Ben Klemenzson
View point
DEFINITE LY, MAYBE, NOT !
Oh boy,did Ikick ahornet’snest when Iraised the question of electric cars in Classic American.Don’t worry, Iwasn’tseriously contemplating flling the pagesofyour favourite American car magazine with Teslas or,God forbid, RenaultZoes… No, rather sometimes Ihaveahunch about something (i.e. our readers would rather eat broken glass thanread about electric cars!) and Ijust put it outthere to gauge whether my instinct is correct… which in this case was bang on themoney
Idon’tthink we’veever had so many letters and emails on asubject.Asareader of this magazine you’ll note that electric cars haveveryrarely made an appearance other than theodd resto-modFifties rat-look with an electric drivetrain and the recently introduced electric Ford F150. Of course, with Donald Trump back in offceitlooks like the push for electric has now been thrown into reverse and the
good news for us petrolheads is that may well mean astay of execution for some of our favourite petrol V8-powered vehicles forthe time being.
This month’smagazine features our usual cornucopia of American cars, with everything from aFord Model T, all the way up to an Eighties Cadillac… and no electric cars!
It’salways good to get feedbackfrom readers, so if you haveany other topics or requests, just drop me an email. Classic American is, after all, your magazine, so you get to choose the content!
bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk
Ben Klemenzson, editor
Image: Gary Chapman
nzson, editor
E DITOR Ben Klemenzson bklemenzson@mor tons.co.uk
DESIGN Druck Media Pvt.
CONTRIBUTORS
Geoff Car verhill, Jon Cass, Richard Coney, Huw Evans, Gar yChapman,Richard Heseltine, Jeff Koch, James Maxwell, Des Penny,Will Shiers, Zack Stiling, Mar tin Mumford
PRODUCTION EDITOR
Pauline Hawkins
PUBL ISHER TimHar tley
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CAR SHOWSEASON KICKS OFF! Classic NewAmericans
Ready,steady… Go! Well, arguably it haskicked off already,with the NSRA’sSouthern Swap Meet having taken place the frst Sunday in March at North Weald. Youcan read all about that on pages 76-79.
Classic American contributor Zack Stiling headed across the Channel to what is arguably the frst classic event of the year,Retromobilein Paris, which is mercifully held indoors and which you can also read about on pages 80-83.
And this month sees the Classic American events listings ‘Blue Pages’ (pages 72-75) absolutely chock-a-block with shows and events all over the UK, so you can start planning your show season for the coming year.
CaroftheYear rolls into 2025!
It’sb ack and bigger th an ever.T he 2025 Car of the Ye ar competition kicks off on Good Friday,A pril 18 at the Surrey Str eet Rodde rs’ Wheels Day Show,h eld at Newbur yS howground, Thatcham, Berkshi re. Any car is eligible for entr y, there’sn of ormal entr y process. It just needs to be nice and original, or restored to original spec
a nd attending at one the qualify ing show so r events which are he ats. Listed here are the six heats of this y ear’ss eri es, w h i ch a re su b j e ct t of nal confrmation, and the dates of the Classic Motor Show at which the winne rw ill be chosen, so watch out for the fnal details of this year’sc ompetition in ne xt month’se dition!
