Classic American sample issue

Ben Klemenzson

Viewpoint

Photography: Jonathan Fleetwood.

HELLO … and welcome to this special edition of Classic American designed to showcase all that’s great about the cars, trucks and features in this colourful, informative and fun publication established more than 30 years ago. Whether it’s fins and chrome beauties from the Fifties, or ripsnorting muscle machines from the Sixties and Seventies that interest you, Classic American covers them all, along with prewar cars, modern classics, pick-up trucks, commercial vehicles, rods and customs.

Add in Buyer’s Guides, technical features, travel guides and road tests of modern American cars too and there’s plenty to get your teeth into. Beautifully photographed and meticulously researched, Classic American is considered the bible of the American car scene here in the UK and for good reason too, as it

also covers all the American car shows and events up and down the country as well as in the USA and all over the world.

Not only that, Classic American is the number one destination for advertisers and American car dealers, so you’ll always have plenty of resources at your fingertips for buying, selling or finding parts and services for your American vehicle. Enjoy this special issue and I hope you’ll consider signing up for your monthly treat of Classic American!

Ben Klemenzson, editor bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk

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1957 Chevrolet Bel Air

A After 35 years in a bone-dry bit of Teexas, this beautiful ’57 Bel Air came to the UK, where it still retain ns an impressive mix of beauty and originality, as Nigel Boothman discovered‌

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Words: Nigel Boothman Photography: Jonathan Fleetwood

I

f you head north out of Austin, Texas and then hang a right on to Highway 79, you’ll pass by the malls and the industrial lots and soon find yourself among table-flat farmland. After another few miles you’ll be in Thrall. Not ‘in thrall’ to anyone or anything in particular, but in a tiny town of a few hundred people, a town named after a Methodist minister called Homer Spellman Thrall.

To be honest, you could almost roll through it without noticing. There are a few single-storey buildings in lots next to the highway, while rusting billboards offer you dentistry, bulldozer rental, or the chance to buy real estate from a smiling man in a cowboy hat. Yet this little place once supported a thriving Chevrolet dealership.

Krieg Brothers Chevrolet began trading from a corrugated tin shack with a gasoline pump outside, sometime between the wars. They clearly did well, and expanded into a long, low building on Highway 79 in the Fifties, possibly on the site of what is now a large Shell gas station. But if you double back after the gas station and turn south across the railroad on Main Street, then keep going to the corner of West Sheldon Avenue, there is the original tin shack still proudly labelled ‘KRIEG BROS. CHEVROLET CO.’ Check it out on Streetview.

The brothers must have been somewhere near their peak in 1957 as America rode the wave of its postwar boom, with customers in Williamson County buying plenty of pick-ups and even the odd Bel Air sedan, like this one. The car in our photos was manufactured in Kansas City on November 7, 1956, one of 499 cars churned out by the plant that day. It probably took a week or two to join a delivery of cars to Texas, then rode the 700 miles down to the Krieg Brothers’ showroom.

Two-doors and convertibles may be the glamour cars; but four-doors are more practical.

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Owner Kevin Parsley.

When cars were built proper...

... with metal and chrome.

The Chevy was ordered new with many desirable options, including tinted glass, powersteering, a heater, two-tone paint, whitewall tyres, radio and aerial, clock, bumper inserts, courtesy light and a cigarette lighter.

We’d love to know if it was ordered and specified by the first owner, or bought for stock by the dealership. Either way, it was a very well-equipped car, with a 283cu in V8 instead of the base inline six, a recirculating heater, power steering, EZ-tinted glass, two-tone paint and whitewall tyres. The dealer then added a radio and aerial, a clock, bumper bullet inserts, a courtesy light, a cigarette lighter, rocker mouldings, reversing lights and wheel spinners.

This dragged the total price up to $2929.10, quite a jump from the Bel Air’s $2290 base price, and further still from the $2048 you could pay for a Chevy One-Fifty sedan. The upscale models – the Two-Ten and the Bel-Air – gained increasing amounts of exterior and interior décor, but to keep even the posh Chevrolets within reach, the mechanical spec remained basic unless you got busy with the options boxes.

So our first owner drove off into the Texan winter of 1956 and ’57 – was the car a Christmas present? Who knows; however, it can get chilly enough even that far south to be grateful for the new Chevy’s heater. Over the next 25 years, the Bel Air stayed in Texas and racked up around 83,000 miles before it was taken off the road in 1982. Ten years later, the car was brought back to life and offered for sale, at which point an English chap with family in Texas found it, bought it, and brought it home to Norwich. Over the next two decades this gentleman did a fair bit to keep the car looking its best.

He re-covered the seats in the correct vinyl and brocade material, had the car repainted and rebuilt the engine, keeping it in original 185bhp form. Unable to find someone to cure the jerky two-speed transmission, he sourced and fitted a replacement.

Above: The Chevy came with replacement door cards and the correct, original type of fabric to reupholster them. The Bel Air alone offered half a dozen different colour and material options for buyers, as GM’s marketing department recognised the increasing importance of women’s input in the purchase of cars during the Fifties.

GM had one of the first female stylists in the business.

So it was in decent fettle when Kevin Parsley found it in 2016. Kev was looking for any nice Fifties American classic, having started with a six-cylinder 1974 Camaro many years ago, before moving up to a C3 Corvette – a car he still owns, but which wasn’t getting used much, as he explains: “Once the kids came along, it spent a lot of time in the garage. I’d admired ’57 Chevys for a long time but they’d always been out of my reach. The two-doors and convertibles are still very expensive, but this one came up at a decent price, so I went to have a look at it.”

The motive for seeking a larger Fifties American classic was partly down to Kev’s daughter, who was in her ‘prom’ year at school. Getting her, the boyfriend and Kev in the Corvette at one time wasn’t really possible… but it would work very well in a Bel Air. “It was nice, original and as clean as a whistle underneath,” says Kev. “I bought it and drove it home, and it went very well – it even returned 20 to the gallon on that trip.” With the prom happily concluded, Kev could address a few of the issues that any new-old car brings with it.

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Standard 283cu in V8 offered 185bhp.

Power steering was optioned.

“THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAD REBUILT THE ENGINE WITH AN ORIGINAL-TYPE ROPE SEAL AT THE BACK OF THE CRANK, WHICH WAS DRIPPING OIL.” OIL ”

Bumper bullet inserts are prominent.

Kevin may fit an anti-ro ll bar for better handlin g.

“The previous owner had rebuilt the engine with an original-type rope seal at the back of the crank, which was dripping oil,” he says. “I found a modern lip-seal that could be fitted without dropping the crankshaft, so I removed the sump and did just that. I also stopped the ATF getting out of the power steering control valve.” The next job grew legs in quite a significant manner.

“The engine bay was a bit scruffy, with some bits of hand-painting on the firewall. I wanted to smarten things up and before long I’d removed the wings, bonnet, front panel, the wheels and the suspension… the whole of the front of the car was bare. I sorted out some rust spots in the lower rear corner of the wings and got some paint matched to touch in the repairs, and I got the firewall looking better. The suspension components were cleaned, powder coated and re-bushed. Now it’s all much more presentable.”

This year Kevin has been tidying up little bits around the rear bumper, but is leaving the bumpers themselves alone. “The chrome has a few age-related scratches and blemishes, so I was tempted to renew it or get it re-plated. But then I saw a car with new chrome at a show and it was pitting after only a couple of years… so I think I’ll leave it original.”

Stepping into the Chevy’s exciting interior reveals some more of the work Kev has done. The car came with new material for the door cards, and new panels to attach it to. It’s an interesting tactile fabric – not quite velour but in that neighbourhood. There’s a little additional panel by the driver’s right knee, which has a switch for electric wipers (a conversion by the previous owner from vacuum operation), an ammeter that’s not currently connected and a little accessory plug. What for? “It’s connected to the inhibitor for the transmission,” explains Kev. “It adds a bit of security if I remove it… I just have to make sure I don’t lose it if I want to drive home again!”

The biggest change in here is one we didn’t even notice at first, because Kev has made it look so convincing. That centre console on the transmission tunnel – it’s just MDF, skilfully finished in all the right interior shades and materials. “It gives you somewhere to put your phone and a drink,” says Kev. “It’s been very useful.” The car gets used, you see – as well as a few weddings and proms that Kev’s done to pay for the insurance, it goes to shows and indeed anywhere else where the proud owner can find an excuse to use it.

“I’m not too precious about it, because it’s not a concours car. I wouldn’t want to be scared of using it, though I do tend

Top: Chevy sits nicely; not too high, not too low – just right.

Above (from left): Being a Texas car means the chrome and aluminium trim on Kevin’s car has survived relatively unblemished, as seen here. Kevin has decided not to re-chrome the rear bumper. A wise decision we feel, as some modern re-chroming can be inferior.

to leave it in the garage if it’s going to be tipping with rain.

It’s not quick, but it’s not meant to be, and it cruises at any speed you like. About the only thing I might do is fit a front anti-roll bar… if you dive into a corner too fast it does tend to dip and roll rather a lot. But then again, that’s the way it’s always been. I haven’t upgraded the non-servo brakes, I’ve just learned to push a bit harder. It’s a good, original Bel Air, and I like it that way.”

So do we, and so will many of you. Resto-mods and hot rods are great, but when we’re talking about one of the most famous American classics of all, it’s good to know there are some cars left that can show us exactly what you got for your money in 1957. The good people of Thrall, Texas must have stopped and stared when this one appeared… just like people do when Kevin rolls past today.

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MEEP MEEP! 1970 Plymouth Road Runner

Words: Mike Renaut Photography: Garry Stuart

Dave Christmas’ 1970 Plymouth Road Runner may not have been the most straightforward car to own and restore, but he’s certainly had a lot of fun in the process.

W

hen you’re at an impressionable age, movies can be very influential. Dave Christmas had wanted a Plymouth Road Runner since he saw one in a film when he was aged 14. “Although when I was seven I wanted a Smokey and the Bandit Trans Am,” recalls Dave.

“I bought the Trans Am toys and model kits, and then, aged 14, I saw a movie called Brewster McCloud. I was fascinated since it featured an orange car with a flap on the bonnet going up and down. Years later, with the benefit of the internet, I discovered it was a 1970 Plymouth

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Road Runner. I had pictures of the car on my screensaver at work and, again, bought the die-cast models and plastic kits of Road Runners, although I’d never seen one in the UK.” Then fate intervened. “I saw this Tor-Red 1970 Road Runner for sale on eBay in 2011, but I was getting on a plane to go on holiday. The auction finished while I was away, but about a month later the car was on eBay again and − once more − I missed out buying it. Then about 10 weeks after it came up for sale again, but as a one-day listing. This time I was ready.”

The vendor, Pete Haydon, had started stripping the car for restoration when his circumstances changed. When Dave saw the Plymouth it was a rolling shell with engine and gearbox still in place, but the dashboard, interior and glass removed. “He’d also removed the vinyl roof and fuel tank and replaced the rusty boot floor, as well as made repairs around the rear window and to the lower rear quarters,” recalls Dave. “The rest of the body was solid, but having restored a few English classic cars in the past, including a Triumph TR6 and a Stag

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I’m just finishing, I realised how much work was involved. Since this was going to be my first American car, I walked away.”

Fortunately, Dave only walked as far as the nearest pub. “The more I thought about it, the more I wanted the Plymouth. Although he was asking more than the previous sellers, Pete had obviously done a lot of work to the car, so I bought the Road Runner and didn’t try to Naughty, naughty...

haggle. Pete and I became friends; he’s currently restoring a Challenger.”

Once home, Dave stripped the Plymouth completely, got a front wing from UK Mopar man Duncan Watts, and took everything back to bare metal, then had it professionally repainted.

“Pete had done a lot of bodywork so that was pretty straightforward, well, other than my painter Rich Barker having to vacate his premises

just as he was finishing... Fortunately he got the body done, but I had to fit all the panels myself.

Then, being new to American cars, I simply got a Mopar catalogue and ordered everything I needed, which totalled $4500 plus $925 shipping. It was brilliant when the van arrived with nine massive boxes of parts, then the chap unexpectedly asked for another £912 for import duty. I hadn’t realised about that and had to give him a credit card…”

Part of that shipment was a complete new interior with carpets, all of which Dave fitted himself. “I got a new windscreen from US Automotive (01234 273155/ ww.usautomotive. co.uk). I also bought a complete new wiring loom since I never really trust old electrics.” In the end, it only took Dave two years to complete and the Road Runner sailed through its MoT on August 1, 2015. “Everything was great, except 40 miles later the engine blew up…”

Acme Performance

For 1970, Plymouth offered a bewildering array of machinery from compact Dusters and Valiants up to five models of full-size Fury.

