Classic American - November 2014 - Preview

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Camaro ZL1 vs Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

Mustang GT350 Tribute 1958 Cadillac Fleetwood

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130 classic-american.com

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Ben Klemenzson

Viewpoint

Welcome to our Pontiac/GTO special. Rather than fill a whole issue just with GTOs, we thought we’d roll it out to include other Pontiacs, among which are a very nice 1951 Chieftain Super Deluxe Catalina and a 1969 Grand Prix.

If you don’t like Pontiacs… well, don’t turn away; we know there’s been a lot of attention on Ford Mustangs lately with the 50th anniversary of that make and model. However, as many of you will be aware, 1964 also marked the launch of what many would argue was the first muscle car.

Okay, let’s not get into that whole debate, however there can be little doubt that those first GTOs, snuck under the noses of GM top

The

GreaT One! brass by John DeLorean and Pete Estes, made for a segment defining moment in American automotive history. Soon everyone was at it, even the aforementioned Mustang, shovelling the biggest, hairiest V8 they could find motor under the hood of smallish cars!

Even if you think the GTO and its ilk aren’t your bag, I’d urge to have a look at some of the features we’ve put together to celebrate this momentous landmark of motordom.

There’s a chance to read about that first GTO that starred on the front of Car and Driver magazine in a duel with Ferrari’s GTO… what was really under that hood?! You can even meet Jim Wangers – the GTO’s marketing guru – and his cars in this issue, along with a

definitive history of the little car that could.

By the time you read this the final heat of the Footman James Car of the Year will have come and gone and hopefully we will have our last heat winner lined up for the finals at the Classic Motor Show at Birmingham’s NEC in just a few weeks time. We’re offering five pairs of tickets to give away, so make sure you enter and come along and see all these fantastic cars on the Classic American stand – see you there!

Ben Klemenzson, Editor B.klemenzson@mortons.co.uk

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Contents November 2014

Regulars

Features

6 News 13 Letters 16 Across the Pond 18 From Here to Obscurity 20 Subscription Offer 77 Project Pony 80 Scale Autos 91 Discoveries 94 Reviews 97 Tex Trubshaw 98 Club & Event News 106 Ad Gallery 108 Events & Cruises 113 Private Classifieds 122 Back Issues 124 Service Directory 128 Merchandise 130 Next Month & Credits

22 1951 Pontiac 29 1964 Pontiac GTO 34 The Jim Wangers GTO Collection 40 1969 Pontiac GP 47 The GTO Story 54 1978 Pontiac T/A 60 Pontiac Fiero 62 1968 Pontiac GTO 65 1958 Plymouth Savoy 71 19641⁄2 Ford Mustang 81 Woodward Dream Cruise 84 Goodwood Revival 100 CAACGB Rally at Brooklands

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classic-american.com 5

Footman James car of the Year 2014 Heat Winners

Classic American

News

Vote for Car of the Year!

Where did 2014 go? Down the back of the sofa? Or lost in a dream of sunny, hot, dry weekends, perfect for going to car shows, cruises or just taking the long route home in your American car!

Well, if you’re starting to get that sinking feeling in your stomach as the leaves fall, the days get shorter and it becomes all too apparent that winter is just around the corner… fear not! The finals of the Footman James Car of the Year competition and the Classic Motor Show are almost upon us and you can help choose this year’s Footman James Car of the Year competition winner.

The seven finest classic American cars will have been chosen by the time you read this – each a winner in its own right from American car shows up and down the UK – and now it’s up to you to help decide on the overall champion*. All seven vehicles will be on the Classic American stand at the forthcoming Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show at the NEC Birmingham held over the weekend of November 14-16, so you can get up close with some of the finest examples of American cars we’ve seen.

The winner will receive a £500 cheque and a prestigious bespoke trophy.

Cast your vote by simply going to the Classic American website (www.classicamerican.com) and clicking on the car that gets your vote to win and don’t miss this unique opportunity to have your say in this year’s winner.

