblebee stripes and F7014 Red Streak or white sidewall tires.
The first symbol of a Charger vehicle identification number designated car line: X=Charger. The second symbol designated the price class: P=Premium. The third and fourth symbols indicated the body style: 29=Sports Hardtop. The fifth symbol designated the type and displacement of the engine: B=225-cid six-cylinder; F=318-cid V8; G=383-cid V8, H=383-cid high-performance V8; J=426-cid Hemi V8; K=440-cid V8 and L=440-cid Magnum high-performance V8. The sixth symbol represented the year (8=1968). The seventh symbol designated the assembly plant where the car was built.
Front side marker lights were part of a new governmentmandated safety package.
The 2022 Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion, held August 17 to 20 at WeatherTech Raceways Laguna Seca in California, was blessed with good weather and most days very light fog in the morning. This was the first year I had been when the races were not broken into Group A and B days, and on Sunday there also was a Hillclimb heading from the pit area backwards up to the Corkscrew! All races ran Group 1 through Group 14 all days, with the order never reversing, so the cars always ran at the same time.
I spent the whole day on Friday shooting photos of one great car after another, and then all Saturday afternoon. I camped at the track and was there from dawn to dusk, and really found the atmosphere to be intoxicating! The pits are so full of great cars, and the display featuring the 100 Years of the 24 Hours of LeMans had some amazing cars of all ages. Both of Briggs Cunningham’s Cadillacs were there and the other great display was the “Tall Tires.” The vintage “tall tires” cars used to race allout previously, but safety concerns have led to stopping these “old-timer” cars competing. Although they are not allowed to race anymore, they put on a great demonstration on the track at some pretty good speeds.
As a Canadian, I am fascinated by the Canadian content at the races, and Formula Atlantic has a number of cars that raced in Canada or were owned by Canadian teams. Some were actually built by Canadians and the most famous Canadian cars are possibly the Formula 1 cars of Wolf Racing. Canadian millionaire Walter Wolf used his considerable wealth to help Frank Williams’ F1 team before Williams left to form Williams Grand Prix Engineering. Wolf formed Walter Wolf Racing out of the what Williams had left, and he aquired most of the racing operations of two teams that were leaving F1, Embassy Hill and Hesketh Racing. Still based at the old Williams facility, they adopted the Hesketh 308C F1 car and renamed it the Wolf–Williams FW05. The FW05 won three F1 races in the first season, including Argentina, Montreal, and Monaco.
For 1978 and 1979, a new car for the ground effects era was built, the WR5; Jody Scheckter placed 4th in Spain and 2nd in Germany. The WR6 replaced the WR5 and Jody Scheckter placed 3rd in the US Grand Prix, 2nd in the Canadian Grand Prix and 7th in the World Championship. For 1979 James Hunt replaced Scheckter and the WR7 was unveiled with Olympus Camera livery. By the end of the year, the
new WR8 and the WR9 did nothing to turn around the team’s poor performance and the team was sold to Emerson Fittipaldi. At the 2022 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, Nick Griot of the Pacific Northwest raced the number 20, 1978 Wolf WR6 3.0-litre car to 14th place.
Another Canadian car, the Sadler Mk4 that was astonishingly successful, was designed and built by Bill Sadler. Bill was born in 1931 in St. Catherines, Ontario and his father was the Canadian Agent for Lucas Auto Electric. While on his honeymoon to England in 1953, Sadler saw
his first sports car race, and took up racing after getting back to Canada. The next year he started building his first “Special.” Soon he moved the family to England to work with John Tojeiro on his new racing cars.
Sadler started the Sadler Car Company and built Formula Junior, Formula Libre and go karts, after building many “specials.” His Sadler Mk4 was a single-run car and was a simplified version of the Sadler Mk3, replacing the independent rear suspension (IRS) with a solid axle. Sponsored by Gorries Downtown Chevrolet from Toronto that claimed itself as “Canada’s Corvette Headquarters,” David Greenblatt won the 1960 Quebec Drivers Championship in the car. Sadler stopped building cars after a race where a team’s sponsor raced a car, that Sadler said was not ready, and the car rolled over during the second lap of the race.
