Classic American March 2017 preview

36-PAGE AMERICAN & MODIFIED SUPPLEMENT

INSIDE EL MOROCCO CLIVE SUTTON RACE OF GENTS '77 DODGE VAN '50 CHEVY '63 FORD

1970 Plymouth Superbird

1974 CHEVY IMPALA + 1962 CADILLAC ELDORADO + 1929 BUICK MASTER SEDAN

FORD'S FINTASTIC FOLLY!

EVENTS

AMERICAN CARS AT BROOKLANDS + RHYTHM RIOT

No.311 March 2017

1958 EDSEL CITATION

£4.40

BLUEBIRD

48 73 41

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Contents March 2017

Regulars

Features

06 12 14 16 18 20 46 88 91 92 95 96 105 110

23 32 41 48 55

News Letters Across the Pond Muscle Car Files Here to Obscurity Subscription Offer CA Shop Scale Autos Reviews Discoveries Club News Events Services Directory Private Classifieds

1958 Edsel Citation 1970 Plymouth Superbird 1962 Cadillac Eldorado 1974 Chevrolet Impala The Holman & Moody Story Part 1 61 1929 Buick Sedan 66 Rambler Ranch 107 Drive Buy Lincoln MKZ Events 73 Rhythm Riot 80 American Cars at Brooklands

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Some people still think of the Edsel as an object of ridicule, but how many of them have actually driiven one?? Forgett the sttoriies‌ come for a riide.

1958 Edsel Photography: Lewis Houghton Words: Nigel Boothman

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t feels enormous, even on the empty track we’ve borrowed for our photos. I’m reminded of those promo films from the Seventies, with a cheesy voice-over praising some big Ford’s ‘wider stance and road-hugging weight’. Well, that was a feature well-established in the Fifties, only back then the steering wheel and the pedals made you work a little harder.

There’s some definite heft to the wheel, power-assisted though it is. It helps you keep track of which way the Edsel’s front paws are pointing, though that’s not the same as sporty handling, as we’ll find out later. The brake pedal is massive and inspires confidence with its solid feel while even the accelerator puts up something of a fight compared with today’s feather-footed controls.

At the core of this sense of imperturbable vastness is a 410cu in (6.7-litre) big-block V8. It’s perfectly suited to the car, sitting there at idle or low-speed running with a slow glug, glug, glug note that would be at home in a sizeable tugboat. Push the gas pedal and it speeds up the glugglug-glug only slightly, but yanks the big Edsel forward like a naughty dog on a lead. Goodness knows how much torque it’s producing down around the 1500rpm mark, but if you ever need someone to pull your traction engine out of a ditch, find an Edsel owner.

Very large cars can sometimes seem disconnected from the road, or perhaps from the driver, but the Edsel is neither. It sits rock-solid at 55 or 60mph, one finger required on the wheel and no deviation from a straight line, despite the original-spec cross-plies. What happens when you get to a bend requires a little more planning, though there’s no wallowing to contend with. Yes, it rides well and is certainly softly sprung, but Ford’s engineers seem to have specified dampers of a size that actually work – something of a novelty on American cars of this period.

We’re not burning rubber round here because that’s not what a nice old classic car is for, but nonetheless you wonder about the stopping distances. Brakes fine by the standards of the day? Seems fair enough. It also goes round corners with a kind of obedience, at least until I arrive at one left-hander a shade too fast and discover the understeer. If you really overcooked it, you’d plough on into the next state before it finished its turn.

All this comes in the first few minutes of acquaintance with the Edsel. It takes a little longer to appreciate the fabulous environment the Edsel Division created for the driver to enjoy. When you do, you soon remember that the

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Edsel production line.

Citation was the top-of-the-range Edsel in the ’58 launch year. It’s not short of either flashy visuals or intriguing gadgets. Or should that be gimmicks?

We’ll go with the former, because a gimmick is something done to boost sales or public profile without having much of a claim to usefulness. Most, if not all, of what’s in front of us here can justify itself as a step forward.

The Teletouch controls for the three-speed automatic are the most startling feature. It’s the first time I’ve encountered them and I’ve got to say I’m sold. Push-button automatics are all very well, but when the buttons are competing for space on a busy dashboard it takes a little while to know which one to aim for without having to peer at them. Here, on the steering wheel boss, they’re close to hand and easy to see. Apparently some people confused them with the horn push… were these people really allowed to drive? ❯❯

Bench seat features fabric inserts.

Vent window fully opened.

Speedo is of the revolving tumbler type.

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Entry-level 1958 Edsel Pacer.

Owner Colin Nicol.

“ I SOLD IT THEN BUT ALWAYS REGRETTED IT, SO I PROMISED MYSELF ANOTHER ONE...”

