yximnmmo4fa magzus.org by Thomas Swift

PERFECTLY PRESERVED PLYMOUTH 1955 BELVEDERE

? I M E H AUGUST 2022 ISSUE 376

BEAULIEU ROD AND CUSTOM SHOW

RARE HAULER 1946 HUDSON PICK-UP

NT RELUCTATION RESTORA

LATEST

CAR OF THE YEAR

■ AMERICAN CAR SHOWS & EVENTS LISTINGS ■ HUNDREDS OF CARS FOR SALE

Ben Klemenzson

Viewpoint

GENTLY DOES IT

ack in the Sixties Ford marketed its Mustangs to the new ﬁnancially independent and liberated young women of the time with six-cylinder engines. The somewhat paternalistic/ chauvinistic view in Dearborn was that women didn’t care about the oily stuff under the bonnet, so six-cylinder cars were ideal for them. Frugal, economic and easy to handle, tame even; they were the so-called ‘Secretary Six’ cars and even marketed as such. Why am I telling you this? Because our old Falcon project runs such an engine and while its lack of a V8 has in the past made it seem a bit blousy and not a ‘proper’ American

car, the reality is that six-cylinder engines were easily as popular with buyers as V8s, particularly at the smaller/cheaper end of the scale. And with the current price of fuel, that six-cylinder car is getting a heck of a lot more use than its big block, 455cu in Olds Cutlass stablemate. Of course, not everyone is able to switch to a car that’s a little less thirsty, but how you drive it makes a big difference too. I’ve always joked how I drive like a little old lady and I think part of that has always been trying to eke out the best mileage I can from (usually) thirsty big V8 engines, whether it was the old Seventies Buick Estate wagon we had on the

magazine or the more recent V8-powered Jeep Grand Cherokee. I tend to coast, not brake, always use the cruise control on the motorway and accelerate gently. Top speed? – 65mph and always with correctly inﬂated tyres, no junk in the trunk and regular servicing for maximum MPG. Fuel prices might be through the roof, but we can always squeeze a few extra MPG, right?!

Ben Klemenzson, editor bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk

classic-american.com 3

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Kingstown’s Mark Cowley (left) hands over the trophy.

Classic American

News

KINGSTOWN SHIPPING CAR OF THE YEAR ROUND TWO WINNER Despite apocalyptic weather forecasts of torrential rain, it actually held off and was even sunny at this year’s Beaulieu Hot Rod & Custom Show, where the second heat of the Kingstown Shipping Car of the Year competition was held (you can read our full report on this event starting on page 73). Finding a winner wasn’t too difficult with lovely vehicles like this 1967 Dodge 440 dotted around the show field. And if you think this car looks familiar, that’s because we featured it back in our December 2019 issue (CA344). Owner Mike Nash had been contemplating selling it (we all know that itchy-car-feet feeling right?!) but will definitely be hanging on to it now that he’s got to the grand finals at the Classic Motor Show held at the NEC, Birmingham over the weekend of November 11-13. The car makes a great family cruiser and wife Diane and kids Benjamin and Summer love it as part of the family. Although not a lot is known about the car’s history in the States, it’s believed to have belonged to an ex-Chrysler employee, who obviously loved the car and looked after it, something which is apparent to this day in its current magnificent condition.

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Power comes from a very clean 360cu in motor hooked up to Chrysler’s legendary bulletproof 727 Torqueﬂite transmission. For many this is the year Dodge really got the ‘look’ right on their B-body cars; with their mid-century modern cantilevered C-pillars and razor-style grilles, this is quite the handsome beast. Make sure you come and check it out on the Classic American stand at the NEC this November, where it will be accompanied by all the other ﬁnalists!

Check out those gorgeous C-pillars.

Accepting the award. Inset: Dodge is a ﬁrm family favourite.

Son Benjamin and the Dodge.

Steve Sullivan hard at work polishing.

1958 Cadillac wins ﬁns ‘n’ chrome class at London Concours Another familiar face, or car rather, is this 1958 Cadillac Sedan De Ville belonging to Steve Sullivan which was part of the ﬁns and chrome category display at the London Concours at the end of June. Steve has fully restored this car himself over several years and the attention to detail in every aspect of it, from the engine bay to the interior, chrome work and even the grille (parts of which he hand manufactured himself) is quite extraordinary. Judging the class were Sarah Bradley, Ben Klemenzson and Matt Allen from Adrian Flux, who along with Classic American sponsored the class. Other cars participating in the display included previous feature cars like Mark Sumpter’s 1960 Chrysler 300F and Rick Skett’s 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air and three

Award time.

stunning convertibles from the Homan collection: a 1956 Packard Caribbean, 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz and a 1958 Mercury Park Lane. Watch out for a full report on this perfectly polished prestigious event in next month’s magazine!

Being interviewed.

classic-american.com 7

SHOW REPORT

Paul Wells’ 1958 Olds 98 won Best in Show.

BRISTOL AMERICAN CAR SHOW

Keynsham, Somerset June 5, 2022 Words and photography: Mike Renaut

ith torrential rain forecast – that thankfully never arrived – a number of owners evidently weren’t prepared to risk getting their classic cars wet to attend Pre’50 American Auto Club’s event, instead opting for moderns. But for the many who did take a classic they found a friendly, well organised and still busy show held at a new venue, Keynsham Rugby Football Club, that’s easier to get to and has arguably better access for larger vehicles. The show ﬁeld was almost full by mid-morning with a few stragglers rolling in at midday. While there were some familiar faces – and a few cars previously featured in Classic American – a handful of cars also debuted at the event. One such was Paul Wells’ 1958 Oldsmobile 98 (watch out for a feature on this fantastic car in an upcoming issue). Having just ﬁnished its extensive restoration Paul was then delighted to win the Best in Show prize. In spite of being called the Pre-’50 Club, in fact the club caters to any American vehicle over 25 years old and the show welcomes all American vehicles old and new. Indeed, a display of modern police cars particularly intrigued the crowd. This all-inclusive get-together welcomes hot rods and customised cars as well as bikes, military vehicles and there’s an area set aside for non-American classic cars too. See www.pre50aac.com or the Pre50 American Auto Club Facebook page for more info on the club and future events.

A rare 1946 Hudson with Australian Ruskin bodywork.

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1958 Edsel Pacer in a very attractive colour scheme.

Police cars on display included Chargers, Magnums and Crown Vics. 1970 Plymouth Custom Suburban wagon was largely original.

classic-american.com 9

1949 Dodge Wayfarer coupe meets 1949 Buick Roadmaster sedan.

One of a pair of top-quality lowrider 1965 Cadillacs on display.

Mild custom 1965 Ford Galaxie had LTD trim package.

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Cars...

Classic American

News

GET READY TO RIOT! Live music...

We are thrilled to see that the Rhythm Riot is back after a three-year gap and is all set to pick up from where it left off, with thousands of people from around the world descending on Camber Sands for a non-stop, all-action weekend of 1950s music and dancing, and a full-on celebration of classic cars, clothes and midcentury style. Moving to new dates in October, there’ll be more daylight, and warmer weather can be expected, which is great news for classic car owners and the crowds who gather for the cruise into Rye on Sunday afternoon. The biggest Rhythm Riot line-up ever will feature a spectacular international array of 26 bands and more than 85 hours of DJ sessions. Particular highlights include a ﬁve-hour session on Thursday night, featuring vintage vinyl records played though a huge all-valve sound system, and Sunday night’s all-star Winter Dance

… Dancing!

Party show – an homage to the fateful show of February 2, 1959 in Clear Lake, Iowa – and featuring the best of the American and UK scene performing the hits of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and Dion & The Belmonts. As we write, it’s looking like a sell-out is on the cards… so head on over to www.RhythmRiot. com and make your bookings now. … at Rhythm Riot!

There’s lots to love...

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Classic American

News

HOT SUMMER NIGHTS

It’s great that shows are back after a hiatus of a couple of years and here are a couple of our favourites…

Carrot Town’s show’s back!

The show that will feature anything American, as long as it has an engine, is back for 2022! The American Car Show 2022, in association with Carrot Town Garage, will hold its everpopular clubs’ and private owners’ showcase day on Sunday, July 24 (10am-4pm) at Stonham Barns Park – one of Suffolk’s premier leisure, retail and holiday destinations. The show is all

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about American cars with muscle, power and fabulous paintwork. Stuart Davies, who founded classic American car dealership Carrot Town Garage, which sponsors the show, said: “We are delighted to be back at Stonham Barns Park for this second show. We search America for cars that we would want to own ourselves and import them ready for sale in the UK.” Offering facilities to suit all ages, Stonham Barns Park has an indoor soft play area, pirate-themed adventure golf, footgolf, a shopping village, owl sanctuary, meerkat castle, golf park, ﬁshing lakes, children’s play area and fair rides. To enter a club, or your own vehicle, contact Stuart Davies at CTG on 07713 267334 or visit www.stonhambarns.co.uk Tickets for the event are £10 per adult (under-12s get in free). For further information visit or call 01449 711111. For more information about forthcoming events at Stonham Barns Park, contact the events team on 01449 711111 or email events@stonhambarns.co.uk

Redhill Dream Cruise 2022

The Redhill Dream Cruise takes place on Saturday, August 20 at 7pm. Head for RH1 1NP – the onus is deﬁnitely on old-school Chelsea/Swedish-style cruising through the streets in classic American cars and trucks. There is a town centre route and a longer scenic route, both of which fully overlap, and there are plenty of eateries and vista points around town which will be signposted this year. Check out Instagram and Facebook for latest info – and remember: keep it low and slow!

by Scorbione

mobilism.org

Richard Heseltine

From

here to

obscurity

Chrysler Howler

You’ve heard of the Plymouth Prowler – now meet the Howler, the Mopar factory hot rod and successor to the Prowler that never was…

he name’s double meaning is enough to make you cringe, but, if anything, it was more amicable to the car that bore it. The Chrysler Howler was the factory hot rod that the smallest of Detroit’s Big Three should have made instead of the Plymouth Prowler which was a missed opportunity if ever there was one. With its wild styling and perfect stance, the Prowler represented an incredibly bold statement from a mainstream manufacturer. Nevertheless, performance was anaemic thanks to it packing a decidedly ordinary 3.5-litre V6 rather than a snarling bent eight. It was allied to a four-speed automatic, too. Quarter-mile times of 16 seconds didn’t exactly scream road scorcher, but then there was the small matter of practicality. Nobody ever bought a hot rod mistaking it for a station wagon, but here the lack of boot space – any kind of storage space – was laughable. There was none. Chrysler Corp’s answer was to offer a trailer… The Howler rectiﬁed all of these matters and more. However, to label it a Prowler redo is to underestimate the amount of work involved. While there is inevitably a bit of debate over the precise timeline, what is known for sure is that the Howler was dreamed up by Cliff Williams. Nevertheless, the end product bore only a token resemblance to his initial renderings. Scroll back to the late Nineties and Christopher Schuttera was a young designer within DaimlerChrysler’s Advanced Packaging studio. The recent graduate was tasked with evolving Williams’ ideas. Matters took a turn thereafter when Jon Rundels became involved. The Concept and Speciality Vehicle Executive was seeking ways to promote the Jeep

Prowler’s lack of trunk shortcomings were ﬁnally addressed.