The Sadler Mk4 continues to be raced at Vintage events and by the evidence of the front wheel lifting out of turns, it has a very rigid chassis. The car continues to be raced by Greg Meyer of Carmel, California. With its aluminum body, it only weighs 1,680 lbs or 762 kg, and the Chevy V8 produces a thunderous sound that ensures the Sadler Mk4 is always a crowd pleaser.
Todd Willing of Franklin, Michigan, campaigns two cars with a Canadian connection. He recently purchased a March 78B with STP livery. This Ecurie Canada Car raced by Bill Brack won the
Trois Rivieres race, and is the sister car to the March 78B that 1978 Formula Atlantic Championship winner Howdy Holmes drove.
His other Canadian car is the number 63 Escort originally campaigned by Bob Tanner. The car was sold new to Tanner, a high school vocation teacher who raced it in the Trans Am series, with races at Mont Tremblant and Watkins Glen, in 1969, ‘70, ‘71 and ‘72. It also raced at Lime Rock, Connecticut, and Mid-Ohio. Powered by a twin Cam 1,850 cc engine with Lucas slide injection and ZF transmission, it was extensively restored and following a trip back to Mont Tremblant, was approved by Bob and Brenda Tanner.
Long-time racer Nick Woodhouse, who I have known for over 30 years, originally started racing an Austin Healey 3000 in his native England before coming to Canada. He has been involved with racing for a long
The amazing sounding Sadler Mk IV built by Canadian Bill Sadler and raced at the 2022 RMMR by Greg Meyer of Carmel, California.
The number , 198 Ford Escort was bought new by an Ontario teacher and driven in the Trans Am series.
time. He bought and campaigned a Honda Civic in the Honda Michelin Challenge series, a Camaro in the Players Challenge series back in the late ‘80s, and then went on to race semi-pro BMWs in the States in the SpeedVision World Challenge Series. He bought the 1966 Ford Anglia 105e from a subsidised housing complex on Main Street in Vancouver in 1998 specifically to race it in the 2000 Le Carrera Panamerica. His thought was to throw 10 Grand and a rollbar at it and race the Anglia in Le Carrera, and if it broke down then he would just abandon it where it died. Well, after spending a lot more than he first thought, the car did break down but he brought it home and it has been a crowd pleaser ever since! This was right before Harry Potter made it cool! He has raced it extensively at the Mission Raceway Park road course and other tracks around the Pacific Northwest.
Racing it at the RMMR at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca was a dream, but Covid made it difficult to get a licence to race there. He was forced to hire a driver. He knew of a fellow Healey racer from England who was going to be in the area, so he was appointed the racer. Jack Chatham’s father, John Chatham, was a well-respected Healey expert, but Jack’s experience in little, unreliable race cars like the Anglia was limited. Some mechanical gremlins had to be sorted out, but he had a good time. So one more aspect of Nick’s participation in the auto racing sport is, after being a builder and “Rabid Racer,” he is now a “Gentleman Owner” campaigning his car, and he loved every minute of it.
British ex-pat George Holt from Gabriola Island, B.C. started stock car racing in his 20s in England. English stock car racing was any old street car chassis, with a big engine thrown in and crude body, cab at the back and a locomotive-type long front over the engine, as crude as a seven year old’s drawing of a race car. A similar series to America’s Sprint Car racing. In his thirties, he decided to race his Austin Healey in Classic Vintage races and he raced all over Europe - the Coppa d’Italia, Tour de France three times, and he even won the Tour de France once! He also did the Max International Rally three times; the first time, he placed 7th! A friend of George was tasked with building engines
for the TVR team that was going to Le Mans. The owner of TVR, David Wheeler, ponied up $3 million to build an engine from scratch so they could stop using the Rover 3500. So in the late ‘90s, George and his friend drove a couple of these engines, at the last minute, to LeMans so they could be stuffed in the race cars to go racing! Eventually moving to Gabriola Island, George entered his Jaguar in the 2010 Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion. He still races his Healey at Mission because it has a rollbar, and the Jag does not. He likes to drive his cars to the race track and race. His 1954 Jaguar XK 120 used to run in the top 12 when there were 40 cars on the circuit. But lately, he has been taking it a bit easier since the cars up front have a lot more modifications and money into them, and George still runs drum brakes, and to quote George, “like a silly Bugga.”