WHeelS DAY

1964 chrysler new Yorker owners, Robbie & Gavin Garrow, Surrey

Atomic

1960 cadillac Series 62 Sedan, Roger & tilly Sharman, Woodbridge, Suffolk

AmeRicAn SPeeDFeSt

1966 Pontiac Bonneville, colin Shepherd, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire

StARS & StRiPeS, tAtton PARk

1969 mercury colony Park, Gary nutton, Blackpool, lancashire

RAllY oF tHe GiAntS

1940 Packard 1801 Deluxe club coupe, thom & Gerry Brouillard, northamptonshire

moPAR euRo nAtS SAntA PoD

1969 Dodge Super Bee 440 Six Pack, Pete Wiseman, Royston, Hertfordshire

PReScott’S Autumn AmeRicAn clASSic

this event takes place over the weekend of october 45 so the heat winner should be live on the website by the time you read this! *Readers’ votes will account for 10% of the overall marks of this year’s competition. Heat winner seven will be chosen at Prescott’s Autumn American Classic, which takes place the weekend after this magazine goes to print. Closing date: November 7, 2014

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Classic American Magazine, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs, LN9 6LZ

email@classic-american.com

Detroit: New moDels for 2015 The Motor City has been busy of late, trotting out a range of new models, ranging from performance cars to trucks to sedans and SUVs. Our North America correspondent Huw Evans has a look at what’s new from Chrysler…

CHrYsler 2015 Jeep renegade

A familiar name but an all-new vehicle, the 2015 Renegade is yet another entry into the baby SUV segment, currently the hottest thing going in North America. Offered with two Fiat sourced Multi-Air fourcylinder engines (2.4 litre naturally aspirated or 1.4 litre turbocharged) and a nine-speed automatic transaxle, it’s aimed squarely at younger buyers, and will offer real 4x4 capability with Jeep’s Active Drive system. A specialised Trailhawk® model features skid plates, 17in wheels, off-road tyres and an ultra low 20:1 crawl ratio.

2015 Chrysler 200

Chrysler has long struggled to have a worthy contender in the popular midsize sedan segment in North America and is hoping its latest 200 model finally hits the mark. Major advances in quality and a reduction in energy usage during construction were primary concerns in creating the new 200, which offers a 180hp 2.4 litre Tigershark four-cylinder engine or optional 3.6 litre Pentastar V6 with 295 horsepower.

Teamed with a nine-speed automatic that uses rotary shift control, the 2015 Chrysler 200 is said to deliver 35mpg (US) on the open road. An available all-wheel drive system with disconnecting rear axle is designed to maximise both traction and fuel economy. Notably sleeker than its predecessor, there’s every indication the latest 200 will finally be able to take on the likes of the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry – a starting MSRP of $21,700 certainly helps.

2015 Dodge Charger/Charger Pursuit

Both civilian and police versions of the full-size Dodge Charger get upgrades for 2015.

Styling is freshened with a new nose; fenders, hood and front doors, while trim and equipment are also revised.

R/T models get a new three-piece rear spoiler and 20-inch wheels while inside there’s a new steering wheel, thin film transistor (TFT) instrument screen and centre stack touch display among other things.

All models whether V6 or V8 Hemi are now teamed with an eight-speed automatic transmission. A front axle disconnect is offered on the all-wheel drive SE as well as the SXT. Dodge says the Charger continues to gain market share and combined with its ponycar sibling the Challenger, has reached sales of more than one million units since introduction.

2015 Dodge Challenger srt

You could say we’re still in the midst of yet another horsepower war.

Looking to best the 662hp Shelby Mustang GT500, Dodge has launched a 707 horsepower version of the Challenger SRT, propelled by a 6.2 litre supercharged ‘Hellcat’ V8. To help keep it planted on the road, special Pirelli Y-plus rated performance tyres are fitted as standard. The regular SRT Challenger sees its normally aspirated 392cu in V8 gain 15 horsepower for a total of 485hp and 475lb-ft of torque (up from 470 last year). A variety of different electronic drive modes enable enthusiasts to tailor the car to their preferred settings, which include sport, track, or custom.

Next month we’ll be looking at the latest offerings from Ford and the General!

classic-american.com 7

Catalina cruise

If you’re going to take the plunge and buy an American classic from its home territory, you have the opportunity of a lifetime: Why not fly over and drive it on the roads it was built for?