PowerTech V8 and a hotted-up factory hot rod seemed just the ticket. A preproduction Prowler test mule served as a basis for the initial proof of concept, but then matters took further twists and turns. The deﬁnitive end product was essentially a Prowler pick-up, but the new rear bodywork was beautifully integrated into the Tom Galepenned original. Distinct from the car that bore it, the Howler had a lift-off hardtop rather than a convertible hood. In order to free up cargo space in the bed, the Prowler’s bulky transaxle was replaced with a regular rear differential. This also freed up room for a larger petrol tank, which was just as well given that power came from a 4.7-litre V8 allied to a ﬁve-speed manual ’box. Unveiled at the 1999 SEMA Show, the Howler became a media darling, but sadly there never was any talk of it making it into production. It was a runner, though, rather than just another

exhibition ‘pushmobile’. When viewed in retrospect, there is one slightly nettlesome issue in that the stats don’t lie. The Howler may have sounded the part, but it was producing a rather middling 250bhp at 4000rpm. Nevertheless, this was accompanied by a useful 300ft-lb of torque at 3200rpm. As for performance ﬁgures, your guess is as good as ours. We have yet to see any. The regular Prowler soldiered on until 2002, being given a power hike along the way. It wasn’t the car would-be customers wanted, but it served its purpose in making Chrysler Corp appear a bold, design-led ﬁrm. It is easy to wonder what the takeup might have been had it produced the Howler instead. But it didn’t. Instead, it became just another show car forgotten by history.

Richard Heseltine’s weird and wonderful American cars from the past.

Huw Evans

Across

the pond

It’s something quite simple... Evans reﬂects on how, fairly often, only a little bit of investigation and repair is required to make an old car roadworthy again.

That ‘Project for sale’...

Words: Huw Evans Photography: Ben Klemenzson

know there are probably a good number of us who like to spend our time scouring the classifieds for our next classic American car or truck. And if we’ve got a limited budget, chances are the vehicle in question will need work. I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve come across vehicles where the seller says: “Needs just a little TLC to get back on the road”, or: “I would have MoT’d it, or done the safety inspection, but I just don’t have the time...” Sometimes it’s true; but often, I’ve found, cars like this, while sometimes looking good in the ad, end up being a big disappointment. I still remember the days when I would drive miles to look at a car that seemed good in the ad, and still good when I talked to the seller, only to find out it needed a whole lot more work than I envisioned. On the flip side, there are sometimes those diamonds in the rough that you come across, often unexpectedly. Living in what is perhaps the ultimate consumer throwaway society, as a Brit I’m still flabbergasted at some of the perfectly good things people will discard, including cars. Over here, particularly in the countryside, you can still find old cars sitting neglected in driveways or around the side of a property. And sometimes the reason they are there is a result of something simple, particularly when it comes to the older stuff. “Oh, it wouldn’t start anymore, so I parked it, it was 20 or 30 years old at the time anyway.” Or: “My mechanic said it needed a lot of work to keep it roadworthy and so I had to park it, I will get around to fixing it some day…” I’m sure many of you have heard stories like this. We all know that the longer a car sits, the more it tends to need to get it back into roadworthy condition again. Seals dry out, components rust, fuel goes stale; cars by their very nature need to be driven. Yet, if you time things right, you can come across a classic that’s

by Scorbione

… might just need something simple...

not been off the road very long and a lot of people won’t touch it because it isn’t running. And in these kinds of situations, you can often bag yourself a real bargain, provided you know what you’re looking at and looking for. How about a rust-free Pontiac Trans Am that turned out to have a faulty fuel pump, or the oneowner Buick Riviera that needed its original carburettor rebuilding; … but then the Chrysler LeBaron that had a again, it might no t! faulty distributor, or the Mercury Grand Marquis that simply needed the wheels tightening and the owner stopped driving due to a ‘clunking’ at speed. a fuel tank for a 1968 Shelby GT500 and in What I love about older American cars and many cases, it was either in stock or I could trucks, I’m talking mid-1980s and older here, is receive it within a few days and the price was that many are still simple from an engineering very reasonable. Try the same with a late-model perspective, and overall, quite robust. European import over here and you could A) be Mechanical related problems (provided the car facing a huge premium for something as simple hasn’t been taken apart or extensively modiﬁed) as brake pads or gaskets or B) it could take a are often small and even today, if you ﬁnd cars long time to be in stock due to the uniqueness like this, a few hundred dollars can be all it takes of the application. to have them back on the road. As I get older, I tend to want things in my life And because many old Detroit cars had a lot to be simpler, and that goes for the cars I drive of parts interchangeability and were made in as well. It’s one reason why I will own and tinker high numbers, mechanical parts on this side with classic American iron for as long as I can. of the pond still tend to be readily available And, if I happen to be passing by a driveway (though in the current supply chain constrained with an old car in it that’s looking for a bit of environment that sometimes can be a bit of love, I will always enquire about what’s wrong an issue). Certainly, I can recall pre-pandemic, with it and if it’s for sale. Because, as experience walking into a local parts store and ordering an has told me, often it’s just something simple EGR valve for a mid-Seventies Buick, or needing that’s needed to get it mobile again… Huw Evans – news & views mobilism.org from North America

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Classic American

Mail

Not a Yank… but German!

Email us at: email@classic-american.com or write to: Classic American magazine, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ

German ‘American’ identified Dear Classic American, Just leafing through the latest issue and saw the mystery car on page 22. You’re half right, it is a Borgward, but not an Isabella, which was smaller, but The Big Six, which was launched near the collapse of the Borgward Group. A rare car when new, even rarer now. Sorry to be pedantic! Anonymous Via email Dear Classic American, The mystery motor featured on page 22 is certainly a Borgward, but not an Isabella. It’s one of its flagship six-cylinder P100s (also referred to as the 2.3-litre, at least in the 1960 Observer’s Book of Automobiles), produced only between January 1960 and July 1961, when Borgward was

declared bankrupt after only 2500 examples of this model had been built. So, this is a rare survivor indeed. Not American, then – but, by way of a postscript, the tooling for this model was later shipped to Mexico, where it enjoyed an afterlife in the same way as the 1951-55 Kaiser in Argentina and the Aero-Willys in Brazil; it was manufactured by Ramirez in Monterrey between 1967 and 1970, with a further 2000 examples built (according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Borgward_P100). Tim Adams Liverpool

and short-lived P100 which only ran for about 18 months until the marque’s demise in 1961. Unfortunately for Borgward, its introduction coincided with that of the Mercedes W111 ‘ﬁn tail’ range (220SE etc), which easily outsold it. Technically and pricewise there was not much in it, but the Merc was probably the better overall package; the P100 had excellent air suspension. But how nice to see a rather scruffy right-hand-drive example still in use; very few can have been sold in Britain. Anthony Richards Via email

Dear Classic American, That Borgward would have fooled me for a while too but it’s not an Isabella, rather the much larger

We knew our eagle-eyed readers would know what this weird and wonderful vehicle was and even throw in a bit of potted history.

Rare Olds Down Under

Dear Classic American, I enjoy your great magazine here in Australia and thought you and your readers might like to see what I have. My 1975 Oldsmobile Omega is an almost invisible vehicle even in the US and apparently very few remain. I have had it for almost 12 years and it is used very regularly and is completely reliable. It is totally unrestored (my only real interest in classics) and is a credit to its only other (original) owner. It is of course the sole example in Australia and even the model expert from the US owners’ club (Oldsmobile), says he does not know of a single person

with one there. It is a 350 Auto. Parts are generally quite obtainable as it is really a badge engineered Chev Nova. Interestingly, GM put Buick 350 motors in the ‘75’s. Kenneth Cooper Blue Mountain Heights Queensland, Australia Interestingly this car is left-hand drive as well; it was our understanding that until fairly recently all left-hand-drive cars imported to Australia had to undergo right-hand-drive conversions. It has to be said, we’ve never seen anything like this in the UK – although who knows, the readers might know different!

1975 Oldsmobile Omega.

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Dash or creepy alien?!

Dash delight? Dear Classic American, I was somewhat surprised by the total dismissal of the 1960 Plymouth’s dashboard by the article writer as boring! It’s certainly not my cup of tea either, by 1958 instrument gauges were being replaced by warning lights which prompted an in-period reviewer of a new 1958 DeSoto to praise it for still having a full set of gauges despite trends to cheap warning lights. However the 1958 DeSoto has the soon-tobe-commonplace strip speedometer, as does this two-years-later Plymouth. What I see in the ‘60 Plymouth’s dash is the then popular preoccupation with alien invaders and ﬂying saucers! The pod hovers over

the actual dash like a ﬂying saucer; also when looking at it you see a pair of alien eyes staring out at each side....! At least I do, so I feel that the designer had just been watching one of the many alien invasion movies then popular, hopefully at a drive-in! That’s my take on this interesting period dashboard idea. Chris Drucker Via email We want what you’re on! We think Zack was probably thinking about the dashboard extravaganza that was the 1960 Chrysler so-called jukebox dash, with its goldﬁsh bowl styling and electroluminescent illumination. Now that was what you call a ‘rock ‘n’ roll dash!

Facebook Feedback

We asked what your ﬁrst American car was and if you had a picture of it… many of you obliged, offering some fascinating photos revealing some quite unusual ﬁrst American cars. Where are they all now, we wonder?

Bob James ‘57 Chevy 210 four-door sedan in 1995.

Brian Robinson 1969 Mach 1, I’d only just passed my test.

Gavin Shaw 1969 Charger, started as I meant to go on.

Alan Saunders ‘74 Firebird Esprit with a 455 we dropped in.

Phil Carr 1963 Cadillac hardtop sedan.

Dave Lace 67 Buick Skylark.

William Tattersall 1960 Chevrolet Corvair 700.

Andrew Milner 74 Camaro – ‘83-ish? Neil Stafford Nash Rambler (Dinky toy).

Andrew Hodgson My 59 DeSoto bought in 1989! I was 22 and it was £55 to insure! It didn’t look like this when I got it but I restored it in ‘92.

Bradley McCreary First car was a 1965 Chevrolet Impala four-door hardtop with a 283 cubic inch V8, manual (three on the column) White with mint blue interior and purchased with 68k from original owners. My ﬁrst vehicle was a 1953 Dodge Ram pick-up with ﬂat six and corner rear glass with full-size bed.

Ali Wilson This one above! Neil Dyer 1968 Mustang 390GT pictured right (Shelby GT350 clone), owned from 2009 till 2011.

Stefan Belcher 1985 Corvette c4. Shane Wilkinson ‘85 Chevy Cavalier... two door. James Hawksley 1983 Camaro Berlinetta.

Jack Stephens First and won’t be last! Hoping to get into something older in the coming year.

Steve Foreman I bought this rare ‘57 210 sports sedan in December 1979.

Lee Mullins 1982 Chevrolet Caprice classic 305ci. Really nice car. Should never have got rid of it. But the Firebird, Trans Am, Buick etc were nice too.

Gavin Ronald Upstill 1960 Plymouth Belvedere. Howard Bennett 1978 Pontiac Grand Prix SJ.

Want to join the fun? There’s always lots going on the Classic American Facebook page, from new, funnies, polls, to useful tips and all the extra show coverage we can’t ﬁt in the magazine. To make sure you get your daily dose of Classic American fun and trivia, search for Classic American magazine on Facebook and click ‘like’.

