RRICHARD PETTY'S
1969 FORD TORINO
ELECTRIC MUSTANG FORD TAKES ON TESLA
2021 MUSTANG MACH-E
IT'S A STATION WAGON SPECIAL 1972 PLYMOUTH WAGON
1959 BUICK AMBULANCE
1965 CHRYSLER NEWPORT WAGON
1941 FORD WAGON
1961 CADILLAC VALKYRJA
PLUS
2020 EVENTS CAR OF THE YEAR FINALS CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW SHIPPING ABCs
No. 345 January 2020
£4.50
Ben Klemenzson
Viewpoint
Season’s Greetings!
W
elcome to the January issue of Classic American; although we’re putting this together in November, you won’t be seeing it until the middle of December/ beginning of January. Now, you’d think everything would be slowing down by this time of year, but actually things are super-busy here at Classic American towers, with things only slowing down a bit after Christmas up until Good Friday, when the show season gets under way all over again… This month is ‘loosely’ a station wagon special; I say loosely, because we’ve included a few ‘wagonesque’ vehicles that, strictly speaking, one might not even categorise as wagons, but more as commercial vehicles, such as the ’59 Buick ambulance, the Chevy 3100 panel van and the military-use ’41 Ford wagon. We’ve also got our final show reports of 2019, including the grand finale of the Kingstown Shipping & RH insurance
Car of the Year competition and the Classic Motor Show, plus the showstopper to stop them all: SEMA. SEMA has even produced a couple of feature cars in this issue, which we just had to share with you: the love it or loathe it Mustang Mach-EE and the spectacular VALKYRJA, which scooped the Battle of the Builders crown for the Ringbrothers. All that remains is for me to remind you that if you’re organising an event, show or cruise, to get your listing in for the Blue Events pages as soon as possible and lastly, have a very merry Christmas and a prosperous new year!
Ben Klemenzson, editor bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk
classic-american.com 3
on page 20 PHOENIX FROM THE FLAMES '58 CADILLAC
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Ringbrothers’ 1969 Camaro VALKYRJA
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Classic American
News Electric Pony We already knew Ford was making it, but now the prototype allelectric ‘Mustang Mach-E’ has been displayed for the world to inspect at this year’s SEMA show. It was arguably the biggest story of the SEMA show 2019 and there was certainly a big buzz about this Ford around the host city, Las Vegas. You could easily make the case that this vehicle is as important to the company as the revolutionary original 1964½ Mustang or even the model T. Certainly the implications are mammoth. This Mustang was designed to gauge interest in a high performance electric car. Our man on the ground certainly thinks reactions have been strong enough to tempt Ford into putting it into production. Created with parts supplier Webasto, the car has a six-speed manual transmission which is unusual, as electrics don’t actually require a transmission with more than one speed. The Phi-Power dual core electric motor puts out more than 1000ft-lb of torque and offers stunning acceleration of 0-60mph in five seconds. Last year GM displayed an electric 700 horsepowered Camaro, but Ford have apparently pipped them to the post by unveiling this ‘Mustang-inspired’ electric SUV available later this year. Our man in America, Huw Evans, takes a closer look on page 64 in this issue!
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CAR OF THE YEAR 2019!
Congratulations to the winners of the 2019 Kingstown Shipping & RH Insurance Car of the Year competition, John and Charmaine Miller, whose stunning 1955 Dodge Custom Royal Lancer won the prize after three long days of serious judging. John is the editor of the Pre-’50 American Auto Club’s magazine and is a real enthusiast of early ‘forward-look’ Mopars. With only 10,000 miles on the clock, this Dodge is every bit the survivor car, with its eye-catching tri-colour paintwork and immaculate interior.
The drivetrain is a Super Red Ram 270cu in V8 motor and two-speed Torqueflite auto ’box, meaning it’s no slouch either. The only option added when purchased new was the Kelsey Hayes wheels, purchased by the original owner Ronald Kukula in June 1955 when the car was acquired from Fred Gardner and Sons in Chicago. John and Charmaine took home a cheque for £500, as well as a trophy and champagne. The car will appear on the front cover of next month’s Classic American, which will feature an in-depth article on this delightful Dodge.