P

eople often say that American cars can look out of place on UK roads.

Sometimes that contributes to why we like them – it’s a thrill to see a machine built to a completely different scale gliding among all the modest little modern shapes. But you don’t have to drive far in this country to notice the often appalling road surfaces, the traffic and the topography.

We have very few wide open spaces, very few snooker-table-flat deserts with a single

road disappearing to a vanishing point. What we have instead are tight little hills with tight little bendy lanes, and sadly they can reveal much of what classic American cars struggle to supply. Sometimes it’s more comfortable for the occupants if a car rides firmly and changes direction nimbly, rather than wallowing and understeering while over-worked brakes heat up and lose their bite. On American roads, however, the opposite is often true.

Outside the cities, both the Interstates and

State Highways have a different set of requirements. Here, a high-revving engine, a choppy ride and nervous, super-responsive steering would soon become tiring. What you need is soft suspension, tall tyres, an understressed engine that will run all day in near silence and huge interior space with seats designed to sprawl in. And as you’ll know, Americans got that recipe right some time ago. It was certainly nailed by 1951 when this stunning Pontiac was built. ❯❯

1951 Pontiac Chieftain

Words: Nigel Boothman Photography: Dave McBride

s r e g n a W m Ji The

n o i t C e l l o C GTO creating the h it w d e it d e Sixties, idely cre w th n in a k m c e a b th , O c GT Jim Wangers ed the Pontia l collection of GTOs… d n u o rr u s t a excitement th a peek at his very specia Words: Geoff Carverhill lets us have

Photography: Dave Anderson and David Newhardt

M

ost American car fans have their favourite brand, model, or model year of car. Most Pontiac fans have a favourite GTO. Most GTO fans, however, tend to like most GTOs, and this is how it is with Jim Wangers.

It is hardly surprising that someone who has spent their life’s work in the automotive business, and the vast majority of that time with one marque, is going to feel quite attached to cars they had a part in creating.

As many readers will know, Jim Wangers was the marketing man at Pontiac’s advertising agency MacManus John and Adams, which was in on the GTO right from the start in 1964, until the early Seventies, and influenced how the GTO was sold and marketed.

In 2012, Classic American featured Jim Wangers’ life in automotive marketing, ‘Telling it like it was’. His early automotive career was spent with the Kaiser-Frazer, Chevrolet and Chrysler advertising agencies, before joining Pontiac’s ad agency in 1958.

With the very first GTO in 1964, Jim linked up with some specialist dealers who would be able to sell the car more effectively than some of

the dealers who were happy selling Bonnevilles and Catalinas to the middle-aged, middle classes of America. One of the most prominent of these ‘special’ dealers was Royal Pontiac, based in Royal Oak, Michigan.

Royal had become experienced in selling the new Pontiac performance image with its ‘Super Duty’ versions of the Catalina, so the GTO was an obvious model for the company to get involved with. It called its exclusive GTO model the ‘Royal Bobcat’, and what better model than a Grenadier Red ’64 Royal Bobcat GTO to start your GTO collection off with?

Jim bought the car in 1964 – with a 421cu in V8 that had been fitted into the car after the original engine had blown.

The car came with Tri-power, a four-speed Muncie manual transmission, and a degree of notoriety that Jim Wangers was responsible for creating.

This was the very same GTO that was used in the famous Car & Driver track test with a Ferrari GTO in March 1964. The Pontiac GTO has been surrounded by controversy ever since that ‘GTO meets GTO’ test in ’64, but in truth, the Pontiac GTO never actually met the Ferrari GTO! Although Car & Driver showed both cars and did a comparison, there are no photographs of the two together, but the performance figures that the magazine staff obtained were truly remarkable for a 389cu in V8, and Jim has always steadfastly denied that any powerplant other than the 389 V8 that was on the original build sheet, was in the car for the test. ❯❯

classic-american.com 35

Grand Prizewinner

Hans Bjelkhagen is a big fan of Ford cars, so it takes something special to turn his head. Something such as this 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix‌

H

ans Bjelkhagen is the proud owner of this 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix. “Growing up in Sweden there were lots of American cars,” remembers Hans, “they were nearly as popular there as in America. My father bought a 1964 Ford Fairlane, which I still own, back in Sweden.”