Car of the Year 2017, 1967 FordMustang
Car of theYear 2018 1957 Dodge Custom Royal
Car of the Year 2019 1955 Dodge with owners John &Charmaine Miller
Car of the Year Heats andFinals 2025
1. April 18, Wheels Day –Newbury Showground, Berks.
2. June 15, Custom &American Show –Beaulieu, Hants.
3. July 6-7, Stars &Stripes Show –Tatton Park, Cheshire.
4. July 19-20, AACUK Summer Nats –Upton-on-Severn, Malvern, Worcs.
5. July 18-20, Mopar Nats. –Santa Pod Raceway, Northants.
6. August 3, Rally of the Giants –Stonor Park, Oxon.
7. November 7-9, Classic Motor Show –NEC Birmingham.
Car of the Year Roll of Honour
2010 –1965 Ford Mustang, Rob Woodall
2011 –1969 Camaro Z/28, Gavin Shaw
2012 –1958 Chrysler 300D, Dave Barlow
2013 –1950 Buick Super,David & Lorraine Carr
2014 –1940 Packard 1801 Deluxe Club Coupe, Thom & GerryBrouillard
2015 –1970 Plymouth Barracuda, Steve Hurd
2016 –1966 Chevrolet Corvette, John Mayes
2017 –1967 Ford Mustang, Laura Meeks
2018 –1957 Dodge
Custom Royal Lancer,Gary Sanders
2019 –1955 Dodge
Custom Royal Lancer,John Miller
2022 –1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville, Steve Sullivan
2023 –1966
Chevrolet Corvette, StuartCurtis
2024 –1960 Buick Invicta, Colin Shepherd
Carofthe Year 2022, 1958 CadillacSedan DeVille
Carofthe Year 2023, 1966 ChevroletCorvette
Car of the Year 2024, 1960 Buick Invicta
Car of the Year Winner2018 Gary Sanders
AUCTI ON WATCH
HISTORICS’ SYMPHONY OF SPRING
Ascot Racecourse
March 1, 2025
Historics’ opening auction of the year kicked off at the delightful venue of Ascot Racecourse and featured a diverse range of American vehicles, as you can see on these pages. Funnily enough, the vehicle which one would haveimagined would have been snapped up, the Fifties FordF1pickup, didn’tfnd abuyer…
1988 Jeep Wagoneer
Sold: £21,164
Registered new in 1988, this Jeep Wagoneer came from Texas until 1994, when it was exported to Japan. Residing in Japan for some 22 years, the Wagoneer was later imported to the UK in June 2016. Since import the Jeep has had twoformer keepers, with its currentvendor being an avid car collector.The paintworkis
1965 FordThunderbird
Offered without reser ve
Sold: £4290
Body text: What do we havehere? Well, it’s certainly unlike any Thunderbird of this era we’ve seen before. The rear end treatment is certainly an acquired taste, althoughprobably easily returned to stock. Likewise, painting the whole front black is an interesting move. If you could source agood, solid clean front and back for this car from adry statejunk yard,itcould be a relatively easy fx.
First registered in 1965, this rather forlorn T-bird was imported to the UK in 2019 and
has had two owners since. Fitted with a390cu in V8, it has recently benefted from ‘a light recommission’ according to Historics, who also go on to say it’s“asolid drivable project, perfect for an enthusiast to further improve and enjoy The rear lights, which are currently ‘upgraded’ to LED unitsprovide acustom look but the original lights are also supplied with the car”. With an interior as crustylooking as the outside, if it is mechanically sound and doesn’trequire a fortune spending on it,then someone may have got abargain for just over£4k.
described to be in ‘excellent condition’ and with only minor blemishes. Likewise, theinterior is in great shape, having been treated to an extensive renovationtwo years ago which saw the interior completely restored
Fitted with new tyres allround,alongwithan upgraded exhaust,this Wagoneer is reported to run and drive verywell and has been used
on multiple long journeys. Always drystored in the current vendor’sownership, this Jeep has even been treated to astage 2polish and ceramic coating costing more than £800. These Wagoneers go for big money in the States now, with some listed on eBay north of $90k,soifthis Jeep is as nice as it looks, then someone did well snagging it for £21k.
Interior was refurbed and looks like new.
Engine is an AMC-derived 360cu in V8.
Rear end is …errr… different!
Crustyinterior just needs agood clean.
1997 Hummer H1 Civilian open top
Sold: £58,344
First registered in the USA in April 1997, the Hummer H1 on offer here was exported to Germany in 2008 before fnding its way to the UK in May of 2022. Presented in black, with black soft top hoodand interior,the H1 Civilian was supplied withcreaturecomforts the Army wouldn’thave had the beneft of.Air conditioning, electric windows, central locking and CD stereo were all ftted from new. The interior seatsfolddown, makingthe interior as versatile as theexterior.Sittingona setof 20-inchalloywheels shod with aggressive offroadtyres, this H1 is supplied with therare and desirable 5.7-litre petrol V8, this monster of a vehicle apparently makes an incredible sound. Itsoldfor arespectable £58k and there’ll be no missingthe owner in this setofwheels!