The Road Runner was an intermediate series placed above Barracuda which consisted of

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The 50-year-old electrics were rewired.

Subtle orange LEDs are hidden behind the red lenses.

Plymouth as Dave

acquired it.

base model Belvedere, Road Runner/Superbird, Satellite, Sport Satellite and Satellite GTX. Part of Plymouth’s Rapid Transit series, the ‘supercar performance, supermarket economy’ Road Runner was launched in 1968 offering 100mph for $3000. Standard Road Runner engine for 1970 was the 335bhp four-barrel 383cu in V8, but the 440cu in V8 or 426cu in Street Hemi were also options on an increasingly long list of extras. Themed around the Warner Brothers’ Road Runner cartoon, a new addition for ‘70 was a vacuum-operated Air Grabber intake in the bonnet which lifted to reveal cartoon teeth and pushed air into the Coyote Duster air cleaner.

One of 24,944 hardtop coupes built for the 1970 model year, Dave’s left the factory painted Tor-Red metallic and equipped with air conditioning, tinted glass, the light package consisting of under-hood and trunk lighting, bonnet pins on a performance hood with hood-mounted turn signals, a 383cu in V8 with three-speed automatic, bucket seats and Magnum 500 wheels. “A previous owner found the build sheet tucked under the rear seat,” says Dave. “It shows the car left the St Louis plant on November 17, 1969, and was around the 5000th built. I know it came into the UK around 1991 and the first UK owner kept it until 2012. Prior to that I understand it was in Greensborough, North Carolina.”

So there was Dave, with his like-new Road Runner, 40 miles from the MoT station with a destroyed engine. “I went to see Dave Billadeau at Billadeau Speed & Automotive (07791 141170/www.billadeau-speed.co.uk) and he stripped it down and explained it was really worn. The engine was a late 1969-dated 440cu in block and Dave rebuilt it with new heads, bigger steel valves, uprated pistons, pushrods

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Tor-Red paint lo

oks a mile deep

.

and conrods. He gas-flowed and ported it too, so it’s now putting out 397bhp and 500ft-lb of torque. Dave really wanted to put a Six-Pack carb setup on it, but I’m currently running a four-barrel Holley with the Six-Pack style air intake on top.”

During the restoration Dave had added a few more goodies to his Road Runner including the Tick Tock Tach (a clock inside the tachometer), the Air Grabber and a Wilwood disc brake conversion. “I also added mirrors, although the passenger one is useless. It’s got a 3.23 rear end, but I have a 3.91 Sure-Grip to go in, although a few people have said I need a 3.55 instead. I’ll try it and see what happens. I used as much original equipment as I could, but I did make a couple of changes. For instance, my Mopar-owning mate Jason Pettit from Manchester does LED light conversions so he’s fitted them in the front spotlights and converted the fronts and the rears so I have orange indicators that you only see when the bulbs are lit. It looks otherwise standard, although I didn’t do a concours finish underneath since I wanted to drive the car, so instead of body colour I’ve stone chipped it in black.

“The forum of the Mopar Muscle Association (www.moparuk.com) was so incredibly helpful with getting it restored,” adds Dave. “Their members answered all my questions and gave me loads of encouragement. For instance, the first time I drove the Plymouth down the motorway it was all over the road, virtually uncontrollable. I’d never driven one before, but I knew that couldn’t be right. The guys in the forum talked me through setting up the front suspension and steering castor and camber – I’d set it with way too much positive camber – after that it was perfect.”

Stripe stripper

If you see Dave’s Road Runner at a show, take a good look at the side stripes. “When I got the car, it had a newer set of dust trail stripes over the original ones. I very carefully measured and photographed exactly where those original ones were so I could replace them with a new set after the car was painted. There are online guides, but I wanted mine exactly as it was when it left the assembly line.” Dave then proudly drove to his first show − the Mopar Euronats. “The Plymouth had become a bit dirty so I stopped at a hand car wash and asked them to sponge it by hand. Suddenly the guy pulled out a massive power washer and that shattered the side stripe into pieces, which fell on the wet floor. I managed to save most of the bits except the front three inches by the bird. So that was another $299 to get a replacement dust trail…”

Other than those teething troubles, Dave reports really enjoying the experience of owing his first American car. “It’s been an adventure,” he laughs. “It surprises me how the speedometer is completely accurate when tested against a sat nav and it also surprised my mate how much quicker it is than his Porsche. It gets a bit floaty above 100mph (only ever on a private test track, officer…) and it does sometimes get confused with the General Lee. People ask to hear the horn and are surprised when it goes ‘Meep Meep’ rather than playing Dixie. But loads of kids know exactly what it is since there’s one in the Fast & Furious films. I’ve really enjoyed owning this car so far; I’ve met some great people and it seems everything I ever do with it becomes a fun event.”

Owner Dave Christmas.

motor. reshed the 383 ve Billadeau ref

Da

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w.b co . c l ac k t o p y

m

Hoodies T-shirts & More Clothing for Drivers!

Designed by people who actually drive these cars!

www.blacktopyc.com

1965 Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 Holiday Coupe

Somethingg a bit To get into Paul Chamberlain’s collection, a car has to be a bit special. With just 27,000 on the clock since new, this rare Oldsmobile Jetstar 88 certainly qualiďŹ ed.

Words: Nigel Boothman Photography: James Mann

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Original owner’s manual.

Perfectionist: Paul Chamberlain.

P

aul Chamberlain loves cars. He’s been around them all his life, since an apprenticeship among the Rolls-Royce and Bentley traffic at Jack Barclay’s in London. In the years that have passed since then, and in 40plus years of American car ownership, Paul has learned the kind of discretion that we would all like to employ – if we had the skills. “A nice car always speaks to you,” he says. “I never really set out to buy one particular thing, but I try to say yes to the right cars when they turn up.”

This explains how Paul has ended up with such a diverse group of classics. He has American cars as different as a ’39 Plymouth Business Coupe and a ’76 Corvette Stingray, and you might remember his red Chevy Caprice from Car of the Year a little while ago. He also has some unusual classic Daimlers, but whichever car we chat about, a similar theme emerges – often low mileage, low ownership, unusual rarity, or all three. And there were enough of these qualities in this handsome 1965 Oldsmobile to turn Paul’s head when he saw it advertised in Wiltshire back in 2018.

“I showed it to my wife and she agreed it was worth a look, as it wasn’t a long trip from our home in Somerset,” he says. “I was impressed when we saw the car in the metal, though I did wonder how genuine the 26,000 miles was. But once I’d inspected it and looked at what history there was, it became pretty plausible, and then highly probable! The interior is original and immaculate and there were other little signs too – the previous owner had stripped the rear brakes and found factory-fitted parts in there, suggesting it hadn’t been apart before.”

250bhp 330cu in V8.

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Paul says the Olds offers ‘a good blend of a comfortable ride and good handling’.

Apart from a smartened engine bay and a coat of paint, carefully matched to the original and applied some years before (probably to refurbish a faded finish), the car seemed unrestored. Paul could find no trace of rust underneath, never mind any welded repairs: “The previous owner had imported it from America, where it seemed to be a one-family car, spending its whole life in Idaho. He’d added a few things – a proper

water temperature gauge and matching fuel gauge under the dash, a retro-modern radio that fits perfectly where the original went, some larger wheels and various extra lights.” These had been applied under the bonnet and along the underside of the car, presumably to give a slightly hot-rodded look for cruises.

Paul removed them within a day of getting the car home, as he explains: “It looked like it belonged on Blackpool’s seafront. I obviously kept the wheels though – they’re 17-inch Cragar-type alloys and the wider, lowerprofile tyres seem to work really well with the set of uprated dampers on the car.

I have the original steel wheels and their immaculate hubcaps, but to refit them with

the correct whitewalls would be about £1000… after which the car wouldn’t handle quite as nicely. At the moment it’s a really good blend of a comfortable ride and good handling. It doesn’t wallow and you can hurry it through the lanes surprisingly easily.”

Purists may decry the aftermarket wheels, but Paul says they work well with uprated shocks.

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Room for two sets of a golf clubs... or a body!

This happens to the accompaniment of a rich exhaust burble from the twin mild-steel system the car now wears, which adds a little drama without any tiring booming at speed. At some time the car also acquired the correct kind of brake servo, though it wasn’t ordered with power brakes. It is, in fact, a base model among 1965 Oldsmobiles, though you wouldn’t think so to look at the graceful pillarless side profile or the extremely smart and stylish interior.

The full-size Olds models included the 88s on a 123-inch wheelbase and the more luxurious, big-block-powered 98s on a 126-inch wheelbase.

Among the 88s, you could choose from the Jetstar 88, the factory hot-rod Jetstar 1 with a 370bhp big-block V8, the Dynamic 88 and the Starfire. The Dynamic was the big seller, with almost twice as many of the pretty Holiday Coupe sold in that guise (at $3065) than in Jetstar 88 form, at $2995. That tiny price gap would have given most salesmen an easy ‘up-sell’ to the Dynamic, though not every customer would have relished the extra thirst of the Dynamic with its 425cu in V8 – the Jetstar came with a 330cu in small-block and a two-barrel carb. Still enough for 250bhp and respectable performance, though, leading to 13,911 sales for the Jetstar 88 Holiday Coupe.

Gorgeous Coke-bottle styling epitomises American styling of the ’60s.

The first owner of this car ticked at least three boxes on the options list: the transmission is a two-speed automatic ($245), there is power steering ($109) and there’s a radio ($88), now cunningly replaced with a modern one, as we mentioned before. But the windows, door locks and seats must be moved by hand. However, we are not in base-model Chevy territory here, so the Jetstar came as standard with foam padded front seats (here trimmed in a fabulous combination of metallised vinyl and brocade), a padded dash, rocker panel mouldings, an automatic dome light, electric windshield wipers, carpets and a parking brake signal light.

Sidelights are unusually centred.

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Rocket science: Oldsmobile’s great V8

Simple, yet elegant dash.

None of which you notice, of course, because the main impression on seeing this car is curiosity… it’s totally unfamiliar. Paul was told it’s currently the only example in the UK and probably Europe too. Middecade Oldsmobiles and Buicks of the Sixties represented General Motors at their best, offering crisp and well-judged styling that managed to be restrained, without being dull – check out the architecture around those corner hoods for the headlamps, or the he way the bumper mouldings remain entirely within the car’s outline, rather than bulging forward or back. Paul particularly likes the Coke-bottle side profile, and it’s hard to disagree. Build quality and handling were also strong points, with none of the boat-like driving experience people tend to expect from large American machinery.

There is one feature that we’ve alluded to already, about which Paul admitted to being a little sceptical – the two-speed automatic. He was unsure how well it would suit modern roads before he drove the car, but soon began to appreciate it and to understand the appeal.

Modern radio is a very subtle installation.

When Oldsmobile’s Rocket motor made its debut in 1949, no other manufacturer had an overhead-valve V8. But they soon would. Trying to imagine American cars without their large, lazy, highly tunable V8 engines is impossible – all that torque and power provided the wave on which Detroit’s designers would surf for decades afterwards.

Even in 2020, with the launch of a new mid-engined Corvette, you’ll still find a pushrod V8 under the hood.

The 330cu in V8 in the Jetstar Holiday Coupe on these pages is one of the second generation of Rocket V8s, introduced in 1964. They had evolved slightly from the originals, but retained s tthe same bore centres and deck heights, tthough increasing the stroke to give more potential for increased capacity.

The original Rocket was such a strong T a successful design that refinements and c came mainly in the top end, with w wedge-shaped combustion chambers a arriving with the second generation and d delivering surprisingly clean and efficient performance. Indeed, it’s said that of a all V8 engines manufactured by the Big Three, only Oldsmobile’s gen-2 Rocket met emissions standards all the w up to 1990, while still running on way a carburettor.

That was the final year for a design with roots in 1949, but during its 41year life across numerous different capacities it powered many innovations, not least the front-wheel-drive Toronado and the related GMC Motorhome, plus tarmac-tearing muscle cars, family station wagons and any number of sedans, both modest and luxurious.

It was loaned out to Buick, Pontiac and Cadillac as well. So while the Chevy and Ford small-blocks might be more famous, when you think of a big, brawny, burbling American V8, remember it all started with the Rocket.

Original unmarked interior.

“The car is more of a cruiser than a bruiser,” he says. “It’s okay at 70 or 80mph but to be honest, do I want to be smoking it around the place as fast as I can? Not really. You learn to drive it the way it likes to be driven – it changes up very smoothly between around 25 and 30mph – and it takes us wherever we want to go.”