His Jag was a bit wrecked when he imported it into England back in the early ‘90s. He was bet 50 quid that he could not get it ready for the 50th Anniversary race at Donington Park. He won the bet and even won fastest lap! Fast forward a few decades, and George enters his car in the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion and drives his car down and races! This all started when his friend John Chatham mentioned that they were going to the races in Carmel, and he should join them. So he drove down and has been going ever since!
Vancouver’s Nick Woodhouse had to leave the driving duties to Jack Chatham in the amazing Harry Potter Ford Anglia.One year, he convinced a friend, Mike Stapleton, a local mechanic, to come down for the ride. They got stopped in Olympia with some mechanical problem. They got to a NAPA to buy new points, wires and sparkplugs, and the guys and four mechanics stood around the car wondering why there was no spark. He asked if anyone around the area does old British cars. They found a guy, went to his place and pulled a distributor out of an old Land Rover and the car is still running on that nicked distributor!
As a long time admirer and collector of Alfa Romeo cars, Vancouver’s Felix Chiu first attended the historic races back in 1985 as a spectator, at what was then known as Laguna Seca. He raced his number 30 Alfa at the last historic races at Westwood Racetrack outside of Vancouver, in 1990. He eventually moved to California
that raced at Westwood. His Uncle would often grab him and take him to the races, and from there it was not much of a leap for Cal to start driving his BMW at Autoclub Speedway Fontana for club days when he was living in Los Angeles. A car dealer friend took him up to Car Week in Carmel and he had no idea that this vintage stuff was going on! Cal had already been enrolled at the Skip Barber School of Racing, and the instructors told him he was pretty quick, so maybe he should buy a car.
After the trip to Car Week, he told his pal he was going to buy a car, and not long after, his friend said he had found the perfect car. He said “It is way over your head, but you will never get bored of it.” Of course, there is much more than just knowing how to race to be competitive, even in a
and brought his cars with him and raced at many tracks, including Button Willow, Willow Springs, Thunder Hill and Seattle International raceway (both that old name and the new name, Pacific Raceways.)
He has raced his 1958 Spider Veloce, 1963 Sprint Speciale and the amazing 1964 Alfa Romeo Tubolare Zagato (TZ1) that was purposebuilt for racing FIA GT, at a variety of tracks up and down the West Coast. The TZ1 was a very successful race car with many wins in many major races both by the factory team and in private hands. It was ordered new by an Alfa dealer in the Southwest and raced in regional and national races. Felix raced it for 10 years before finally selling it.
Twice, Chiu went to Pebble Beach with the car, once while he owned it in 2005, and then in 2022 he was invited by the new owners to see it after it had been restored. In the early ‘90s he aquired the 1957 Elva Mk III 1300cc that he raced in 2022 at the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion and had a blast mixing it up with other SCCA Sports Racers from 1955-1966. It is a tough class to be competitive in, as there are so many changes in race cars from the mid ‘50s to the mid ‘60s, along with some cars, such as the above-mentioned 1959 Sadler Mk4 with a 5 1/2-litre engine....or four times the size of Chiu’s 1300cc Elva!
Pitt Meadows B.C. native Cal Meeker grew up watching Gilles Villeneuve racing Formula 1, and his Uncle sponsored a Triumph TR8
really great and powerful car! He found out that JL Motorsports in Seattle runs three or four of those cars, and the first race he ran after teaming up with JL, he won. Another local fellow from Coquitlam, Keith Frieser, ran a Formula 1 car, the Shadow DN-1. Cal asked him how hard was it to drive an F1 car, and Cal was asked his lap times in the Lola. Keith said that was mid-pack times for F1 so he figured Cal could do well in an F1 car.
Looking for an F1 car, Cal was lucky to find a Williams F1 car, but when he found the opportunity to buy out his business partner, the Williams had to go. A couple of years later, a 1979 Tyrrell 009 F1 with “Candy” livery (sponsored paint scheme) came up for sale by a friend of Cal’s. So he bought that F1 car and then bought a little Spice car, a “Camel Lights” 1987 Spice GTP Lights SE87L 4,500cc. Once he owned the “Blue Spice” he found a big Group C Spice SE90P car with a monster 7-litre engine and races that in Europe, and calls that one “Red Spice” which is capable of speeds over 212 mph! Racing at Spa in 2022, he got on the podium with a second place. At the 2022 Le Mans, the car’s engine died after a couple of laps, but the 250,000 fans and the whole atmosphere was intoxicating! Cal has been accepted to the Le Mans Classic for June 2023 and will be back for more racing at the 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion with “Blue Spice” and the “Candy” Tyrrell F1 car.