His father’s taste in Sixties Fords perhaps influenced Hans’ decision to collect Ford

Thunderbirds: “I have a 1964 Thunderbird and a 1966 Landau,” says Hans. “Recently I sold a 1963 Thunderbird. When I worked in Chicago between 1985 and 1995, I was buying cars just as old, used cars – not yet classics. I owned a Cadillac, an LTD and a Mercury Marquis.”

So how does a Ford enthusiast end up owning a Pontiac? “I spotted the Pontiac for sale in the American Auto Club UK magazine and knew how rare the 1969

Grand Prix is. It was the best car Pontiac had built at the time; the manufacturer spared no expense and designed something very new.

“I was immediately interested and I bought the car on December 23, 2006.” As an early Christmas present? “I think it was more that the owner wanted it gone before Christmas Day,” suggests Hans. “It needed some work, the seller pointed out that the engine needed attention, the paint was not good but the bodywork was just a little bit rusty. The vinyl roof was gone and the roof had been painted black, some trim was missing too. I kept it on the road during the restoration and MoT’d so it was drivable all the time, except for when the engine was taken out.” ❯❯

1969 Pontiac Grand Prix

Words: Mike Renaut Photography: Garry Stuart

Where were you in 1978?

Todd Lewis’ ’78 Trans Am SE epitomises that sleek sexy Seventies beast we all love – the Bandit T/A.

O

kay, so what was your favourite Seventies car movie?

There certainly were plenty to choose from in that decade, and whether you saw them first time around at the flicks, on TV, on video, or even on DVD, there’s no doubt that they probably had a huge influence on you and probably many other Classic American readers, indeed, as a result you may well be driving your Yank right now.

For UK audiences, it would be easy to think that in the US, the cars would have less of an impact on filmgoers as the movies were mostly set on home turf, and featured familiar cars that could at least be seen on the street a lot more regularly than over here. Over there however, the fact that these cars could be seen around, on the highway, and parked across the street, meant that they would have seemed a whole lot more accessible and achievable, and something you could easily aspire to in due course. Such is the case with the owner of this stunning ’78 Pontiac Trans Am ‘Bandit’ SE, Todd Lewis.

Todd is a resident of Rhode Island, in the north east of the US, and was an impressionable young kid in the Seventies, still in primary school. Not only does he remember seeing Smokey and the Bandit in those formative years, he recalls seeing the SE model brand new, gleaming in a local dealership, all those years ago. However, although the image of a ’78 T-Top Trans Am was firmly embedded in his

subconscious, he didn’t rush out and try to buy one as soon as he could drive, waiting instead for many years until he was in the envious position of owning his own muscle car restoration shop, Xtreme Restoration by Todd Lewis.

So after 20 years in the classic restoration business, and having owned an enviable string of cool muscle cars himself, in 2005, Todd eventually found himself ready to search for that Trans Am that he’d always wanted. The search however was a tough one in terms of the specification he desired, as it had to be a real numbers matching, ’78 SE, with T-tops, a four speed transmission, air-conditioning, and also… no rust.

As a result, the search took a year.

Eventually Todd located a suitable spec car via the Hemmings News online website, although no sooner had Todd called, the seller had a change of heart and withdrew the advert. Undeterred, Todd kept after the car for the next five months until he was finally able to seal the deal, though a few dollars more from Todd were required until it was actually his. However, any thoughts of having paid too much were soon forgotten, when he got his hands on the car’s fully documented history and maintenance schedule, which stretched back to the original purchase in Denver, Colorado.

It turned out the car was the ideal basis for Todd’s planned restoration project: solid, very original, and with a relatively low 149,000 miles on the clock. ❯❯

1978 Pontiac Trans Am

Words: Keith Harman Photography: Chuck Vranas

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Great One T H E

Pontiac’s Gran Turismo Omologato was still going strong five years after its debut; in fact its radical redesign that year ensured the marque’s success well into the Seventies…

B

y the time the 1968 model year GTOs from Pontiac were released, there had already been over 286,000 of them sold to the muscle car-hungry public. GTOs were still very much the rage on the streets and the model spawned numerous direct competitors, from other divisions of GM as well as from Ford and Mercury, and Dodge and Plymouth.

