Classic American 305 September 2016 preview

GHOSTBUSTERS DAN

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GURNEY

The man. The legend.

THE 'BIG' ISSUE BIG CARS | BIG ENGINES | BIG NAMES

American & ModiямБed section

Ringbrothers' 1966 Chevelle

1959 Cadillac Finest fins EVER?

PLUS STARS & STRIPES SHOW | RALLY OF THE GIANTS | CUSTOM HOT ROD SHOW

Contents September 2016

Regulars

Features

06 12 14 16 18 20 22 40 92 95 97 98 100 121 124 126

25 1976 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 32 1972 Mercury Marquis 43 1959 Cadillac 49 1968 Plymouth Fury III 57 Dan Gurney 63 Stars and Stripes 69 Rally of the Giants 75 Dragstalgia 80 Ghostbusters 86 Behind the Wheel 107 National Custom & Rod Show

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

American & Modified 112 Ringbrothers’ 1966 Chevrolet Chevelle

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Classic American

News

No more Chelsea Cruise? Image: Matt Richardson.

CONGESTION CHARGE TO HIT CLASSIC CARS

After Paris banned older cars from the city on July 1, London plans to exclude them by expanding new charging zones. Is this a ban in all but name?

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has announced a range of plans intended to reduce the capital’s air pollution.

Under these proposals, from the beginning of next year any car registered before January 2006 will have to pay an extra £10 to enter the London Congestion Charging Zone – already £11.50. And from 2020, charges will rise as a new Ultra Low Emissions Zone expands to the North and South Circular for cars, vans and motorcycles, and for the whole of London for buses, coaches and lorries.

While an outright ban on older cars is not currently part of the proposal, it will have the same effect for London residents who will be faced with paying £21.50 every time they get behind the wheel.

Some aspects of the London 2020 scheme are more draconian than the system in France’s capital.

Unlike Paris, there is to be no let-off at weekends, as the scheme is to apply 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And while Paris has recognised that classic cars will make up a tiny proportion of the city traffic and exempted those over 30 years old,

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London includes no such plans for exempting historic vehicles.

This raises obvious problems for London-based classic car events like the Chelsea Cruise, the Regent Street Motor Show, the Excel Classic Car Show and anything based at the Ace Cafe. Will every participant in the London to Brighton Veteran Car Run really be required to pay the ULEZ charge and the Congestion Charge for an event beginning at dawn on a Sunday in November?

Surprisingly recent cars will be affected. The London ULEZ will impose its charge on any petrol car failing to meet the Euro 4 standard; that’s the January 2006 cut-off mentioned above. For diesels, the cut off will be Euro 6 – that’s effectively September 1, 2015.

A ban on older cars was first proposed under the previous Mayor, Boris Johnson, in 2014. It drew organised protest and petitions from the historic car lobby. Clean air groups argue that efforts should be directed to reducing emissions of particulates and oxides of nitrogen from diesel engines, with little emphasis on any problem with the

quantity of older petrol-engined cars. In fact, the Institute for Public Policy Research thinks only a total diesel ban will get the job done: “This is a public health crisis and it should be ignored no longer,” said Harry Quilter-Pinner, a researcher at the IPPR. “Only bold action will make the capital’s air safe to breathe again. Analysis suggests Khan will ultimately need to phase out diesel cars and buses in order to reach legal compliance (with clean air standards).”

While the Euro 6 standard for private motorists should guarantee a reduction in diesel particulates (as long as manufacturers don’t fiddle the figures!), the most numerous diesel cars in London – taxis – are to be exempt from the charge.

The previous Mayor’s original proposals stated that taxis bought new from 2018 must be hybrids or Euro 6-compliant diesels, and then from 2020 all new taxis must be capable of running emissionsfree. Nonetheless, diesel cabs will theoretically carry on running until 2032, charge-free, under the current 15-year life limit for London’s cabs.

It’s not clear whether Sadiq Khan’s proposals duplicate these policies.

