Innehållsförteckning för November 2023 från Custom Car

We hate to mention the dreaded C word so early in the year, but the truth is the festive period will be upon us before we know it. Should you have a little hot rodder in your life, the burning question is what should you ask the fat man with the white beard and wearing a red suit to drop down the chimney for them? Well, how about something sort of practical that makes light of transporting their tired bodies around a rod run or the pits at a drag race meet? Not convinced. Well, chuck in the fact it makes a great parts hauler for those parts you buy at a swap meet and does that sway your mind? Lee Blythe is the man behind Coventry-based Kustom Kartz, and…

Hard to believe, but this year saw the 15th running of the Hot Rod Hayride. There have been some changes to the format over the years, and to the location, and to the clubs that underpin it, but last year saw a very welcome return. And boy, did it come back with a bang. Everyone saying it was as good as any of the previous Hayrides, and hadn’t lost any of its soul along the way, thanks to the massive efforts put in by Jerry Chatabox and the Detonators car club. Nevertheless, we all went home with the knowledge that its return could be a one off. But news started to leak out toward the end of the year and, in January, tickets went on sale for the 2023 event.…

The 32nd staging of the Hot Rod Supernationals was always going to be a tough act. What could the NSRA do to follow last year’s awesome 50th anniversary event? Not wanting to shy away from the challenge, the committee stepped up to the plate and mixed things up a bit. The entertainment marquee fell by the wayside, replaced with a festival-style outdoor stage. A brave move indeed but, as the weather pretty much played ball, it was a move that appeared to work. The entertainment itself is best described as Marmite. At least there was the option of Baldy’s Bar for those who weren’t keen on the acts performing on the main stage. After a quiet Friday daytime, Saturday’s cruise proved as popular as ever and was very well supported.…

Remember 1976? Oh, you don’t. Well, to be fair, nor does Chris Carr, since that was the year he was born. It was also the year the first Zaks American diner opened in Norfolk. And it was the year this Chevy van rolled off a production line in the USA. The fates of all three have been intertwined ever since. But actually there’s another date that is perhaps more important. In 1942 the county of Norfolk became known as ‘Little America’, due to the influx of 50,000 American servicemen, many of them in the USAAF Eighth Air Force. They brought with them things wartime Brits had either never seen or had forgotten about: peanut butter, donuts, racial segregation, jitterbug, Coca-Cola, nylons, STDs and chewing gum among them. Spread over 17…

We were particularly chuffed to hear the names of Alan Martin, Steve Tristram and Martyn Payne being called round to the start line on Sunday afternoon to receive the Spirit of ’76 award from British drag racing legend, Pete Crane, in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the sport of drag racing. These three (plus Mark Fullard) were the driving force behind both the Hot Rod Drags and the Nostalgia Nationals at Avon Park, which started in 1989 and 1993 respectively. Obviously, things have changed a lot in the interim but, without these fine gentlemen, neither of those nostalgia events would exist in the form they do today. Cheers guys.…

E’s are good… With its American styling and a new 997 OHV engine, the 105e Anglia was quite a car for its time. Unlike the 100e and sit-up-and-beg Pops, the 105e had fins, a distinctive grille and a slanting rear screen. Later on, many a retro Ford builder and beginner hot rodder have found its back axle to be a decent replacement. Over the years, many warmed up, hot rodded and drag racing variations have been created on the 105e theme – and more recently, it has gained popularity with a younger audience after starring in the Harry Potter movie franchise. This model here is owned by Andy Boswartick, a former driving instructor turned sign writer whose work features heavily on oval racers. He’s a man who says his favourite…

A glorious sunny Friday saw a full day of RWYB action, followed by the first qualifying session of the weekend – ending with a new world record for a steam-powered vehicle when Graham Sykes clocked 6.718 / 161 on the Force of Nature drag bike. This was clearly going to be a fantastic weekend. Everyone knew rain was coming on Saturday morning, though it proved more persistent than we hoped and some dramatic thunder storms kept spectators in their tents, or sampling the merchandise in the beer festival, and cars off the track most of the day. Huge applause to the track crew who tried again and again to dry the track, only to be thwarted by another shower until eventually, at 5pm, things cleared up and the Cannonball rolled…