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WOLF in WOLF’S Clothing Vince Donald’s 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 now sports upgraded suspension and a big-block race Hemi, yet on the outside it still looks just like it did the day he bought it… Photography: Matt Richardson Words: Mike Renaut

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1966 Dodge Coronet 500

classic-american.com 29

Keith Black 541cu in street Hemi.

hould there ever be a gameshow where contestants must guess which owner goes with which car, Vince Donald would have a great chance of winning. Few might expect this modest, quietly spoken retired computer engineer to be driving a race-inspired 1966 Dodge Coronet 500 with a Keith Black Hemi under the bonnet. An engine, incidentally, which Vince built himself. “I saw the Dodge advertised online in 2005 and flew over to Canton, Ohio, to see it,” explains Vince. “It was the right colour and specification, so after agreeing the price I had it shipped back to the UK. I prefer to see cars in person first for peace of mind. That way there are no surprises when they arrive and you suddenly realise you’ve bought a sedan not a coupe, or it has unseen rot that wasn’t apparent in the photos. I already had a 1969½ Six Pack Super Bee I’d owned for 16 years and I only sold that to force me to concentrate on the 500 otherwise, at the pace I work, it would never have been finished. “Before the Super Bee, I’d had a 1969 Charger – that one was a genuine Hemi fourspeed car. I bought it in 1981 when they were just about still affordable. It’s still around; I think it went to Jersey. Having owned both kinds, I prefer a TorqueFlite car to a four-speed.” Although the TorqueFlite-equipped Coronet 500 was in totally original, numbers-matching condition, it wouldn’t stay that way for long. “I wanted to increase the performance, but to a point where I could still handle it safely,” explains Vince. “That meant working on virtually every

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aspect of the car except the bodywork. That side of things only needed a clean and polish − I’d bought this car particularly because there was no rust and the paint looked great. But driving it back home from the docks I found that, despite being powered drums all round, the brakes were lethal – they were basically fully on or off. It had power steering too, but I didn’t like the lack of feel in it, so knew I’d be converting both steering and brakes to manual. The front drums were replaced with 12-inch police discs and calipers and I changed it from single to dual circuit, using a later model aluminium master cylinder and all Mopar man: Vince Donald. new lines and prop valve.” The reasoning behind the upgrade was Automatic choice that Vince had that Hemi engine to install. “The Bolted behind the Hemi is a three-speed Coronet left the factory as a 383cu in V8, but TorqueFlite from A&A Trans in Camby, Indiana, I’ve replaced that with a Keith Black 541cu in boasting all new internals including a steel Hemi street block. I sourced most of the main front drum, Super Sprag and reverse pattern parts from fellow Mopar Muscle Association UK manual valve body with low band apply. Vince (www.moparuk.com) member Pete Wiseman, treated his Coronet to upgraded suspension then built it up myself. It’s the second time I’ve too: “New Hemi springs, Fox aluminium shocks, done a complete engine build, although first I torsion bars, sway bar and Hotchkis subframe still read up on all the do’s and don’ts for Hemis. connectors. The K-member seams were It has Edelbrock heads, Crower solid roller cam, reinforced and a skid plate fitted. Schumacher JE Pistons and 12:1 compression, Eagle 7:1 rods poly spool mounts hold the motor in place. and 4.5-inch crank, plus a complete rocker shaft There’s a Denny’s ally drive shaft with 1350 stand setup from FHO. The carb is a Quick Fuel joints, while the rear axle is a Moser Trac-Lok 950cfm 4150 sitting on an ICH single plane Dana 60 with 3:54 gears.” Gases exit through intake manifold. There’s dual Spal electric fans, a three-inch TTI H-pipe exhaust system with electric fuel and water pumps and MSD ignition, internally ceramic-coated two and one-eighth while a Griffin Performance aluminium radiator headers and DynoMax Super Turbo mufflers. keeps temperatures under control.”

Engine boasts Edelbrock heads, Crower solid roller cam, JE Pistons and 12:1 compression.

Although the interior appears largely original, in reality it’s been completely retrimmed in the factory style and colour of vinyl. “I put in new door cards, seat covers, parcel shelf and modified the centre console for the B&M ratchet shifter. There’s a few extra gauges in there too.” The Coronet was originally an air-conditioned car, but that was removed along with the heater. “You couldn’t get factory A/C on a Hemi Coronet anyway,” adds Vince, “there wasn’t enough space under the bonnet.” Speaking of which: “It came with the standard flat bonnet, but due to air cleaner size and it sitting higher, I added an AAR glass fibre hood together with a WO23 style scoop.” The Coronet badge was first bolted on to a Dodge in 1949 and at that time it denoted the division’s highest trim level. Back then, Dodges were solid and dependable, if somewhat mundane, everyday cars. But from 1953 came the option of a 241cu in Red Ram Hemi V8 which introduced a little excitement, and within two years Dodge was combining good performance with enticing new styling. The Dodge Royal became top dog in 1954. For 1955, Coronet was now the base model and remained that way until 1959 when the series was dropped. Then in 1965 Dodge reintroduced its Coronet nameplate with the B-body as an intermediate-size car built on a 117-inch wheelbase, which made it slightly larger than the rival Chevelle or Fairlane.

Dash is mostly stock... Vince has created Mopar heaven on wheels.

… except for that tach.

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Coronet 500 production was 55,700 units for 1966.

For 1966, Dodge’s car production totalled 532,026 units, which maintained Dodge’s place as seventh-best seller in America. Coronet remained the intermediate-size model above the compact Dart, alongside the brand new sporty and Coronet-based Charger and below the fullsize Polara and Monaco series. The Coronet got a complete restyle for ’66 and was slightly wider, yet just under an inch shorter than the 1965 models. Immediately identiﬁable by their deltashaped tail-lights, the Coronets were available in four sub-series as Coronet, a new Coronet Deluxe, Coronet 440 or Coronet 500 in two- and four-door sedans and a four-door wagon. There was additionally a convertible in the 440 and 500 range, although a 500 wagon wouldn’t be available until 1968. Rear lights were super simple.

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Also new for 1966 was a four-door 500 called the 500 SE that denoted it as a Special Edition. As top trim level model, the 500 got the plushest trim including four chrome louvre-style trims on the rear quarter and 500 badging.

Elephant in the engine room

Base engine for the four-door sedan was a 225cu in slant six, while the others started with the 273cu in V8. Optional powerplants were the 383 or even the formidable 426 Hemi. In theory, the 426 Street Hemi could be ﬁtted to any Coronet and at least two of the 136 Street Hemis built for 1966 did indeed ﬁnd their way into four-door sedans. A three-speed manual transmission was standard, with three-speed TorqueFlite automatic and four-speed manual ’boxes as options. A Coronet 500 two-door hardtop like our feature car would have had a base price, before options, of $2705 and weighed 3275lb. Individual body style sales weren’t recorded, but we know Coronet 500 production was 55,700 units for 1966, of which all but 500 were V8s. Sadly, Vince got no information about his Coronet’s past when he bought it, other than that the previous owner kept it in a heated garage and it shows 54,000 miles. “I know the Coronet was last painted in America in 2001 and that’s lasted very well, only needing a polish.” Those decals on the Dodge’s screen say Sedgwick County,

Kansas and are dated 2017 but, hang on, didn’t Vince say he bought the car in Ohio? And in 2005? Turns out Vince printed the decals and added them himself, just like those 1967-dated number plates, simply because he liked the look. You might not think any Hemi Coronet could be described as ‘subtle’, but Vince says that explains his wheel choice of those powdercoated, satin black Centreline Auto Drag wheels measuring 7x15 and wrapped in 235/15 Continental tyres. “My Super Bee had gloss black steel wheels when it left the factory; they just give the car an understated look.”

Satin black Centreline Auto Drag wheels look tough.

So there were no regrets about changing such an original car? “No, they made thousands of them so it’s not like I’ve messed with a rare car,” reasons Vince. “The Coronet was my exercise in taking a solid original, nice car and doing it my way. I can’t paint or weld well enough to tackle a project car so I needed that good base to start with. I wanted to put my mark on it and I’ve done pretty much all the work myself. It’s been an all-consuming labour of love; actually driving it is just a bonus. I’ve never raced the Coronet, it’s just a quick road car. Though I tell people this is a hybrid; it burns both gas and rubber!” AAR glass ﬁbre hood.

Interior was retrimmed.

383… just kiddin’...

Auxiliary gauges.

Mmmm… That C-pillar.

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1946 Hudson ¾-ton pick-up

After Michael Monti-Colombi lost track of the Hudson pick-up he used to own in the Eighties, he never thought he’d own another. Good fortune, good friends and plenty of patience changed that, and now he’s on the road with one of the best looking but most underrated classic commercials. Words: Zack Stiling Photography: James Mann

sk anyone about American pick-ups and they’ll probably picture a rugged, upright job sitting well off the ground, possibly with a few cosmetic knocks acquired through the rough-and-tumble of working life. If they’re switched on, they may remember the sleek Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino which appeared in the late 1950s in an effort to market a prettier pick-up to higher-class businesses. We expect very few would remember that the idea of a stylish coupe utility was actually put into practice much earlier by Hudson. Hudson only produced 30,000 commercial vehicles between 1937 and 1947, which was the equivalent of about one month’s production for Chevrolet in the 1940s, although pick-ups had already been marketed by Hudson’s lower-priced sister marques Essex and Terraplane. The Essex name got the chop in 1934 and Terraplane followed it in 1938, so it was decided to release a range of Hudson commercials in 1937. The plethora of styles included some very strange choices, including the Utility Coupe (with retractable pick-up box extending from the trunk) and the Utility Coach (a two-door sedan with removable seating and window blinds), in addition to the ½-ton and ¾-ton Big Boy pick-ups. It has been suggested that this was a somewhat left-field attempt at generating sales in the loss-making climate of the Depression-stricken Thirties, and even more odd variations were offered by 1939. War commissions generated profits, though, and when civilian production resumed in 1945, all were dropped apart from the ¾-ton pick-up (no longer called the Big Boy). Sharp-eyed observers may notice that while it sported new front-end sheet metal (in line with the passenger cars), the bodies were unchanged from 1941, with the running boards on full display. From 1942, passenger car bodies flared

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outwards. The ¾-ton was not long for this world, though. The semi-unitary construction of the ‘step-down’ Hudsons for 1948 made them completely unsuited to pick-up adaptations, and Hudson trucks simply became a footnote in American automotive history. Michael Monti-Colombi is very well acquainted with this unorthodox take on commercial vehicles. He’s the owner of the handsome 1946 pick-up gracing these pages and, rare though it is, it’s not even his first. “I had one in the 1980s,” he recalls, “but I sold it and regretted it and wanted to buy another one. One of my friends in America found it in North Carolina in 2011. He arranged everything for me and bought the truck, but it was a bit of a wreck at the time. It didn’t run; it had been a farm vehicle and it was a bit smashed up.” When Michael owned his first one, he was running a business called Luxury & Power in Ladywell, south London. It operated from 1985 to 1992, buying, importing and selling American cars; giving Dream Cars in Battersea a bit of friendly competition. “We had a 2000 square-foot showroom,” says Michael. “It was a great business until the recession.” Since closing it down, he has moved into buying and selling vintage American clothing, furniture and Airstreams, so he’s never been away from the scene. He remembers clearly his first encounter with the Hudson in Norfolk, Virginia. Out there for work, he recalls: “Every now and then this guy would turn up with this truck painted cherry red. It had been in his family from new and he was never going to sell it, then one day it was for sale. Tragically, he had a terminal illness and was raising money for his children. I’d always liked it so I bought it, brought it over and now it’s disappeared. I think it’s gone abroad.”

Simple green vinyl interior echoes the exterior colour scheme.

Michael Monti-Colombi and partner Fiona love the rarity of this Hudson truck.

Eight-foot bed is very practical and the truck gets used regularly.

Hood opens from the front.

Despite petrol prices, the truck will be used in the summer.