The 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion will take place at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca outside of Monterey, California from Aug 17-19, 2023. The address for the track is 1021 Monterey Salinas Hwy, Salinas, CA, and every Carnut should go at least once! Or 18 times like myself!
Felix Chiu of Vancouver races his 1957 Elva Mk III for the first time at the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion.
Cal Meeker’s 1979 Tyrrell 009 Formula One car is powered by a Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine.
The 1978 March 78B wearing the STP livery raced in the Formula Atlantic series when new, as part of the Ecurie Canada team. The same team that Gilles Villeneuve raced with prior to 1977.
’66 Mustang GT without a single “pony” badge or Mustang nameplate on it? How can that be? The answer is it’s a Mustang made for the German market. At that time, truck maker Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp owned rights to the Mustang trade name auf Deutschland. Ford refused to pay $10,000 to use the name and used T-5.
Astock
That designation was the original code name for the car that eventually became the Mustang. A Ford T-5 looks just like a ’65 Mustang except for a couple of minor details. It has T-5 badges, a speedometer that reads in kilometres (reportedly not used on all T-5s), a steering wheel hub without the Mustang name, clear (instead of amber) parking lights, an export-style hood brace and a heavy-duty suspension. On T-5 GTs, the racing stripes had to be lengthened because the T5 nameplate is smaller than the Mustang one.
In America, the Mustang launched at the 1964 New York World’s Fair quickly became the best-selling new car in history. It was a youth-marketoriented sporty small car that sold at an attractive price. Because of the Cold War, a lot of young Americans in the United States Army were stationed in West Germany. Since the army fed them and clothed them, many had enough of their military pay leftover to buy a new Mustang.
Ford could not sell them a Mustang in Germany, but it could sell them a T-5 that looked almost just like a Mustang. A Ford export car facility in Newark, N.J. made the T-5 modifications before the cars were shipped to Germany. Some cars made in two Ford factories—in Dearborn, Michigan and Metuchen, N.J.—got the T-5 modifications. Beyond the model badges and name plates, T-5s
and
did not have different codes or data plates. Michiganbuilt cars have a 91 FSO code and New Jersey-built cars have a 95 FSO code.
Soldiers ordered T-5s through military PX (post exchange) stores in Germany. T-5s were made in different Mustang body styles. Prices are said to have been comparable to U.S. prices which were $2,522 for a base hardtop, $2,713 for a base fastback and $2,759 for a base convertible with the base 289-cid 200-hp V8. The GT equipment package (which our featured convertible has) was $152 additional and a 289-cid 271-hp High-Performance V8 (which the featured car also has) was $381.97 in a Mustang GT.
A few months after their car was ordered through the PX, a soldier could take delivery through German Ford dealers. When the soldier’s tour of duty ended, the government would ship the car back to the United States for free. The Ford T-5 Registry ( www.fordT5. co m ) has records for 340, which is only a small percentage of the cars built. A total of 3,631 were made from 1967-1973. Unfortunately, due to a computer storage problem at Ford, the 1965 and 1966 production totals have been lost over the years.
Driving a T-5 with the 271-hp K-code High-Performance engine in Germany must have been a kick for the thousands of GIs who bought them. Chances are pretty good that more than a few flew over the Autobahn at speeds much higher than those that were legal in the United States. Road testers found that a K-code Mustang could do 0-to-60 mph in 5.9 seconds, the quarter mile in 14.5 seconds and had a top speed of 117 mph.
The car is one of two 19 Ford T-5 GT convertibles built with the 271-hp K-code V8.
Ford energetically marketed T-5s, particularly in 1965-‘66. Sales catalogues and ads were printed in English and German. T-5 owners collect the special literature. The T-5 Registry has tracked 79 of the 1966 models and found that 20 were convertibles, six were factory GTs and two had the K-code Hi-Po version of the 289-cid V8. That makes the car shown with this article one of two built. The other one also survives, but in Switzerland.