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John Castleman has owned his Plymouth Superbird for nearly three decades and he’s spent much of the past 10 years rebuilding every inch of it.

1970 Plymouth Superbird Words: Mike Renaut Photography: Jonathan Fleetwood

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wning a genuine muscle car in the mid-Seventies got you much admiration when most young lads had merely warmed-over Minis or Escorts. John Castleman was guaranteed respect at the traffic lights when he rolled up in his first American car – a 1968 Charger. Trouble was, one of his mates could go one better. “He had a Superbird,” remembers John, “I’d never seen one before and it looked so outrageous with that nose cone and massive wing. I saw the Road Runner logos and thought it was a cartoon car until I read up on them. When I found out about the NASCAR history I knew I had to have one.” John eventually bought himself an orange Superbird in 1979. “It cost me £1500. I knew a few other people who had them but not many, in the UK there were probably about five and we knew who and where they were.”

But our feature car isn’t the one John bought in ’79. No, back then the ’Bird on these pages was owned by American Autoparts. “I’d known about it since 1977 and I more or less followed it around from owner to owner. Rumour is, it was even owned by a window cleaner who put a roof rack on it and tied ladders on top! It then ended up in Scotland owned by a bloke called Bobby McIntyre – he planned to open a museum and was going to redo the Superbird as a NASCAR racer. I had relatives locally, so I visited the car several times between 1984 and ’85 and it was already in pretty poor condition by then. It had a brown Dralon interior, a home-made nitrous system and damage from a lot of street racing. When Bobby died around 1988 his entire collection of cars went up for auction by Sotheby’s; the Superbird had an estimate of £2400 but in the end I had to pay £6300.”

Even in the Eighties that was a fair chunk of cash for a tired, 19-year-old muscle car with several repaints, the wrong interior and an engine that was now seized solid. On the plus side the car was genuine, complete and was still largely

numbers matching. “I put it in the garage with my other Superbird and started to strip it down,” remembers John, “then various family commitments meant I didn’t have the opportunity to carry on restoring it.”

John’s Superbird was born on November 30, 1969 at Lynch Road, Detroit and built with a 440cu in V8 with six-barrel.

Superbirds came as standard with power disc brakes, power steering and heavy-duty suspension.

In fact, options were fairly limited – seven paint colours, a black or white interior with bench seat or buckets, a 440cu in V8 with four- or (optional) six-barrel carbs, or a 426 Hemi. Shifting was via a four-speed manual or three-speed 727 Torqueflite.

Plymouth realised ahead of time the Superbird – ‘Plymouth’s answer to wind resistance’ – was going to be a tough sell. In the four-page leaflet introducing it they suggested dealers ‘use its wild appearance to draw in car enthusiasts, then interest them in something a bit milder, a regular Road Runner, ’Cuda or GTX.’ Factory price was $4298 but, after many dealers found Superbirds attracted many test pilots, but no genuine buyers, prices dropped as low as $2800 – including a ride to the dealership from the nearest station! Production numbers were 1084 cars with the 440 four-barrel (466 of those four-speeds) 716 got the 440 six-barrel (308 four-speeds) and only 135 had the 426 Hemi (58 were four-speeds). A number of ‘Birds were subsequently converted by dealers back into Road Runners.

When NASCAR imposed new engine and weight restrictions on aero cars, Plymouth deemed the car no longer competitive and axed plans to introduce a ’71 version based on the Road Runner; 1970 would be the only year for Superbird production and one of the wildest-looking production cars ever built died a quick and quiet death. ❯❯

Rear spoiler was high enough for the boot lid to be fully opened.

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Carl Westwood’s 1962 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz may not be the ’59 he was originally after, but it’s the absolute top-drawer model for ’62 and there’s still plenty of chrome and fins to go round….

1962 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz

Words & Photography: Paul Bussey

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ever having previously owned an American car, it had been Carl Westwood’s long-held dream to own a Cadillac. His first choice was a 1959 model, the zenith of fins ’n’ chrome Caddys for sure; however, over the years the value of ’59 models has risen steadily, to the point where they simply became out of reach of Carl’s budget. In 2010 he decided it was now or never and started to surf the ‘net in earnest, looking for a Cadillac that he could afford – and it had to be a convertible too!

“I saw a couple of ’62 models and then I spotted a ’62 Eldorado Biarritz and instantly fell in love with it,” he remembers. “The car was being offered for sale in Chester, quite a distance from my East London home, but I went to view it and met the owner’s son. The Cadillac had been purchased from an auction in the UK and since then had rarely been used. The story goes that a lady from Scotland had purchased the car from a dealer in Florida, US, as a present to her husband to use in his retirement…”

For a petrolhead into American cars, could it get any better?