New ’70 Charger grille Karl Baumann, whose coverage of this year’s SEMA show for Classic American starts on page 75, owns a 1970 Charger and he’s been trying to purchase a new grille for the car for a long time. This much-sought-after part has been on back order with Classic Industries since he first looked in November 2016, but after stumbling across the OER display he managed to get some background on the delay and more. “I did all of the basic testing and scrutinising,” says Craig Maiorana of OER, “so basically what I did was, as my vendor sends it back to me, I address the points that need to be changed and fixed…I had a car up on two jack stands at our shop for well over two years because it was a constant in and out process. “Usually we start the process with a good, viable, manufacturer’s sample. We bought a lot of grilles that were just falling apart. It took six of them to get one viable sample. Realistically, when we make a product we need three viable samples. One for
the manufacturer to reverse engineer, one for a visual reference and one for my personal reference that stays locked up, the control. It’s the ideal the samples get tested against.” Craig went on to tell me that this process has taken three years altogether and the grilles are being manufactured now for delivery in early January to OER vendors like Summit and Classic Industries. It’s a real Hallelujah moment for all those ’70 Charger owners out there desperate for a new front grille.
Ring win! Mike and Jim Ring of Ringbrothers took the top prize in the sixth annual SEMA Battle of the Builders competition, which concluded at SEMA Ignited, the official SEMA show after-party designed to celebrate the builders and showcase products from the trade-only show. For the second year in a row, a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro beat nearly 300 entrants in the internationally recognised competition that has unfolded during the SEMA show in Las Vegas. The top four finalists for 2019 came down to Jim and Mike Ring with their 1969 Chevrolet Camaro (Hot Rod category), Randy Borcherding with a 1955 Chevrolet truck (Truck/OffRoad), Louie Shefchik and his 1968 Iso Rivolta (Sport Compact), and Young Guns winner Brad Swaney with his 1971 Chevrolet C-10. The 2019 SEMA Battle of the Builders competition ncluded submissions from in easoned builders, as se well w as new customisers,
representing an elite group of individuals who demonstrated extreme creativity and craftsmanship in modifying cars, trucks and SUVs. The Young Guns (builders 27 years and younger) category continues to evolve and expand, providing the next generation of builders with an opportunity to get their vehicles into the Battle of the Builders competition. Industry experts RJ DeVera (Meguiar’s), Cam Miller (HS Customs) and Jeremiah Proffitt (Proffitt’s Resurrection Land Cruisers) were the competition’s judges and narrowed down the field of nearly 300 entries to the Top 10 in the remaining categories before selecting the Top 12 builds overall. The 12 finalists then took over judging duties and named the Ring brothers the overall winners. Turn to page 81 in this month’s magazine for an exclusive, in-depth American & Modified feature on this unique and very special show-winning build.
For more information about the 2019 Battle of the Builders competition or the SEMA Young Guns programme, visit www.sema.org/botb, www.semayoungguns.com or SEMA’s YouTube channel.
classic-american.com 7
Sunny times at Americana back in 2010.
Classic American
News
AMERICANA’S BACK!