Despite losing a few competitors to engine damage early doors, the much-anticipated Dragstalgia Cannonball started strong, with 18 entries and flashes of brilliance from some of the teams. A new PB 6.301 / 206 for Paul Harris in the Mr Six tribute Monza in session one, side-by-side sixes by Apache (number one qualifier on 6.238 / 211) and Time Traveller II, as well as Venom and Nitro Bug. Great to see Havoc back out to play too, Nick Davies having to fight the Bantam’s errant urges on every run, and Rob Elsom’s Dirty Deeds Camaro flopper, now with John Hale at the controls. Steve Johnson might be trying to sell the Motor Mouse slingshot, but that didn’t stop him leaning on it hard, 6.925 / 197 on Friday, while with…

Session one saw a new PB, and first seven, for Ian Merryweather in the Banzai Topolino (7.924 / 175) and another balls-out, wheels-up pass by Aaron Windridge (9.003 / 167), but the quickest runner in the class was Jim Usher (7.606 / 178), improving that to 7.376 / 182 in session three to hold the top spot. Jim Tucker is really getting to grips with the Hemi in Hellfire now, 8.877 / 157 on Friday and 8.704 / 156 in session two, which also saw Brian Watson make a first full track pass in the beautiful O Black Betty slingshot (14.583 / 52) vs Mick Hannah in the equally pleasing Haggis Hunter (9.941 / 90). Bob Glassup was out to play in yet another red Mk1 Capri, this time running…

When it comes to modified cars, Anthony Bushell was ahead of the game in his formative years. He cut his teeth on a DAX Cobra when he was still a teenager. “It was pretty hanging,” Anthony recalled. “But I fixed it up and it served my needs for a while.” Hanging or not, that’s a pretty formidable starter car and very few teenagers can lay claim to owning such a cool ride at that tender age. Things then got a touch bizarre though. “After the Cobra I had the SierraStang.” Perplexed and intrigued, I naturally probed Anthony to find out exactly what he was talking about. “Essentially it was a replica Eleanor Mustang body grafted onto a Ford Sierra floorplan.” That clears that up then, and the chances are it…

This old-school weekend harks back to years gone by Back in 1976 a group of young Norfolk residents got together and decided to host a weekend rod run. Amazingly, unlike so many other similar events of that era, almost half a century later the Kings Lynn Kruisers weekend is still on the event calendar. Nowadays it’s known as the KLK Vehicle Extravaganza and the faces have changed, with maybe the exception of Dave Newman, but essentially, it’s the same event. After numerous changes of location over the years, it now takes place at the Community Centre in Walpole St Andrew, Norfolk. The venue provides a social club for evening entertainment, and as it’s not licensed participants are free to take in their own alcohol, which helps keep the cost down.…

Vic Parsons’ ’65 Belvedere has had a full rebuild and new engine at Williams Brothers Racing and proved its worth with a PB 9.969 / 135 first time out, improving to 9.804 / 136. Likewise, Paul Smail had a great debut in the new Thirsty Work Chevelle, 10.708 / 125 first time out, then 10.565 / 124. Qualifying one was like revolving doors, Adrian Portelli bagging the number one spot, then Stewart Arthur, Kiwi Thompson before settling at Mick Sharpe (10.400 / 125 on a 10.39 dial). By round two of qualifying, the 73-car field had been reduced to 64, this time with Karl Kenyon in the 318ci Valiant (14.903 / 92 on a 14.90 dial) on top of the heap, with Beavis Allen and Gary Semper in hot pursuit.…

Motor Mouse Back in July at Dragstalgia, Steve Johnson made his final run down the Santa Pod quarter mile. It is something he has done more times than most who have ventured into competition. Few can say that they have reached their 50th season, and Steve’s final run in the Dragstalgia Cannonball was not a gentle sign off. He had already recorded one of his best times earlier in the meeting – but that last one was a nail-biter, as the car decided it wanted to flirt with the wall at high speed! ‘I thought there was just about a foot to the wall at the front,’ commented Steve. ‘But then the car is wider at the back!’ Happily, he got away without any damage, as few at the time…