That tends to be to show fields, where the car must attract a lot of favourable attention, just as it attracted Paul’s attention when he first saw the advert. “When I saw it, it was one of those cars that just said ‘take me home – you’ll have a hard job to find another!’” he says. So there’s a lesson for all of us here: when you go to view a car, don’t just look, but listen. It might be telling you something very important. ★

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1932 Ford hot rod

Steve Willsone has been a panel beater all his life and runs a paint and body shop, so when he decided to rebuild this 1932 Ford three-window coupe, he set himself very high standards of fit and finish, as Mike Renaut discovers…

Words: Mike Renaut Photography: Matt Richardson

T

hey say old Fords never die. Well, this one has certainly been resurrected more than once. When you’ve worked around vehicles all your life and own a business dedicated to accident repairs, it can be difficult to find time to work on your personal car, let alone completely restore one from the ground up. But when your desire’s strong enough, you find a way.

Steve Willsone of C&D Services (UK) Ltd in Basildon had always wanted a hot rod and finally took the plunge three years ago. “When I was 17 years old, I began training as a panel beater,” explains Steve. “I was taught the traditional methods, using an English wheel, beating out

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dents over sandbags and even learned lead loading joins and metal finishing. I was always into hot rods. When I first met my wife Julie, our first date was a visit to the Chelsea Cruise.”

Despite that, this 1932 Ford three-window coupe is the first rod he’s owned. “It was definitely becoming time to buy one,” continues Steve. “I love Ford Pops and they were my dream car until I saw this ’32 for sale. I’d been looking for a black car, then it suddenly dawned on me we could repaint whatever I bought any colour I fancied. I originally wanted to build a car from scratch, but by the time I’d costed that I then realised it might be better to buy one I

liked and then recondition it if necessary.”

According to a feature on this Deuce in the October 1999 issue of Custom Car, the coupe was built in London then bought in 1998 by a hot rodder called Nikki Clarke. She found it to be in quite tired condition and had it rebuilt to be her daily driver. The Oldsmobile engine it had fitted was replaced with a brand new crate Chevy with triple carbs, the car was reupholstered, got new suspension and a repaint in a shade of BMW Yellow. At this point, I could just cut and paste the last paragraph since that’s virtually the same work present owner Steve did when he got his hands on the ’32.

The ’32 as it arrived...

... before dismantling.

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“Then Mark and Karen Weber of M&K Auto Upholstery (01622 715772/www.mkautoupholstery.com) did an outstanding job on the interior, all finished in Italian leather including a tuck’n’roll headlining. They also redesigned the seat, which I believe is from a British sports car. Originally I was in two minds about redoing the interior the car came with, so I had taken it all out very carefully. In total the reupholstering was three months of work, they even carefully matched the yellow piping to the paint. In the boot, the carpet is the same one used in Bentleys. Mark made new door cards and boot liners too and hand stitched the steering wheel and handbrake covers.”

New glass, front and rear, was supplied by Dean at Approved Windscreens Ltd (07768 462222/www.approvedwindscreens-upminster. co.uk). The Deuce was built with red steel wheels and hubcaps, but now rolls on American Racing ‘Salt Flat’ wheels, 15-inch on the front and 20s on the rear. “I didn’t want to radically change the style of the car – I already really liked the way it looked – I wanted more to replace a few parts that were worn and update it.

“For instance, when I got the car its rear bumper irons were chrome, but the front ones were black and that looked a bit odd. It did turn into a complete rebuild.”

... it was inevitable he’d be a perfectionist...

Although the engine originally had triple carbs, Steve swapped them for a Weber setup complemented with Edelbrock air cleaner and valve covers. The headers are stainless steel and connect to a custom-made exhaust system from Pipecraft. The opportunity was also taken to switch from a column shift to a floor shift setup.

... when it came to prepping and painting the body.

Stripped body.

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“I bought it in 2017 in Lincolnshire from a guy called Chris,” explains Steve, “who emailed me lots of photos and a full description. I went up with the money and trailered it home. It’s a fibreglass body with a metal frame inside, all the other panels such as the wings, Rootleib bonnet and the grille shell are steel. We showed it for a couple of years then when the show season ended in 2018, we stripped the coupe down for a body-off rebuild.

“Being almost 30 years old then, it was naturally getting a bit tired in places.”

Update and backdate

“The chrome plater I was using let me down so I ended up buying all new parts from John at Homegrown Hot Rods (01702 524610/ www.homegrownhotrods.co.uk) and also a fair number of bits from Customville (0208 590 1449/www.customville-american.co.uk) too – between them they supplied virtually everything for the build. It had a four-bar linkage front end fitted, but we changed that to the classic hairpins look. It has Corvette disc brakes on the front and a fully chromed and drilled front axle. Out back is a Volvo 240 axle with Volvo disc brakes which is not only strong, but looks suitably period too.”

The coupe retains that crate motor we mentioned, a 350cu in Chevy V8 with a TH350

gearbox behind. “It was originally a column shift, but we swapped it for a floor shifter when we put in a traditional-style steering column.” In spite of the various Edelbrock parts such as the air cleaner and valve covers, there’s actually a Weber carburettor fitted. The headers are stainless steel and join to a Pipecraft exhaust (Pipecraft, Unit 23, Orion Court Cranes Farm Rd, Basildon SS14 3DB, 01268 285535).

“Ian Card is my panel beater,” says Steve. “I owe so much to him since he was with me all the way through the rebuild and was a very big part of it, as was Nick Hodder, my painter, who put on the two coats of Ford yellow − don’t ask me which one − and three of lacquer. It’s a similar shade to the previous paint. I wanted a high-quality build, so I made a roller mounting for the body so Nick could paint it just as nicely underneath; it’s just as shiny top and bottom. I’m really proud of how clean the underside is.

“Jay Pressler of Auto Electric Diagnostics (07908 388718/www.autoelectricdiagnostics. co.uk) helped me do the full rewire and to hide the wiring as much as possible, especially to the headlights and front indicators. The original indicator wiring had been run through braided shower hose − which was the way everyone did it back then… We also relocated the battery from the boot to behind the seat.

Steve Willsone.

Many parts were bought from...

California dreamin’?

Nah, Essex!

Homegrown Hot Rods and Customville.

Capacious trunk.

Original crate motor had triple carbs.

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Being a body man...

Labour of love

“It was a labour of love,” admits Steve. “I can now completely understand why you see cars sold as unfinished projects. Although this was a finished, built and running car we were starting with, it still threw up problems. After it was painted, one door took us five hours to gap and realign. In all, we spent three weekends getting all the panels on properly and had problems with the bonnet too – it was very testing. We’d taken apart a complete, running and driving car and when it was back together, the engine was pinking and misfiring. In the end it went to Atspeed Racing (01268 773377/www. atspeedracing.co.uk) where it was dyno’d, tuned on their rolling road and the carb re-jetted, which solved all the issues. We took it off the road in October 2018 and the rebuild took seven months. When it was done, it was good enough to show parked on top of mirrors, like I’d seen my friend Roland Bunn do with his Ford Pop. “Because this is my first time owning and building a hot rod, I was really surprised just how many parts were available. I’ve met a lot of really great people through having it, and throughout the rebuild no one I spoke to ever said no they couldn’t do something. I’m grateful to them all.

Everyone has a mate called Dave and I should thank mine − Dave Sharp – for all his valuable outside input. The real thanks are to my wife Julie who supported my spending and no doubt enjoyed her quiet, peaceful weekends when I was in the garage.

Simple gauges.

Exhaust was created by Pipecraft.

“Now the car rarely goes out in the rain because it takes me almost nine hours to clean – most of that is the underside. It’s called ‘The Colonel’ since a friend of mine said it had to have a name, and the colour we painted it suggested Colonel Mustard. Of course being a yellow ’32, I often get comparisons with the American Graffiti movie coupe, but they are more than welcome − like most people, I love that film. The other thing is, it’s quite loud too so I have to pre-warn the neighbours, although they’re pretty good and seem to like it − just as well, since I’ve just bought a new Bullitt Mustang and that’s loud too. But whatever happens the ’32 always puts a smile on my face.”

Door panels match seats.

Original red interior was transformed...

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... into this stunning black affair.

Refreshed engine.

1953 Studebaker custom pick-up

This rare breed 1953 Studebaker pick-up might look like a rusty old shed just pulled out of a field, but of course it isn’t and actually features some pretty impressive and neat build features…

Words: Keith Harman Photography: Matt Richardson

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W

hile Chevy and Ford trucks undoubtedly dominate the classic truck scene on both sides of the Atlantic, there are some great-looking trucks from other US manufacturers, ripe for restoration or even modification, that rarely get a look-in. Some are just rare models, while others lack popularity, perhaps because there just isn’t the same aftermarket support as there is for Ford or GM models.

Studebaker is a good example and, as far as we can recall, we haven’t featured another Stude’ like this one since October 2004, when we showed you Charlie Peach’s yellow example (unless the Ed knows otherwise, of course?). The classic truck scene, meanwhile, has gone from strength to strength and we couldn’t guess how many more old American trucks of all makes have been imported since then, a fair few of them by specialist companies like Farm Fresh in Rayleigh, Essex.

Farm Fresh Speed Shop is a well-known name already on the custom scene, and so it should be – it’s been importing, restoring, rebuilding and selling classic trucks for around 20 years now and, yes, mostly Chevys.

However, the company went through a bit of a shake-up last year with original owner Darren Smart deciding to spend more and more time stateside, before finally relocating full time to Texas. In May 2018, the company was rebranded as Farm Fresh Garage and the reins handed over to David Gilder, who had already been working closely with Darren helping to market and generally promote the company, and so was already familiar with many aspects of the business.

David had noticed that this ’53 Studebaker 2R pick-up had been languishing on the Farm Fresh lot for a while. It had been imported in 2012, but as yet nobody had stepped up to commission it as a build, and no one had offered to buy it in ‘as is’ condition either.

Although it was a bit rough around the edges, David decided it would be the first major in-house project under his direction, as well as demonstrating that Farm Fresh could transform any ‘ugly duckling’ non-Chevy/ Ford into something just as cool. With the experienced and capable team of Paul, Alan and Dave (another one), a plan was hatched to liven up the old Stude’.

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New 350cu in crate motor replaced straight-six.

Lived-in black leather bench seat.

Fresh gauges.

Air-Ride system lowers profile.

Truck was imported in 2012, but it languished in Farm Fresh’s yard for several years before the build began.

David doesn’t recall from whereabouts the truck originated, but he does recall that it was rescued from a scrapyard in the US; the script on the right-hand front wing ‘Do Not Strip’ being applied while it was in the yard, and the 51 number referring, not to its model year, but to the aisle in the yard where it was stored! Predictably, time had taken its toll on the bodywork, requiring Farm Fresh to break out the welder and some fresh sheet metal, not to mention a hammer and dolly. It’s not obvious now, but the rears of both front fenders top to bottom were replaced, as were the bottoms of both doors, sections of the rear fenders, and the cab corners, a common place for rot on many old trucks.

You might be wondering how all this bodywork can be achieved and yet remain somewhat invisible on an unpainted and patina’d truck? David told us that to achieve this, FF has its own secret ‘Farm Fresh serum’ that can be applied to new metal to recreate a believable, weathered finish − clever stuff, huh? With the body repaired and solid once again, attention was turned to updating the tired running gear and, although much of it was ultimately junked, the stock frame was solid and straight enough to

work with, and so was boxed front and rear and a new rear cross-member added for somewhere to locate the top of the new rear shocks.

The Farm Fresh team have built enough trucks in their time to have refined a formula for which components work best and which companies supply them, and so they wisely stick to using these products. Californian company Classic Performance Products (CPP) is the preferred supplier for suspension and drivetrain set-ups and Farm Fresh is a dealer for its wide range of truck and car stuff. With this in mind, CPP products were used to fit a complete Air-Ride system using a CPP Mustang II type front suspension set-up, including power steering, disc brakes and servo, and a CPP triangulated four-bar kit to locate the rebuilt GM 10-bolt rear axle.

A CPP polished tilt-steering column was also added, with a column shift selector, an item which replicates the popular GM columns so often used in the hot rodding and classic truck world. Big diameter rims with super low profile tyres seem to be the hot ticket on modified classic trucks, and so the Studebaker now wears a set of Detroit Steels: 18s on the front, and 20s on the back, understated with a coat of fresh gloss black and chrome caps. Around this stage of

Edelbrock Performer inlet and carb.

the build, with the truck now solid and with the full Air-Ride installed, it began to take on some serious attitude and, with that, started to attract attention from prospective customers, with at least two showing serious buying intentions. It wasn’t long before Matthew Burton, from Poole in Dorset, stepped up and laid his money down to become the new owner of the truck.