In the end, the GTO outsold them all, with total end of model year sales of 87,684 (with the SS 396 Chevelle the next closest rival with 57,600 sold, and Plymouth’s new Road Runner saw 44,599 buyers). The GTO still was

1968 Pontiac GTO

Words & Photography: Jim Maxwell

king of the muscle cars even after five years into the running. It was all about the youth movement and Pontiac was on its game.

Pontiac top guy John DeLorean was just 42years-old at the time, and chief stylist Jack Humbert was 40.

The body had been completely restyled for ’68 with a new, fresh look that was modern and futuristic. It featured a long hood, short deck layout covered with curvaceous sheet metal, giving the car a new, modern flavour that was a huge departure from linear, boxy lines of the past. The windshield wipers were

now hidden and the hood featured twin scoops. The one feature of the car that really took the spotlight from all the competitors was the new ‘Endura’ front bumper design, that featured flexible material that resisted damage in low-speed collisions. It was made with a high-density urethane elastomer foam, something considered to be space-age technology back in 1968 – and when combined with special paint that was designed to flex along with the bumper upon impact, it got a whole lot of attention from all corners of the media.

h t u o m y l P cket Ro

vily eing hea b o t s k , than survivor e r a r a to go s fighting avoy is S h s and wa Jim. t v u re . rs e e o w b c lo m t sin Plym r e or,” reme rettor for n’t run a 8 v rt ld 5 e u e v o 9 n r w 1 co o u l to ed f e torque rter carb ougall’s d origina against th new old stock Ca and car w o nice an e seat was d to Jim McD a s n a s r’ ro a t e v h a w m ri g g ly u d o “I bo Mustan ed pure material d it. The aled fr said the it remain hich cure lacement 012 and p 2 w so 0 re p d in 0 t u 2 o th g $ d underse g u n mbus an cuttin t so I lymo 957 a e1 ape of th re to the sh bt they a d u se o u d t e e’r s. Withou ld e th fi u o w m o ly ’58 P ut on a sh rs, their e cars, b ca attractiv er Fifties th o y e cars b t when th rrounded e Y su . y, ck a o d rced sh to fo ’t d sn n e a o ce d everyone d e sign. appearan n e n d u they st assive re were new l Motors into a m f this o r e n w era do 6 rival Gen the prou ve a 196 ougall is an: “I ha d Jim McD se y o turn v a to S it th t u h o g u m racing 1958 Ply Jim, “I bo s enjoyed gela GT,” says ve alway n I’ Mustang A ce e n if si ce car ng. My w into a ra IA Musta F n a e v ro and co-d

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1958 Plymouth Savoy sedan

start this P or I spotted as no rust lant all car. Then , there w it d f sea e o in ch m a in x n e a when I s added out half elieve wa It had ab which I b d this one was welding. , e id rs e und rs an . over the riginal ca was new . I love o ve like it m o fr from new ndition and dro imported co evidently in perfect 05. uth was o yed in 20 m ra ly P sp e re d Th n a 9 it ; 8 roblem hio in 19 n idling p Akron, O sue was a is ly n o e “Th

Words: Mike Renaut Photography: Matt Richardson

spli Colu starting to l Auto Interiors in arcel a ew rear p een in n g a ri h O it w b g from n d a lo h a tered it one that reuphols existing asn’t h e it th t a ce th la p an shelf to re eakers. Other th r sp ❯ cut up fo ❯ .” nything needed a

classic-american.com 65

Not ANother MustANg! You might be saying, but Frank Middleweek’s 1964 ½ Ford Mustang Convertible, is literally rarer than hen’s teeth, because as a hand-built pre-production prototype it is quite possibly the earliest, oldest Mustang in Britain!