Appropriately enough, this second truck came from Tim Hudson of Hudson Car Sales, who’d had it in his barn for a few years when Michael’s friend saw the advertisement in a local newspaper. Since he was unlikely to find another any time soon, Michael pounced on it even though it needed restoration. Fortunately, he has several good friends out in the States who generously restored it before he imported it into Britain. Says Michael: “The good ol’ boys of West Virginia spent six years bringing it back to life.” It was May 2011 when he purchased the Hudson and November 2018 when it landed on British soil. Michael’s intention had been to keep it as a ratty patina truck upgraded with a V8 (like he’d had in his first Hudson), power steering and better brakes, but some miscommunication between him and his friends meant it ended up painted. We can hardly resent that, though, when it looks as good as it does now in its attractive two-tone green; a nicely understated scheme appropriate for the early post-war years before tastes turned towards bolder and brighter combinations in the 1950s. Thanks to his Americana business, Michael could check on the Hudson’s progress when visiting the States and steer it in the direction he wanted. Hence it has a Chevy 350 motor, 700R4 transmission, power steering and power brakes; 1940s elegance on top and modern practicality underneath. The paint is Pistachio, a Kaiser-Darrin pastel colour which would look right at home on the boulevards of mid-century Palm Springs. With the major mechanical parts substantially upgraded, Michael confirms that the Hudson is a delight in all traffic conditions. “It’s almost like a modern vehicle. Because it’s got power steering and brakes, it’s a lot sharper. Around corners the suspension technology isn’t there, but it’s great to cruise around in. Originally it would have come with a three- or fourspeed manual transmission, so it would have been more like a tractor back then, which I didn’t really want. “The look of the truck is basically all stock, so when I’m going down my (private) test track at 90mph, I look like I shouldn’t be going that fast. The 700R4 transmission is really good. As soon as it goes into overdrive at 60mph, it wants to

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Powertrain is a Chevy 350 motor with a 700R4 transmission. Other upgrades include power steering and power brakes. So not only does this truck have that Forties glamour and style, but also modern driving manners and performance: so it’s practical and a classic. The best of both worlds!

Two-tone green paint is subtle and period appropriate.

ﬂy. The revs just drop right off. I wouldn’t say it’s the fastest off the line, but it’s got a good top end on it. “At the moment, I’ve got problems with the tyres – they’re the new cross ply-look radials. When it gets to 40/50mph it starts to waver. I’m going to get another pair of radials to stick on the front and see if that cures it. When I originally got the truck back, it wasn’t built for power steering and the camber wasn’t set up correctly, so it would oversteer. I got a guy here in Cheltenham, Martin at JWR Services, to get it to steer better so it’s just the tyres now.” Minor troubles really don’t stop the Hudson from being driven. I’d long assumed it was based in the South East, having seen it at the Chelsea and Redhill Cruises. Little did I realise that Michael was only stretching the Hudson’s legs on a jaunt out from Cheltenham. Visiting the Rally of the Giants last year, his restoration efforts were rewarded when judges named it the Best Commercial.

“I REALLY ENJOY DRIVING IT, IT’S A GREAT TRUCK. I LIKE THE DESIGN OF IT, THE BIG LONG BONNET AND THE 8FT BED. IT’S REALLY LONG, BUT IT’S GOT A SURPRISINGLY SMALL CAB SPACE INSIDE. IT’S MORE ABOUT DESIGN THAN PRACTICALITY... ”

Being a commercial vehicle, it has occurred to Michael that the Hudson should work for a living. “I live about 10 miles from my workshop so I drive there and back and use it whenever I can. It’s a practical daily driver in the summer, but I swap between it and my ’48 Oldsmobile. It’s better than driving something new.” As he visits events with his businesses Timebomb Vintage (clothing, furniture and homeware) and Timebomb Trailers (mid-century caravans), Michael also plans to use the Hudson for pulling one of his Airstreams along and drawing punters towards his stall. As long as it remains reliable and reasonably economical, Michael’s summers will probably revolve around using the Hudson as much as possible for the foreseeable future. “With the price of petrol as it is,” he comments, “it does make me think twice about long distances, but I am going to go to the Rally of the Giants and the Hot Rod Hayride this year. “I really enjoy driving it, it’s a great truck. I like the design of it, the big long bonnet and the 8ft bed. It’s really long, but it’s got a surprisingly small cab space inside. It’s more about design than practicality, but if you’re going to put a load of hay in the back, you do need a big bed. I just like the romance of it and try to use it as much as I can.” All things considered, it’s a very happy fate for a 76-year-old truck of which only a few thousand were built, and which had been beaten up around a farm, to end up fully restored with a few hidden upgrades and be both an award-winner and occasional daily driver. Michael’s pretty happy with it, too, and so he should be; with such a rare, capable and well-rounded classic, he seems to have hit the jackpot.

Michael has moved from the world of classic American car sales to classic American trailers and Airstreams, as well as vintage clothing.

Thanks to:

“The guy who found it and sprayed it was Dave Mega. Jason Hamilton took the car in, dismantled it and started work on the chassis. George Jones built the engine. Jerry Ritter ﬁnished off the chassis work and put the engine in. The late Roger Evans was the electrician; this was the last car he worked on. Leverna Streight did the interior. Paul Boniey put it all together at the end and got it on the road. I just picked it up and drove it back.”

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ere uth Belved o m ly P 5 5 19

Photography: AF Photography Words: Zack Stiling

Plymouth was the fourth best-selling American manufacturer in 1955, but survivors are thin on the ground. Paul McAlpine was lucky to pick this one up at a good price and now, after some light restoration, it’s a scene-stealer at car shows and rock ‘n’ roll events.

Check out that shifter on the dash!

L Push-button AM radio.

ike London buses, it seems ’55 Plymouths come in pairs. Shortly after Martyn and Aedan Butler’s Savoy was featured (CA371 April 2022), along came Paul McAlpine with his beautiful Belvedere. While all Plymouths for ’55 beneﬁted from Virgil Exner’s exciting new ‘Forward Look’ styling, the Belvedere was the one to have. The V8 convertible was the chief object of desire, but a four-door sedan like Paul’s with the 230cu in, 117bhp inline-six still boasted all the top-of-the-line trimmings. In terms of sedans and club coupes, the Savoy and Belvedere sold equally well, but where Savoy buyers favoured the six, most Belvedere buyers opted for the V8. At $1979, the fourdoor, straight-six Belvedere was $4 less than its V8-powered Savoy equivalent and they sold in almost equal numbers – 69,128 units and 69,025 units respectively. Of course, many owners plumped for some extra-cost options, most obvious of which on Paul’s car are the extra trim mouldings and Sport Tone paint ﬁnish. Built in Detroit in May 1955, Paul’s Belvedere is believed to have originally been a New Jersey car. It came into the country in 2011 and Paul purchased it in October 2013 from the Isle of Wight, after seeing it advertised on Rods ‘n’ Sods. As he says: “From what I can make out, the bloke who brought it over here bought it at Hershey in 2011. We think it had been familyFurry dice? Always nice!

Tissue dispenser is one ...

… of many accessories.

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‘Forward Look’ styling made Chryslers appear as if they were in motion, even when stationary.

owned from new, but we don’t know. When I bought it, it was red and white. “For some reason in its past, it had a colour change and while we were restoring it the original colours started to bleed through. We decoded the chassis plate which confirmed red and black as the original colours.” The Plymouth looks phenomenal in its factory colours. Coming from the same year that Elvis was signed to RCA Victor and Chuck Berry cut his first 45, Maybellene, the Seminole Scarlet and Black screams rock ‘n’ roll. And, like with many people, the mid-century styling and culture is what first drew Paul, himself the singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band called the V8 Rockets, towards Fifties Yanks.

“I bought my first American car in 1992 when I was 21 and I’ve had American cars ever since. It had been a year or so since I’d sold my 1959 Mercury and I just fancied another one,” he says. “I looked at several options – 1954-56 Chevrolets and ’53-54 Fords were on my hit list − but this one popped up. What the owner was asking was what it would have cost me to ship a Chevy from America. I hadn’t really seen one before so I looked it up. They’ve got little following over here, but it’s bigger in the States.” The Belvedere was presentable as bought, but it had a few cosmetic flaws which made the perfectionist in Paul a bit fidgety, so he ended up commencing a restoration. He explains: “I restored it bodily because there was evidence of minor accident damage in one corner, the front fender didn’t sit nicely and the paintwork didn’t look great. It looked like it had been painted with a yard broom.” Taking it back, Paul discovered the original red and black paint, but fortunately there were no more surprises. “There was nothing sinister. I straightened the front fender slightly, the bonnet hinge was at slightly the wrong angle so the bonnet wouldn’t support itself, but now everything is as it should be. The interior was trimmed some years ago, with new carpets and headlining, but still looks lovely and is extremely comfortable. Mechanically, all it’s ever had is minor servicing and it still runs like a Swiss watch.” Paul has modernised the Plymouth very slightly with electronic ignition, an alternator and a 12-volt conversion and now, as far he’s concerned, there’s nothing left to improve.

117bhp 230cu in inline-six engine.

“It’s a very, very beautifully made car. I like the styling of it and it just ticks a lot of boxes. The chances of bumping into another ’55 at a show are small, there are only a few in the country. Chrysler Corporation cars were notorious for rust. Survival, unless they went to dry states, is pretty slim, so the ones that are left are highly prized. “It’s a lovely cruiser, it just bowls along. The straight-six has got such a lovely bellow, a really glorious sound. The two-speed PowerFlite shifts beautifully. If I had to make any criticism, it’s the cross-plies I put on, because they wander a bit. The steering’s lovely; it’s geared for the car and it’s not heavy.”

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Antennae accessory.

Plymouth hailed from New Jersey.

Interior was retrimmed.

Apart from the Sport Tone two-tone paint, other extras include reversing lights, full-face hubcaps and the PowerFlite transmission. “But they were too cheap to buy power windows, power steering, power brakes or a radio,” says Paul of its ﬁrst owners. “It’s a typical rugged American car: no frills, but with a fancy body on top.” He’s since sourced a correct original radio for it. “We take it to car shows, but we also think nothing of runs to the coast,” he continues. “It’s such a reliable old thing that, if there was such a road, I would happily drive it back to Detroit. We’ve often thought about changing it, but it’s such a good solid car. It’s 67 years old, there’s no rust on it and it’s never been welded. If I sold it, I’d probably end up buying someone else’s rubbish and doing that up, so I’m happy to roll along in it for a few more years.” Although these cars are a rarity, if a similar one did appear, Paul would recommend snapping it up. “It’s such a bargain. Because it’s a sixcylinder, lots of people wouldn’t touch it. They’d rather have a rotten car with a V8. I’m just about the mid-century styling. It outclasses the Buick and the Mercury I had before in terms of build quality. You can shut the door with your little ﬁnger. I’ve Waxoyled the living daylights out of it now, so you could probably park it in the sea and it wouldn’t rust.

“It’s never given any grief. It’s been a good friend to us for the last 12,000 miles. We’ve stayed fairly local; Norfolk’s such a beautiful county. It’s now only covered 73,000 miles and there’s no reason to believe the engine and transmission have ever been out of the car. It’s a great rock ‘n’ roll cruiser. My other car is a 1958 Ford 100E, which is three years newer, but this has carpets and reversing lamps while the Anglia just has rubber mats…” There, in a nutshell, is everything that’s good about owning a Fifties American car. Apart from just looking nice, if you look after it, it will treat you well in return, and even the low-spec ones were pretty well appointed. Cruising past the bright lights of Great Yarmouth seafront, the Plymouth looks like it’s been lifted out of American Grafﬁti, and Paul’s found his Paradise Road.

The perfect wheels for a lead singer in a rock ‘n’ roll band.

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Summer maintenance

Summer is a great time to undertake all those niggling tasks that need fixing on your American vehicle. We have the added bonus that the weather is (should be!) warm and dry, so we can take our cars and trucks out and truly see the nature of any issues, something that’s not always that easy when they’re tucked away for the winter. Maybe that annoying pitted chrome needs removing and sending away to be replated, or those dull headlamps need a brighter replacement bulb. Not only that, being able to drive them should reveal any other issues that are not necessarily visible from just a cursory inspection. Does it ‘drive right’? Classic American recommends getting your vehicle MoT’d even though it’s not legally necessary, as a simple safety check. Maybe it’s time for some fluid changes? Always advisable after a long lay-up over winter – and that can be anything from transmission fluid to engine oil or brake fluid. Or maybe that carb or starter motor needs replacing. Whatever the case, there’s always time for it in the summer!