Although it was unfinished, Matt was totally cool with all the planned aspects of the build, including one of the most striking features, the contrasting gold paintwork which provides a vivid shock of colour to the engine bay and other details around the truck, such as the fuel tank and some of the noticeable suspension components.

Also under the hood, check out the custom panels at the top of the firewall, also painted gold.

Studebaker trucks came from the factory with this area exposed; offering easy access to the rear of the dash maybe, but an untidy and unfinished look from an aesthetic point of view. These panels were custom made by Farm Fresh, and of course are removable for maintenance access.

A new 350cu in crate motor now sits where the old 170cu in ‘Econo-Miser’ L-head in-line six used to be and, even in stock form, the Chevy V8 is plenty quick enough, though the addition

of an Edelbrock Performer inlet, an Edelbrock 600cfm carburettor and a set of Hedman stainless steel headers seals the deal, with a GM TH350 Automatic backing it up. A two-and-a-half inch bore exhaust and a pair of Thrush mufflers make up the custom exhaust system. The Farm Fresh team raided their own parts shelves for the alloy radiator and for the EZ Wiring harness, since these are both regularly stocked items which can be used on most of their truck builds.

Inside the cab, a Chevy truck seat was ‘cut and shut’ to fit, and then trimmed in black with gold diamond stitching. This, a pair of door armrests and the complementing black carpeting remain the only trim inside the truck, though a custom dash panel was added to house the Dolphin gauges, with care being taken to match the design of the existing glovebox door as closely as possible. A ‘Forever Sharp’ steering wheel finishes off the interior, another product line stocked

by Farm Fresh. Whether you are a fan of the weathered/patina’d/barn-find look or not, there’s no denying that applying the right stuff to even a model as unusual as this Stude’ can result in a totally cool and unique truck, and if anyone knows how to create that look, it’s Farm Fresh Garage, even if it’s not a Chevy!

Gold paintwork provides a vivid shock of colour from the fuel tank.

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MEET FARM FRESH GARAGE

B

illing your business ‘The UK Home of US Trucks’ is a bold statement, but with nearly 20 years’ experience in importing, restoring and modifying classic trucks, Farm Fresh Garage has about as much right to say so as anyone out there. Originally started

by Darren Smart as Farm Fresh Speed Shop, under his stewardship the company quickly grew into a full-time business with many quality builds under its belt. As well as running the sales and workshop in Rayleigh, Essex, Darren was also making many trips to the US to source trucks and parts and forge business relationships, to the point when he recently decided to move over there permanently.

Fortunately, he had the capable hands of David Gilder to take over the business in 2018 and continue the good work, albeit under the rebranded name of Farm Fresh Garage. David had already been working with Darren in a marketing and promotional capacity, so knew the business inside and out. This, along with a background in the motor trade himself, meant he was able to take over the reins and not only continue the company’s success, but also to take FFG to the next level. Much of the focus of expanding the business will come via an enhanced social media profile, as well as a professional and comprehensive website which is already in place (www.farm-fresh.co.uk).

David also wanted to take this opportunity to publicly thank Darren for all his help and assistance during the transition period.

David told us that while the company’s speciality is Chevy and GM trucks from 1947 to 1959, it’s not a 100% exclusive policy, as our accompanying feature proves. With a constantly revolving stock of classic trucks being imported, FFG can find you the truck of your dreams and then, with its fully equipped workshops and expert team, turn that truck into a reality.

Along with the experience of building custom trucks, FFG also knows which aftermarket hardware is best suited to modifying the suspension, running gear and handling for modern driving conditions. As mentioned in the feature, CPP is top of the list for independent suspension and Air-Ride kits, as well as many other items. E-Z Wiring kits are stocked as many old trucks require rewiring to 12-volt electrical systems as an absolute minimum.

Farm Fresh is also an agent for Dynamat, Forever Sharp steering wheels, Viair air suspension components and many others, all available to buy over the counter if you’re building your own truck. The comprehensive website also offers many standard restoration parts for classic Chevy trucks with everything from a fuel tank to a window-winder handle available to order online. Check out too, their cool new range of FFG merchandise, or pick up something at one of the many summer events that they plan to attend in the future.

Tell them Classic American sent you! ★

The Farm Fresh team (from left): Dave Titcombe, Paul Titcombe, David Gilder, Roxy Allen and Alan Haste.

Farm Fresh HQ, Rayleigh, Essex.

1954 Chevy truck.

Farm Fresh delivery van.

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Rare CoE truck.

Farm Fresh carries a variety of trucks for projects and offers full garage and build facilities.

Roxy Allen with merchandise.

Farm Fresh Garage

Yard is a treasure trove of old trucks.

Unit 18 Rawreth Industrial Estate Rawreth Rayleigh Essex SS6 9RL 01268 972307 sales@farm-fresh.co.uk

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You’ll need a long memory, but this car has been a Classic American Car of the Year Heat Winner before. And when it’s this nice, being picked twice in 25 years seems only fair.

1965 Chrysler 300L Words: Nigel Boothman Photography: Jonny Fleetwood

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Mopar man: Geoff Mitchell.

The Chrysler gets driven everywhere.

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T

he last time this car appeared in Classic American magazine, our world looked a bit different. John Major was Prime Minister, only 1% of us had internet access and British forces were fighting in Bosnia. Princess Diana gave a sensational TV V interview to Martin Bashir, Eric Cantona launched a flying kick into the crowd and if you didn’t like Britpop, there was always Robson and Jerome’s version of Unchained Melody to endure.

Yes, 25 years is a long time, but it’s less than half of this Chrysler’s life; it was already almost 30 years old when Geoff Mitchell tracked it down and bought it in 1994. At that time, Geoff also had a 1957 Chrysler New Yorker, bought in 1990, as his first American classic. We’ll let Geoff explain what led up to this decision to expand the fleet. “The New Yorker is very Fifties, and by 1994 I fancied a Sixties car. I made a shortlist

Seats boast leather facings.

Jewel-like detail.

that included a ’63-’65 Buick Riviera, a Pontiac Bonneville or Grand Prix of about the same age and maybe a 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. I also included a Chrysler 300L.” The reasoning behind this particular Pentastar choice is worth knowing. Chrysler’s Letter Series cars (see box-out in this article) were already expensive and sought-after classics by the mid-Nineties. The 300L was the last of them, and it combined Elwood Engel’s rectilinear styling − perfectly 1965 − with a somewhat reduced specification, but it sold well, meaning that 30 years later, the ‘L’ wasn’t as rare as most 300s. This added up to a lot of big-block Chrysler style for not very much money, though Geoff would have been equally happy with any car on his list, it’s just that the 300L came up first.

“I saw it in a black-and-white advert in Old Car Weekly,” he says. “It was in Evans, Colorado, with an outfit called Western Classics − they described it as ‘sharp’. I later discovered that the only thing that was sharp at Western Classics was the dealer himself!” In that pre-internet age, Geoff benefitted from the help of a good friend in the States who contacted the Chrysler came with heavy-duty suspension and drum brakes.

L: The final letter in the alphabet

“IT DRIVES LIKE A MODERN CAR COMPARED TO MANY CLASSICS, SO YOU CAN GO ANYWHERE YOU WANT. WE BOTH STILL LIKE IT VERY MUCH AND WE DON’T REALLY HAVE A REASON TO GET RID OF IT. ANYWAY, I’M QUITE GOOD AT BUYING CARS, BUT TERRIBLE AT SELLING THEM!”

If we leave aside the later revivals of the Chrysler 300, the famous Letter Series cars began in 1955 with the C300 and then passed through 300B, C and so on, up to the 300L of 1965. Looking back, it’s a surprise they lasted that long, as the model never sold well − anything over 1500 was a good year, with a low point of just 400 sales for the 300J, the only year offered with no convertible option.

The Letter Series pioneered the Personal Luxury niche that the Thunderbird (another 1955 launch) came to define, but with a genuine performance edge which wasn’t matched until Buick launched the Riviera in 1963. For the last two years, Chrysler reassessed what the 300K and L should be and cut the price by $1000, making leather and 390bhp cross-ram engines optional before removing the crossram altogether with the 300L. Maybe a big, handsome Chrysler with 360bhp as standard was enough − the 300K and 300L outsold all previous Letter cars.

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Rear spats make for clean lines.

Elegant yet masculine hub caps.

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workshop manager of a Dodge-Chrysler dealership in nearby Geeley, Colorado. Geoff persuaded him to go and inspect the 300L in exchange for a few bills. “I was at work when a fax arrived. The fax roll kept coming until I had foot after foot of this enthusiastic report. It was too positive, as I later found out. I think he got carried away looking at a proper Chrysler after his day job with Nineties models.” Geoff did the deal for $7500 (time machine, please!) and the car was shipped to Southampton. What Geoff found when he and a pal drove down from Farnborough was at first rather disappointing.

“It looked a bit grubby and the paint wasn’t good. The dock workers had damaged one of the exhaust pipes and the noise was incredible. But as I was driving home I realised it actually drove rather well. So I cleaned it up before my wife Jan got home.” Jan is very much an enthusiastic participant in the old car hobby, and Geoff says he considers all of their cars to be “ours” rather than “mine”. Even so, first impressions are important and he soon found there was more good news than bad. The car turned out to be from Southern California and was rust-free. It had received a cheap respray, a new headlining and new carpets, but seemed otherwise fit and well. That diagnosis later turned out to be premature as the winter it spent in Colorado had cracked the block − who uses antifreeze in So-Cal? Geoff discovered it was built by the Jefferson Auto Plant, Detroit, Michigan, on Friday, December 22, 1964, with a 413 wedge-head Hi-Po engine, mated to three-speed TorqueFlite.

Heavy-duty suspension and drum brakes brought a $35 extra charge over the list price of $4251. Black, leather-faced front bucket seats (another extra charge) were divided by a centre console incorporating the shift lever. Spanish Red Metallic paint, a black carpet and head lining, tinted glass, electric windows, air-conditioning, power-brakes and steering completed the specification.

The previous owner had consigned it to the dealer in Colorado, and Geoff managed to contact him. This was a mixed blessing, as when Geoff mentioned the price he’d agreed with the dealer, the figure didn’t tally with what the owner had been told. This led to a strain in relations with the dealer, who never forwarded the history file the owner had left with the car. Nonetheless, Geoff learned that the car had been rescued from a salvage yard in Los Angeles in 1988, looking very sad, and had soaked up $6000 in refurbishment − though it still needed a fair bit more…

“The paint flaked off when you tried to rub it down,” says Geoff, “but it was always going to get a bare-metal job. Ford Regency Red turned out to be very close indeed to the car’s original Spanish Metallic Red.” The car made its show debut in the UK in 1995 and won first place at Duxford Aerodrome, where Paul Guinness picked it as the car of the year heat winner and featured it in Classic American.

In the years that followed, the Mitchells’ 300L has been improved in various ways and enjoyed a great deal. An engine rebuild took place in 2000, when Martin Saville of Rare

413 wedge-head Hi-Po engine.

classic-american.com 37

Performance Motors / RPM (www.rareperformancemotors. com / 07714 293055) built the unit up around a 413 heavyduty block with a drop-forged crank to replace the incorrect Imperial 413 block that was present when Geoff bought the car. The transmission was rebuilt around the same time and in 2006, Geoff was amazed to find a catalogue listing for a black leather interior kit for a 300L, so he bought it and Jo Gillard of Unique Auto Trimming (Tel. 01372 450076) fitted it.

Help from a network of people in the classic Chrysler scene in the USA has helped this car get better and better over time, with rare items like the front bumper “under-riders”, the dash top and the rear parcel shelf all coming via valued contacts who became close friends. Along the way, the Mitchells have used the 300L as much as possible, taking up really special opportunities like a display on the Chrysler stand at Retromobile in Paris in 2002 and a display of 10 Letter Series Chryslers at the Goodwood Revival in 2005.

“We’ve been to Belgium three times to take part in the Mopar Nats in Antwerp, winning a Top Five award in 2003,” says Geoff. “We did the week-long D-Day Landing Beaches Road Trip to Normandy, France, to commemorate the 60th anniversary of D-Day. The road trip was organised by the American Auto Enthusiasts’ Club (AAEC), which Jan and I run, and which is 25 years old next year.” Other highlights include an AAEC road trip to Ireland and six weeks on the set of the 2011 Tim Burton movie Dark Shadows − all for 15 seconds of screen time! And then, at Wheels Day in 2019, the car became a Classic American Car of the Year heat winner for the second time while in the same ownership, which we think is a unique occurrence. (We can confirm it is!)

