Indholdsfortegnelse for September 2024 i Classic American

Viewpoint Dodge '64 This month we’re celebrating ordinary cars for ordinary people! Whenever we do surveys, readers consistently say they would like to see more cars that they could imagine themselves being able to afford to buy, own and run. Fewer concours, big dollar cars; more ordinary cars that the ‘regular Joe’ could pick up and enjoy driving around in. Well, guess what? We’ve got a whole issue of those types of cars, all of which are Sixties models – a four-door even – and all at that pricing ‘sweet spot’ inhabited by slightly off-centre Sixties American cars. A ’67 Ventura, not a GTO (see page 35), a ’65 Bel Air, not a Corvette or a Camaro (see page 26) and last but not least, a ’64 Polara, not a…

Between February and October 1964, a bright red streak with a gold number 26 on the side could be seen speeding around the NASCAR circuits of America. Its driver, Bobby Isaac, was not yet at the pinnacle of his career; that would come in 1970, when he won the NASCAR Grand National Series outright with his Dodge Charger Daytona, but he had only reached the heights of the Grand National in ’63, and the determined 31-year-old from Catawba, North Carolina, was certainly making a name for himself during ’64, with the vibrant Nichels Engineering Dodge Polara. Notably, he and No 26 won that year’s Daytona 500 Qualifier and finished second at the Atlanta 500 and Firecracker 400. Of course, Isaac wasn’t the only Polara driver in ’64, nor was he…

I recently acquired a small, but very high-quality set of photographs taken around Lincoln, Lincolnshire, by Norman Keyse, who lived in a village called North Scarle. Norman passed away in 2021, but I had the pleasure of speaking to his widow Susan, who told me about his interest in all things automotive. Norman’s life as an amateur photographer started circa 1955 or 1956, when he commenced work at a local factory and joined its camera club. Much of his hobby was devoted to capturing interesting vehicles, and he was equally likely to be seen at a meeting of the Lincolnshire Vintage Vehicle Society, as he was to be spotted outside a dealership inspecting the latest foreign imports. Like many young men, at the time his early personal transport was a…

events & cruises Classic American Events, Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6JR August 9-11 30TH MOPAR EURO NATIONALS Santa Pod Raceway, Airfield Road, Podington, Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7XA. The ultimate American muscle Car show with RWYB for American cars only, drag racing, live music, traders and much more. Whether you have a modified or classic American car or truck, come along to the largest muscle car door slammer event in Europe. Sunday will see a gigantic show & shine in the car corral and at lunchtime the wheelie contest. Camping available onsite so come for the weekend; all American car clubs welcome. To find out more visit santapod.co.uk/mopar.php. Tel: 01234 782828. 10 & 11 BRIDGWATER CLASSIC & VINTAGE CLUB ANNUAL SHOW Morganians Rugby Club, Chedzoy Lane, Bridgwater, Somerset…

1. When I’m tin-hunting I tend to shy away from the well organised urban yards, which specialise in modern cars, and instead try to seek out the disorderly and more picturesque rural yards. However, on a recent trip to St Louis I made an exception, and I’m glad I did. Speedway Auto Salvage is located in East St Louis, on the Illinois side of the Missouri River. It’s just a stone’s throw from the World Wide Technology Raceway from which it derives its name. It’s one of the busiest yards I’ve ever been to, with a constant stream of customers. There’s a $1 entrance fee, and for that you can borrow a wheelbarrow to load up with the parts you pick. Although most of the vehicles in this place are…

It was either a masterwork of coachbuilding artistry, or a travesty of Biblical proportions depending on whose estimate you canvassed. These days, it isn’t unusual for a car to be given a designer reskin – creating a ‘new’ car that retains the same basic architecture and ‘hard points’ as the donor vehicle. Scroll back to 1976 and the Custom Cloud picked up from where the Pontiac Grand Prix-based Stutz Blackhawk left off, as a trailblazer for the concept of a humdrum production car in designer threads. However, the distinction here was that this larcenous machine appropriated its look from another car. What’s more, the maker of the real thing didn’t take too kindly to the plagiarism and responded accordingly. The Custom Cloud was conceived by sometime graphic designer and serial…

