Classic American January 2017 preview

'68 AMC JAVELIN Retro Racer Revived

'68 PONTIAC GTO

Amazing Modified Muscle

'57 Lincoln Premiere

The man who saved Chrysler LEE

IACOCCA

Car of the Year

FINALS MADAM V

'48 Cadillac ATS-V

THE CARS! THE GIRLS

&

G-CODE

'69 Camaro RS

AGE THE SHOW! 11-PC IAL SPE

85 33 88

92 24

Contents January 2017

Regulars

Features

06 12 14 16 18 20 42 56 60 72 77 79 82 105 110

24 33 39 44 51 58

News Letters Across the Pond Muscle Car Files Here to Obscurity Subscription Offer CA Shop Scale Autos Reviews Rear Window Club News Events Discoveries Services Directory Private Classifieds

1957 Lincoln 1968 AMC 1953 GMC Truck Edsel get together Lee Iaccoca Part II Tech: Electronic Ignition

Events 63 NEC 92 SEMA American & Modified 85 1969 Camaro RS 88 1948/2016 Cadillac 101 Pontiac GTO

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Huw Evans

Across

the

pond

FAST FOX

Fast Fox: 1987 Ford Mustang GT.

Huw Evans pays tribute to the third-generation Ford Mustang, a car whose significance has become largely overlooked…

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his month’s column is perhaps a little different from most, since it relates to a car that I actually own. Recently, it seems, there’s been a growing wave of so-called classic car ‘experts’ on this side of the pond that seem to think very little in the way of substance came from the Eighties and that the 1979-93 Fox Mustang actually represents the nadir of the breed in terms of styling and brand heritage. No doubt many of those same people either weren’t around back then, or if they were, probably had more than one pair of acid-washed jeans and a questionable hairstyle.

As is often the case, when you actually delve a little deeper, such opinions tend to hold little sway.

It’s also important to note that cars are very much a product of their time. If you look at the highway missiles of the late Fifties and early Sixties, they were in keeping with optimism of the atomic and space age. If you look to the late Sixties and early Seventies it was all about factory hot rods, cubic inches and tyre-melting torque.

Turning to the Seventies, the idea of personal luxury, a living room on wheels was the ‘in thing’ – the cushier the velour and the greater the sound deadening, the better. As for the Eighties, certainly when it comes to Detroit cars, it was the first time that US manufacturers really started to pay attention to what was happening in other parts of the world and the Fox Mustang was a direct result of this. First initiated as part of the Fox platform in the mid-Seventies, it was styled by a team headed by former Ford design vice-president of Europe Jack Telnack, the very

same man that oversaw design for the secondgeneration Ford Granada and the original Fiesta.

When it debuted for 1979, the Fox Mustang was one of the most modern-looking cars on North American roads. In fact, a former colleague of mine who was a Ford engineer at the time had one as a company car. He recalled how people swooned over it and back then, it was one of the most modern, best handling and most usable cars he’d ever driven. Okay, so early Fox Mustangs weren’t particularly fast in factory form, but neither was anything else at the time.

For 1982, Ford sought to inject a bit of oldfashioned hot rodding magic via a reborn 302cu in (5.0-litre) high output V8. Although rated at 157bhp, the engine’s 240ft-lb of torque enabled the fairly light (3100lb) Fox Mustang to dash from 0-60 mph in around seven seconds.

Every year from that point on, the 5.0-litre powered Mustang received improvements. By 1987, having received a major Euro-inspired facelift, the engine was making 225bhp and 300ft-lb of torque. 0-60mph in just six seconds and a top end of 140mph was easily possible – all this in a car that cost just over $12,000 in base form. There was simply no other car at the time that could match the 5.0-litre Fox Mustang in terms of bang-for-the-buck performance. About the only other cars on sale in 1987 that were quicker off the line were the Buick Turbocharged Regal, the Corvette, Ferrari Testarossa, Lamborghini Countach and Porsche 911 Turbo.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Aspiring hot rodders soon found out that with a little

tinkering, the 5.0 Mustang could be made faster still. Installing a short drive belt, advancing the ignition timing from six to 10-14 degrees, installing a less restrictive exhaust system and steeper axle ratios, resulted in a car that would run 13-second quarter-mile times all day long (better than all but the most highly tuned and exotic muscle cars of the late Sixties and early Seventies) and better yet, unlike those revered machines, you could still drive your 5.0-litre Mustang to work every day and get 20-plus miles per gallon in the process.