Summer maintenance

Lyn loved her Mustangs, here in 1980. Credit Ford

Fast Lady

Steve Havelock interviews and proﬁles Lyn St. James, probably the fastest lady in American motorsport… Words: Steve Havelock Photography courtesy of: Lyn St. James, Fred Lewis, Ford and IMS Photo

In Lyn’s ﬁrst race, she and her Pinto went swimming.

Lyn honed her craft in a lowly Pinto. Lyn raced brutish Corvette at Sebring in ’78.

first met Lyn at the 2001 Goodwood Revival where she was racing a mighty Ford Galaxie and a potent Shelby Cobra. This happened to be her first foray into historic racing and the first of many visits to Goodwood, following her decision to retire from top-level professional racing at the age of 53, her last outing being the 2000 Indianapolis 500. Yes, you read that right. The Indy 500. Lyn raced in arguably the most famous race in the world seven times. Her debut was in 1992 and she was only the second woman to have ever qualified and made the start. She finished in 11th place and became the first woman to be awarded Rookie of the Year. Even today, there are only nine women who have actually made the grade and raced in the Indy 500. Of course, Lyn earned her stripes and did a lot of racing before Indy, mainly in saloons, sportscars and GTs and her considerable achievements include two GTO class wins in the Daytona 24 Hours (’87 and ’90), class wins in the Nurburgring 24 Hours (1979) and Sebring 12 Hours (’90), six wins in IMSA GT racing, seven top five finishes in Trans-Am and two Le Mans 24 Hour races. In 1985 she won the GTO class in the Serengeti 500km race at Watkins Glen driving her Mustang solo which was quite some feat. She also held 21 International and National closed course speed records including the first woman over 200mph and the closed course women’s record of 212.577mph in a Ford Thunderbird at Talladega in 1988. In the last 20 or so years Lyn has put a lot back into the sport that she loves and has done much to help women racers in what is still a male-dominated motorsports world. She has received many honours and several hall of fame inductions. She is a motivational speaker, author and TV motorsports pundit and is a motorsports and industry advisor. I recently managed to find a gap in her hectic schedule and had the great pleasure of chatting with her. Now 75 she is still incredibly enthusiastic, bright and bubbly and can talk the hind leg off a donkey.

The successful AMX team at Nurburgring in ’79.

Not coming from a racing background, she told me: “Racing was always on my radar but only as a fan. I never could comprehend the idea that I could actually be a race driver or actively involved in the sport. You have to see, not just another woman, but real people doing it instead of what we call our ‘stars’. I’d go to the Indy 500 and they all seemed like superhumans to me, whether they were driving or working in the garage. Those people were extraordinary and I was just ordinary. So it doesn’t connect.

“But before that, when I was younger, I went to the drag races and they were ordinary people. Drag racing back then was that you showed up in a street car and they put a number on your door or window in white shoe polish, and you get in line and go down the drag strip. I was racing my buddy’s Pontiac GTO. It was fabulous and I loved it and I won my ﬁrst race. It was eliminations all day and I kept getting through. I did it a couple of times more, but I didn’t like all the waiting around and then in 10 or 11 seconds it’s all over. ❯❯

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Lyn’s Motorcraft Mercury Capri at Atlanta in ’81. Credit Ford.

Lyn hustling her AMX at the ’Ring in ’79.

Driving solo, Lyn won ’85 Watkins Glen 500Km. Lyn posing with Mercury Capri at Lime Rock in ’81. Credit Ford.

Lyn raced this sleek Mustang throughout ’85.

“I saw people working on their cars and I don’t know how to work on cars. I’m not a mechanic. So, I couldn’t see a clear pathway to going racing. From the time I was 16 for a whole decade until I was 26, I was trying to do what I thought society expected, which was to get an education, get a job, get married and have a life. I was a race fan that entire time but never thinking it was something I could do. In 1972 I went to the Daytona 24 Hours and saw road racing for the ﬁrst time and saw real people with their cars. There were some Corvettes and Porsches and Camaros at the back of the ﬁeld aside from the likes of Mario Andretti and Pedro Rodriguez and their very exotic cars at the front. I could walk around in the garages which I couldn’t do at Indy and see people who could be my neighbours almost, working on their cars. So, it became real. And I was older. Then in ’73 I became inspired by Billie Jean King beating Bobby Riggs on TV in a tennis match that set the world upside down. So, I saw a woman beating a man in front of

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millions on TV. I was married at the time to a husband who wanted to pursue motor racing, so we jumped in with both feet. I become a participant rather than a spectator. It just happened late for me. Once I did, I found my home. I found the place I want to be to this day. When I am at a race track I am the happiest person in the world. Every race track in the world is my home. My first race car was a Ford Pinto which was a street car, but it was the only way I was able to afford to do it.” Lyn’s first race was at Palm Beach International Raceway in ’73 and it wasn’t one she’ll likely forget as she ended up submerged in a lake. However, lesson learned, she took to racing like a duck to water and started winning races – lots of them. Spurred on, she was then keen to progress. She recalls: “My husband had a Corvette. I kept bugging him and said I want to drive your car. The opportunity came up at an SCCA race at Daytona (in ’77.) He wanted to see if I could handle it and I did. Next year I drove it at the Sebring 12 Hours (finishing

17th). I lived in South Florida near the two biggest endurance races in the United States – Sebring and Daytona. And IMSA sportscar racing was held at Atlanta which wasn’t too far away. Anyway, I proved that I was capable. Then if you have aspirations you have to work awfully hard to make things happen. It’s not like you can sit on your butt and opportunities are just going to show up.” Lyn knocked on many doors pursuing drives. In ’79 she was invited to join a top American team who were racing a pair of AMC Spirit AMXs at the Nurburgring 24 Hours and she grabbed the opportunity with both hands. She says: “BF Goodrich put together a two-car programme with Team Highball. I’d never been out of the United States. Wow, talk about a leap of education of just being culturally in another part of the world, and then being part of a big corporate programme with a fabulous race team and then to be at the amazing historic, incredible Nurburgring – 14 miles long with 176 corners. We ﬂew to Belgium and then took a train. BF

Lyn’s Mustang won GTO class at ’87 Daytona 24 Hours. Credit Fred Lewis.

Lyn shows off her new ’87 Mustang racecar. Credit Ford.

GTO victory for Lyn at ’87 Daytona 24 Hours.

Goodrich arranged rental cars and we took them around the circuit, because it was open to the public. So we did that for a couple of days and that’s how we learned the circuit. I was in the No. 2 car (sharing with two other drivers) and we ended up winning our class.” The sister No.1 car came second so it was quite some result. In 1981 Lyn landed a contract to race for Ford. She says: “I’d been bugging them since 1978. You don’t realise it at the time but I was building a body of work. A series of building blocks of your experience and ability that you could then sell yourself to somebody. They eventually said yes.” However, Ford had her racing all over the place in all manner of cars. Even some off-road racing. They never really had a structured plan for her that would allow her to specialise and concentrate on one particular championship. She recalls: “I would have loved to have had a structured path. This is not a complaint, but it is reality. I only ever had one-year contracts. By August or September I was wondering what

Lyn in her Mercury Capri at Daytona in 1988. Image credit Fred Lewis.

next year would be. I always believed even from when I was following the sport as a fan, that race wins are quickly forgotten. You are only as good as your last race, and then it’s forgotten. So race wins are not as lasting as winning a championship which shows the whole season. “I have always felt that winning a championship is the most accomplished thing a driver can have. I had that embedded in my brain. At Ford, I was not their priority. I was filling a slot. They wanted to win championships, but to be very candid they never saw me as the driver that would win them one. Instead it was Scott Pruett or Tom Gloy or the other drivers that did win championships for them. So, I was relegated to a supporting role in their overall campaign. That’s just the way it was.” Lyn dedicated herself completely to racing. She says: “I got divorced before I got Ford as a sponsor. I was single for 14 years and those 14 years were the most prolific years of my professional racing until I got to Indy. With all the travel, fitness training, racing and other

demands (including the running of her own auto parts business) it would have been very difﬁcult for me to have had a home life as well as a professional career as a race car driver.” So how did she get on in a sport dominated by men? She recalls: “It was about 98% guys. There were times I hung out with them, but when I knew they were going out to play I opted out. I never felt uncomfortable. To be honest I was old enough to be their bigger sister and in some cases, their mother. They were in their teens and twenties and I was in my thirties. All I can say is that it worked. Some of them liked me and some didn’t. Some I liked, some I didn’t. We managed okay. In 1981 I was racing an Aston Martin Nimrod at Daytona and AJ Foyt was in the sister team car. Everybody was ‘Oh my God, wait till AJ shows up and ﬁnds he’s got a woman on his team.’ But he was absolutely delightful. He taught me more about tyres in the course of that weekend than I’d learned forever. We ended up going out to dinner.” She also later raced wheel to wheel with him at Indy. ❯❯

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Rocketship Mustang Probe in ’89 Daytona 24 Hours. Credit Fred Lewis.

Lyn’s Mercury Capri on Daytona banking

in ’88 24 Hours. Credit Ford.

Lyn in ’91 with colour co-ordinated Ford F-Series Baja Truck. Credit Ford

Lyn’s Mercury Cougar was 5th in ’90 Daytona 24 Hours. Credit Fred Lewis.

Lyn with her team owner Dick Simon in ’93 Indy 500.

In 1992 Indy 500, Lyn was Rookie of the Year. Credit IMS Photo

In 1986 Lyn had a massive shunt in a Ford Mustang Probe during the IMSA LA Times/Ford Grand Prix of Endurance at Riverside. Three cars tangled at 160mph and she was punted into the barriers, her car overturned and burst into ﬂames. She recalls: “I’d had some other incidents but that was the biggest I’d ever had at that point. We destroyed three race cars. All three of us walked away unscathed, well I was injured a little bit. And no race fans were injured.” Lyn also had some other big accidents including at Indy and reﬂects: “I was fortunate enough to reach the higher levels of the sport when the sport was safer, in both sportscars and Indy cars. If I had been racing Indy cars in the 80s, when I was racing sportscars, I may have had mangled feet if you look at some of the crashes I had or look at some of the crashes

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that happened. I call it more destiny than luck. I feel very fortunate that in reality the things that happened to me happened when they did rather than at another time.” Lyn had long had her sights set on the Indy 500 but she had very little experience of racing in single-seaters. She says: “My goal was to drive an Indycar once in my life. I kept talking to team owner Dick Simon about that at the races over two or three years. He then gave me a chance to drive a car in 1988 and it went so well. I truly, absolutely went to heaven in that car. He saw how well I did and then he said ‘we can do this’. But I had to go and ﬁnd the money and that’s why it took four years and me approaching 151 companies to ﬁnd the sponsorship and to be able to put a deal together (with department store JC

Lyn ﬁnished 32nd in 1995 Indy 500. Credit IMS Photo

Penney as her main sponsor). The Indy 500 was only my third open wheel race. I raced a Formula Ford once in 1982 and I raced a Formula Atlantic kind of car, it wasn’t a pure Atlantic, in an open wheel exhibition race in Phoenix in 1990. Then Indy, which was my ﬁrst oval track race. But I had driven at Talladega for the speed records I set in the ‘80s and I had endurance racing experience at Le Mans and Daytona where I was over 200mph on a number of occasions, and I had some turbo experience from when I raced the Mustang Probe, so I had all of this to draw on. The good news at Indy is that you have the whole month of May and so I was able to eat the elephant one bite at a time. “Dick was a former driver and was a great teacher. He had that ability to tell me what I

Lyn’s ﬁrst historic race was at 2001 Goodwood Revival. Steve Havelock

Lyn racing Ford Galaxie at 2001 Goodwood Revival. Steve Havelock

Lyn and her record-breaking 212mph Thunderbird at ’07 Goodwood FOS. Steve Havelock.

Ronald Reagan was very presidential.