However, despite the very best laid plans and intentions, her husband didn’t really get on too well with the car, it was rarely used, spending a great deal of time in the garage and thus eventually it was put in the auction. Carl was pretty smitten with this Eldorado Biarritz, quite a rare model too, with only 1450 produced in 1962, so he decided to purchase it. His long-held dream of Cadillac convertible ownership had at last reached fruition. Throwing caution to the wind, he drove it home too, covering a distance of just over 200 miles in an unknown car. The journey was completed without a hitch.

The Cadillac came with virtually no history and Carl was keen to find out as much as he could about the car. What he did have was the name and address of the previous owner in Scotland, so he decided to write to her. She subsequently telephoned Carl and informed him that she did have some documentation which she would send him. From this, Carl managed to trace the last owner in the US, Gene Dufrane. He then did a Google search and found that Gene Dufrane was in real estate in Bedford, Texas.

“I telephoned Gene,” explains Carl. “Gene answered and I introduced myself and asked if he once owned a 1962 Cadillac to which he replied, ‘I sure did!’. I asked Gene if he had any history on the car, which he had and would be most pleased to share it with me. I could hear him walking across the room, opening a drawer and getting out the paperwork. Gene informed me that he had loads of documentation and that he’d be more than happy to send it to me via Fed- Ex. I asked him to let me know the cost of the carriage and I’d pay for it, but he wouldn’t hear of me paying for anything. Within three days the history file, which was around three inches thick, was delivered by Fed-Ex – fantastic!”

Photographic location by kind permission of: That Amazing Place, Hubbards Hall, Churchgate Street, Old Harlow, Essex, CM17 0NH. Website: thatamazingplace.co.uk

Cadillac man Carl Westwood.

By ’62, fins were the automotive equivalent of flares, and Cadillac’s got lower and lower.

Six-way adjustable power seats feature on the Biarritz.

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Period ad compares a ’62 Cadillac with a ’63 model.

“HE DECLARED THAT THE CADILLAC WAS A NIGHTMARE AND HE’D BE GLAD TO GET RID OF IT...”

325bhp 390 V8 motor.

Reading through the documentation, Carl discovered that his Biarritz had undergone some extensive restoration work between 1982-1985, which had covered bodywork, paint and mechanicals. He also learnt that prior to the restoration, the car was being driven through the Nevada Desert by a young guy when it broke down. A passer-by pulled up to see if he could help. The young owner was very annoyed that he’d broken down and declared that the Cadillac was a nightmare and he’d be glad to get rid of it. The passer-by offered him some money for the car there and then, which was accepted! The car was subsequently restored and later purchased by Gene, who ran it for around 20 years.

Carl’s Biarritz convertible is powered by a 390cu in engine rated at 325bhp and coupled to a four-speed automatic transmission. Bells and whistles include electric windows, black leather seats, six-way electrically adjustable front seats, power-brakes, automatic boot release and Autronic eye automatic headlamp dipper. The Pompeian Red metallic paintwork really needs to be seen in strong sunlight to fully appreciate its glorious vibrant colour. Though still offering that fins ’n’ chrome experience, the ’62 Cadillac was much more restrained in styling than the late Fifties models, with each year that passed, the tail fins decreasing in size. In 1962 Cadillac celebrated its 60th anniversary, establishing a new sales records with 160,840 cars sold. Dual-circuit braking was also introduced. ❯❯

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“THE ’62 CADILLAC WAS MUCH MORE RESTRAINED IN STYLING THAN THE LATE FIFTIES MODELS...”

Black leather bench looks super comfortable.

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’61 Cadillac ad shows lower fins, or ‘skegs’, which carried over for ’62.

While representing an older restoration, the Biarritz still remains in excellent condition and has proved to be an excellent runner. On occasions it has required a little work here and there. “When I first purchased the car, I thought that the automatic transmission was slipping,” explains Carl. “So upon recommendation, I took it to Andy at Automatic Transmissions of Hornchurch, Essex (01708 440308) who undertook a few tweaks and confirmed that I had indeed got myself a really good example.

“Then one day the automatic transmission got stuck in second gear. The car was taken back to Andy and he found that a wayward sliver of metal was the culprit. It was relatively easy to remedy and the job only took a day.

This came as a great relief to me, as I feared the worst, imagining maybe a new transmission would be required.

Also during my ownership I’ve had a new exhaust system fitted. Nowadays Peter Sims of GS Autos of Collier Row, Romford, Essex (01708 767001) maintains the car for me, he’s absolutely brilliant, certainly knows his stuff and is such a great guy too!”

Carl likes to drive his Biarritz to as many car shows as possible. When he first purchased the car, the whole family used to go, with wife Elaine accompanied by their two sons Bradley and Eron, who is a professional ice skater.