By the early Nineties, the 5.0-litre Mustang craze was in full swing in North America. Nearly every town witnessed stop-light grudge matches between Mustangs, Camaros, Firebirds and Turbo Regals. At dragstrips across the land, increasingly modified 5.0s became the cars to beat, resulting in a dedicated racing series that continues to this day. Even in road racing, 5.0s fared prominently in showroom stock racing, despite not being originally designed to carve corners at high speeds.

Modified race-bred versions also fared well in SCCA Trans Am and IMSA GT events.

Today, it’s hard to convey just how big the 5.0 Mustang craze was, but it led to a rebirth of the performance aftermarket, the likes of which had not been seen since the early Seventies. So if you currently drive a late-model Mustang or any other Detroit performance car for that matter, tip your hat to the Fox Mustang. You may love it, you may hate it, but there’s no denying that this one car paved the way for the performance and accessorising we’re able to enjoy today. ★ Huw Evans – news & views from North America

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Marc Devis’ 1968 AMC Javelin racecar is a real time warp machine with a new owner who appreciates it and is giving it a new lease of life in historic racing…

Words: Steve Havelock Photography: Steve Havelock and Marc Devis, unless otherwise stated

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ost old race cars are like Trigger’s broom. Twenty new handles and twenty new heads. Racing, by its very nature, is hard on machinery. Notwithstanding crash damage, components wear out and metalwork hardens due to flexing, and starts to crack or even break. Even bodywork, especially aluminium panels, can split. Furthermore, most racecars were only built to last a season or two. After that, many were either clapped out or no longer competitive and either scrapped or stripped. No one at the time envisaged that some of these cars would be racing in 30, 40, 50 or more years later. Consequently, very few historic racing cars are truly original, as they raced in period. The lucky ones were covered in a dust sheet and shoved to the back of the garage, but most of those were unearthed years ago. ❯❯

1971 Javelin Donohue. Penske.

David Howes at Thruxton, 1974. Jeff Bloxham.

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Alex Crawford reports on what could quite possibly be the largest get-together of uniquely styled Edsels in the UK in recent years, which took place in the Lincolnshire countryside.

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even doesn’t often sound like a big number, but to the superstitious it can be a prophetic one. If someone told you there were seven Chevrolets gathering at a UK car show, or seven Cadillacs, you might be excited to see them. But if someone told you there were seven Edsels, you’d be in for a UK first – which is exactly what happened in Lincolnshire in July last year.

Of at least 50 Edsels that are known about in the UK, nine were eagerly anticipated at an invitationonly event that took place near Lincoln. And, despite two being lost along the way, the turnout was still a sight to behold. While the gathering also involved many other classics and rods, the Edsels were clearly the stars of the show, and took centre stage in their quiet corner of the county.

That there were any Edsels gathered at all is a testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of their owners. While the UK chapter of the Edsel Owners’ Club no longer seems to be active, a Facebook page remains up to date with everything Edsel-related in the country, providing

44 classic-american.com

a medium for owners and enthusiasts alike to stay in touch. Without it, the meet-up may have been much different.

To most people, the Edsel is of course synonymous with failure. But to their owners, it’s nothing but love. To them the Edsel’s radical styling is exactly what gives it personality. While many might consider it less attractive than its competitors – that horse collar-style grille seemed stuck in the past – from other angles (i.e. the back!) it looks ready to fly into space.