1952 FordF-1 pick-up
Estimate £21,000-£26,000 (not sold)
This F-1 pick-up has been beautifully restored to averygood standard according to Historics. The vendor purchased the vehicle in 2011 as aproject, then spent anumber of
years ensuring workwas carried out to high standards. The bodywork shows no sign of corrosion and the red coachworkappearstohave been done to averyhigh standard. The interior has been retrimmed and is blemish free. The pick-up bed
2000PlymouthProwler
Estimate £24,000-£28,000 (not sold)
Another non-sellerwas this Plymouth Prowler,which is the only example in theworld to be customised by theworldfamous customcar artistWilliam ‘Bill’ RoellofOhioHeat Flames USA.This rare modelfeatures Midnight Blackcoachwork with slate grey leather interior. It hasfactoryftted chrome wheels, Tiptronic gearbox, air
hasnew wood andisunmarked. The engine is presumably aChevy stove-bolt six-cylinder in-line unit and presumably amanual threespeed transmission. These pick-ups are verypopularwith the travelling community,soit’sa surprise it didn’t
sell, but perhaps itsagricultural mechanics which are not very suited for modern driving and its immaculate presentation (ironically!) mean it’sa bit of acurate’segg. Too nice to fll with rubbish for the tip and not great on motorways…
conditioning, cruise control and atop-notch factorysound system. This Plymouth has awell-documented service historywhich records arecent major service including anew cambelt, water pump and tyres. Why didn’titsell? Who knows, but aProwler is an acquired taste and with an ‘out there’ paint job to boot, it obviously just didn’tfnd the love it deserves…
J-Engine is a ‘stove-bolt’ straight-six.
Tuck ‘n’ roll white and redinterior is fun.
USAutomotive: asupplierof many parts!
USAutomotive will be aname familiar to most American car enthusiasts, havingbeen in business since 1997, and becominga leading UK supplier of parts for American vehicles, both classic andmodern.
With aspeciality in being able to identify and source quality parts, often hard to fnd, from leading US suppliers, and supply through aseamless deliveryprocess ata preagreed price, the company has become the frst choice for many Americancar enthusiasts. Its recently launched new website covers the historyofthe business and highlightsthe breadth of quality parts supplied.
Check out the enthusiastic and passionate staff members and takealook at some of thecustomer projects they have beenable to support, as well as their own spectacular vehicles. Regular updates will include new product news, discounted clearance products and aregularly refreshed customerproject section.
Contact them on 01234 273155 if you would like to see your vehicle featured, and visit the website at www.usautomotive.co.uk
HIT THE BEACH… RACE THEWAVES
Bridlington will once again becomea paradise for petrolheads this summer.From June12to15 the east coast seaside town will host Race theWaves –abeach race weekend full of drag racing drama
It’sone of the few vintage motoringevents of its kind in the UK with two days of social gatherings topped off with two days of ‘racing the waves’ along the beautiful South Beach. Typically, the one-eighth of amile races are started by alady waving achequered fag. The racers can either opt to organise themselves or arrive at thestarting line and go with the fow. Gentlemanly behaviour is paramount for these ‘grudge races’ and after a full weekend’sracing everyone returns home as awinner.The event’s‘manonthe microphone’ Graham Beckwith will fll the sea air with hisvast array of anecdotes from the UK’sdrag racingscene, along with thedetails of therunnersand riders.
The number ofraces each day is huge, with little time between each fall of the fag. Cars and vehiclesleave the starting line in pairs, while motorcycles leaveingroups of four or
GAS Bash is back!