19641⁄2 Mustang convertible

Words & Photography: Paul Bussey

T

he 50th anniversary of the Ford Mustang has been heavily covered and quite rightly eulogised over in Classic American magazine for the most part of 2014, and before you think to yourself “oh no, not another Mustang feature”, this is a car with a difference. It’s a rare hand-built pre-production prototype, one of approximately 200 cars built, and it has been the

subject of a stunningly detailed restoration by a marque aficionado, using mostly NOS parts. ’Nuff said?

Around 1984-85, a Mustang owner asked Frank if he could identify and decode his car for him, which he duly did. “I was surprised to find it had a production date of March 5, 1964, which was unusual as Ford didn’t commence

production until March 9,” explains Frank. “The car was registered in England on April 8, 1964, whereas Mustangs weren’t released in the US until nine days later on April 17, 1964. Clearly this was a rare car and required a little more research. The owner’s response was ‘it’s only a bl**dy Mustang!” I said if he ever decided to sell the car then I’d like first offer.” ❯❯

classic-american.com 71

Main Structure Welding P R O J E C T

P O N Y

Cutting out rusted floor and cleaning off old spot-welds is time consuming.

Last month we stripped down the sad, rusty wreck of a Mustang, taking out the engine and transmission and bolting the body to a steel frame to maintain the Mustang’s structural integrity. Now for the hard part: welding.

S

o with the body shell firmly bolted down on to the two beams and braced at the top from the rear quarters to the windscreen, we’re now in the position to start removing some of the previous repair work and corroded metal.

The angle grinder is the main attack method and a plasma cutter makes quick work of thicker steel.

Glass can be damaged from grinding or other sparks, so a safe home is needed for the windscreen and covering the door glass in situ allows the weight to be retained, thus helping to check the alignment.

Having previously purchased a pair of floor pans, front torque boxes and a pair of floor

Words & photography: Rob Woodall

reinforcing panels, the decision was made to start in the middle; this is where the body is at its weakest with all the corroded metal. The front torque boxes and floor reinforcing panels were purchased rather than fabricated, as they are 14 gauge which makes them difficult to bend. As for the floor panels, these can be made up in sections, with the appropriate profiling pressed or beaten to shape, but that involves quite a lot of work, so we’re taking the easier option!

Cutting out the seat pan inside the car gives full access to remove the floor, leaving an excess of metal around the central tunnel. This allows the removal of most of the main side chassis members

which takes a fair amount of time and effort, as those spot welds don’t let go without a fight.

Eventually, with the rusted inner section removed and thanks to reader Paul Mcnair (friend and fully qualified ‘Mustanger’) who sourced the 2.5mm steel, which is slightly thicker than the original steel.

At last we’re ready to weld in the first section which closes the outer sill on the inside. We leave some extra material on this flat section in order to form the bent flanges at each end. To get a good quality weld, especially on thin sheet, it’s a good idea to use a rotary wire brush to clean up the joint on both sides; the MIG is an electrical contact and it doesn’t take kindly to paint or rust. ❯❯

classic-american.com 77

Report Event

Goodwood Motor Circuit, West Sussex

September 12-14, 2014

Goodwood T

Revival

he planning, organization and coordination that goes into the Goodwood Revival must be immense.

For three days, there is non-stop action wherever you look. This year a sell-out 148,000 people attended the event. Just getting them parked, fed and watered must be enough of a headache without all the entertainment, parades, car and air displays, period garages, trade areas, funfair, dance halls and racing.

This was the 17th running and I’ve been to every one. People I talk to who have never been before are simply blown away by it, and so they should be as it is probably the best historic car event in the world and definitely the best historic race meeting.

As soon as you walk through the main gates you are hit by a hive of activity. In Gasoline Alley The Class of ’58 and Rockin’ The Joint belted out rock and roll and got folk dancing, watched over by the ‘boozy’ Hornets motorcycle gang in their distinctive black and yellow striped jerseys on their old Harleys and Indians. There too were the Goodwood Gassers and a couple of rods. Over in the Richmond Lawn Bandstand, Jackson Sloan and the Rhythmtones, the Jive Dance Workshop and The Sons of the Desert, wearing identical red fezes (don’t ask!), were having a ball and this was just the tip of the iceberg. There was also the Doom Bar stage and The Bridge stage where other bands and groups were playing from breakfast to supper.

Cobra snake pit.