Many explanations have been attributed to its brief lifespan – including a bombardment of the public with too many models and variants and a mini-recession in 1958.

Despite all this, on the day of this brief UK Edsel reunion, it was refreshing to see such a variety of models and years. No two cars were alike; the gathering covered coupe, sedan and station wagon models from both the 1958 and 1959 model years, as well as different trim packages from across the range. ❯❯

Lee Iacocca at the launch of Chrysler’s revolutionary minivans.

ICONIC AUTOMOTIVE LEGEND PART II Words: James Maxwell Images: Chrysler

Last month Jim Maxwell launched his saga of one of the most charismatic figures in the American car industry, Lee Iacocca, and his time at the Ford Motor Company; this month he moves on to Iacocca’s time at Chrysler…

The

L

Years

ee Iacocca had a long and colourful career at the Ford Motor Company, and after it ended, he was soon hired by Chrysler. He was invited to talk with John Riccardo, the then chairman and CEO of Chrysler, who had swiftly reached out to Iacocca after hearing about the parting of the ways with Henry Ford II. Things were not exactly going well over at Chrysler at that time and what must have been a combination of taking on a challenge, and a love for the auto industry, saw Iacocca take the challenge and sign up to work for the Pentastar. The day it was announced was November 2, 1978, and the Detroit Free Press carried the story on the front page: Lee Iacocca joins Chrysler; however, unfortunately the other headline for the day was this: Chrysler losses worst ever!

The newspaper noted that Chrysler had just experienced its biggest loss for any quarter in history, nearly $160 million for the third quarter of that year.

Iacocca thought to himself: “From here things can only get better.” Part of the problem that Chrysler was having at the time was to do with product, namely the new line of Dodge and Plymouth cars (Aspen and Volaré respectively) that had been introduced to replace the venerable Dodge Dart and Plymouth Valiant (and Duster).

These new models were suffering high rates of customer dissatisfaction because of serious quality control issues, and it was costing the corporation a ton of money to repair the vehicles.

The other situation, which was the real root of the company’s internal problems, was something that was known as ‘the Sales Bank’ where the factory just kept building cars and having them run down the assembly line to keep the workers busy – however these cars were not being sold. They could not be shipped to dealers because they didn’t request them, so they were stored, ❯❯

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Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show & Footman James Car of the Year NEC, Birmingham Mopar, Chevy and Ford guys all getting on... who’d have thought?!

November 11-12 And the winner is....

Steve Taylor’s 1956 Pontiac Sedan Delivery proved a big hit!

Words: Ben Klemenzson Photography: Christopher Tilley, Leanne Mandall and Ben Klemenzson

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here can be no doubt that for lots of people the Lancaster h Insurance Classic Motor Show is the last hoorah when it comes to the car season. For many, this is the final opport rtunity t to get their last classic car hit, before throwing a metaphorical tarpaulin over vehicular activities for the winter… for a few months at least anyw yway! w Here at Classic American it also represents the grand finale of the Footman James Car of the Year competition, when we invite all of the finalists to come and display their cars on the stand, as one overall winner is picked after rigorous judging by three sets of independent judges.

This year found the Classic American stand at the heart of the American section, in one of the main halls, near the live stage. It was certainly a bigger, busier and brighter location than the previous year and 2016 saw more cars on the stand than ever – eight Car of the Year Heat winners, plus the Falcon Project car and a stunning 1956 Pontiac Sedan Delivery

brought along by car of the year stalwart rtt Steve Taylor. Car of the Year heat winners are traditionally invited for a carv rvery v meal on the Thursday evening, after a long day setting up on the stand which start rts t from 9am and often goes on well into the evening, till all the cars are positioned and the stand built up. With so many cars on the stand, this year saw plenty of folk at the meal and it was quite a noisy and good-humoured aff ffair, f which acted as a bit of an ice breaker, so part rticipants t got to meet each other before the long weekend. It’s entirely up to the owners how they spend the weekend and in previous years, some have never left the side of their vehicles all weekend long, while others have only appeared for a couple of hours, with the cars being delivered (and retrieved) by car transport rtation t companies.