GAS Bash is back for 2025, and it’sset to be even bigger and better than last year.Itwill be held on Monday,June 30, the day after Dragstalgia. After the successoflast year’s event, Goodale American Speedshop is pleased to announce entries are now open for themost exciting private Bracket competition of the year! Spectators and competitorsare invited to make along weekendofDragstalgia,staying on site to catch the action at the GAS Bash on the Monday Bracket competitionentries areopen to all race classes at Dragstalgia, and pre-1985 door cars, that ft within the8.90-14.50 index. That
means youcan enter withyour Outlaw Anglia, Wild Bunch slingshot, your Gasser or muscle car from the UK Nostalgia Superstock and Nostalgia Eliminator classes, to name just afew.At £150 to enter,you’ll be in withachance to win some great prizes fromGoodale American Speedshop, plus awhole host of goodies that will be given away on the day. Another option is the £100 testand tune entry open to vehicles manufactured in any year.Withplenty of private track time available in between Bracket rounds, youcan really spend some time in the seat. Emailchris@fgoodale.co.ukfor the booking form and more information.
fve.International interest is keen too, with entries accepted from Europe and even one arrival fromthe US. The 2025 race entryopened on December 31,2024 and was oversubscribed by mid-January. Race the Waves draws on an eclectic mix of infuences from the earliest UK Motoring Speed Trials held on the Yorkshire beaches from 1905,tothe post-war American desert and street drag races.
Cars/vehicles andmotorcycles are, in the main, of American andEuropean manufacture, with cars from the 1920s-1960s and motorcycles from the 1920s to the mid-1970s. Accompanying the two-day beach races are two auto shows, one above the beach on aclosed road and asecond around the lifeboat station on the promenade. Along the promenade and overlooking the beach anumber of traders will support the event by keeping the food anddrinks fowing. The whole weekend eventisfree to attend for visitors andsupported by theEast Riding of Yorkshire Council Tourism Dept, VisitEast Yorkshire.
HALSPERLICH, 1929-2025
Jeff Koch remembers the man responsible for Mustang, Fiesta and Chrysler’s minivans, Hal Sperlich, who died aged 95 in Detroit in January…
Hal Sperlich is one of the most quietly infuential car industrynames that you’ve probablynever heard of. During his 30-plus years in theauto industry,with Ford and Chrysler,Sperlich brought game-changing vehiclestothe world’s highways, like the Ford Mustang and Fiesta, and Chrysler’sminivans.
Born in Detroit in 1929, Sperlich obtained a degree in Industrial Mechanical Engineeringfrom the UniversityofMichigan in 1951. Heenlisted in the US Navy to serve during the Koreanconfict; by 1957 he wasinFordMotor Company’s Product Planning and Engineering department. By 1960, Ford Division vice-president Lee Iacoccamade Sperlich his special studies manager –discovering that atidal wave of postwar baby boomers were coming of drivingage. Sperlich wanted Ford to build asmall,affordable, stylishcar that appealed to these new drivers.
But anything sporty in those dayshad an upscale price tag that wouldn’tworkfor underemployed kids. Sperlich took aim at the compact Falcon platform, telling Motor Trend Classic in 2013 that “it was agood car on agreat platform –lightweight, effcient, and low cost But everybody said it was ridiculous to tryto do a sporty,attractive, fun car for the youth market off something as dull as that Falcon.”
Strapped with apaltry$75 million budget, Sperlich worked with Ford engineers to reproportion the Falcon while still using itsinner body to save money.The result, Mustang, sold more than 400,000 copies in its frstyear, becomingthe world’sfastest-selling car,and creating the ‘pony car’ segment –marketing shorthand for astylish, sporty-looking, reasonably priced 2+2.
By 1971, Sperlich was vice-president of Truck Operations, but he would soon be dispatched to Europe to sort out Ford’s frst transverse-engined, front-wheel-drivecar.The B-segment prototype (codenamed Bobcat)was ready in nine months, and by the summer of’76,Fiestawas making waves of its own. Back in the States, Sperlich had ahand in developing both of Ford’smid-size rear-drive Fox (Fairmont, Mustang et al) and Panther (Ford LTDetal) platforms.
