Classic American July 2019

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ICON BRONCO

UK Off-sale datte – 18/07/2019

1961 CHEVROLET I M PA L A S S

No.339 July 20019

£4.50

1957 FORD THUNDERBIRD

Ben Klemenzson

Viewpoint

Photographyy: Jon nathan Fleetwood

U

ALL CHANGE!

nbelievably, the show season is here with us already and so far we’ve been blessed with a pretty good summer. One’s always a little cautious about making such proclamations, as they are usually followed by biblical rain of the ‘40 days and 40 nights’ variety… hopefully not on this occasion!

Huw Evans has been saying it for years, but for me the penny finally has dropped; American car makers really are deserting the manufacture of passenger cars in favour of trucks, SUVs and cross-overs, meaning if you want to buy a sedan in North America these days, you’ll likely be looking at a Camry or an Accord. How on earth has it come to this?

When Ford ended production of Panther platform favourites the Ford Crown Vic/Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car you could sayy the writing g was on the wall. Buoyed by fleet sales to federal agencies, law enforcement and fleet buyers, these hoary old sedans offered great bang for buck, were roomy, comfortable, but most definitely a throwback to the heady days of big American sedans of yore. Chevy had abandoned the body-on-frame, rear wheel drive and

V8-powered formula when they dropped the Caprice in 1996, leaving Ford with a monopoly on these type of vehicles until they were discontinued in 2012.

It’s a shame, as for many of us, they were the cars that started our love affair with American motoring; however, that’s progress, as they say, and just as the station wagon has yielded to the minivan, so too the once ubiquitous sedan has now been superseded by the SUV/cross-over. On a happier note, Classic American’s Stars and Stripes show is taking place over the weekend of July 6 and 7 at Tatton Park, near Knutsford, Cheshire. It’s a fantastic event and if you’ve never attended, why not pop along, we’re sure you’ll have a blast!

Ben Klemenzson, editor bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk

classic-american

44 on page 60

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FOR 2019 SEE PAGE 111

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EDITOR

Ben Klemenzson bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk DE SIGN

Charlotte Fairman, Jake Sidebotham, Michael Baumber PI CT UR E D ESK

Jonathan Schofield, Paul Fincham CO NTRIBUTORS

Nigel Boothman, Simon Browse, Geoff Carverhill, Richard Coney, Huw Evans, Jonny Fleetwood, Keith Harman, Richard Heseltine, Tony Oksien, Mike Renaut, Matt Richardson, Will Shiers, Jonny Smith, Rob Woodall, Paul Bussey, Steve Havelock, Zack Stiling, Des Penny PRODUCTION EDITORS

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News Here to Obscurity Across the Pond Muscle Car Files Letters Subscription Offer Beauty Pala Readers’ Rides Scale Autos Reviews Tex Club News Discoveries Service Directory Ad Gallery Private Classifieds

F E AT U R E S 27 34

pmobile 1933 Hup 1957 Ford Thunderbird

44 52 73

1970 Plymouth Superbird ICON Ford Bronco The John DeLorean Story

EVENTS 70 91 99

Beaulieu Autojumble American Speedfest Hayling Island Reunion

WORKSHOP 80

Tech: Replacing a Fuel Tank Sender

AMERICAN AND MODIFIED 64

1961 Chevrolet Impala

52

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Classic American

News

CLASSIC AMERICAN ’S STARS & STRIPES LIFTS OFF! T

That’s actually grass, not sand!

he clocks are ticking to Classic American’s very own event, the Stars and Stripes Show, held over the weekend of July 6 and 7 in the beautiful grounds of Tatton Park, Knutsford, Cheshire. Now in its second year under the management/ownership of Classic American’s parent company Mortons, Stars and Stripes has become a must-do event for any American car enthusiast in the UK and is easily reached by motorway from all over Britain.

As in previous years, attractions include just about every type of American vehicle imaginable, from pick-ups to hot rods, customs, military vehicles, big rigs, Harley Davidsons… and even Air Streams. There’ll also be traders aplenty, including some familiar names from Classic American, including Kingstown Shipping, RH Insurance, Northants Tyres, Farm Fresh Trucks, American Auto Mags and Ace Auto Electrics, so make sure you pay them all a visit! There’ll be plenty of autojumble, as well as a wild west shoot-out, wall of death and live music.

Don’t miss the Classic American stand, where we will be dishing out subscriptions, back issues, T-shirts, merchandise and the latest issue of everyone’s favourite American car magazine. Last, but not least, Stars and Stripes is round four of the Kingstown Shipping & RH Insurance Car of the Year competition, so we’ll be looking out for one lucky concours car to give £200 to, as well as a unique hand-cast brass trophy and an invitation to the grand finals at the NEC Birmingham in November. Could it be you? Watch this space!

It’s not too late to enter your American vehicle to display, simply do so online at www.tattonstarsandstripes.com/privatebooking/

Kingstown Shipping & RH Insurance Car of the Year Heat two of this year’s Kingstown Shipping & RH Insurance Car of the Year competition was won by a car that may look familiar to Classic American readers – this beautiful black 1962 Ford Thunderbird was featured in the May 2018 (no. 325) issue of Classic American. Owner Kevin Moss bought the car in March 2017 and has done a lot of work to it since, including an interior retrim and getting the electric top (including all the original solenoids) to work reliably – although as anyone knows, with these cars, which utilise much of the retractable technology pioneered on the ’56-’58 Skyliners – they can be a little temperamental.