Receiving Spirit of Ford award from Ford CEO Jim Farley in 2021. Credit Ford.

needed to know when I needed to know it. He didn’t try and download everything at once on me. He was the perfect person to take me through it step by step so by the time I got to qualifying and the race I was by no means a veteran but I was comfortable. I got to grips with the car very quickly. It was incredibly precise. You just think about what you want the car to do and it does it. You better make sure you are thinking right because it was so responsive.” I asked Lyn to describe racing around Indy at more than 200mph: “It’s like threading a needle and it takes intense concentration. After the race, when you stand up it feels like you’re drunk. Your body is still going in that circle. But when I was in the car it didn’t bother me at all.” Lyn raced in the Indy 500 six other times but her

ﬁrst time was also her best result, although she did qualify 6th in 1994. She also raced in CART and IRL. She says: “I had some amazing positive experiences from 1974 to 2000 and I’ve had a great life. There’s no reason why the other gals out there shouldn’t have the same, if not better. In fact it should be better. I’m not wearing my helmet these days so if I can help give them an opportunity to have a positive career, why wouldn’t I? Women have to believe that they can get to the top levels.” Largely through her work helping women Lyn has met three presidents at the White House. She recalls: “Well, they were all very different but they all left a huge impression. Reagan was a race fan but he was also older and very presidential. George HW Bush was so down to earth and so

Lyn with a relaxed President George HW Bush.

laid back. And with Clinton, you can see how he mesmerises people. He was very charismatic.” In 2019 Lyn had a really bad accident racing a Corvette in a historic event at Indianapolis. She says: “The tyre blew and I was out of control, and that’s the ﬁrst time I can say I was actually scared in a race car. I didn’t want to die. I hit the wall pretty hard and it was the ﬁrst time I felt a moment of fear.” Lyn spent the night in hospital and after that decided to call it a day. Looking back on her career she concludes: “I am proud of what I’ve done on the track and what I have been able to do off track. I love the sport and the sport has given me so many great things. And I hope that I can also make a difference to others to have a great experience in the sport. I only wish I could have won a championship.” ★

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The Reluctant Satin black for rad support panel...

Last month editor Ben Klemenzson’s 1970 Oldsmobile 442 convertible rolled out of the paint booth, resplendent in colour-correct Sherwood Green. Panels were reattached and the ﬁnal assembly was well under way, including replacing that mangy old carpet… Words: Ben Klemenzson Photography: Alex Doig & Paul Moore

heshire Accident Management of Cheadle (www.cheshireaccidentmanagement. co.uk/Tel. 0161 428 7660) who specialise in painting American and prestige vehicles did a great job prepping, repairing and painting the Olds, while also understanding that what I was aiming for was a sympathetic ‘preservation’ job where possible. My aim was not to create a brand-new 1970 car, but one that was in very good nick, retaining as many of the original features as possible. Although cars like this don’t have the parts availability of, say, something like the

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Mustang, you can pretty much get most things, so theoretically you could virtually build a ‘new’ car from parts alone, but that was never the aim. Things like the front indicator lenses had become cracked and damaged and ﬁlled with water whenever it rained, so new ones were acquired, along with new gaskets – stuff like that just has to be replaced. While the engine was going to be ‘looked at’, a total rebuild wasn’t on the cards – it didn’t need it and had never been apart before, although things like the core plugs were starting to leak.

… and bonnet hinges...

… and the brake drums too.

1 2

1. Front disc-brake calipers were painted. 2. Wheels were painted and trim polished. 3. New liner smartens up boot area. 4. New turn light lenses and gaskets were sourced; the old ones were cracked and leaked. Items like this can’t be rescued. 5. Lower door carpet dyed to match carpet. 6. Old carpet had gone yellow. Unlikely to be the original, although the car had just turned 100k miles, so it was possible! 7. Door sill plates easily removed, held in place with just four screws, securing the carpet. 8. Seats were unbolted for removal, all a lot easier in a convertible with the top down. 9. Front seats were taken out. Ideal time if you were to reupholster them. 10. Back seat was easy to remove, revealing 52 years of crud, but crucially, no rust. Carpet is held in situ by the back seat also. 11. Console was a more complex affair, but again dismantled and removed... 12. ... to just leave the shifter in situ to work around when ﬁtting the new carpet.

8 9

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13. Sill plates and trim put aside for safe keeping. 14. Carpet laid out to unfurl after being rolled up for years! 15. Rust prooﬁng paint. 16. Sound deadening in situ. 17. Rear carpet ﬁts perfectly, as do all ACC carpets. 18. Rear bench seat and front seat belts are reinstalled. 19. Check out the state of the old carpet versus the new. 20. Carpets join under the front seats and console, so the join can’t be seen. 21. Console reinstated and seats reinstalled. Nice job!

Special thanks to:

■ Cheshire Accident Management Ltd. Unit 3, Demmings Road Industrial Estate, Demmings Road, Cheadle, Stockport, Cheshire SK8 2PE 0161 428 7660

■ Dave Madders Unit 5. Demmings Road Industrial Estate, Demmings Road, Cheadle, Stockport, Cheshire SK8 2PE 0161 428 4281, david@ californiaclassicimports.com ■ USAutomotive Ltd. 01234 273 155, sales@ usauto.co.uk ■ Kee Auto Top. 3018 Stewart Creek Blvd, Charlotte, North Carolina 28216 USA www.keeautotop.com sales@keeautotop.com info@keeautotop.com Phone: 001.704-332-8213 ■ Steele Rubber Products. 6180 Highway 150 E, Denver, North Carolina 28037-9650, USA. www.steelerubber.com Tel. 001 800-447-0849 ■ American Custom Carpets. 310 Hamric Drive, West Oxford, Alabama, USA 36203 Tel. 001 256 236 1118 email: accsales@accmats. com www.accmats.com

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20 As the car was put together things like the fan shroud and metal front end were painted, as were the brake calipers, which were also cleaned up and painted. Before long it was ready to roll across the road to Dave Madders’ premises for some carpet first aid, under the expert attention of mechanic Alex Doig. A replacement carpet had been sourced from American Custom Carpets (www.accmats.com) who manufacture carpets and mats for just about every American car possible at their facility in Alabama (not China!) and this had to be left out to unfurl for a couple of weeks as it had been in a roll... for about five years! Being a convertible, the stripping out of the old carpet and fitting of the new one was pretty straightforward with the convertible top down: the seats were unbolted and removed, as were the sill plates and the centre console. Things like the kick panels at the front and rear trim panels had to be

21 loosened and the old carpet was removed along with the insulation. It turned out the floor pans had no corrosion, not even a pin hole, something which can plague convertibles, in particular if they’ve ever leaked. A dab of rust-inhibiting primer on the floorpans was followed by reinstating the insulation and fitting of the carpet in the reverse of the previous dismantling process. The replacement carpet came in two portions, back and front, and was easily installed. All that remained was to stain the carpet on the lower half of the door cards which had faded to an almost yellow colour over the years. Well, they were 52 years old! ★

Next month

The rot’s been cut out, the paint’s on and even a new carpet has been ﬁtted. What’s next? Ah yes, the oily bits under the bonnet!

What’s that rumbling sound? No, not the burbling V8, that other rumbling? Yep, it’s your tummy at the thought of our delicious, mouth-watering American Diner Guide, which features exclusively in this month’s Classic American magazine. Check out this listing of our guide to the best American diners here in the UK and add them to your list of can’t miss destinations, either locally or when travelling around the UK!

6 3 7 2 1

To advertise contact Emma ethurman@mortons.co.uk 01507 529453

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Classic American

Reviews

Shirley Shahan: The Drag-On-Lady Author: Patrick Foster Published by: Car Tech ISBN: 978-1-61325-581-0 Like so much in motorsports, drag racing is a male-dominated domain. Nevertheless, there have been several women competitors over the years, perhaps the most famous being Shirley

Muldowney, who from the late Seventies and early Eighties won 18 National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) national events as a Top Fuel dragster driver. However, a decade earlier there was Shirley Shahan, whose relatively brief yet incredibly successful career in drag racing set records and wrote history like never before. With the support of her then husband, mechanic HL Shahan, she was the ﬁrst woman to win an NHRA event, being named Top Stock Eliminator at the 1966 Winternationals. Having driven competitively since the mid-Fifties she had the necessary skills and reactions to win and win consistently. She soon became known as the Drag-On-Lady, a name that was emblazoned on all her cars. Initially driving Chevrolets, including an incredibly rare 1963 RPO Z11 Super Stocker, her track successes rapidly came to the attention of Plymouth and later both Dodge and American Motors. Her well presented and extremely quick cars, whether they were Hemi-powered Plymouth Belvederes and Dodge

Coronets or AMC AMXs and Hornets, quickly became legends, as did Shirley herself. Surprisingly, in the mid-Sixties she also competed in Mobil Economy Runs. She was a petite blonde, with a chirpy personality and an unshakeable determination to win. She was always smartly dressed and this combination, together with her consistent wins, sometimes caused friction among male drivers who resented being beaten by a woman. The fact remained, she was as good as them and frequently better. She retired in 1971 to spend more time with her family, but remained close to the sport. Even today as a greatgrandmother, she and her second husband Ken appear as celebrity guests at events throughout the States. This is a fascinating history of a remarkable woman. The story is well told and the supporting photos are superb, recounting another excellent tale of drag racing’s so-called ‘golden years’ and well worth a read. We’ve got a feature in the pipeline on the Drag-On-Lady in an upcoming issue, so watch this space!

GM 6L80 Transmissions – How to Rebuild & Modify Author: Steve Garrett Published by: Car Tech ISBN: 978-1-61325-730-2

As modern vehicles become ever more complicated and sophisticated it’s no wonder that so few people are prepared to work on their vehicles, as they would have done years ago. Nevertheless, some areas of automotive maintenance have always been seen as a black art, tasks best left to the professional specialists. Of these, the most obvious is automatic transmissions. How do they work? What, if anything, in the way of maintenance and/ or repair can the enthusiast undertake? How has the technology developed over the years as cars become ever more computerised and reliant on sensitive electronics? Well, it seems that you can take on much of the work that the professional will accomplish, as long as you have the right instructions and the necessary tools to carry out the work. That’s not to say that the average car enthusiast can become an overnight expert, but reasonably skilled mechanics with a clean, orderly workshop and a certain amount of savvy should be able to accomplish a fair bit, given the right information. We’ve reviewed a number of ‘workbench how-to’ manuals on automatic transmission from Car Tech over the years. This latest one features the General Motors 6L80, which dates

from 2006 and has been installed in a wide range of GM vehicles since then, as well as those of other manufacturers which GM has supplied. This ‘how-to’ claims to take much of the guesswork out of the process of repair and maintenance by breaking down the tasks into basic elements. As with all books in this series the easy-to-read text is supported by many full colour photographs which help to demonstrate what is required. Four chapters deal with the fundamental aspects of the transmission. The ﬁrst explains the basics about the 6L80, the principles of how it works, the tools one will need, how to inspect the unit, identify what it is and test its functionality and what adhesives, sealers and lubricants will be required. Chapter two deals with the mechanical electronic components. Chapter three explains about component service, disassembly and assembly and chapter four concentrates on TEHCM inspection and testing. TEHCM stands for Transmission Electrical Hydraulic Control Module, which is essentially the ‘brain’ containing the hydraulic solenoids, temperature sensor, pressure switches and the transmission computer. In addition, there are coloured ﬂow charts in the extensive Appendix. I will happily admit to it being all gobbledegook to me, but then I’m no mechanic and I’ll be content to leave it to them. However, for the technically minded, this could be a real godsend.