After an absence of a few years the Americana show is back on at Newark Showground – this time with new organisers, namely Ashfield Promotions. Paul Rowley spoke exclusively to Classic American about the event and his plans for the show in 2020: “There’s understandably been a lot of questions about our recent advert for the Americana International at Newark next year: who, where, what, when? So firstly, let’s talk about who. We are Ashfield Promotions Ltd
and for many years we ran the Bulldog Bash at Stratford-upon-Avon, until sadly the site was sold. We have many years’ experience in the entertainment and festival industry. We have no connection with the original organisers of the Americana International.” Where? “Newark, the only place the Americana International should be held.” What? “Let’s face it, for many years the Americana was one of the best events in the country. We aim to revitalise the event, initially
Hi Ho Silverado
Chevy is releasing two limited edition Silverado pick-ups for 2020 which were announced at the Texas State Fair in September. The Midnight Edition is an off-road-focused rig that is available on the LT and Custom Trail Boss trim levels. The Midnight Edition is a monochromatic all-black exterior including the grille, badges, bumpers, side steps and exhaust tips, contrasted by red recovery hooks. Because it’s based on the Trail Boss, it also comes with a two-inch factory suspension lift and the Z71 Off Road Package with Rancho mono-tube off-road shocks, along with an automatic locking rear differential, skid plates, 18-inch black painted wheels and Goodyear Duratrac off-road tyres. The Custom Trail Boss Midnight Edition can be optioned with either a 5.3-litre or 6.2-litre V8 teamed with a 10-speed automatic, while the LT version comes only with the larger engine. Aimed more at the street crowd, the Silverado Rally
8 classic-american.com
on a smaller scale, hopefully to build it over a few years to what it used to be. We can only do that with your support and advice, so let us know what you want.” When? “September 4 and 5, 2020, mark the date on your calendar.” Paul added: “Tickets will be on sale soon and the website will be regularly updated.”
✷ For more information or to book early bird tickets, go to: www.americana-international.info Chevrolet Silverado Rally Edition.
Edition is offered on the Custom and RST trim levels. Offered in a range of exterior colours, including Black, Red Hot, Silver Ice Metallic or Summit White, the Rally Edition also features a body-coloured grille, black Rally stripes on the hood and tailgate, as well as black Chevrolet tailgate lettering, black badging, black Bowties, black exhaust tip(s) and black assist steps. The Custom Rally Edition also comes
with standard 20-inch black painted wheels and a 2.7-litre Turbo engine mated with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The RST Rally Edition includes 22-inch black painted wheels and offers a choice in powertrains: a 2.7-litre Turbo with eight-speed automatic transmission, a 5.3-litre V8 with eightspeed automatic transmission or a 6.2-litre V8 with 10-speed automatic transmission.
Chevrolet unveils Corvette C8.R new limited edition pick-ups General Motors’ Chevrolet brand has revealed details of its new Corvette C8.R race car. The C8.R will be Chevrolet’s first mid-engine race car to compete in IMSA’s GTLM class and represents the first clean sheet race car design since the C5.R debuted back in 1999. It will make its racing debut at Rolex 24 at Daytona on January 25, 2020. Based on the regular eighth generation mid-engine Corvette Stingray, the C8.R has a high level of commonality with its street-going counterpart. Some unique features of the C8.R include a single, centrally mounted radiator in the front luggage compartment area and ultra-bright racing headlights located where the radiators are incorporated on the street C8. In order to comply with IMSA engine displacement rules, the C8.R will feature a 5.5-litre, naturally aspirated V8 engine, producing 500hp and 480ft-lb of torque. A new compact Xtrac six-speed sequential gearbox was developed in order to provide room at the rear of the C8.R to package a race car specific diffuser.
“We have looked forward to racing a production-based midengine Corvette for a long time,” said Jim Campbell, Chevrolet US vice-president of Performance and Motorsports. “The debut of the C8.R is the result of immense collaboration between GM Engineering, Propulsion, Design and the Corvette Racing team. As Corvette Racing enters its third decade of competition, we’re excited to begin the next chapter.” The C8.R utilises a production 2020 Stingray chassis structure produced in the Bowling Green assembly plant. The chassis has been modified to meet race series requirements and is both lighter and significantly stiffer than its predecessor. Sporting unique silver and yellow livery, the C8.R will make its official race debut at the 2020 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona next January, though enthusiasts got a glimpse of the car in action during a parade lap just prior to the 22nd annual Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta (October 9-12).