The featured car was once owned by Allen J. Stewart of Lenoir, North Carolina. He knew what it was and offered it to St. Louis, Mo., car collector Peter Schick. Then, Chris Wold got the car through a man he met through his wife’s workplace. It had been in Wisconsin for about seven years at the time he bought it around 2015. It now belongs to Joel and Bridget-Kelley Hensley of Menominee, Mich., who purchased it from Chris Wold.
Over the years, this T-5 was repainted its original Wimbledon White colour. It has a red interior, red stripes and a woodgrained steering wheel. The GT equipment package and hi-po 289 make it desirable. This car is currently on loan to The Automobile Gallery (www.theautomobilegallery.org)
in Green Bay, Wisconsin. According to the Gallery’s executive director Darrel Burnett, his research determined that T-5s continued to be produced for the German market until Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp allowed its copyright on the Mustang name to expire in 1973. “The word Mustang can’t be found on the Hensley’s car,” Burnett pointed out. “But, if you look closely, you’ll see Edsel B. Ford II’s name. He signed the car’s glove box to denote the historical significance of the T-5!”
Believe it or not, the 1998 Corvette—the first C5—is officially considered an “antique car” since New Year’s Day. The Antique Automobile Club of America (www.AACA.org), based in Hershey, Pa., defines an antique automobile as one that is at least 25 years old. It’s true that some insurance companies and other entities have different opinions, but the AACA has a lot of clout within the antique car collecting field. If the AACA says that Vettes from model year 1998 are antiques, a large number of collectors will agree.
There were two Corvette models offered in 1998. RPO 1YY07 was the base Corvette Sport Coupe. It sold for $37,495 and up and only 19,235 were manufactured. RPO 1YY67 was the base Corvette Convertible. It sold for $44,425 and was a fairly rare Vette with only 11,849 assemblies. The year 1998 marked the Vette’s 45th birthday since 1953 and Chevrolet did not offer a 45th Anniversary package, but a 1998 Corvette paced the 82nd Indianapolis 500-Mile race on May 24. In recognition of this honour, Chevrolet produced an Indy Pace Car replica package for Corvette convertibles only.
A total of 1,163 Vettes were sold with the Z47 Indy Pace Car replica option which was priced at $5,039 for Vettes with automatic transmission and $5,804 if the Vette had the MN6 six-speed manual transmission. The pace car option included Pace Car Radar Blue paint with a black-and-yellow leather interior, a black cloth top, yellow wheels and rather bold checkered flag graphics. These cars were equipped with just
about every Vette option you could put on a single car, although a license plate frame, a remote compact 12-disc CD changer, body side mouldings and magnesium wheels were extra-cost items.
Although the AACA now considers all 1998 automobiles and trucks to be officially “antique,” the Corvette of this model
year—especially the flashy purple Indy pace car replica-is already a collector’s item for many people who own or appreciate Corvettes.
Crossing the 25-years-old barrier can only add to the appeal and value of 1998 models. In some localities, flipping the calendar to 25 years will qualify 1998 Corvettes for antique
car license plates. However, the rules vary, so check your locality’s licensing regulations. Antique car license plates usually cost less than regular plates or end annual renewals, but they may come with mileage restrictions that also vary in different localities.
If your locality recognizes 25 years as the guideline for antique auto status, you might be able to insure your car for lower rates with an antique car policy. These, too, can include specific conditions like indoor storage or restrictions on annual driving mileage.
Barry Kanick worked as a designer for Mack Trucks. He knows a fine line when he sees one, whether it’s on one of his hero Chip Foose’s custom cars or on one of the Plymouth Superbirds he has stacked away in the garage at his Pennsylvania town house.
That’s right—I said “stacked away.” Or stacked on and under a Backyard Buddy 4-post lift to be more precise. Both of them painted metallic blue, though not exactly the same shade.
Now, Plymouth Superbirds didn’t come in stacks. In fact, the cars were so fast, they rarely stacked up behind other competitors on a superspeedway. The Superbird represented the final volley in the NASCAR aero car wars that unfolded as competition heated up in the closing years of the muscle car era.