Why has this car lasted so long in the same hands? We had better let Geoff answer: “It drives like a modern car compared to many classics, so you can go anywhere you want. We both still like it very much and we don’t really have a reason to get rid of it. Anyway, I’m quite good at buying cars, but terrible at selling them!” If you haven’t guessed by now, the Mitchells still have their 1957 New Yorker as well, plus a few other things we haven’t room to tell you about. Classic cars are to be enjoyed, and if you keep on enjoying the ones you’ve got, why change them for the sake of it? Here’s to many more years!

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Hard to believe this beauty was rescued from a salvage yard.

“I FANCIED A SIXTIES CAR. I MADE A SHORTLIST THAT INCLUDED A ’63-’65 BUICK RIVIERA, A PONTIAC BONNEVILLE AND MAYBE A 1967 CADILLAC ELDORADO... I ALSO INCLUDED A CHRYSLER 300L”

David Redhead’s 1968 ‘Bullitt’ Mustang and Chris How’s 1968 Dodge Charger 440 R/T are a tribute to one of the most famous car chase scenes in history: Steve McQueen’s legendary sequence in the film Bullitt…

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1968 Ford Mustang and 1968 Dodge Charger Words and photography: Paul Bussey

T

he feature film Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen and Jacqueline Bissett, incorporates one of the all-time greats when it comes to car chases and remains so to this day.

Indeed, 2020 marks the 52nd anniversary of the film, so this year it was particularly topical to feature David Redhead’s 1968 Ford Mustang and Chris How’s 1968 Dodge Charger 440 R/T. David and Chris are lifelong friends and seriously passionate about cars, which led them to purchase and perfect their Mustang and Charger.

David remembers going to see the film Bullitt when it was first released at the cinema and he wasn’t overly enamoured with the plot or story line: “It was that Highland Green Ford Mustang that was the main attraction for me,” he remembers.

“It may have looked a bit battered, rather tired and a tad underwhelming and that was before the car chase even

started, but I loved it! Following the film, I never got that car out of my mind and a great many years later I mentioned to my wife that one day I would really like to own a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback in Highland Green. She replied: ‘If you don’t do it soon, you may never do it.’”

This was seen by David as a green light to proceed with the purchase of his ultimate automotive dream, so in 2002 he started to search for a suitable car. The first port of call was the Mustang Owners’ Club GB, followed by surfing the ’net, which led to finding a contact in the US, who put him in touch with Bruce Reckard in Los Angeles, who owned a garage and was a Mustang specialist. After much discussion over the telephone, Bruce agreed to source David a car and transform it into a replica of the Bullitt Mustang, after which he sent Bruce the specification he required and the deposit.

McQueen-style custom indicator stalk.

David Redhead.

Creating a legend

In 2003 David, accompanied by his automotive accomplice Chris How, flew out to Riverside, California, to check on the progress of his Mustang build. After parting with the deposit the previous year, Chris joked with David that he hoped they’d not arrive at some deserted workshop, with tumbleweed blowing around and an empty envelope that once contained the deposit: “With that vision indelibly etched in my mind, I didn’t sleep for the rest of the flight,” laughs David.

“We hired a car and drove to Riverside, arriving there at 4am. Later we met up with Bruce and his son Chad (he was obviously a McQueen fan) and saw that the Mustang was roughly 80% completed, but was driveable. It wouldn’t be too long before it could be shipped to the UK.” While in the US, David and Chris drove to San Francisco, where the famous Bullitt car chase took place and hooked up with a Lieutenant in the San Francisco Police Department, who took them on the car chase route in his cop car. “I think he tried to scare us a bit, by racing up and down the corrugated plateaus of San Francisco’s streets, tyres smoking and front air dam scraping, but he didn’t know we were from Essex, where this is considered normal driving!” quipped David.

Cross-ply tyres must make for correct-sounding squeals!

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Steering wheel was hard to source.

Shelby shifter knob.

About three months later, the Mustang arrived at Chatham Docks and David thought it would be a great idea to drive the car back to his Essex home. After covering only 10 miles, the car broke down and had to be recovered. That was David’s first taste of the joys of owning a classic American car! Over the course of a great many years, David has fastidiously transformed his 1968 Mustang into what is probably one of the most authentic replicas currently out there, although the car came with a 302cu in, which maybe one day will be replaced with a 390cu in.

“I’m unsure quite why Steve McQueen made so many subtle alterations to the film car,” ponders David. “However, I’ve painstakingly changed the front grille, reversing lights, side marker lights, gear shift lever, indicator stalk and lowered the exhausts. The hardest aspect was sourcing the door mirror – it took years; although the most expensive bit was the steering wheel and the wheels were shod with cross-ply tyres.”

For many years Chris How posed with David’s Mustang as a Steve McQueen lookalike, attired in the clothes similar to those worn in the Bullitt film and to great effect.

302 motor may be replaced with a more authentic 390.

Steve McQueen dummy.

Blanked fuel filler.

Arriflex movie camera.

However, age catches up with all of us and with Chris perhaps getting too old for the task (sorry, only joking!) it triggered the idea of making a mannequin of Steve McQueen which, after a great deal of research and effort, took more than a year to perfect. On the other hand, the Arriflex movie camera bolted to the inside of the car and the body camera mounts under the sills didn’t take quite so long.

Camera mount.

Rear panel was changed to match the film car.

classic-american.com 29 classic-american.

Chris has 14 sets of hubcaps for the Charger!

The villain’s car

All that remained now was for Chris to acquire a 1968 Dodge Charger and the Bullitt film replica cars would be all set for action. It was late summer of 2009 when Chris was in a financial position to go ahead with the purchase of a Dodge Charger and it was his son, Dan, who finally coerced him into action. After perusing many American books and magazines, ultimately Chris was persuaded.

“There weren’t any suitable cars available in the UK at the time, so the search was widened to the US and preferably the dry state of California, which seemed to be the best bet,” Chris pointed out. “We focused our attention on three possible cars, but in reality only one of them ticked most of the boxes.” Chris contacted their friend Bruce Reckard in Riverside, Los Angeles, asking him if he could check out a car located in Burbank. This was duly completed and the good news from Bruce was that it was indeed a rust-free car in ‘show condition’. A deal was struck with the vendor and Bruce stored the car for a few months, during which time Chris located most of what was needed to transform the car into a ‘Bullitt’ Charger.

Owner Chris How.

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Clean interior.

Transmission is Chrysler’s dependable TorqueFlite.

Magnum 440 motor.

The car was shipped to Chatham Docks and the container was then transported to the shipper’s depot in Derby. The car was duly collected and then taken to Custom Exotics in Harlow, Essex (www.customexotics.co.uk/01279 441133) where Scott and Brett Brocklehurst were entrusted to complete all the necessary work to bring the car up to Bullitt film specification. This would involve a nut and bolt groundup refurbishment, after the car had been transported to West Sussex for the bodywork to be media blasted and coated.

It took a further five months to convert it into the villain’s car from the film yet in spite of this, the brief was to keep the car as stock as possible.

“One of the hardest parts to source was a set of hubcaps,” reveals Chris. “My son Dan eventually found a good set on eBay, then I saw another set and in the end I purchased 14 – well, I guess it’s always best to have some spares! The other thing I needed was a pump-action shotgun, deactivated of course! I think that every 1968 black Charger should have one. Mine was eventually sourced in Scotland. It was great to see the car finished, previously painted Teal, but now resplendent in its black paintwork. Scott from Custom Exotics has truly worked his magic.”

Chris then settled down to enjoy relatively trouble-free motoring for around four years. The engine was strong when the car was purchased and it continued to run well. It hasn’t required any attention, other than to fit new core plugs and a few other minor parts.

Infamous pump-action shotgun.

However, when it started to burn a little oil, that’s when Chris took the decision to remove the engine and embark upon a total rebuild. At the same time, the 727 TorqueFlite automatic transmission was rebuilt along with the propshaft.

“It’s little wonder that the Charger has to have such a massive engine, the weight of the component parts is quite astonishing,” jokes Chris. “The Charger weighs in at around 1.75 tons, plus the amount of stuff I have to carry in the trunk as well. Talking of which, I’m told that it’s a two-corpse capacity trunk… Why are black Chargers driven by villains?

“Following the engine rebuild by Bert Wheeler, he estimates that it is now back to factory specification. It’s certainly plenty fast enough on those skinny tyres!

“The Dodge Charger has, I think, always looked like a car with attitude, it does draw a lot of attention and I hadn’t expected that,” Chris admits. “I never intended it to be the attraction it is. Being asked to take part in photoshoots is good, but to do TV advertisements, including one for ITV4 for the Silverstone Classic, is fantastic. The car also appeared in a sci-fi film shot in London, along with other TV and magazine features, the latest being a new TV advertisement for Rimmel London. It has also been fun being invited to the best events around, almost always with David Redhead’s Mustang.

“The two cars are almost joined at the hip, which of course they were in the crash scene in the Bullitt film. One thing is for sure, the Charger is a pleasure to drive, look at and own – I love it!” Chris concludes.

One-year-only ’68 tail-lights.

Hub caps were hard to find.

Charger underwent a bare-metal respray on arrival from California.

classic-american.com 31

… Peach of a rodded pick-up p, that is! Jamie Burnett isn’t your typical hot rodder – his tastes are eclectic, running to classic British cars, bikes and all sorts of classic automobilia; but one thing that really caught our attention was his fabulous ’40 Chevy hot rod pick-up. Keith Harman reports…

1940 Chevy vy y hot rod pick-up and collection Words: Keith Harman Photography: James Mann

classic-american.com 73

I

t sometimes happens with our features; you see the vehicle first and are impressed enough to want to know more about it, and then you meet the owner, and the ‘back story’ becomes just as interesting as the car or truck that’s being featured. This is one of those stories.

I’d seen Jamie Burnett’s radical ’40 Chevy hot rod pickup a few years back while under construction at Valley Gas Speed Shop in Andover, Hampshire. I’m a friend of Jimmy’s, having known him many years and am a regular visitor to the shop. Jimmy was clearly excited about the project, and recommended that we kept tabs on it right through the build. He also suggested that we meet Jamie at the earliest opportunity, with us eventually catching up with him at the Goodwood Revival, where the truck (albeit unfinished) was on display on the SU Carburettors stand. But wait a minute… a chopped and channelled, totally badass, Chevy-powered hot rod truck on the quintessentially British, classic car carburettor stand − what’s that all about?

It soon became clear, as Jamie is one of the three Burnett brothers who currently run the Salisbury-based Burlen Fuel Systems, the company which now owns SU Carburettors − Amal (motorcycle carbs) and Zenith. All three brothers have automotive interests outside of work which involve classic machinery, but its Jamie’s eclectic tastes that we’re interested in. Jamie won’t mind us describing him as a bit of a magpie when it comes to swap meets, autojumbles and antique shops, as a visit to his garage/man-cave/workshop behind his cottage will prove. We already knew he owned a couple of American classics, hence our visit, but his collection goes way beyond that, incorporating some British classics, some bicycles, the obligatory tin signs, and all sorts of other fascinating old stuff. For this feature though, we’ll concentrate on the cars, of course.

The hot rod truck was bought by Jamie as an already imported project. It was already taking shape as this style of hot rod, but the work to date was crude and Jamie knew it would take some serious engineering skill to get to where he envisioned. This is where Jimmy and his team came in; Jamie had the vision, but Jimmy had the know-how, so a plan was hatched. Now finished, not much of the original purchase has actually been retained, except for the cab and the back axle!

Jimmy decided that to get the truck driving, but also to retain the slammed look Jamie wanted, a new chassis would need to be constructed. This was built by Valley Gas, incorporating the old custom trick of ‘zeeing’ the frame, i.e. kicking up the front and rear rails so that once the suspension was mounted,

The cab of the ’40 truck is both cosy and crazy!

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Big SU downdraft carbs are a one-off conversion.

the truck would ride close to the ground while retaining adequate suspension travel.

The front end uses fairly typical traditional hot rod aftermarket parts, with a lowered I-Beam, early Ford split wishbones and Ford spindles, coupled to aftermarket disc brakes. An aftermarket steering ’box patterned after a Chevy Vega box is another regularly used hot rod solution which works well here. The Chevy Blazer 10-bolt back axle is located with a triangulated four-bar link and AVO coil-over shocks, with the axle being mounted above the chassis for that super-low stance. For the powerplant, Jimmy came up trumps with a blueprinted Chevy 383cu in stroker motor, originally imported in another pick-up at Valley Gas. The actual internal spec is unknown, but it’s estimated to put out in the region of 385bhp − it ain’t no slouch, that’s for sure!