New Mojave Sand package for Ram 1500 Classic FCA’s Ram brand has announced a new Mojave Sand trim package for the veteran Ram 1500 Classic Warlock half-ton pick-up. Along with special Mojave Sand exterior paint, the Warlock gets a performance-style hood with twin scoops and black painted 20-inch wheels. Other standard kit includes the Warlock’s signature black grille with bold R-A-M lettering, powder coated front and rear bumpers, oneinch factory suspension lift and Warlock decals. Stateside pricing starts at $35,345. The original Dodge Ram-based Warlock debuted in 1976 and was one of the first true, special edition pick-ups that aimed to capitalise on a growing interest in
personalised pick-ups at the time. It featured standard bucket seats and special interior and exterior trim (including an oak-lined pick-up bed). The Warlock could be ordered with a range of engines from a 225cu in slant six, through 318 and 360cu in V8s – all the way up to the monster 440. Equipped with the bigger V8s, the Warlock was one of the more sporting rides of its time. Production ended in 1979.
classic-american.com 9
Classic American
News Goblin team: Jimmy, Helen and Ant.
GOBBLE, GOBBLE!
The design...
... the finished Bronco!
Goblin Works Garage is back for 2020 with a whole new exciting range of vehicles. The Goblins are going bigger and bolder than ever before with their design and restorations. The three eccentric mechanics – Jimmy de Ville, Ant Partridge and Helen Stanley – are on a mission to turn classics into customs by transforming the look and performance of cult cars and bikes. With wild paint schemes and engine upgrades, cutting-edge design is at the heart of what the Goblins are all about.
This new series sees the petrolheads completely transform a VW Beetle to give it a Fifties hot rod feel, with a goal to inspire and freak out VW fans in equal measure. Also, and more up Classic American readers’ alley, the team tear apart a classic Ford Bronco, removing the roof to create a cool looking pick-up with beefed-up suspension, an LED light bar and aggressive wheel arches for good measure. The new series of Goblin Works Garage premieres on Thursday, January 2, at 9pm on Quest.
Draggin’ through the Winter ❄
❄
If you’ve left your gift buying or gift requesting to the last minute, you might like to consider these DVDs from Quartermile High/Zeon TV. Or if you’re just not enjoying these dark, cold winter nights, these DVDs are a great way to relive the sunny, dry and warm days of drag strip action at the ’Pod!
2019 FIA FIM Main Event at Santa Pod
2019 The Doorslammers DVD
The best of the best in European drag racing descended on the famous Santa Pod quarter-mile for three days of exciting racing for the start of the 2019 season. Featuring the FIA classes – Top Fuel Dragster, Top Methanol, Pro Stock Car, Pro Modified, plus European Fuel Funny Car.
Let the racing do the talking here at Santa nta Pod’s Doorslammers. Doorslamm ammers A huge prize fund of £80,000 attracted the best of the best from Europe and beyond, all battling for a share of the money. Match-ups drawn out of a hat and cars that would never usually meet in competition produced some of the most exciting drag racing imaginable.
2019 FIA FIM Euro Finals at Santa Pod
2019 NSRA Nostalgia Nats DVD
See champions crowned and records set in the season finale of the FIA and FIM Europe championships at Santa Pod. Featuring the FIA classes – Top Fuel Dragster, Top Methanol, Pro Stock Car, Pro Modified, plus European Fuel Funny Car and Nostalgia Funny Car. Qualifying highlights, behind-the-scenes driver and rider interviews, and full eliminations; this is where scores were settled and history was made on the famous British quarter-mile.
This hot rod and nostalgia drag racing event is now in its 26th year, and still going strong. Organised by the NSRA and Santa Pod, this laid-back weekend brings together an eclectic mix of hot rods, American muscle, dragsters and altereds from yesteryear, many of which are now drag-racing icons. See record-breaking action from the Outlaw Anglias and sit back and enjoy wall-to-wall action from the Supercharged Outlaws, UK Nostalgia Superstock, Gasser Circus, Wild Bunch and plenty of Run What Ya Brung. PLUS, for even more hot rod action, take a trip to VHRA Vintage Nationals.