The Road Runner-based ’70 Superbird evolved out of the need to get more speed from cars after NASCAR’s racing rules locked in maximum engine displacement at seven litres. When that happened, the competing automakers started arming their drivers with cars that had more wind-cheating body designs.
The Dodge Charger Daytona was released as a 1969 model. A year later,
Plymouth came out with the Road Runner Superbird with its peaked nose and high airfoil mounted on struts towering above the trunk.
Most of the 1,935 Superbirds made (1,084) had a 440-cid 375hp Super Commando V8 with a single four-barrel. Another 716 cars were believed equipped with the 440-cid 390-hp SixPack V8. Then 135 had a Street Hemi (77 automatics and 58 sticks). The racing cars all used the Race Hemi engine.
The Superbird lured Richard Petty back to driving a Plymouth, after a year with Ford. He drove the famous No. 43 car. Petty Engineering hired Pete Hamilton to run a second No. 40 Superbird and he won the Daytona 500.
Barry Kanick’s Superbirds can easily be told apart by their slightly different blue colours and by the racing graphics on the lighter-coloured car. With 43,000 documented miles on the odometer, that
vehicle is equipped with the Super Commando 440 four-barrel V8 and a four-speed manual transmission. It has a white interior and 15-in. Rallye wheels with Mickey Thompson Indy Profile tires.
The decals on the fenders of this car were supplied to Barry directly from NASCAR, before the car was used for making a presentation to “The King” of racing himself—Petty. “The car is not a re-creation, clone or replica,” says Barry. “It is a production line Superbird dressed up with decals to imitate Richard Petty’s race car. Of 28 authentic
Barry’s second Superbird—which he bought years ago—is the one with darker Bluefire Metallic paint. This car has only about 6,000 original miles. Barry bought it before Superbird prices climbed into the stratosphere. Inside is a black vinyl interior. It also has a black vinyl top, as does the lighter Petty Blue car.
Barry uses computer-aided design systems in his work and uses them in his sideline business Kinicker Digital Automotive Graphics where he does creative design work and innovative photographic development projects. That means he makes prints featuring panoramic Mopar photography. Barry sets up dramatic, one of a kind scenes featuring Superbirds posed in a variety of unique ways. He sells his photo artworks through his Website www.kinickerdigital. com
Petty Blue (Special code no. 999) Plymouth Superbirds documented on Galen Govier’s registry, this is the only one known to exist that has been autographed by both Richard Petty and Pete Hamilton.
Barry calls his nephew Ryan the “Little King” and loves this photo of him.
Ryan got a bit tired during the photo shoot and decided to get a real power nap.
One of his prints shows his 6,000-mile Superbird posed with the F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets that the U.S. Navy’s “Blue Angels” flight demonstration squadron fly. Another print depicts the same Superbird with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds have a NASCAR tie-in linked to the starting of the Coca-Cola 600 stock car race. In 2003, one of the pilots broadcast the “Gentlemen, start your engines” message from inside the cockpit of his plane.
Barry’s print called “Riders on the Storm” shows seven 1970 Plymouth Superbirds side by side on the track at Pocono Raceway. From left to right the cars represent each of the seven major colours that Superbirds were regularly available
with: Bluefire Metallic, EV2 Tor-Red, FJ5 Limelight Green, C37D Petty Blue, EW1 Alpine White, EK2 Vitamin C Orange and FY1 Lemon Twist Yellow.
Barry made several prints that he has no commercial rights to sell, though they are really neat. One is an old black and white Chrysler ad depicting Petty’s famous racing car in a NASCAR garage with only the car colourized in Petty Blue.
Another print evolved after Petty came to a show where Barry was exhibiting both of his Superbirds. He was able to get the driver to pose with him between the cars’ taillights and wings.
Barry made this particular print for himself only.
Wilwood is adding two all-new disc brake options for GM G-body vehicles equipped with either the 7-1/2-in. or 7-5/8-in. rear differentials including the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Malibu and El Camino. Newly available for this platform are Wilwood’s modern Pro Series Dynalite caliper kit with 12.19-in. rotors and DynaPro-LP caliper kit with 11-in. rotors both to improve stopping power. Both kits provide forged aluminum four piston calipers and Ultralite HP performance iron alloy rotors with internal drum parking brakes. They are available in gloss red or black powder coat finish.