The trickiest part, however, was incorporating the SU connection. I mean, Jamie couldn’t possibly be seen running around in an SU logo’d hot rod truck with a dirty great Edelbrock carb on top of the engine, now could he? Instead, an alloy inlet manifold was machined down and re-engineered

Below: Unique, oneoff touches include those bank safe door handles and that sackcloth-covered fuel tank!

“BELIEVE US, WITH A 383 CUBIC INCH V8 UP FRONT, THIS TRUCK FLIES!”

so that three large SU HV8 carbs could be used, probably for the first time on an American V8 anywhere. Some fettling with jets and settings was needed, but after some experimentation the truck is now running smoothly and reliably with this unique conversion. Valley Gas also worked their magic with the wild ‘spaghetti’ headers on the engine, for no particular reason other than it just suits the truck and looks cool.

As you can see in the pictures, the truck runs without hood or fenders, so bodywork is really just limited to the cab, grille and pick-up bed, though all three have been reworked to suit.

The chopped cab needed all new floors constructed, including a new transmission tunnel and repair work to the back of the cab. The grille is actually a swap-meet find by Jamie and is from a vintage Daimler; Jamie having acquired it long before the truck project, thus adding another unique British touch to the truck.

Jimmy’s favourite bit, however, is the pick-up bed, actually sourced from a different Chevy truck. ❯❯

Above: ’40 truck features a Model T Ford steering wheel among other neat features.

Above: Well, where would you expect him to keep his spark plugs?!

Left: Valley Gas designed ‘spaghetti’ headers are a cool feature.

classic-american.com 75

The bed features a subtle inward flare to the bed sides, rather than being parallel. This serves to provide clearance for the tall 16-inch Chevrolet steel wheels which the truck wears.

A new wood floor has been constructed inside the bed, and here too is the aftermarket fuel tank, now located behind the cab. With the main construction of the truck completed by Valley Gas, Jamie was able to start bestowing the results of his collecting skills to the project in the form of many of the neat details which you’ll find around the truck, both inside and out.

There are several leather military pouches dating back to the early 20th century, the cool door handles that once graced a vintage safe, the American bus tail-lights, etc.

Inside, the seats are actually old cinema seats; they too were already with the truck when bought, the blue fabric being the inspiration for the overall theme of the faux distressed patina. Incidentally, the truck is known as the ‘Skinner Special’

“TRUCK IS ONE OF A KIND: THE ‘SKINNER SPECIAL’.”

in honour of G Herbert Skinner, founder of SU Carbs − SU actually stands for Skinners Union.

Some people reading this might think that this kind of hot rod is probably too impractical to drive, for a variety of ill-perceived reasons, and (perish the thought,) only gets trailered to shows. But since meeting Jamie a few years back, we moved house and, quite coincidentally, found ourselves living not that far from him and his lovely wife, Sarah. As a result, we can confirm that the truck gets regularly driven and we often see Jamie and Sarah out enjoying the truck at local shows. You’ll also see the couple and the truck at larger vintage shows, since they run a sideline company as well called Skinners Union clothing and a neat line in handmade tweed caps and suchlike.

Jamie’s other rides

Striking among Jamie’s other stable of classics is his 1929 Ford Model A coupe. With its stripped down fenderless look and chopped top, it’s every bit the pre-war jalopy coupe. The racing number denotes that it previously ran the beach at Pendine Sands at the hands of previous owner Robert Ross in 2014 and ’15. The A still runs its stock four-banger and early running gear, though it has been updated with hydraulic brakes, later steel rims and 12v electrics for easy starting and reliability. Jamie uses it regularly though he is yet to venture on to the sand himself. He told us he’ll probably freshen up the engine first in any case. ❯❯

Jamie’s collection is eclectic, but features lots of lovely old items of automobilia. It’s uniquely transatlantic, featuring the best of British and American. Marie Kondo would get short shrift – these items all bring joy!

classic-american.com 77

Now we get to Jamie’s Mopar department (we told you he had eclectic tastes). These represent both Jamie’s first American classic and also his most recent. The ’41 Plymouth P12 Special Deluxe was Jamie’s first American car. It’s an older restoration and hasn’t been driven much for the last seven years. It’s all stock and is awaiting its turn for a refresh. In the meantime, he also has a big 1948 Dodge two-door coupe that was imported, and purchased from Jimmy at Valley Gas Speed Shop. The Dodge was rodded in the US and features updated independent front suspension and a small-block Chevy V8. Jamie added this to his garage as he felt he needed a comfortable cruiser for longer hauls, but something with bags of style too. ★

Top: Now that’s s what we call a cool collection!

Above: Jamie’s brace of swing-era Chryslers.

Left: The ’48 Dodge coupe is awaiting some body restoration.

Right: ’29 Model A coupe jalopy totally nails that pre-war hot rod look.

n

out as America Pilots were just ab r ever got. ca t as a British-buil

Don’t forget the cool Brit stuff!

Finally, although we know this is Classic American, just to round off the article we’ll briefly mention Jamie’s British cars as they’re pretty cool too. Two of them at least are American cousins; the two Ford Pilots, a ’51 saloon and a ’50 ‘woody’ which, of course, are closely related mechanically to Henry’s ’36-37 Fords, and both running the early 21stud flathead V8 motors. Did you know the front sheet metal is almost completely interchangeable? We’ve seen a couple of custom examples of Pilots wearing ’36 Ford sheet metal. Also in the collection is a very clean ’58 Ford Prefect and a couple of rare Morris Commercial panel vans, very rare on British roads these days.

So that’s Jamie’s cool collection; did we mention it’s eclectic? There are definitely some interesting cars in Jamie’s garage, enough to keep any petrolhead busy tinkering for the foreseeable future, and plenty of smiles to be had on the road too, but if you knew Jamie like we know Jamie, we doubt he’s quite finished collecting just yet!

is an older The ’41 Plymouth s Jamie’s restoration and wa r. ca n ca eri Am t firs

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liner Deluxe hieftain Stream C c ia nt o P 1 5 19

If you love the ďŹ ns of the later Fifties, sleek and superbly usable cars like this 1951 Pontiac Streamliner Deluxe are waiting to convert you to the previous generation.

Words: Nigel Boothman Photography: Jonny Fleetwood

classic-american

classic-american.com 27

Flathead straight-eight makes 116bhp.

Indian motifs...

...are everywhere.

Fastback styling took off at GM after the war.

28 classic-american.com

“T

he garage door came up, I saw that sloping tail and I thought ‘that’ll do for me!’” It’s not the best starting point to drive a hard bargain, but we’ve all been there.

You go to look at a car with your sensible head on, prepared to ask all the right questions and walk away if you don’t get the right answers.

And then you see it in the flesh and it’s even better than it looked in the pictures, and all reason goes out of the window. Sometimes this leads to disaster, but fate can land you with a wonderful result too, like this 1951 Pontiac Eight that Barry Dunwoodie fell for. “I saw it advertised in Classic American and it was local-ish to where I live in Dorset, so I thought I should give it a try.

And you know the rest…”

When you see the car for yourself, either in person or in Jonny Fleetwood’s superb pictures, you can understand Barry’s reaction. Pontiac had been offering aero-inspired shapes since the Streamliner name appeared in 1941, and especially with their Sedan Coupe models from 1946. An update with higher and longer rear wings meant that Fisher Body gave us the most satisfying version of this shape from 1949 to ’51.

By the time this car left the factory in Pontiac, Michigan, the last of the Streamliners were still using engines familiar to those who bought the first models in ’41. Though Cadillac and Oldsmobile had moved on to V8s in 1949 and Buick favoured brawny overhead-valve straight eights, Pontiac remained lower in the pecking

order with flathead straight-sixes and eights. But as Barry describes, the eight-cylinder version suits the car very well.

“It makes about 116bhp at 3600rpm, which doesn’t sound a lot, though it chucks out 220ft-lb of torque at just 2000rpm. It’s a big lazy old thing, but it’s got some grunt – you pop it in third gear at 15mph and you can almost treat it like an automatic after that. It pulls smoothly all the way to 70mph, maybe more… I’ve done 70 in it, and it wasn’t fussed at all.” Barry’s car is shod with radial tyres which its owner says make a huge difference; no sawing at the wheel just to keep a straight course like they do in old movies. The transmission is the classic three-on-the-tree manual, but one with an imperfect change when Barry first tried it.

“SURELY THAT RATHER BRIGHT METALLIC BRONZE COLOUR IS NOT ORIGINAL, IS IT? WELL, YES…IT IS. IT’S CALLED SATURN GOLD AND IT’S BEEN THIS CAR’S COLOUR FROM NEW.”

Pontiac man: Barry Dunwoodie.

“It’s not hard to correct,” he says, opening the bonnet and pointing towards the firewall.

“There’s a little bush like a cotton reel on the change rod at the end of the steering column and it gets worn after years and years of use, but only in the place where it contacts the finger that moves the selector rod down to the gearbox.

If you undo the little nut on the end, you can rotate the bush to an unworn area and you get the nice accurate change back again.”

At this point, readers whose cars suffer from a vague column change have stopped reading and are hurrying out to the garage. For the rest of you, we should mention that Barry’s career was in the motor trade, so the Pontiac’s straightforward engineering is no challenge.

Nonetheless, Barry’s skills came in handy when he bought the car, as the brakes had been renewed, but assembled with little expertise and even less grease. “It stops well now, though there’s no servo,” he reports. “The steering is amazingly light too, considering it’s unassisted.

In fact, if I compare it with my Daimler 250 V8 saloon, which has disc brakes and power

steering, I have to say the Pontiac is nicer.”

Another minor failing was the car’s reluctant sixvolt starter, as Barry explains. “Six-volt electrics have their work cut out to turn over these big straight eights, and when I bought the car it would only just manage, even with a strong Optima battery. So I cleaned and re-made the engine and battery earths and it made a huge difference – the starter probably moves twice as fast now.”

Pontiac now wears radial tyres for easier, safer driving.

classic-american.com 29

Fastback styling makes for a handsome profile. ... also available in six cylinder.

Hydramatic transmission was offered from 1948.

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So we’ve lost another slice of the readership as owners of 6v cars dash outside to make them start properly. If there’s anyone left, let’s tackle the one thing that occurs to lots of people as soon as you see the car. Surely that rather bright metallic bronze colour is not original, is it? Well, yes… it is. It’s called Saturn Gold and it’s been this car’s colour from new. This is not the original paint, but it’s an accurate refinish. And there, in Barry’s wonderful Pontiac fold-out featuring the 1951 ‘Silver Anniversary’ models, is the sedan coupe illustrated in Saturn Gold. “It’s not the best respray, to be honest,” says Barry. “But I can live with it, and it means I’m not scared to use the car and take it places. It’s smart without being so immaculate you worry about it all the time.”

He’s underselling it somewhat. Barry had 24 pieces of trim re-chromed and in the sun, the car absolutely sparkles. That Saturn Gold was specified by the car’s first owner, one James Ellis of Carthage, Indiana. He had served on B17 bombers in the war, and may have sold it to a buddy as the next owner, George Love, also

Original service guide.

seems to have served as aircrew. These details were unlocked by research on the internet, and confirmed in a surprising and rather satisfying way. “One of the few things that doesn’t work on the car is the original valve radio,” says Barry.

“My friend Joe, who’s cleverer with auto electrics than I am, took the radio out and there was ‘James Ellis’ written on it, presumably labelled when it had previously been out for repair.”

Joe also made some valuable but subtle modifications that should ensure the big Pontiac is as safe as can be on modern roads. As standard, it had only white sidelight repeaters for indicators, and little red glow-worm tail lamps that did the same inadequate job. Most UK road users just don’t notice anything that isn’t an obvious bright yellow indicator, so Joe found some neat side repeaters, intended for lorries, and fitted two to each side of the front grille.

You can see them sitting in between the ‘teeth’, just next to the sidelights. They almost look like a factory fit.

Ingenious clockspeaker design.

Interior looks to have been reupholstered, but in keeping with the car.

At the back, Barry found some very suitable chrome bullet-type yellow repeaters, which fit into holes Pontiac thoughtfully drilled for anyone who ordered the extra bumper rail, not fitted to this car. And up in the rear windscreen, almost impossible to see until it lights up, is an LED strip for the high-level brake light. “All these things are sold for 12v use,” says Barry. “But Joe found little step-up converters barely any bigger than a spade connector that will allow low-current things like LEDs to work even with a 6v supply.”