2019 Dragstalgia DVD All the action on track at Europe’s premier nostalgia drag racing event. A truly international weekend, Dragstalgia attracts cars and bikes from yesteryear in their hundreds, keeping iconic machines alive and pushing the boundaries of performance. Watch the Nostalgia Cannonball with its stunning mix of altereds, nostalgia funny cars and dragsters, and the historic, edge-of-your-seat Slingshot Showdown. Enjoy the ever popular Outlaw Anglias, Supercharged Outlaws, Gasser Circus, UK Nostalgia Super Stock, Willys Wars and the iconic Wild Bunch. On two wheels, step back in time and marvel at the oh-so-original NSA Bikes, and see Nostalgia Pro Stock Bike in full competition racing. PLUS catch up with some drag racing royalty at Santa Pod, the home of British drag racing.
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2019 Motorsport UK Pro Modified DVD The hot rods from hell are back for another exciting season at Santa Pod. Racing for the Motorsport UK British Drag Racing Championship at the Festival of Power, FIA Main Event, STP Summer Nationals, Mopar EuroNats, FIA Euro Finals and the season closer at the STP National Finals.
❄
All DVDs are £14.95 + £1.50 p&p (per order not per DVD), and are available from www.quartermilehigh.com (secure online ordering), or telephone 02476 545845. See website for special offers. Online ❄ content also available at www.zeontv.com ❄
Keith Harman drums up all the news, views and latest stuff on the hot rod and custom scene…
20 No Vintage Nats in 20
NSRA swapmeet update
Trucks aplenty at the swapmeet.
As we go to press for the January issue, we’re still awaiting confirmation from the NSRA for the date of the very popular Southern Swapmeet. Its website and forum still say merely TBA (To Be Advised.) We have spoken to the guys and girls at the NSRA and they have told us that the NSRA Southern Swapmeet will
be held in early March 2020. Once the paperwork has been completed the date will be publicised, so keep an eye out on the NSRA’s website, social media and of course here in Classic American. On a positive note, the NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals will be celebrating the event’s 30th anniversary in 2020...
New raceway out west
Sorry if you thought we meant somewhere down Devon or Cornwall way, but in this case it’s still relevant as we know many of you vacation in Southern California and often include car events on your schedule. In this case, an enterprising team-up between organisers of the West Coast Street Outlaws and Micky Grana, the owner of Chuckwalla Valley Raceway in Southern California, will hopefully see oneeighth mile heads-up drag racing returning to the region. The racing will very much feature the street outlaw no-prep, no-time format that seems to be popular right now, with the
12 classic-american.com
For the last couple of years, the Vintage Hot Rod Association has kicked off its busy calendar of events with the Vintage Nationals, a day of members-only, quarter-mile drags held at Santa Pod Raceway. The idea was born from the ashes of what used to be the Flathead Meltdown race series that entertained the crowds at both the Nostalgia Nationals and the Hot Rod Drags, when both were held at the now closed Shakespeare County Raceway. While those racing at SPR undoubtedly had fun, a track like Santa Pod needs ‘bums on seats’ and unfortunately the attendances were not high enough to sustain it for the time being, and so the club has put the event on the back burner for now. The organisers, in particular, Neil Fretwell and the rest of the East Coast Sidewinders, would like to extend their thanks to all who supported it while it lasted.
Vintage Nats 2019.
V8 Telegraph p
Hemi Dart dragster.
obvious advantage of being a safer venue than any street racing might provide. As it is, the strip is also a functioning airstrip, but there are already plans to add essential extra facilities for racers and spectators alike. Located in a sparsely populated area east of Palm Springs, there are no encroaching property developments anywhere near its borders, the very thing that closed so many So-Cal strips over the years. At time of writing, no dates have been announced, but it’s something to watch for if you are visiting the region.