There’s certainly plenty of room for them all. Recent work has included a major engine tune-up by Peter Sims and Carl says the car now drives and performs better than ever. It has also proved to be the catalyst in which to meet some really interesting people, as on occasions the Biarritz has been used in photoshoots. The most recent one was in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic, celebrating 20 years of flying out of Manchester. Others have included adverts with First Choice Holidays. “One of the most memorable was working with underground rapper Giggs, with whom we established a great rapport,” says Carl. Another time we did a music video with Florence and the Machine.”

One thing is for sure, Carl definitely made the right choice when he purchased his Biarritz convertible, which at the time, he knew very little about. It subsequently came as a great relief to know of its extensive previous history and restorative work. His dream of Cadillac convertible ownership was a long time coming… but better late th han never!! ★

Words & photography: Jon Cass

1974 Chevrolet Impala

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he Doncaster Custom Car show in Yorkshire has been an annual event for many years now. There’s nothing unusual about that you may think, as there are loads of shows that have been going for years; but the number of times we hear ‘Donny’ mentioned as an early inspiration to becoming a petrolhead seems to be unique – for Northerners at least!

Andrew Atkinson, the proud keeper of this amazingly wellkept ’74 Impala sedan also remembers visiting Doncaster’s Custom Car show in the Eighties with great fondness: “Most of the cars there were totally unique and had hours of work poured into them,” he smiles. Andrew also had the bonus of seeing a handful of the regular attendees each time he visited his granddad at nearby Royston in Barnsley. “My granddad rented a garage on a plot of land surrounded by other garages to keep his Vauxhall Victor VX490 in,” Andrew remembers. “The other garages all housed custom or American cars, all were big with massive engines, chrome side pipes and chrome wheels which made my granddad’s Victor look tiny in comparison.” A certain Jaguar XJ6 six-wheeled pick-up with chrome smoke stacks and a wooden flatbed sticks in Andrew’s mind, but how could it not if you’re only around eight years old.

Sadly, Andrew’s granddad passed away when Andrew was just 10 years old, but the memory of those cars never did. The

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idea of running something similar himself would become a long-term ambition, maybe not quite a six-wheeled Jag pick-up… but you get the idea! Fast forward a few decades and marriages, and Andrew finally decided the time was right to step into the world of big cars, big engines and chrome for himself when he bought a fourth-generation 3.8-litre V6 Chevrolet Camaro RS. “I loved that car and had it three years.

It was a ‘toe in the water’ to see if I enjoyed the American car scene,” Andrew says. “I used to have the Mickey taken out of me as it wasn’t a V8, but it proved I loved the scene and I have never had as many friends as I have now.”

Happy enough with his Camaro, despite the V6 jibes, Andrew was planning on keeping it long term and had even shelled out £1200 on lowering springs and shocks for it.

Then one quiet day while at work he began browsing the classifieds for Seventies American cars for sale in the UK. “I clicked to see if there was anything available close to me in Yorkshire and there was the ’74 Impala, a single grainy picture taken at a lock-up in the US, saying it would be available on these shores soon.”

Even going by a single photo, Andrew already liked what he saw, and the fact it would be delivered less than 20 miles from his home was a real bonus. “I’d driven the length and breadth of England looking for a nice Camaro without success,

Think you can’t afford a classic American? Think again! Andrew Atkinson’s ’74 Impala is the sort of land yacht that Detroit rolled out by the millions back in the mid-Seventies. And because no one thought them special enough to save, they’re actually quite a rarity now, but best of all, they’re pretty affordable…

but this Impala already ticked all the boxes,” Andrew explains.

“On my next day off, I took a drive to the garage to see if it was there yet and there it was parked up behind the gates which were closed.”

Wasting no time, Andrew phoned the vendor the following day to arrange to see it. “I didn’t tell anyone about all this except my son, Dan, and even then I didn’t tell him where it was.” Just as Andrew was about to test-drive the Impala, Dan walked around the corner towards them, obviously having done his own research and worked out where his dad would be as his Camaro wasn’t at home either. “Once the tyres squealed going around a roundabout I just felt like Kojak,” Andrew laughs, “they took the Camaro in part exchange and the deal was done.”

Once he’d taken the Impala back home, Andrew began researching the car’s history. It turned out it had been built at Chevrolet’s Wisconsin factory and was first sold on December 1, 1974, at the Tide Chevrolet branch in Poulsbo, Washington to a Mr Walt Groom. He ordered it with the option of air conditioning, an AM radio, bumper over-riders, metallic paintwork, chrome door edge protectors, a heater blower on the rear screen, and the police handling package which includes a 12-bolt rear axle and 5x5 stud wheels (normally they’re 5x4.75,) along with air suspension. ❯❯

Proud owner Andrew Atkinson.

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