For more information please go to www.wilwood.co m
Ididit’s Retrofit 1947-54 Chevy Truck Tilt Floor Shift steering column installs in the same location as the old column and comes complete with a new under-dash mount and floor mount. All that’s needed is an Ididit installation kit which connects your new column to your gear box. With the use of an adapter, an aftermarket wheel can be added and the gripping surface will be in the same location as the stock wheel.
For more information please go to www.ididit.co m
GLA - Golden Leaf Automotive is your unique source for restoration parts store. We are committed to sell only the best restoration products available and providing lowest price to our valued customers.
Golden Leaf Automotive is the Canadian extension of Dynacorn International Inc. Located in Ontario Canada, over 40,000 sq/f of warehouse stocking inventory to provide the best service for what you need when you need it. No more cross border shopping and hassles with wrong parts and the damage. All product shipped from GLA are carefully inspected and packed to ensure no damage and on time.
The late-model factory power steering pump on the Mopar Gen II Hemi engines provides too much pressure for the steering box on most older muscle cars, but Holley’s new Power Steering Kit for Gen III swaps fixes this issue with a special Saginaw type II pump to produce the proper pressure. The pulley is sized to operate the pump at the proper speed when used with the factory drive system on Gen III Hemi engines while the hardline adapter moves the power steering hose connection to a more accessible location for easy installation and maintenance. The pulley features a black, anodized finish for good looks and corrosion protection.
For more information please go to www.holley.co m
The Comp Cams high-energy hydraulic flat lifter sets for Chevrolet small- and big-block applications feature a patented orifice metering valve that precisely meters oil to the rocker arms, and ensures that continuous contact between the metering valve and pushrod seat is maintained, which eliminates excessive oiling at high RPM. The pushrod seat is made of a special powdered metal iron alloy that is heat treated both for strength and wear resistance. They feature a longer piston than conventional hydraulic lifters, which provides more load bearing surface and increases lifter longevity.
For more information please go to www.compcams.co m
Lakewood’s new Bellhousing Kits are made using cast aluminum, and connect most Small Block Ford engines to GM-pattern T-56 and T-56 Magnum transmissions. They are designed as a compact, lightweight and inexpensive option for transmission swaps that don’t require the SFT certification. The product attaches in a factory-like manner to stock or Holley oil pans and comes with a block plate for starter alignment and a dust shield. The Bellhousing is designed for a 157-tooth Flywheel and 10.5-in. clutch to maintain the most swap-friendly dimensions.
For more information please go to www.holley.co m
CHOOSING THE CORRECT MOTOR OIL FOR FLAT TAPPET ENGINES IS AS SIMPLE AS 1, 2, 3
1. FIRST understand your application.
2. NEXT select a product that has the right viscosity, the right chemical characteristics for the application.
3. PICK the oil you trust to deliver all of these requirements.
By phone : 1-403-828-7168
Easy Build Structures pre-engineered 2” x 3” galvanized steel framing system uses a unique “slip-fit” design that simplifies the installation process with the added strength and durability to withstand our Canadian winters. Whether you are looking for roof-coverage only to protect your investment or fully-enclosed garage and warehouse packages, Easy Build Structures has the building for you.
Our sales team will work with you to customize your structure package to meet all your requirements. Easy Build packages come complete with everything you need, ranging from overhead and man doors, windows, insulation options, sheeting and flashing colours, and hardware.
Our structure widths range from 10’ through 50’, with the length being as long as you need.
Our engineer can provide you with stamped and sealed drawings, Schedule B and C-B, and site inspections to help assist you with any permitting processed required by your municipality. These services also include our CSA-A660 certification for pre-engineered steel structures in Canada.
• Seats come assembled. Seat slider tracks and seat reclining mechanism are included but not installed.
• Seats are universal and require mounting brackets for installation. Mounting brackets are sold separately.
• All steel, TIG-welded frame is electrostatically coated for strength and durability.
• Premium grade vinyl and stitching will stand up to years of wear and tear.
• Ergonomically shaped cushions are made with high-density, injection-molded foam to ensure comfort with the proper support.