Remember when every club produced its own newsletter (even the small local custom clubs), often produced on a typewriter, photocopied and then stapled together? We do,, though maybe with Facebookk pages and social media, they are rapidly becoming, or have e become, a thing of the past. We were recently pleasantly surprised however, to receive a copy of the V8 Telegraph, the official club magazine of the he Early Ford V8 Club in the UK. The small format, but full colour mag is nicely produced with good quality images and informative captions, plus plenty of show reports and general info for lovers of Henry’s venerable V8. Anything flathead V8 is covered, both American and British, and the autumn issue has articles on Commercial and Military vehicles as well as classic and modified Ford V8s. If you run an early V8, and you’re not yet a member, maybe you need to get with the programme! Contact membership secretary Toby Nevitte on 07982 421863 or at toby.nevitte@gmail.com for more details.
John Burleigh Utility Jeep.
Richard Heseltine
From
here to
obscurity
Jeep makeovers
Did we mention this month is a station wagon special?! Well, they say necessity is the mother of invention and that was most certainly true after the war in this country, when attempts were made to create this rather unattractive brace of wagons from ex-military Jeeps. Yikes!
T
his month’s instalment of American automotive weirdness has a decidedly British and wagon-like twist. It also encompasses more than one car, but there is a common denominator: the Willys Jeep and its Ford-made sibling. Scroll back to the end of the Second World War, and austerity measures ensured that there wasn’t an end to the ‘make do and mend’ mentality. Quite the opposite. Few people could afford a new car, not that showrooms were well-stocked anyway. As factories returned to ‘civilian’ manufacture, raw materials were allocated to firms which exported their wares; accordingly, there was little in the way of available stock at home, which ensured that used cars were highly prized; even an old banger that you otherwise wouldn’t look sideways at. The mid- to late-Forties did, however, witness a short-lived boom period for reconditioned or, more accurately, repurposed vehicles. Many of these used the Jeep as a basis. There were plenty of them about, after all, and several enterprising enthusiasts Carmichael Jeep conversion.
and businesses adapted them to suit non-military requirements. Perhaps the best-known converter, all things being relative, was London-based John Burleigh (Automobiles) Ltd. It began building ‘Woodie’ variants of Willys and Ford Jeeps in 1947, initially on standard wheelbase platforms. Two years later, it followed through with the Utility Jeep pictured here, which was that bit more ambitious. For starters, this newest strain featured a chassis lengthened by 508mm (20in), with the petrol tank relocated to the rear. According to promotional bumf from the period, ‘…the new model has an improved body of greater capacity. It is framed in ash and panelled with metal, and has bench-type seats. There is a single door on the right-hand side, and two doors on the lefthand side. The rear is removable and a tailboard is fitted.’ In many ways, this was a proto-SUV, the firm going so far as to give it more car-like styling. As to whether it was successful or not rather depends on your aesthetic sensibilities. And the price of this remodelled off-roader? It could have been yours for a not-inconsiderable £575 (that’s roughly £20k in new money). As to how many punters were tempted, your guess is as good as ours. The same goes for when operations ceased. As far as we can ascertain, that was around 1951-52. Of all the many home-brewed Jeep makeovers, perhaps the most extreme was that built by
Rear view of the Carm ichael Jeep conversion.
James C. Carmichael, an aircraft designer from Southampton. On January 1, 1947, he set about converting a Willys of indeterminate age to his own design. Distinct from the Burleigh and other ostensibly similar conversions, this one didn’t bear even trace elements of the factory outline. For starters, the bare body and wings were taken from a 1937 Chevrolet and chopped and reconfigured for this new application. This was quite an involved job, the tailboard and area around the rear window, for example, being fabricated from two Chevy doors which were cut ’n’ shut. What’s more, Carmichael and a friend built the car in just seven months. The only part they didn’t tackle themselves was the paint, with two coats of bronze being applied by a professional. It may not have been the most attractive of vehicles, but you cannot help but admire the can-do spirit evident here. As to what happened to the car subsequently, it’s all a bit of a mystery. We know of no Burleigh survivors, either, more’s the pity… ★
Richard Heseltine’s weird and wonderful American cars from the past.