Sometimes at Classic American, a bit of time passes between a car being photographed and it making it into the pages of the magazine. That was the case with this lovely 1965 Chevrolet Bel Air four-door sedan. In the period between Matt photographing it and my speaking to owner Robin Shackleton, he sold the Chevy. Usually, I’d then ask for the details of the new owner and continue the story, but that wasn’t possible. “It went to Ireland,” explains Robin, “somewhere in the south. Normally, I’d have the buyer’s details, but he bought it sight unseen after phoning me. I don’t even have his name, I sent off the V5 form to signify the change in ownership without him ever even signing it.” Instead, I ask Robin what he remembers…

With Mustang ownership at an all-time high in the UK and marking 60 years since the release of the marque, this year’s Mustang Owners Club of Great Britain event carried significant expectations. Fortunately, the unique mix of passionate ownership and fanatical club pride ensured attendees were not disappointed. Nearly every year of manufacture was represented, with only the Mustang II missing – a fitting reminder that even a powerhouse like Ford must adapt with the times (see the current electrified Mustang Mach One and the new Capri!). For fans of Santa Pod and American cars in general, the familiar dulcet tones of John Price resonated across the show field. He interviewed club members about their cars, offering insights into the world of judging and sharing personal stories about Mustangs and…

1959 Chevrolet Apache Estimate: £16,000-£20,000 Sold £41,184 It seems like British American vehicle fans can’t get enough of American pick-up trucks these days, especially older ones from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies. Still affordable and practical too, in terms of being able to lug things about, they’re also simple enough for most shade-tree mechanics to work on and parts availability is exceptional. This particular classic American pick-up truck is presented in bright turquoise, with a handsome grey and white vinyl interior, with a wood lined flatbed and side mounted spare wheel. It’s just undergone a restoration which included a £12,000 respray in its present paintwork and also features a new deluxe steering wheel which cost £500 as well as a deluxe five-gauge dash clock. In the accompanying history file there…

For the longest time, America has been obsessed with the latest and greatest. Turn on any TV channel, streaming service or social media feed and you’ll likely be inundated with the latest trend, whether it’s Artificial Intelligence, green technology, electric vehicles etc. Planned obsolescence was invented here and led to the consumer-driven society we’ve witnessed in the West since the Second World War. When I first moved across the pond, I frequently joked that in the town I lived in, most of the roads (and indeed, a lot of the cars) were older than most of the buildings. When you’ve spent a bit of time in the New World, you start to appreciate the culture and history that places like the UK and Europe have to offer, as well as…

I don’t know if you have ever looked into the glove box or centre console and thought, ‘one day, I will reline or refresh this’, but you never get around to it? Well, maybe now is that time! A lot of us have opened the centre console, only to be greeted by an old boiled sweet or a piece of chewing gum languishing in the corner. Obviously, many of us are into cars from the Fifties, Sixties and Seventies and the glove box or centre console has had many years of use and abuse. So, let’s give it a refurb, at least clean it or, if necessary, reline it. I went for relining part and colouring the rest of the centre console bin on my 1970 GTO. The general condition…

If there are such things as ‘weather gods’ up there in the firmament, they were doing their very best to try the patience of everyone at this year’s Dragstalgia 13. Friday was okay, with early grey skies clearing by lunchtime ready for some Run-what-ya-brung action, and later, some class qualifying. However, the black rainclouds that had threatened all day finally decided to dump the wet stuff later on Friday evening. Fortunately, it was well after the strip had shut, but the stormy conditions worsened during the night, culminating in a thunderstorm and blustery winds in the early hours that must have woken up everyone on site – not fun for those camping under canvas! So it went all weekend, and the track staff were kept busy drying the track on…