Opposite Gasoline Alley was Brighton Pier, where hoards of trendy mods on their mirror laden scooters and rockers in their studded leather jackets hung out. Instead of kicking the hell out of each other like they did 50 years ago in the summer of ’64, they were licking ice creams and sitting in deck chairs watching Mr Punch feeding some poor soul into his sausage machine.

I wandered past a colourful re-creation of the 1954 Monza pitlane, full of fabulous Maserati Grand Prix cars, and had a peek into the RollsRoyce Hooper and BMC Competition workshops and period BMW salesrooms. I then popped into the Earls Court Motorshow where Ford had replicated an old Route 66 gas station. Sitting in

Mustang.

“I say!”

Words & Photography: Steve Havelock

Will Shiers’ Our intrepid salvage yard explorer brings you junk yard jewels from across North America!

Words & Photography: Will Shiers

Valley Auto Wrec king, in the sout hArizona, has jus t had a major cu east corner of ll of classic cars, crushing thousa nds of them. Bu t it did keep a handful, including what appears to Chevrolet Fleetl be a 1949 ine two-door se dan. why this sorry ex ample was allow It’s a mystery ed to survive when it has so few parts left.

This 1958 Cadillac was driven into Ernest & Sons Auto Wrecking of Capulin, Colorado, several years ago and, according to the yard owner, it’s still running today. Check out those magnificent tail fins – which would be somewhat overshadowed by those that graced the 1959 cars.

uxe foureetline Del The 1949 Fl ts next to it has si door which flesh on its bones, e slightly mor likely to earn the un but it is still y serious cash. r an yard owne

s from a 20-year slumber An Oldsmobile Toronado slowly wake all the bodywork is in in this South Dakota salvage yard. Over and bumper are excellent shape, although the front grille suspect any new owner I cing. repla need to going itely defin headlight motors. will also have to budget for some new

Paul Bussey

Drive

buy

1970 Pontiac GTO(Clone) Vendor: Tel: Website: Price:

Fast Lane Classics, St Albans, Herts 01727 809813 www.fastlaneclassics.co.uk £22,995

If your budget won’t quite stretch to a 455cu in GTO Judge, then the very next best thing is a clone, and this (400cu in YU block with 6X heads) powered example, has been the subject of a huge amount of restorative work in the US. Unfortunately, the exact timeline of the work completed in Florida is unknown, though fortunately there’s a good photographic record of the work undertaken, which shows a full bodyoff chassis job. Nevertheless, this older restoration remains in very fine fettle.

The restoration of this clone, which uses genuine GTO front panels, is based upon a Tempest. Other than fitment of twin electric cooling fans, a Flowmaster exhaust system with 3R Racing twin chrome tips, Edelbrock inlet manifold and carburettor, an additional instrument cluster with Sunpro oil pressure, volts and water temperature gauges, it’s fairly stock.

The tinted window film has been left on,

depending whether the new buyer prefers it, but if not it’s a reasonably simple job to remove.

Bodily this Pontiac is extremely sound with good panel work (the RAM Air III bonnet is non functional) but the bonnet mounted tach is in full working order, rock solid underneath, and the dark blue paintwork is in very good order, as are the coloured accent decals on the wings.

There has been a little touching in of the paintwork on the offside front wheel arch, and to make perfect, ideally the front Endura bumper would benefit from a repaint, due to a few sinkage imperfections here and there. The rear bumper looks to be original, with the chrome in good condition, if slightly patinaed.

With a black headlining, black seat trim and black carpet, the interior is all very black, being only broken by the wooden veneer on the dashboard pseudo engine turned panel, and wood veneer centre console (complete with his ’n’ hers Hurst shifter). It remains in excellent condition, with the black strato bucket seats having been recovered using comfort weave trim, the door cards are in great condition, the carpets being very good, and there’s a full set of seat belts front and rear. ❯❯

Specification

Engine: 400cu in/V8/OHV Power: 350bhp@5000rpm Torque: 445lb ft@3000rpm Gearbox: Three-speed TH350 automatic MOT: 10 months Road Tax: 10 months Mileage: 48,365 Remember steering wheel covers?

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