London’s buses, also a major contributor to diesel particulate pollution, will likewise be exempt but a commitment has been made to buy only hybrid or zero-emission double-deckers from 2018. But with an estimated 7000 of the 8600 buses in TfL’s fleet still running on diesel alone, it’s obvious a great many will still be running long after pre-2005 cars are charged to venture inside the city.

Classic American editor Ben Klemenzson hopes a sensible exemption can be established.

“Clean air in London is an important health issue, but it seems unfair that classic car owners should be penalised when their contribution to the problem is negligible. If you live inside the North or South Circular and own an old American car – or even if you just want to attend a central London meet on a summer evening – it looks like you’ll be charged every time. I believe all historic vehicles should be exempt from the charge, especially after 6pm and at weekends." NB

Photography: Jonathan Fleetwood Words: Nigel Boothman

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Fast Top

Here’s a rare sight – this ’68 Fury is a full-size, affordable alternative to some of the most famous Mopar muscle.

But what’s with that funky roofl fliine?

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Gurney driving Henry Ford’s 1902 race car.

Jim Maxwell salutes one of the most versatile racecar drivers in the history of auto racing: the legendary, multi-talented Dan Gurney…

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aniel Sexton Gurney − legendary racer, successful racecar manufacturer and championship team owner.

Gurney was the first to win races as a driver in the four major categories of motorsports: Grand Prix, Indy Car, Sports Car and NASCAR. All totalled, he raced in 303 events in 25 different makes of cars and won 48 different races, and finished on the podium an additional 41 times. At an early age he became infatuated with engines, reading about cars and ordering California Bill’s Hot Rod Manual which was advertised in car magazines. His grandfather, Frederick W Gurney, invented the radial-thrust angular-contact bearing in 1902, so an interest in things mechanical had long been running in his family lineage.

After the Gurney family moved to Riverside, California in 1948, 17-year-old Dan was in a great place; Southern California being a hot rod and motorcycle heaven. His early vehicles included a chop-top ‘32 Ford five-window coupe. In 1950 he drove his buddy Skip Gurney was known as ‘Handsome Dan’.

Hudson’s ‘29 Ford Roadster to a

130.43mph run at the Bonneville Salt Flats. He also ran at the dry lakes and the local drag strip in Santa Ana and was involved in his share of illegal street drag races: “I can recall getting out of bed one night and putting on a jacket over my pyjamas to race a hot-dog from another town.”

When he returned home from Army service in Korea in 1954, he got serious about automobile road racing. In 1955, he was racing in amateur events at places like Torrey Pines (San Diego), even though at that stage he had no idea how to do ‘heel and toe’ manoeuvres with the pedals.

Running around at high speeds at night on the dirt roads of Riverside he did, however, practise and learn the quick ways around corners.

In 1957 there was an opportunity to drive Calvin Bailey's Corvette at the new Riverside racetrack and he did well, winning two class trophies. His talent behind the wheel of that Corvette really put Gurney into the limelight in the LA sports car world. Also in 1957, he got a big break in his career when he caught the attention of a wealthy car owner named Frank Arciero who had a powerful, hard-to-drive and fast 4.91-litre Ferrari that Dan knew how to drive, winning at Paramount Ranch in December 1957. In 1958 he drove a Ferrari at Le Mans and Enzo Ferrari hired him to be a factory driver later that year, and in the three races he ran, he got a second, third and fourth place. By 1961, he was tied for third place in the world championship. ❯❯

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Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire

July 2 and 3,

2016

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Hugh Lewis, AACNW treasurer and ‘64 Pontiac Grand Prix.

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he Stars and Stripes show held in the grounds of one of Cheshire’s finest stately homes, Tatton Park, near the affluent town of Knutsford, is a firm favourite with American car fans of the north and North Wales. The event features lots of different attractions for visitors; everything from ‘pioneer recreationists’ who dress up as early American settlers and act out gun fights, to the by now ubiquitous Wall of Death.

There are lots of trade stands, selling everything from Army surplus, to chopper bikes and vintage picnic sets. A host of food and drink vendors, live music and of course row after row of display cars, bikes, military vehicles and big rigs make this the ultimate day trip destination for people who just fancy a day out at Tatton Park, but want to see something a bit more than just trees, deer or a stately home.