The car had one more owner in the US, a furniture seller named Duane Kelly, before it was smartened up and sold in 2015. Three owners in 64 years isn’t bad, and it’s probably why the car needed only a blowover and a re-trim, rather than a full restoration. The new interior fabric is close to the original, Barry thinks, but not identical. It certainly looks and feels the part, and even contributes to that distinctive old car smell that’s part oil and fuel, part carpet and part cloth.

The big front seat is soft and deep, as is the suspension… if you’re a larger fellow, the whole car moves when you get in! But that’s the way of things in this era, and this one is now better controlled than most, since Barry discovered that the Pontiac’s Monroe dampers are identical to those for a Mercedes Sprinter van.

The dash is a superb piece of work – symmetrical, easy to read, stylish without being over the top. It keeps you informed about fuel, battery charge, oil and water without resorting to idiot lights, while the controls for the heater (an excellent unit with the matrix under the front seat) are just above the steering column. Check that steering wheel too, with finger-grip contours on each spoke, like another great early 1950s fastback – the Bristol 401.

Pontiac stuck with flathead straight-eight engines until 1955.

Barry has had a thing for American cars since childhood rides in an uncle’s Chevy Fleetmaster in Durban, South Africa, plus brushes with a Pontiac Firebird convertible and a few Willys Jeeps back in the 1970s. Now, with the Pontiac, he’s found something that gives him a great deal of joy and seems to spread the same feeling to others. “You’re waved out of junctions, everyone smiles at you and people come over to chat whenever you stop. It’s lovely to drive, it feels like it would go all day and it puts people in a good mood. That’ll do for me.”

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1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville

Words and photography: Jon Cass

Richard Brook’s 1970 Coupe De Ville represents the clean, crisp, pared-back styling of the late Sixties/early Seventies Cadillacs that many are beginning to appreciate today and for good reason too, as Jon Cass discovers‌ classic-american.com classic-american 35

F

or many of us, it’s images of the iconic third-generation De Ville we conjure up first when anyone mentions the Cadillac name. After all, it was a perennial favourite among American luxury car buyers in its day and remains a true status symbol even now. By the time it made its debut in 1965, we’d seen a gradual trend moving away from curvaceous styling to the clean, dramatic looks of its successor. That successful recipe would stick around with a succession of subtle tweaks and upgrades well into the Eighties, making it one of the longest production runs in the history of the brand.

It was to be that classy yet imposing ’67 Eldorado-inspired styling, along with the unrivalled standard of refinement, which attracted Richard Brook towards this stunning 1970 Coupe De Ville example a few years ago.

Richard has been a fan of American classics pretty much all his life. “They stand out so much compared with our usual European cars,” he smiles. By the mid-Eighties he’d bought himself a Mustang Mach 1, achieving his ambition of

472cu in V8 motor.

Caddy came from Kingdom Kustoms in Fife, Scotland.

36 classic-american.com

owning an iconic car from the States: “It was my daily driver for around a year, but proved very expensive to run, even back then,” Richard laughs, “though it was great fun while I had it.”

Once the Mustang had been sold on, Richard swore his next American classic would be reserved for sunny days, shows, and definitely wouldn’t be a daily driver. It would be an agonising wait, but in 2015 Richard found himself in the position to buy what would turn out to be the perfect candidate.

“I spotted the ad in Classic American. The car was for sale at Kingdom Kustoms in Fife (www. kingdomkustoms.co.uk/tel. 01592 873003),” Richard explains. “I rang Gordon Glenn, the vendor, who described the car accurately so I put a deposit on it while it was still on its way to the UK.” Gordon had all the paperwork and legalities completed by the time Richard drove up to Scotland to pick up the Coupe De Ville a short while later. All Richard needed to do was pay the balance, fill her up and drive the car home.

“I set off at 4pm and took things steady for the first hour,” Richard recalls. “After that I increased

Subtle amber indicators.

Sierra Grain leather.

World at your fingertips.

the pace and all seemed fine. I was impressed to get home, more than 200 miles away, in just five hours.” Another bonus was the Coupe De Ville had averaged 21.8mpg on that trip, which ain’t too shabby for a car of this size.

Reading up on the Cadillac’s history, Richard was pleased to discover his new purchase had spent much of its life with its original owner, a Mr Thomas Lee Waters Jr in Virginia. “Mr Waters had owned the car from 1970 right up to 2013, when it was sold to someone in Jacksonville, Florida,” Richard explains. “It only remained there for 18 months before coming to the UK.” For some unknown reason, the original stereo had been removed during its brief stay in Florida to be replaced by the current system, but virtually everything else on the car is still original.

The interior itself oozes luxury, as you can imagine, and those typical Cadillac refinements you’d expect to find are all there and working.

The power seats, electric windows, six-way tilt and rake steering wheel, power brakes and central locking are all present, along with the auto dim and dip headlights and air conditioning. “The only refinements it doesn’t have are cruise control and a remote boot release,” Richard points out. Aside from the wealth of gadgets, the remainder of the 49-year-old Fleetwood tailored interior is in remarkable condition; the headlining, carpets and luxurious seats all remain as they did when they left the factory.

The deep blue metallic paintwork suits the Cadillac’s lines perfectly too, and Richard is confident the bodywork was resprayed at some point in the past and they’ve made a good job of it: “I love the colour, but it had a flat shine when the car first arrived which let it down,” Richard tells us. “I’d worked for a time in car repair bodyshops, so I knew what was needed to bring the paintwork to its best.” It may have taken a few weeks of flatting down with 2000 grit sandpaper before hand buffing the vast body, but admiring the deep shine the car has today, the hard graft has certainly done the trick. Last winter, Richard took on the unenviable task of chipping away the loose underseal

Original Caddy floormats.

before resealing and priming it to ensure future protection against the elements too.

The chrome work and trim have managed to escape the ravages of time, though keen Cadillac fans may have spotted the hubcaps originate from a later 1978 model. “I prefer the later-style hubcaps anyway, so I was quite happy these came with the car,” Richard laughs. “They needed work to bring out the shine and with 69 spokes per wheel, that’s a lot of polishing!”

Unfortunately, one of these hub caps was to fall off during a trip to Tatton Park soon after; though the day improved as Richard’s Cadillac managed to win second best Cadillac at the show. “A week later I called into a local show and someone tapped on my window, having noticed the missing hubcap,” Richard recalls.

“He mentioned he had a full identical set for sale which I could have if I wanted.” Without hesitation, Richard grabbed the opportunity and the Cadillac was complete with matching wheels once again and three spares!

Although the ride was comfortable, it wasn’t quite up to the impeccable standards you’d expect from a Cadillac. Richard decided to take the Coupe De Ville to Rodley Motors (www. rodleymotors.co.uk/tel. 01274 688968) for a closer inspection, where it was found the rubber suspension bushes, shocks, springs and ball joints were beginning to show their age.

These were all promptly replaced along with an engine mount, which had been damaged during some recent unplanned sudden acceleration, Richard confesses. The 472cu in V8 installed has typically given no trouble. After all, these units are renowned for covering colossal mileages in their lifetime.

The Rochester four-barrel carb and equalised manifold produce an impressive 375bhp with 712Nm of torque, enough to achieve a 0-60 sprint of eight seconds and a top speed of 127mph. “The car has only covered 65k miles now and I’ve driven the last 4k of these,” Richard points out. “It’s super smooth with the TH-400 three-speed automatic transmission and has only needed servicing so far during my ownership.”

As you’d expect, the reactions this Cadillac ❯❯

receives are positive and we’re not just talking at shows either. “A guy in a Bentley once pulled up alongside me and lowered his window to say, ‘Love your car, it’s fantastic!’, which made me smile,” Richard tells us, while his daughters have both been chauffeured to their school proms

by Dad’s Caddy too. “They’ve both driven it recently and say how easy it is to drive with the light steering and automatic transmission,” Richard tells us. “I’ve already been told I can’t sell it as they hope to inherit the car one day.”

As planned, the Coupe De Ville has been reserved for special occasions and sunny days in contrast to his Mach 1 three decades ago.

We should have pointed out by now, Richard is a driving instructor, so we’d imagine he’ll look forward to spending some relaxing time in the Caddy whenever he gets the chance.

We certainly can’t imagine any L-plates will be appearing on this car any time soon!

That perfectly proportioned two-door styling and spacious six-passenger comfort made the ’70 Coupe De Ville one of the world’s two leading luxury automobiles; the other being, of course, the Sedan De Ville. The bodies by Fisher were contemporary, yet had a style of their own and managed to capture the spirit of the Seventies with both grace and substance right from day one.

The 1970 Coupe De Ville had an interior just as luxurious as its exterior would suggest.

Supple Sierra Grain leather was available in nine colours, while Dynasty Cloth with leather was available in three colours and Dubonnet Cloth was available in four – in fact there were 16 interior options to make the Coupe de Ville Handsome front end styling would remain a Caddy trademark look into the Nineties.

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Owner Richard Brooks with daughter Melissa.

as individual as its owner. These sumptuous interiors were crafted by Fleetwood in the Cadillac tradition and as Richard’s immaculate example demonstrates, they were made to stand the test of time too.

A notchback front seat with separate backrest and folding centre armrests front and rear came standard and there were refinements and gadgets galore. When the power door lock option was ordered, an automatic seatback release for entry to the rear compartment was included.

Power windows, power two-way seat, variable ratio power steering, power brakes, automatic

transmission, power outside driver’s rear-view mirror, courtesy lighting, head restraints, antitheft steering column lock and electric clock were among the many standard features and accessories for the 1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville.

A total of 181,719 De Villes were sold in 1970, accounting for 76% of all Cadillac sales; 76,043 of these were Coupe De Villes. The outwardly similar 1971 would make its appearance the following year, along with those compromised energyabsorbing bumpers in ’73 – though, to many, Cadillac hit the mark when it came to styling perf rfection f with the 1969/1970 Coupe De Ville. ★

Thanks to The National Coal Mining Museum.

1939 Ford V8 Fordor

l and, once a in ig r o d e uch nd largely unto a is excellent a 8 V n a r o e d b r o to F t d u For ed o ge’s 1939 ts, has turn r a p n r o w Ian Gutterid ry ed some ve cal car... very practi he’d replac Colley y John otography: Renaut Ph e ik M s: rd Wo

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Y

ou may have already noticed this 1939 Ford Deluxe Fordor Sedan is factory-built, right-hand drive. Those interested in RHD American cars will realise it likely originated in one of several places: South Africa, Australia, the UK or, as in this case, Canada. “This Ford was made for export in Windsor, Ontario, Canada,” explains owner Ian Gutteridge, “then despatched to New Zealand as CKD (Completely Knocked Down) form to avoid high import tax. It was then assembled at the Ford plant in Seaview, Wellington, and sold through a dealer in Cheviot on the South Island.” Sadly, details of the car’s original owners aren’t recorded. “We do know the car passed into the hands of a Mr Dyll Pell some time before 1962. Mr Pell originated from England, lived in Titirangi near Auckland and had a team racing Lola-Chevrolets all over the world.

“Mr Pell returned to England in 1992,” continues Ian, “bringing the car and several others including a Camaro and a Chevrolet pick-up with him. They were put into storage in a shed and evidently largely forgotten about until Mr Pell died in early 2015 when the vehicles were sold off by his sons. I have several friends who are also into American cars and one of them, Vic Clowes, spotted the ‘39 on eBay and suggested I take a look. As soon as I examined the car in January 2016, I bought it straight away and, since it hadn’t turned a wheel in 24 years, trailered it home.”

Ian now owned something of a time capsule, although the Ford had been repainted at some point in its 76 years: “The bodywork was sound and, apart from a good clean and polish, hasn’t been touched. Likewise, the interior had survived well and has been left as found. A bonus was that we found bills that showed the engine heads had a full rebuild just before it left New Zealand.

The handsome ‘scarab’ profile was popular in the late Forties.

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The opening windscreen is a breath of fresh air.

Still, we were careful with it,” remembers Ian. “We changed the fluid, pulled the plugs, flushed the block through and, mindful of overheating, put a thermometer on each cylinder bank when we got it running. The steering also felt rough. It turned out the cage for the lower roller bearings had disintegrated. I suspect at some point in the past it had driven through deep water that had mixed in with the oil and been held there to corrode it, since the top part was fine.

“The other bad aspect was that every single piece of rubber in the car was perished.

Obviously, all five tyres were shot, but also the brake lines, fuel lines, wiper motor vacuum pipe, shocks and spring shackles, radiator hoses and all the window rubbers. Further inspection

Owner Ian Gutteridg e, with partner Ann.