The car was originally ordered new by an

6 classic-american.com

American serviceman in Germany (hence the Matic automatic transmission. This is American speedometer in kilometres, rather than miles) cruising at its finest! and is nicely optioned with leather interior, power-windows Kingstown’s Mark Cowley.

Kevin Moss accepts the trophy from and -seats, push-button radio and tinted glass.

Those Kelsey Hayes wheels were a $373 option, but were added later, as was the fibreglass tonneau.

Power comes from Ford’s venerable 300bhp big block FE 390 motor, which is hooked up to a three-speed Cruise-O-

FCA RENAULT MERGER COULD LEAD TO INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION Among Detroit-based automakers, Chrysler is no stranger to mergers. Arguably the first time it happened was in 1987 when the then Chrysler Corporation absorbed the American Motors business, bringing Jeep into the fold and then launching the shortlived Jeep-Eagle division (does anybody remember the Premier or Talon?).

A decade later we saw the “merger of equals” with Chrysler Corporation and DaimlerBenz merging to become DaimlerChrysler. It proved to be a less than successful marriage, with Chrysler arguably gaining at the expense of its German “parent,” through vehicles such as the highly successful Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger. Then along came the great recession—Daimler spun off Chrysler and Fiat came calling, resulting in the reintroduction of the Fiat brand to North America, as well as renewed emphasis on performance and pizazz through Chrysler, Dodge and Ram. Now, with the automotive OEMs under intense pressure to pool resources, backroom talks between Renault and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles could create a historic consolidation, one that could pave the way for more to follow. The Renault-Nissan Alliance (which later expanded to include Mitsubishi) helped the Japanese

automaker revitalise its business with dynamic new product offerings and bolster Renault’s business due to its access in markets where the French brand traditionally has limited influence (Asia and North America).

Yet rumours about the proposed merger between FCA and Renault indicate a sidelining of Nissan’s importance in the alliance, with Nissan management reportedly not taking a major role in the merger talks, particularly significant considering the Japanese automaker has struggled to gain a foothold in the lucrative North American pickup truck market. Furthermore, FCA’s dominance in that segment (via its Ram brand) could be a huge boost to Renault, while FCA could draw on extensive electric vehicle expertise from the likes of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi.

If the merger is approved, the result could be a mega auto conglomerate that could generate 15 million vehicle sales worldwide.

And, as the auto industry grapples with stiff emissions targets, political pressure in peddling more electric vehicles, not to mention prevailing trends in the arena of increased vehicle connectivity and potentially autonomous driving, it would appear that an FCA-Renault merger on many levels actually makes sense. HE

classic-american.com 7

Classic American

News

BARGAINS AT BROOKLANDS? I

t’s not very often that a British auction house offers up a treasure trove of American vehicles for the taking, but a personal collection of classic American cars is coming to auction at the Historics July 13 event, held at Brooklands Museum, Surrey. The collection, all offered without reserve, comprises five cars, one pick-up and a Harley-Davidson motorcycle. The collector obviously had a thing for American luxury cars, as they are primarily Sixties and Seventies models. The auctioneers have described them as follows:

1972 Cadillac Eldorado, 74,875 miles.

Supplied by a British collector directly from a single California-based owner, it was sourced and shipped over in 2013. Fully optioned and with the addition of a tan Everflex roof, this impressive Eldorado coupe drives well and has been enjoyed. Last MoT’d in 2017 without issue; this is fully registered in the UK and offered without reserve.

1969 Lincoln Continental, 85,164 miles.

Sourced from Houston, Texas in 2014, it is now fully UK registered and is in solid condition throughout with good paintwork. It clearly sits on non-standard 20-inch ‘American Racing’ wheels, low-profile tyres and a non-standard exhaust. The gold-coloured leather interior is in good order and the air conditioning unit has recently been rebuilt. The car was last MoT tested in the UK in 2017/18. Included in the sale is a file of paperwork, mainly from the US, detailing general servicing items as well as correct UK registration documents.

1972 Cadillac Eldorado.

1972 Buick Riviera.

1972 Buick ‘Boattail’ Riviera, 95,591 miles.

Acquired in 2013 from a US collector in Flint, Michigan, just a few miles down the road from the factory where it was built, then to Sussex, before forming part of an extensive Seventies American collection in Northampton. This ‘Burnished Bronze’ example, with contrasting sandalwood interior, presents well, with excellent carpets and optional power bench seats and a column shift. The auctioneers claim it is “fully up and running with no rattles or squeaks and with new rear springs fitted”. It last had an MoT test certificate in October 2018.

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1969 Lincoln Continental.

1975 Cadillac Sedan De Ville.

1975 Cadillac ‘pillarless’ Sedan De Ville, 90,158km. Imported into Rotterdam from new, this was a European spec car right from the start.

It came to the UK in 2007. Supplied with a black Everflex top and factory-fitted electric sunroof, it also features an electric boot closing system and a fully functioning eight-track stereo. Owned by a specialist US car collector in recent years, it was last MoT tested in October 2018 and presents in good order throughout.

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