Footman James MD David Bond hands the Car of the Year Trophy to John Mayes, whose ’66 ’Vette won the 2016 competition.

★ ❯❯

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DISCOVERIES

This lovely 1953 Chrysler was photographed in a field about 10 miles north of Idaho Falls.

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

Words & Photography: Will Shiers

The Ford Fiesta was arguably the Model T of the Seventies.

European-built Fiestas, which all featured the 1.6-litre engine, were sold Stateside between 1978 and 1981. The Escort would replace both this and the Pinto.

This rolling shell is offered as a restoration project too, and despite looking a bit misshapen, it’s actually quite solid. It’s a 1939 Chevrolet two-door sedan, and I found it in central Colorado.

I’d love to tell you that this 1976 Ford Gran Torino was used in either the Starsky and Hutch TV shows or film, but unfortunately it’s just another replica. In the same way as we Brits insist on painting every Reliant Regal Supervan yellow, there can’t be too many ’76 Gran Torinos that don’t have this distinctive red and white paint job. I spotted this one in Little Rock, Arkansas.

B 1969 Camaro RS S

Along with Madaam V (see page 88), Ringbrothers, purveyor of unique que and impressive custom vehicles, also debuted a one-of-a-kind 1969 Camaro making nearly 1000bhp in the Royal Purple booth at this year’s SEMA Show.

espoke muscle car artisans Mike and Jim Ring of Ringbrothers pulled the cover off their newest 1969 Camaro build, G-Code, in the Royal Purple booth at the 2016 SEMA Show. The G-Code Camaro was built to stand apart from the thousands of muscle cars at the SEMA Show with its unique bodywork, hand-crafted carbon fibre elements and its abundance of high-quality Ringbrothers billet products.

Wisconsin native and G-Code owner Don Atkinson always had a desire to own a 1969 Camaro RS. He loved the design, but he didn’t want just any 1969 Camaro – he wanted a unique, one-of-a kind Camaro that no one else in the world would have, so he went to Ringbrothers.

G-Code’s transformation began with the power plant – an LS3 motor from Chevrolet.

Wegner Automotive beefed up the horsepower with a Whipper Supercharger and an increase in displacement to 416 cubic inches brought the output up to nearly 1000bhp. ❯❯

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1948/2016 Cadillac ATS-V

Ringbrothers, known for pushing the automotive envelope, debuted its latest creation, Madam V, in the Flowmaster booth at this year’s SEMA show. This awesome-looking 1948 Cadillac combines classic style with the luxury, performance and convenience of a 2016 Cadillac ATS-V‌

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Interior is pure ATS-V.

J

im and Mike Ring, co-founders of the world renowned custom car builder Ringbrothers, unveiled a 1948 Cadillac fastback coupe called Madam V in the Flowmaster booth at the 2016 SEMA Show in November. Madam V, commissioned by car dealership mogul Wes Rydell, perfectly melds early- and late-model Cadillacs to create a one-of-a-kind Cadillac boasting the benefits of a modern car, with all the style and panache of a vintage Cadillac.

The project utilised four cars in total to create one masterpiece, including two 1948 fastback coupes, a used 2015 Cadillac ATS-V and a brand new 2016 Cadillac ATS-V, all provided by Mr Rydell. The Rings began by completely tearing the late-model cars down to the unibody and lengthening the 2016 chassis by 14 inches to accommodate the longer ’48 body. The 2016 ATS-V is a complicated modern vehicle with many interconnected systems that do not respond well to meddling, so Mike and Jim Ring made it a point to not disturb the ATS-V’s fuel systems and only lengthened the wiring with GM-approved connectors to simplify the car’s transition and preserve the functionality of the modern amenities. ❯❯

Wheels are 19in at the front and 20in at the rear.

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