DON’T MISS OUT! PAGE 20

Richard Coney

Scale

autos

Revell’s 1937 Ford pick-up Late in 2022 Revell is re-releasing its popular 2-in-1 1:25 scale kit of Ford’s 1937 vintage pick-up. It ﬁrst appeared in 1997 as a stock-only kit. It reappeared in 2009 with additional parts to build a street rod version instead and it’s now gained a surfboard. The box art is new, the top showing the current fashion of worn paint with the primer showing through, an effect relatively easy to replicate using an airbrush. The kit is comprehensive, with a complete chassis on to which the engine, drivetrain and suspension assemble, followed by the cab, with its interior installed and the pick-up bed. Consisting of 162 parts, this attractive truck can be built in a number of ways. It can be stock, as Ford intended. Alternatively, the suspension can be lowered

and the flathead V8 modified with a custom manifold fitted with dual carbs and highcompression heads. Revell provides both the stock 1937 radiator grille and one from a 1938 Ford pick-up. There are optional headlights, wooden stake sides for the pick-up and two sets of wheels, stock and more modern steel ones with chromed dog dish hubcaps. The large decal sheet includes the faces for the dashboard instruments, two pairs of licence plates, door motifs and large decals for the surfboard. As a proven kit, it should have sufficient options to satisfy most builders. Online prices hover around the £30 mark.

The Blues Brothers’ Bluesmobile The Blues Brothers is a cult musical comedy film released in 1980 starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, based on characters popularised in America’s Saturday Night Live TV sketches. Directed by John Landis, it was notorious for several reasons. For one, Belushi was stoned on cocaine for much of the filming, creating delays. The featured musical artists were not at the time particularly popular and it was responsible for destroying more cars (103) during filming than any motion picture at that time. The film exceeded its budget by $10 million, coming in at $27.5 million, the equivalent of $90 million in today’s money! While its public reception was initially lukewarm, thankfully international sales eventually helped in grossing in excess of $115 million for the studio and it soon attracted a cult following. Additionally, most of the featured recording artists gained a resurgence of interest in their careers, justifying Aykroyd’s confidence in their musical longevity. Its enduring popularity comes down to the quality of its musical numbers, the slapstick comedy of Belushi and Aykroyd and the many spectacular automotive stunts. The film followed the exploits of two brothers, Jake and Elwood Blues (Belushi and Aykroyd),

following Jake’s release from prison. On visiting the orphanage where they were brought up, they discover that $5000 is needed to pay outstanding property taxes, otherwise it will be forced to close. Jake and Elwood decide to reform their old blues band, The Blues Brothers, to raise the necessary money, resulting in all-round mayhem especially in and around Chicago. A third star was their decommissioned 1974 Mount Prospect, Illinois, Dodge Monaco police car which appears throughout the film, taking part in a succession of car chases and stunts. In an attempt to drum up interest in their forthcoming gigs, a huge loudspeaker, actually a Cold War-era air raid siren, is roof-mounted on the Monaco, thereby ensuring fame as one of the most iconic vehicles in film history. Thirteen retired ex-California Highway Patrol cars were purchased and modified for the various scenes featuring the vehicle. In addition, a further 60 ex-police vehicles were bought for $400 each, most of which were destroyed. A full-time on-set bodyshop laboured constantly to repair the vehicles to keep the shooting schedule on track. There have been many models of the Bluesmobile in a variety of scales, from 1:64 to 1:18.

This soon-to-be-released die-cast example, together with painted Jake and Elwood ﬁgures, is the latter. Originally released under the Ertl banner, the tooling now belongs to Round 2 and is due in late 2022 as an Auto World model. Typically for this scale and manufacturer it has an opening bonnet and boot lid. Unusually, all four doors are hinged. The oversized speaker is mounted on its makeshift wooden platform on the roof. Devoid of hubcaps, its only chrome adorns the bumpers, the front protected by vertical push-bars. The 440 cid V8 is blue with a red air cleaner on top. There’s also a battery, washer bottle and ﬁrewall mounted brake master cylinder. The simple interior bench seats are beige. The

overall ﬁnish is weathered and the decommissioned police decals look suitably worn. As an iconic movie car it’s sure to be popular, especially with the ﬁgures included. McLaren Models (see the company’s advertisement for contact details), is taking pre-orders for £115.

★ A wide range of die-cast models and American-range plastic kits are available online at competitive prices. However, you should be able to source most models reviewed in Scale Autos from www.modelstore.co.uk or see American Classic Diecast at www.american-classic-diecast.co.uk

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Mopars ancient and modern.

EVENT REPORT BEAULIEU ROD & CUSTOM

Words and photography: Ben Klemenzson

Beaulieu, Hampshire June 19, 2022

heoretically this should be the first year of shows without the shadow of Covid hanging over them. While shows started up again last year, there was still nervousness on the part of a lot of people and the vaccine programme hadn’t completely kicked in. Disappointingly for this event the weather forecast, right up until the night before, predicted heavy rain from the get-go and through the day. However, Sunday came and the forecast had completely changed and the day was dry, bright and warm and even sunny occasionally. Sadly, that dire weather forecast seemed to have put off a lot of people from further afield. Nevertheless, it was a good turnout with all the usual attractions this event has to offer. There were some familiar local faces; Richard Biggs with his latest Falcon acquisition, a very tasty ’65 model, with a hot 289 motor and resplendent in lovely silver paint. Equally stunning was Steve Heywood’s 1970 Mustang Mach 1, in refreshing blue paint (why are they always orange?!). Rarer than hen’s teeth was Alan Mortlock’s stunning 1957 Mercury Colony Park wagon which has been resto-modded with a Nineties Buick drivetrain, so you get all the Fifties glamorous looks, but with modern reliability and economy. This stunning piece of kit is for sale at around £19,500 and can be found in our classifieds in the back of the magazine… ❯❯

Weird and wonderful creation...

...had a front end at the back too!

Batmobile’s cousin.

Someone’s been watching Ben Hur.

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Nova with attitude.

Best in Show.

Mahler Fox and ’49 Dodge Coronet.

Andy Saunders Award. Best Custom.

Prize Winners

Andy Saunders Award: 1968 Volvo Amazon estate, Mike Wareham, Bournemouth. The Best in Show Award: 1963 Chevrolet C10 Fleetside pick-up, Michelle and Martyn Marsh, Frimley. The Best American Award: 1956 Buick Special, David Southcott, Hastings. Best Hot Rod Award: 1932 Ford Roadster, Jim Turnbull, Dorset. Best Custom Award: 1956 Ford Thunderbird. Leigh La-Reservee, Poole.

Best American.

Pink Lincoln with... Best Hot Rod.

Richard Biggs’ latest Falcon acquisition.

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… air-con ducts from trunk.

Kingstown Shipping Car of the Year Heat 2

Does this car look familiar to you? Because it should, we featured it in our December 2019 issue (CA344). Mike Nash is the proud owner of this stunning 1967 Dodge Coronet 440 that he acquired a few years ago and has found it to be every bit the gorgeous survivor car that it appears to be, with low mileage and ownership. Although it was originally ﬁtted with a 318 motor, it now boasts a 1973 360cu in V8, hooked up to a 727 Torqueﬂite. The car hailed from Missouri originally and had been in the possession of an ex-Chrysler employee. With those stunning cantilever C-pillars, there’s no missing this mid-century modern Mopar and it will make quite the splash at the Classic Motor Show at the NEC in November, so make sure you pop along to see it and all the other heat winners. Although Mike was contemplating selling the car, wife Diane and kids Benjamin and Summer have persuaded him that’s a terrible idea and for the time being the Dodge remains part of the Nash family!

Mike Nash accepts Kingstown Car of the Year heat award.

360cu in V8 motor.

Spick and span interior.

Remember these?

Buick Skylark GS.

Darren Simmons’ 1977 Country Squire.

Make it bounce!

’66 Buick Electra 225.

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South African RHD Fairlane.

Cool Mopar.

Steven Hayward’s 1970 Mach 1 Mustang. Bucket Ts never go out of style.

There did seem to be fewer cars for sale than in previous years, again perhaps something to do with Covid or fewer cars being shipped over from the States. One car that caught our attention was a very nice Forties Studebaker, or there was a Day Van for a bargain price under £5k. Of course there were plenty of other weird and wonderful cars to look at, from a pre-war Humber that seemed to have front ends at both the front and back, to a Batmobile type custom and a beautiful hot pink 1957 Lincoln with factory air conditioning, including those unusual see-through pipes in the rear that funnelled Alan Mortlock and...

air-conditioned air from the trunk. Unusual looking was a 1963 (?) Ford Fairlane 500 four-door in black with right-hand drive. This diminutive little (relatively speaking!) car wore blinds in its rear window, suggesting it hailed from South Africa and was probably built from a knock-down kit over there. A road tax disc from Cape Town conﬁrmed this. Maybe South Africa could be the next big thing for sourcing American cars, assuming one doesn’t mind right-hookers?! All in all it was a great show, if a little quieter than expected due to the poor weather forecast. ★ ...’57 Mercury wagon…

Flat top rod...

Allard Chrysler dragster.

...boasted Firedome V8 power.

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Albertan Ford.

… with modern Buick V8.

classic-american.com 77

EVENT REPORT

Chris Drucker’s chrome-laden DeSoto Sportsman.

MOPARS AT BROOKLANDS

Words and photography: Zack Stiling

Weybridge, Surrey May 29, 2022

aintaining the tradition stretching back many years, the Mopar Muscle Association descended on Brooklands on the last Sunday in May, along with plenty of friends from the wider world of American cars. This year’s event suffered a little bit from the feeling that it was smaller, which could possibly be attributed to clashes with other big events like the National Hot Rod & Custom Show and an American car day at Bicester Heritage, but I think it was actually an illusion caused by Brooklands simultaneously hosting the (non-London) start of the London to Brighton Classic Car Run, so all the Mopar attendees were crammed somewhat uncomfortably into a reduced space. Even so, there was plenty to see. All the regular Mopar stalwarts were there, joined by a handful of lesser-seen cars. A Dark Tan Charger and a Plum Crazy Challenger were highlights, both 1970 models in R/T SE trim. The R/T highperformance package will be familiar enough, but the Special Edition luxury package is more unusual. Most of the SE’s features were conﬁned to the interior, but having a vinyl roof as standard ensured they were always distinctive. Milton and Stuart Homan from Dream Cars also made a valuable contribution. While most interpreted the Mopar theme to mean muscle cars, with a few be-ﬁnned Fifties Chryslers and DeSotos thrown into the mix, they turned up in a neat pair of wagons, a ’59 Plymouth Suburban and a ’67 Dodge Monaco, both very rare machines. ❯❯

Chargers galore.

Rare ’54 DeSoto Firedome.

k…

1970 Plymouths look tough stoc

Dream Cars wagon number

…and customised.

one…

Winners BEST IN SHOW

Russell Alexander

1966 Dodge Coronet

TOP FIVE

…and number two. Nova made the Top Five.

Dave Surrey’s menacing Charger.

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Dave Surrey Chris Drucker Jason Pickett Rocky Mark Jackson

Plum Crazy 1970 Challenger R/T SE.

1968 Dodge Charger 1958 DeSoto Sportsman 1965 Chevrolet Nova custom 1959 Pontiac Bonneville 1950 Ford custom

Early Mustangs really are pretty.

Jackson’s Shoebox stole hearts.

Charger in R/T SE trim.

Moving away from the Mopars, there can be no doubt that the highlight among everything else was Mark Jackson’s beautiful 1950 Ford sled, late of JackHammer Speed Shop. Chopped, shaved, frenched, lowered and with a peaked bonnet, it had everything going on and looked sublime. A vibrant ’55 Buick Special was similarly evocative of Fifties cruising. I didn’t recognise the pro-street ’78 Camaro that rumbled in, but from the look of it I would think it’s been on the scene since the Eighties or Nineties. Perhaps someone in readerland knows? It looked especially mean, anyhow. It was good to see June’s cover star Howard Webster out with his recently acquired ’72 Pontiac Le Mans, too. Firebirds excepted, Seventies Pontiacs are a fairly unusual sight over here and the Webster car is beautifully turned-out.