Even so, Sperlich’smind whirled,merging concepts from his last two Ford postings: effcient little cars and big American trucks. His idea was avan thatcould be garaged, with alow foor and afront-drive powertrain to maximise interior space. His people-mover idea, known as Mini-Max, never left Ford’sstyling studio: convincing HenryFord II to build an all-new vehicle, in an untested market, in apoor infation-wracked economy,proved impossible. Sperlich pushed the idea once toooften, and was dismissed from Ford in 1977.
He soon moved to theailing Chrysler Corporation and wasnamed vice-president of product planning and design. His idea to switch to front-wheel-drive (and better fuel economy,onthe cusp of asecond fuel crisis) was quickly approved by management,and became known as Chrysler’sK-cars. Despitefirting with bankruptcy,and obtaining $1.5billionin
government loans to keep thecompany afoat, Chrysler’sfront-drivepush launched in the fall of1980 withthe DodgeAries and Plymouth Reliant. With a$4995 base price, compact footprint, promised seating for six and good fuel effciency,the K-twins were eagerly snapped up by theAmerican public.
By the spring of 1983, Sperlich’slong-gestating minivan concept arrived. With the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager,Chrysler had another game-changing smash-hitonits hands; the company soon owned America’scompact people-mover market. Chrysler was soon awash in cash andpaid back its government loans –with interest –years ahead of schedule. The Kplatform underpinned thebulkofChrysler Corporation’sdomestic front-drive product into the 1990s. Sperlich would be named president of Chrysler North American Operations in 1981, and eventually president of Chrysler in 1984.
During those cash-rich years Sperlichled early development of Chrysler’sLHcars (Dodge Intrepid, et al) and the 1994 Dodge Ram pick-ups, which would once again change Chrysler’sfortunes. He also oversaw the creation of the Chrysler TechnologyCenter in Auburn Hills, which brought thecompany’stechnical operations under one roof. He retired from Chrysler in 1988, leaving thecompany in far better shape than when he found it. ★
Quietly infuential: Hal Sperlich (Image: FordMotor Co)
960 FordFalcon and 1965 Mustang.
1960 FordFalcon and 1965Mustang
1980 FordFiesta
1981 Dodge Aries K-car
1984 Dodge Caravan minivan.
K-car based
RICHARD MLANGWORTH CBE, 1941-2025
News
Sad news reached Classic American on February22 of the death two days earlier of the prolifc author Richard Langworth at the age of 83.
Richard was one of the veryfew American citizens to be awarded the CBE and was averymodest but charming and charismatic individual.
Many readers of ClassicAmerican will have at least one of his books, the frst of whichwas thehistory of Kaiser-Frazer, the upstart independent challenger to the Big Three USA automakers, formed after the Second World War. The book was published in 1975 under the title Last Onslaught on Detroit As Richard admitted later (with the beneft of hindsight), there have been many other ‘onslaughts’ since those days, as we all know
He was immensely proud of that frst book, just as most of us would recall with affection the frst car or classic car we had owned. After he
obtained the commissiontowrite it, he said –most unusually –that there was no deadline imposed on him for publication, and Iimagine that the research must have taken many years. But at that time, many of the key players at various levels in the former company were still alive.
Remember,1975 was only 30 years after Kaiser-Frazer was formed, so he met and interviewed agreat many of the key personnel, not just those right at the top. This in itself marked adifferent approach to automotive history, when it was often the case that only the heads of the car manufacturing business were to form part of the written history. Thus, it madefor a fascinatingaccount of the frmand whyitfailed in the end
But Richard will be closely associated with the Packard marque where he edited The Packard Club’squarterly journal for25 years, in between writingsome 60 books andmanythousands of articles about othercar marques… and Winston Churchill, of which more anon! He owned alate 1940s Packardofthe notorious
‘pregnant elephant’type,which he nicknamed ‘Fat Albert’. He also liked Triumph cars and co-wrote the frst history of that marque in 1979. At the time, Richard was living in New Hampshire, New England, USA, but later also spent timein his summer home in the Bahamas. But before that he was editor of the prestigious journal Automobile Quarterly,which was unusual at the time for its quality of articles on cars from throughout the world (and its hardback format).