While dark, brooding skies on Saturday periodically opened up with big, fat, heavy rainbursts, Sunday was a totally different story.

The sunshine reigned supreme and the show field filled with cars and day trippers alike. Stars & Stripes is unique in that display cars have to be booked in advance, thus the organisers are almost guaranteed a decent turn out, even on rainy days like Saturday.

Rob Shepard's Jerrycan bar or ‘thirst aid kit’!

Always a good read!

Peter Griffiths’ amazing Cadillac flower car.

Lennard Funk and Mike Chong with stunning ‘65 Tri-power GTO.

Words & Photography: Ben Klemenzson

Martin Skipper’s remarkable ‘55 Packard.

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Santa Pod Raceway, Northamptonshire

July 16 and 17, 2016

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n the six short years that Dragstalgia has been on the calendar, the event has grown year on year to become a fantastic weekend’s celebration of UK drag racing history. Wet weather may have dampened the first two Dragstalgia events, but the conditions at Santa Pod Raceway for the track’s 50th anniversary this year could not have been better, meaning it was non-stop action all the way.

No matter what your favourite quarter-mile machines might be – slingshot dragsters, gassers, fuel altereds, drag bikes or muscle cars – there was plenty of everything to check out, both on the track and in the pits. Highlights included a large marquee displaying historic machinery from the early days of British drag racing, such as the restored Allard Chrysler dragster, the Commuter, an early Seventies dragster immortalised as a model by Corgi Toys, (probably before most of us kids even knew what a dragster was) plus others – pick your favourite!

Another marquee next door featured examples of survivor custom cars from way back; rare, as by nature, customised cars generally get makeovers with every new owner, until unrecognisable from their first incarnation. It’s cool that some of these iconic customs are now beginning to get restored too. ❯❯

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Vintage dragsters on display.

Words: Keith Harman Photography: John Kennedy, Keith Harman and Ben Klemenzson

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Darren Phillips and Cheryl King – 1940 Chevy Master Deluxe.

Peterborough Arena, Cambridgeshire

May 28 and 29, 2016

National Hot Rod & Custom Show I

t was Saturday, May 28 and Peterborough Arena’s gates were flung open for the start of the 2016 National Hot Rod & Custom Show.

Many of course had arrived earlier in the week to set up camp and prep their show cars for the weekend’s judging and perhaps if they were lucky a chance to enjoy some sunny weather...

Surely with five months of 2016 nearly gone we must be in for some summer sunshine – thankfully we were, as Mother Nature put on her sun hat. ❯❯

The three amigos.

Words & Photography: John Kennedy

Ford CoE truck.

Barn-fresh Charger.

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Photo credit: GM

Classic American GloveBox Guide III!

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elcome to the 2016 Glovebox Guide.

This user-friendly indispensable guide has been created with any and every American vehicle owner in mind and is in two formats: firstly an alphabetical listing of each and every business that we’re aware of related to American vehicles and secondly a listing according to business type. So whatever type of business you’re looking for, you’ll find the information right here!

The idea behind the Glovebox Guide is to create an exhaustive resource to all the services and businesses that are related to the American automotive and associated markets; from dealers to garages to parts suppliers and much, much more. It’s been designed in a format that should fit in the glovebox of any American vehicle, but really you can keep it anywhere: office, garage, or desk drawer.

People often call Classic American the bible of the American car scene in the UK and this is a description we take very seriously indeed – so it’s fitting then to create this all-encompassing directory which we think users will find indispensable. As always we appreciate feedback from readers, as well as advertisers – so if you have any suggestions on ways in which we can improve the Glovebox Guide next year, let us know!

Full Listings by business type Pages 4-20

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Pages 18-19

Full A-Z Listings Pages 22-32

EDITORIAL ADDRESS

CLASSIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ

PRINTING

William Gibbons & Sons Wolverhampton

WEBSITE

www.classic-american.com © Mortons Media Group Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the publisher.