Huw Evans
Across
the pond
WAGONS EAST! Evans looks at the enduring appeal of the traditional American station wagon…
T
here was a time, back in the late Eighties and Nineties, when traditional American station wagons were decidedly uncool. If you were a modern family on the move, your choice of wheels was either a Minivan or an SUV. Today, both these types of vehicles have become so ubiquitous on North American roads that if you drive anything else you are essentially making a statement. As far as station wagons go, they are almost non-existent in the North American market today. The last truly traditional American wagons were the B-Body Buick Roadmaster Estate Wagon, Chevy Caprice Estate and Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser, which bit the dust after the 1996 model year. Since then, the soft roader onslaught has meant that just about any manufacturer, even some European and Japanese makes which offered estate cars, have needed to add bigger tyres, body cladding and lifted suspension to turn them into pseudo-SUVs with names like Allroad or Outback. As for traditional station wagons, the wheel has come almost full circle. Drive a full-size Eighties or Nineties GM or Ford wagon today, and you’re making a statement. Drive something older and you’d be surprised at how much interest your car will generate at the local cruise night or car show. Even if you watch period Eighties TV shows over here − examples such as ABC’s The Goldbergs and CBS network’s Young Sheldon come to mind − a station wagon features quite prominently.
And why not? Besides their growing cool factor, traditional American station wagons were ruggedly built, many with full frames and sturdy rear-wheel-drive architecture. Most of them featured dependable V8 engines and sturdy transmissions. Parts commonality with other Detroit offerings, including big coupes and sedans, meant that just about any corner garage could service or fix them. Many had seating for six, seven or nine and could easily pull a decentsize camping trailer or boat behind them. Today, classic wagons can make for a great entry point into the hobby. Browse through the classifieds and you can net yourself a prime condition Eighties or Nineties GM or Ford wagon for four figures. Even older cars, such as those from the Sixties and Seventies, tend to go for significantly less in wagon form than their prized two-door coupe or convertible counterparts and are much rarer − chances are you won’t often see another one like it. My own fondness for American station wagons really developed about a decade ago. At that time Classic American was looking for a new hauler to replace its S-10 pick-up. Editor Ben Klemenzson contacted me and asked if I could help with the search. After a number of false starts, we finally found something suitable and it was a monster − a 1976 Buick Estate Wagon, 20ft long and weighing close to three tons. I remember picking it up in Saulte St Marie, where Michigan and Ontario meet at the edge of Lake Superior. It was a two-owner vehicle and
a survivor, boasting just 68,000 original miles. I made an offer, signed the papers and a couple of hours later the car was ready to roll. The drive back home was one of the most memorable road trips I can recall. It was a beautiful day and the big Buick just wafted along the road. Granted, its 455 cubic inch V8 fed by a Rochester Quadrajet meant fuel stops were frequent during the stateside summer of $4 per gallon petrol, but what a car! The stainless exhaust gave a nice rumble and the factory air conditioning worked like a charm, as did the much-maligned clamshell Glideaway tailgate found on 1971-76 big GM wagons. I thoroughly enjoyed having that car in my custody before it was shipped back to the UK and ever since then I’ve had a hankering for another one like it. When it comes to looking for a classic American station wagon to call your own, it pays to do your research. Many traditional American wagons led hard lives, being run into the ground or ending up on the demolition derby circuit, but even though the numbers have been culled significantly in the last two decades, good ones are still out there and can still be had for very reasonable money, provided you know where to look. Which reminds me, I’ve just been scanning through the classifieds again and found another 1976 Buick Estate Wagon, this one originally from California and finished in Buick Liberty White with Di-Noc wood panelling, roof rails and factory chrome wheels. I have to say, I’m sorely tempted… ★ Huw Evans – news & views from North America
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