But there was another side of Richard that was notaswell-known to classic car enthusiasts, and that was his admirationfor and writing books about WinstonChurchill, who he often managed to include when writing about cars too. In the late Sixties he had founded what later became the International Churchill Society and he was the author of several books on the great man. Therefore in 1998, he was created aCommander of the Most Excellent Order of theBritishEmpire (or CBE for short) by ourlateQueen for his services to Anglo-American understanding and thememory of
Bud Juneau of The PackardClub presentingRichard Langworth with the George Weiss awardin2001.
Richardrelaxingat home in 2023.
WinstonChurchill. This is just one rung belowaknighthood. Richard is survived by his wife Barbara, his son Ian and his grandchildren, Michael and Aiden. John Bath
Richard
Heseltine From obscurity here to
WThe Cord8/10… or should that be the ‘CordVair’?!
Glenn Pray Cord 8/10
Richard Heseltine unearths anotherweirdand wonderful offeringfromthe annals of American automotive archives, this timea Cord ‘tribute’fromthe Sixties!
henisa replicanot areplica? When it’s aCord 8/10. Scroll back to the mid1960s and the faux classics movement wastiny. Therehad been afew attempts, not least the Surrey ‘CurveDash’ Oldsmobileclone, while Brooks Stevens had by now ushered in the Excalibur line of Mercedes lookalikes, but the concept of anew ‘old’ car was still anovel one. One of the less well-remembered trailblazersfor the movement was Glenn Pray,aschoolteacher from Oklahoma and Cordobsessive who had owned and restored several carsprior to acquiring the Auburn-Cord-Duesenberg Company
He did so having leveraged himself to the hilt. Nevertheless, he then set about reviving the Cord nameplate andcreatingavariation on the ‘coffn-nose’ 810 model. He embarked on the project in 1963, operating out of aformer pickle factoryinBroken Arrow,Oklahoma, wherehe reimagined the front-wheel-drive, pre-war great with input from the original car’s stylist,Gordon Buehrig. The legendarydesigner suggested using Chevrolet Corvair running gear.The straightsix that was slung behind the rear axleon the much-maligned Corvair was sited upfrontinits
new application. It was allied to the donorcar’s transaxle thatwas turned around and usedto power the front wheels.
Tooling up for asteel body was always going to be prohibitive, but intothe breach stepped the US Rubber Company.Itwas looking fora means of promoting itsnewfangled Expanded Royalite ABS compositematerial and the frm agreed to pay forthe constructionofprototypes, plus jigs and mouldsfor production cars. It remains unrecorded as to how much it sunk into the scheme,but it unquestionablygarnered plenty of publicity. The new8/10–socalled because it was roughly eight-tenths thesize of the 810 that inspired it –was launched in 1964 amid much hoopla.
Popular Mechanics testedone of the prototypes and reported in Novemberof that year: ‘The Royalite body has two special advantages. One is its immunity to winter salt (orocean spray for that matter). Then thereisits repairability. The whole moulding operation is impressive. So is the car.Would-be owners who have spent their time on thewaiting list –and laid $4000-plus on the line –should be very happy with it.’
However,despite largely positive press, the scheme soon unravelled. Pray made 97 cars–six of them prototypes –before the rights were sold. Anew outftinitiated an unfortunate restyle and sold afurther 13 cars in 1967 under the SAMCO Cord Warriorbanner.Asfor Pray,heoffered a raft of reproduction Auburns before the Sixties was over, in additiontorestoring original cars. He remained aconstant in Auburn and Cord circles until his deathin2011, although it was best not to use the term‘replica’ in his presence. He maintained that he had acquired the rights to the marques and,assuch, hiscars were the real thing rather than mere facsimiles.