221cu in ‘flathead’ V8.

showed that kingpins and steering box were worn, the track rod ends needed replacing, the brake cylinders were seized and, worst of all, the rear wheel bearing races were very badly pitted. This meant removing and stripping down the back axle. The ends of the axle casing were then turned down to accept a case hardened steel sleeve which was pressed on to take new wheel bearings. Thanks go to Mark Hitchcock of Ray Howe Engineering in Ashbourne (01335 346998/www.rayhoweengineering.co.uk) who did the necessary machining in record time.

“Apart from a new exhaust, which had d to be fabricated by JP Exhausts (01625 619916 6 /www.jpexhausts.co.uk), obtaining spares was no problem. Some parts were sourced from the States, but most came from Colin at Belcher Engineering (01379 673264/ www. belcherengineeringltd.co.uk) or Dave at O‘Neill Vintage Ford (01530 839902/ www.oneillvintageford.co.uk), both providing excellent service.

“With the exception of the Stromberg

E-Fire Distributor − what an improvemen nt on the old diver’s helmet type! − the car rem mains completely original and retains its six-vo olt electrics. It came with a bizarre 12-volt starting system powered by a separate battery in n the boot that was ditched straight away.”

Yesterday and today

Introduced November 4, 1938, the Ford d line-up for ‘39 consisted of the 922A Standard and 91A DeLuxe ranges. The Standard was essentially the previous year’s model sold at some $60 – around 10% cheaper than the equivalent DeLLuxe mod del, the latter carrying the more up-todaate 1939 styling. It was a clever idea, in ntroduced in 1938, meaning the e tooling got an extra year’s use and Ford could sell g a good-quality and proven car so omewhat ccheaper than their competition. Since it to ook some time to re-adapt to pro oduction of civilian vehicles post-war, mean o ning the 1946-48 models were little differe ent to th he 1942s, the practice of using la ast year’s dessign was discontinued.

Elegant dials.

Realistic-looking wood-painted dash.

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‘Suicide’ doors.

“SINCE GETTING MY ’39 BACK ON THE ROAD, IT’S PROVED TOTALLY RELIABLE AND NEVER OVERHEATED. I HAVEN’T DONE MUCH ELSE TO IT BEYOND REMOVING A DEALERSHIP BADGE ON THE DASHBOARD TO FIT AN ORIGINAL CLOCK I BOUGHT ON EBAY.”

The 1939 Standard range consisted of a Coupe Tudor (two-door sedan), Fordor (naturally enough the four-door sedan) and four-door, wood-bodied Station Wagon. The DeLuxe range included all those, but added a pair of convertibles: a three-passenger, two-door and, in its final year of production, a five-passenger fourdoor. This would also be the last year for opening windscreens on the closed body cars.

Standard models had a choice of the “Thrifty Sixty” 60bhp, 136cu in or 85bhp, 221cu in versions of the ‘flathead’ V8 engines, although all Canadian-built cars and all DeLuxe models only got the 221 engine, upgraded for 1939 with larger bearings and a heavier crankshaft which now drove the engine fan. While rival manufacturers offered column gearchanges, Ford persisted for one final year with a floor shifter to stir the three-speed manual gearbox which all their models came with. New for 1939 were Lockheed hydraulic brakes, but the torque-tube drive and transverse leaf springs front and rear had been around for years, as had the 112-inch wheelbase − that dated from 1933.

DeLuxe models boasted a larger radiator and came with the ‘banjo’-style steering wheel, locking glove box and clock, all of which Standard models lacked. Options included bumper guards, radio, seat covers, side-view mirror, fog lamps, locking gas cap, whitewall tyres, licence plate frames and fender skirts.

The wheel ‘dress up’ rings and hubcaps of the DeLuxe model were also optional extras for Standard models.

How many?

The Ford was a factory-built RHD.

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I couldn’t find production figures for New Zealand cars, although Canada apparently sold 19,260 Fords in 1939 and around half their production went overseas. Had it been Americabuilt, Ian’s DeLuxe Fordor would have cost $770 and been one of 92,020 DeLuxe Fordors built for the 1939 model year. Total American production of all Ford car models combined was 532,152 putting Ford just behind Chevrolet, but above Plymouth, in overall sales.

Ian had previously owned a 1951 Chevrolet pick-up: “It was pretty dented so I stripped off the front wings to repair them and before long was into a complete restoration.

I always restore my vehicles to standard condition. Then I had a 1931 Ford Model A coupe that I sold to a guy who used it for trials and hillclimbs, after that I had several Harleys. I sold a Road King to buy this ‘39.

“I wasn’t especially after a four-door car,” admits Ian, “but I loved its originality and liked the idea of a Flathead V8; they’re not especially powerful, but there’s plenty of torque. It sits happily at 55mph and even uphill just keeps going. The engine idles silently, runs really sweet and can hold its own in modern traffic. The car does lean in the corners though and is still on cross-plies, but it’s fantastic on dirt roads. It looks good from a distance. Up close, there’s some micro blistering in the Folkestone Grey paint, but I like it just as it is. I was surprised to discover the radio has a self-seeking mode that picks up the strongest signal − mind you, it’s the size of a big shoebox. The roof aerial has a knob inside to turn it toward the broadcast source.

“Since getting my ‘39 back on the road, it’s proved totally reliable and never overheated. I haven’t done much else to it beyond removing a dealership badge on the dashboard to fit an original clock I bought on eBay. I also had to buy another hubcap after one fell off. The 1939 caps seem harder to find than the 1940 ones.

“Thanks must go to friends Dave Brown, Simon Forbes and Vic Clowes for their help and expertise. Special thanks go to my partner, Ann, for putting up with me disappearing into the garage for hours. Now it’s finished, Ann enjoys riding in the car and when people comment about the ‘wooden dashboard’ likes to inform them there’s no wood in the car and explain the technique to paint steel to look like wood.

“It’s a car you could use every day. We’ve driven more than 300 miles in a day going to shows, and the ‘39 being right-hand drive means Ann’s equally happy to get behind the wheel and has become a real expert on double de-clutching.

A ‘39 Coupe would have been nice, but the Sedan n was a fraction of the price and it’s difficult to find a Coupe that hasn’t been modified. Furthermore, she comfortably seats six, so three generations of car nuts − me, my son and three grandsons − can all enjoy the car together. Though I’ve lost count of the number of people at shows that tell me it’s an English Ford Pilot…”

A great place to watch the world roll by...

An English Pilot? Not on your nelly!

classic-american

Ringbrothers, creator of some of the most innovative and beautiful vehicles in the world, debuted its latest automotive creation, the “UNKL” Mach 1, on the Flowmaster (Holley) stand at last year’s SEMA Show.

We take a closer look away from the bright lights of Vegas…

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1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 Modified

W

orld-famous custom car builder and high-quality billet parts manufacturer Ringbrothers unveiled its newest, one-of-a-kind Ford Mustang, the 1969 Mach 1 known as “UNKL” on the Flowmaster (Holley) stand at last year’s SEMA Show. “UNKL” is the first Mach 1 to leave the Spring Green, Wisconsin, shop after a series of memorable Mustang builds. The widened body and unique race-inspired theme make the most of road and race technology in one car.

“UNKL” is powered by a 520cu in Jon Kaase Boss engine

making 700 horsepower. A reworked Bowler six-speed Tremec transmission backs the high-powered engine, and a QA1 carbon-fibre driveshaft transfers power to the rear wheels.

The Mach 1’s growl comes from a custom stainless-steel Flowmaster exhaust, while Prestone coolant keeps the engine at an even operating temperature and Motul engine oil and gear oil keeps things running smoothly. Custom BASF paint called Big Boss Blue has been laid over a smooth body, which was shaped with 3M products. ❯❯

SPECIFICATION VEHICLE: Ringbrothers 1969 Mach 1 VEHICLE NAME: “UNKL” DESIGNER: Ringbrothers

FRONT TYRE SIZE: 295x35x19 REAR TYRE SIZE: 345x30x20

Design

Brakes

Widened rear 2in – front 2in Race-inspired

Drivetrain

ENGINE: John Kaase 520 Boss 700bhp FORCED INDUCTION: None ENGINE EXTRAS: Holley carburetted TRANSMISSION: Reworked Bowler six-speed Tremec DRIVE SHAFT: QA1 Carbon Fibre Driveshaft

Suspension

CHASSIS & FRONT SUSPENSION: DSE AlumaFrame REAR SUSPENSION: DSE Quadra-Link SHOCK MANUFACTURER: RideTech FRONT SWAY BARS: DSE REAR END: John’s Industries 9in 3:55 gears

Exhaust

FRONT MANUFACTURER: Baer FRONT CALIPER SPECS: 6S six-piston REAR MANUFACTURER: Baer REAR CALIPER SPECS: 6S six-piston

Fuel

FUEL PUMP: Walbro 400LPH by Rick’s Hot Rods FUEL TANK/CELL: Custom by Rick’s Hot Rods FUEL MANAGEMENT: None

Electrical

WIRING HARNESS: Painless Wiring

Exterior

PAINT MANUFACTURER: BASF Glasurit Waterborne PAINT COLOUR: SB177.50 PAINT BOOTH: Global Finishing Solutions

Interior

HEADER MANUFACTURER: Flowmaster HEADER DETAILS: Customised by Ringbrothers EXHAUST MANUFACTURER: Flowmaster 44 Stainless Steel

INTERIOR: Full custom upholstery by Upholstery Unlimited GAUGES: Classic Instruments A/C SYSTEM: Vintage Air Gen IV Magnum Evap Kit STEREO SYSTEM: Kicker

Cooling

Sponsors

RADIATOR: Custom

by Performance Rod & Custom FLUIDS: Prestone Anti-Freeze

Steering

TYPE: Rack & Pinion MANUFACTURER: DSE STEERING COLUMN: Ididit

Wheels and Tyres

WHEEL MANUFACTURER: HRE RS1 Series RS100-61 FRONT WHEEL SIZE: 19in x 11in REAR WHEEL SIZE: 20in x 12.5in TYRE MANUFACTURER: Michelin Pilot Sport 4S

CORPORATE SPONSORS: Prestone BASF/Glasurit Flowmaster/Hurst/B&M Motul 3M PRODUCT SPONSORS: Baer Brakes CTEK Dynamat GFS – Global Finishing Solutions Heat Shield Products Holley HRE Michelin Miller Welding MSD Painless Wiring QA1

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For more information on Ringbrothers, the “UNKL” Mustang, and Ringbrothers billet parts, visit www.ringbrothers.com or stay connected with them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Ringbrothers extended the Mach 1’s body by an inch on either side, which gives it a slightly more aggressive stance than stock, without compromising the classic look. The car’s body is a mixture of carbon-fibre and steel panels, reshaped by Ringbrothers.

Other custom details include billet tail-lights, reshaped bumpers and trim and engine-bay accessories that were custom machined at the Ringbrothers facility. The name for the build comes from the Ringbrothers owner who enjoyed a close relationship with his uncle.

The build pays tribute to his uncle’s influence on his passion for cars. The race-inspired livery continues that theme and will also serve a practical purpose when the car is used on track.

Ringbrothers

Based in Spring Green, Wisconsin, Ringbrothers has established itself in the automotive aftermarket as a premium parts builder and worldclass car designer. Among its many accolades are several Chevrolet Best in Show awards, Goodguys Street Machine of the Year awards and Mothers’ Shine awards. Ringbrothers has also been featured in some of the world’s largest automotive and mainstream news outlets.

Ringbrothers proudly designs, fabricates, packages and ships all of its products from its headquarters in the United States with a focus on quality materials, craftsmanship and customer service. Revolutionising the way restomods are done, Ringbrothers continues to innovate its products and builds every year with the goal of at least one new car at each SEMA Show. Learn more about Ringbrothers products and builds at www.ringbrothers.com.

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“UNKL” uses Detroit Speed Engineering’s Aluma-Frame front suspension system with a cast aluminium cradle, custom-tuned steering rack, tubular suspension arms and custom adjustable RideTech coilovers. The rear is equipped with Detroit Speed’s QUADRALink suspension system and RideTech shocks. Front and rear sway bars are also from Detroit Speed. Stopping power is provided by Baer, with huge 6S Extreme calipers. “UNKL” rides on a bespoke set of forged HRE Wheels wrapped in sticky Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres sized 295/35R-19 in the front and 345/30R-20 in the rear. The custom interior of “UNKL” by Upholstery Unlimited feels as race-inspired as the exterior, with supportive Recaro seats, Ringbrothers billet components, an Ididit steering column, gauges by Classic Instruments and a cabin kept at a comfortable temperature thanks to a Vintage Air Gen IV Magnum evap kit. ★

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