Come the end of the day, I had in mind that one possible Best in Show winner must be Russell Alexander’s 1966 Dodge Coronet, and the MMA judges were of a like mind. Displaying a really remarkable patina and a collection of original Sixties drag-racing stickers, it was easily the most characterful car there. It’s been in Britain since 2008, and Russell has been driving it since 2012, but this was the ﬁrst time I’d seen it at Brooklands. Mopars at Brooklands always brings some interesting cars out and this year was no exception. Hopefully next year will be business as usual and they’ll be able to spread out around the whole site again. ★

’59 Bonneville gets out and abou

t a lot.

BLUE PAGES

events&cruises

Classic American Events, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR

2022

July 24 CARROT TOWN GARAGE AMERICAN CAR SHOW The show that will feature anything American, as long as it has an engine! The American Car Show 2022, in association with Carrot Town Garage, will hold its everpopular clubs’ and private owners’ showcase day on Sunday, July 24 (10am-4pm) at Stonham Barns Park – one of Suffolk’s premier leisure, retail and holiday destinations. The show is all about American cars with muscle, power and fabulous paintwork. Advance booking recommended. To enter a club or your own vehicle please contact Stuart Davies at CTG on 07713 267334 or visit www. stonhambarns.co.uk Tickets for the event are £10 per adult (under 12s get in free). For further information visit or call 01449 711111. For more information about forthcoming events at Stonham Barns Park please contact the Events Team on 01449 711111 or email events@stonhambarns. co.uk 29-31 28TH MOPAR EURO NATIONALS RWYB event for American muscle cars only, featuring drag racing, show ’n’ shine, burnout competition, live music, traders and camping. The biggest muscle car door slammer event in Europe. All American classics, trucks, modiﬁed and muscle cars plus American car clubs are welcome. Sunday will see a gigantic show ’n’ shine in the car corral and at lunch time the legendary burnout contest. The best muscle car show in the UK has just got bigger, don’t miss this petrolhead experience. See: Mopar EuroNats Facebook page or visit www.santapod.co.uk

August 13-14 BRIDGWATER CLASSIC AND VINTAGE Morganians Rugby Club, Chedzoy Lane, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA7 8QW. The show is open to a wide range of classic vehicles and American cars are very welcome. There will be trade stalls, food and drink, children's entertainment and hopefully a WW2 aircraft fypast. Entrance is only £5 for adults and pre-booked exhibitors are given free entry. All proceeds to local charities. Details from www.bcvcshow.com or on our Facebook page or contact Rob on 07919 351867. 14 CROMER CARNIVAL & AMERICAN CUSTOM CAR SHOW At the Carnival Field, Runton Road, Cromer NR27 9AU. 10am onwards, free entry. Tel. 01263 570223 for details. 20 REDHILL DREAM CRUISE From 7pm. Head for RH1 1NP. The emphasis is deﬁnitely on old school Chelsea/Swedish style cruising the streets in classic American cars and trucks. There is a town centre route and a longer scenic route which fully overlap… there are plenty of eateries and vista points around town which will be signposted this year! Check out Instagram and Facebook for latest info! Keep it low and slow! 26-28 KNUCKLE BUSTERS AT THE BARNS Stonham Barns, Stonham Aspal, near Ipswich, Suffolk IP14 6AT In association with the Knuckle Busters Car Club. Expect to see rods, bikes, Yanks and customs. Club stands, trade stands, autojumble, food and drink. Top rockabilly bands, jive dancers, camping, MC John Price, hot rod movies,

EVENTS MARKED IN WHITE ARE CAR OF THE YEAR HEATS DJs, show 'n' shine trophies. Show 'n' shine display, car and driver free (pre-booked only). On-the-gate display car drivers and passengers must purchase a standard entry ticket. Public entry 10am-4pm. Tel. 01449 711111 or see: www.stonhambarns.co.uk

September 3-4 ISLE OF WIGHT INTERNATIONAL CHARITY CLASSIC EXTRAVAGANZA 11am to 5.30pm Ryde Esplanade North Walk, Isle of Wight. For more than two decades this show has grown into a massive international event attracting every imaginable type of classic, retro and historic vehicle from all over mainland Britain, Europe and beyond. In all, some 1000 stunning examples will adorn the entire mile-long Ryde Esplanade, making it one of the island’s premier attractions. With free entry to the public, the show is held in support of the Isle of Wight Round Table and Mountbatten Hospice. Anyone wishing to display a vehicle in this wonderful extravaganza must apply in advance and register with Vic Gallucci on the booking line, which is 0208 439 7871. To ensure a space at this very popular event, it is strongly recommended that application is made before August 31, 2022. For more information or to display your car, call 0208 439 7871. 4 AMERICAN DAY FEATURING DEUCE DAY, CELEBRATING 90 YEARS OF THE 1932 FORD. Brooklands Museum, Surrey. Deuce Day will be celebrating 90 years of the iconic 1932 Ford on Sunday, September 4 at Brooklands Museum. There will be a dedicated display of Deuces, organised by Facebook Group Deuces of Britain, as part of Brooklands Museum American Day event. American Day is a highly popular and successful annual event dedicated to Stars and Stripes and the display of 1932 Fords will be an added bonus this year. The aim is to gather the largest display of Deuces ever seen in the UK. Although primarily focused around hot rods, all Fords of the marque are welcome, whether they are hot rods, restored originals, steel or ‘glass replicas. Advance tickets are available on line via the Brooklands Museum website or for more information visit www.deucesofbritain.co.uk or Facebook group Deuces of Britain. 16-18 HOT ROD DRAGS Now celebrating the 33rd annual Original Hot Rod Drags, supported by the NSRA. It’s a hot rod show at the racetrack! The usual, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t ﬁx it’ formula with pre-’73 RWYB, invited race classes, Wild Bunch, ﬁreworks and much more. For more info see: www.nsra.org.uk or www. santapod.co.uk 18 AMERICAN CAR SHOW Stonham Barns, Stonham Aspal, near Ipswich, Suffolk IP14 6AT In association with the Knuckle Busters Car Club. AllAmerican car show, spanning more than six decades. Club stands, trade stands, autojumble, food and drink. Show 'n' shine trophies on Sunday, show 'n' shine display, car and driver free (pre-booked only). Showring displays, rock 'n' roll bands, autojumble, DJs and much more. Bar food all day, camping available. On-the-gate display car drivers and passengers must purchase a standard entry ticket. Public entry 10am-4pm. Tel. 01449 711111 or see: www. stonhambarns.co.uk

16-18 AMERICANA Back for 2022 and under new management to celebrate the best of American culture. From hot rods through hot dogs to honky tonk, this show has all bases covered. For more info see: www.americana-international.info/ or to contact, email: americana.int@gmail.com 25 MOCGB NATIONAL SHOW Battlers Green Farm, Radlet, WD7 8PH. All American cars and hot rods welcome. There will be judging and prize giving in many categories and we will also have our hospitality trailer there with MOCGB branded merchandise for sale as well as the classic car boot sale and autojumble. There’s also food and drink vendors and the farm shops and facilities will be open all day. Open to members and non-members. £6 in advance www.ifounditevents.com or £7.50 on the gate. Open from 10am. All proceeds going to UK Autism charity. All American cars and hot rods welcome.

October 13-17 RHYTHM RIOT! Camber Sands, Sussex TN31 7RL Four fabulous days and nights of 1950s music, dancing and vintage lifestyle with a huge line-up of the world's best bands and DJs playing in three great venues. The weekend features a spectacular classic car cruise, vintage clothing mall, all-vinyl and 78s DJ sessions, burlesque shows, vintage style hair and beauty parlour, rockin’ barber, indoor ﬂea market, mid-century art and design show, Rhythm Riot TV and lots more... including a free 1956 shuttle bus service, so even those without a car can get to ride in style! Full details and online booking at www.RhythmRiot.com or call 0208 566 5226 for information, bookings and ﬂyers.

November 11-13 CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW NEC, Birmingham. The UK’s largest indoor classic event held in several halls and also the closing car show of the season. Expect to see celebrity stages, restoration demonstrations, car clubs galore, autojumble and just about anything you could imagine for your classic. It’s also the ﬁnals of the Kingstown Shipping Car of the Year competition, where Classic American will be taking centre stage in the American section with a stand displaying all the ﬁnalists. See: www.necclassicmotorshow.com for more information.

Cruises

LONDON Chelsea Cruise, monthly meet, Chelsea Bridge/ Battersea Park, last Saturday of every month from 7pm, Derek 07724 752512. SWANSEA Swansea American Autos Brunch Meet. Third Sunday of each month (March-Oct) 11am-2pm at Baglan Industrial Park, Port Talbot, SA12 7BY. Hot food, toilets and DJ. For more info see our Facebook page, call 07815 701922 or email popscarhire@hotmail.com WAKEFIELD Wakey cruise night ﬁrst Saturday of the month at the King's Arms on Heath Common, Wakeﬁeld, WF1 5SE from 5pm. Tel John 07724 777375.

Words and photography: Will Shiers

Our intrepid salvage yard explorer brings you junkyard jewels from across North America.

1. I’ve just returned from a 2500-mile road trip through Southern California, Arizona, Utah and Nevada, in search of more abandoned cars. With salvage yards closing all the time, spurred by high scrap metal prices and environmental pressures, it gets increasingly difficult to find these unloved classics. However, look hard enough and it is still possible to unearth some real junkyard jewels, like this rust-free 1976 AMC Pacer. 2. Only 4000 of these incredibly rare 1979 Chrysler 300 two-door hardtops were built. The limited edition car, which was basically a souped-up Cordoba, had a 195hp V8 under the bonnet. All of them were finished in Spinaker White, and had red leather interiors. This one desperately needs rescuing from a Phoenix, Arizona salvage yard. 3. From 1970 to 1978 the European-built Ford Capri (in Mk1 and Mk2 guise) was exported to America. Although it wasn’t given any divisional identification, the car was sold through Lincoln Mercury dealers. But in 1979 it was dropped in favour of this, the Mustang-based Mercury Capri. This solid 1981 example, which is in need of a little TLC, could be yours for $3000.

4. Some 90,000 Willys Aero sedans rolled off the Toledo, Ohio production line between 1952 and 1954, before the decision was made to concentrate solely on Jeeps. However, the car would have a second life in 1960, when tooling was shipped to Brazil. During the following 11 years a further 116,000 would ﬁnd buyers. 5. Hidden Valley Auto Parts of Maricopa, Arizona has a few thousand vehicles on site, including this 1954 Oldsmobile. 6. There’s no mistaking this distinctive rear end, which belongs to a 1965 AMC Marlin Rambler. Billed as a roomy fastback – it was certainly more spacious than the Mustang and Barracuda anyway – it had the market to itself for a while. But then along came the Dodge Charger! The dry Arizona climate is perfect for preserving classics, and this example has nothing more than a little surface rust. 7. This 1982 Jeep Wagoneer is ex-police, having once belonged to the Gooding Sheriff’s Department. Gooding is a small town located in southern Idaho, with a population of just 3500. 8. A 1966 Dodge Monaco station wagon as straight as this one surely deserves to be saved. It’s almost complete, right down to the original factory roof rack and third row of rear-facing seats. 9. In contrast to the Dodge Monaco, there are few reasons to save this 1954 Ford Country Sedan station wagon from the crusher. Even its few straight body panels are badly corroded, which is unusual for a Southern California car. 10. And now for something completely different – a 1973 Pontiac Stageway Airport limousine. In addition to this six-door (nine-passenger) car, Armbruster Stageway Coaches of Fort Smith, Arkansas, also built eight-door (12-passenger) versions. This rare example would have had a $7589 price tag back in the day.

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