Across the pond
California, CARB and classic cars
Evansdiscusses regulation on vehicleemissions and how it’s creating more problems than it solves on the West Coast…
For decades, America’sGolden State was seen as the benchmark of everything great about the country. Good weather,massive economic power,majorcultural infuence and living standards that were the envyofmany places in the world were just some of California’s attributes. The state was also the epicentrefor car culture and is recognised as the birthplace of the hotrod andcustom car movement. Yeteven back in the glorydays of the 1950s and 1960sthere were signs of trouble on the horizon. One was the growing smog haze, caused by the formation of oxides of nitrogen. Over time, in places like the LosAngeles basin, the issue of air qualitybecame of such concern that it led to the formation of the California Air ResourcesBoard (CARB).
Over the last fve decades CARB, followed by theUSfederal Environmental Protection Agency, began regulating automobile exhaustemissions. While many of those early efforts have brought about huge improvements in air qualitytoday, CARB and the state legislature are causingall kinds of problems. These range from aggressive zoning restrictions that prevent the building of new housing, to water shortages and frequent energy blackouts, as well as rampant homelessnessand crime, driven by exorbitant taxes,regulations and high living and business expenses.The state hasalso beennotoriously heavy handed when it comes to transportation, particularly for thosethat drive older vehicles. Its smog testing regulations (required for 1976 and newer model year vehicles everytwo years) are some of the mostrestrictive in the world,asare regulations that dictatehow vehicles are repaired and restored.
For classic car owners, an additional bone of contentionrevolvesaround discussion of CARB
proposing Zero EmissionsZones (likethose seen in the UK, aroundLondon). At thetime of writing, California still had an aggressive goal of achieving net-zero emissionsacross the state by 2045. Last August, CARB sent out asur vey asking owners of classic vehicles in the state (1978 model yearand older) about how they use their vehicles. While it wasjust a study,there is concern that CARB andthe state will take thatinformation to help create these special zero emissionszones andthat classic car owners will likely be restricted or penalised from driving their vehicles within these zones. Some environmentalists have, for alongtime, argued thatclassic cars are gross polluters, frequently ignoringthe fact that most are ver ywell maintained andonly driven alimited number of miles ayear.Emissionsfrom these vehicles represents afraction of the total vehicle feet, not to mention other emissionsproducers such as large commercial aircraft, private jets and boats.
Exactly howand to what extent thesezero emissions zone regulations will materialise remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it falls in line with thestateconsistently being abastion for aggressiveenvironmental policies, which have mushroomed in scope, particularly over the past decade. There are signs,however, that things might be slowly changing. On the commercial trucking front,CARB had imposed itscontroversial Advance Clean Fleets (ACF) regulation, which would require all new commercial trucks sold in the state to be zero emissions by 2042, following on fromits mandate that all new passenger cars and light trucks be zero emissionsby2035. However,
literally days beforePresident Trump was reelected to the WhiteHouse in January, CARB announced it was no longer seeking awaiver from theEPA to enforceACF.The trucking industrybreathed asighofrelief, and with the Trump administrationintent on rolling back many ‘green’ initiatives, including subsidies for EVs, there could be more changes ahead. A lack of subsidies is likely to be abig setbackfor electric vehicle adoption, which still represents a fraction of the totalvehicle parc.
During his frst term, President Trump took aim at CARB, specifcallyatthe agency’sability to set vehicle emissions standards independent of the federal government.Itislikely that during his second term, he will do that again. If the Trump administrationsucceeds, it is verylikely that the outcome could severely weaken CARB’s ability to enforce itsown emissions regulations, which increasingly are being seen as more politically focused,rather than promoting clean air standardsfor the beneft of residents within the state.
Furthermore, restricting classic car usage (if it should come to pass) has the potential to impact aperformance and restoration industry that contributes around $336 billion eachyear to the US economy (many businesses within that sector are currently headquartered in the Golden State). Furthermore, with California facing serious state revenue declines and a$68 billion defcit (as of 2024-25),plus an ongoing exodus of people and capital out of the state, penalising and over-regulating acore part of amulti-billiondollar industryissomething that only adds to California’sgrowing list of problems, as opposed to actually reducing them. ★
1962 Chevy Impala California Lowrider (credit: Huw Evans)
Huw Evans
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