Classic American October 2014

French factory custom

❮❮❮❮❮❮the the UK’s

Biggest american car marKet 282 OCTOBER 2014

’36

Mint mopar I The UK’s Number 1 for 26 years

www.classic-american.com

IT’s oNly orIgINal oNce!

Roadster

1967 Plymouth

★CLASSIC AMERICAN MAGAZINE★

Belvedere

Truck life: F1 1947 Ford shows: tone classic The silvers giants rally of the ayride Hot rod H ees Damn yank

canamania

...what ’s it rea lly like?

one man, ar! one c

No. 282 October 2014

£4.30

70 47 53

35

41

Contents October 2014

Regulars

Features

6 12 14 16 18 20 62 83 86 88 90 92 94 96 100 104 109 122

23 1936 Ford Roadster 28 1967 Plymouth Belvedere II 35 1954 Buick Super 41 1965 Mercury Park Lane 47 All new Jeep Cherokee 53 Truck Life: 1947 Ford F1 59 Project Mustang Part 2 – Stripdown 67 Silverstone Classic 70 Hotrod Hayride 74 Rally of the Giants 79 Damn Yankees 98 Canamania

News Letters Tony Oksien Across the Pond From Here to Obscurity Subscription Offer Over Here Discoveries Readers Rides Club News Reviews Scale Autos Back Issues Merchandise Events & Cruises Service Directory Private Classifieds Next Month & Credits

28 23

59 classic-american.com 5

Type 68 1936 Ford Roadster

Words & Photography: John Isaac

This rare Type 68 1936 Ford Roadster has a bit of a French flavour, located as it is in deepest, darkest Southern France, but what makes it special is its factory custom flavour…

D

eep in the farming region of Lauzerte in the south of France is not usually where you would expect to find one of Henry Ford’s rarest and most desirable roadsters, the 1936 Type 68 Roadster. It’s rumoured that there are 100 left of these in the world, so Neil Williams was more than lucky to track one down after nearly 30 years of searching. Three years ago Neil, who has already had a pretty impressive collection of early desirable Ford Roadsters under his belt, found this Type 68 roadster tucked away in Eagle Creek, Portland, Oregon. ❯❯

classic-american.com 23

Neil’s car is fully equipped with fog lights, radio and heater.

Qu’est que c’est Ca?!

One of the 3862 made that year, Neil’s car has the more powerful 85bhp 221cu in flathead V8, which has never been rebuilt and is hooked up to the original three-speed gearbox. This in turn is hooked up to the super desirable Columbia two-speed overdrive, which effectively doubles the amount of gears you have – handy when Toulouse is half a day’s drive away and you need to get down there for a haircut.

Sitting in the car you can’t help noticing how familiar it feels to a basic Model A layout , the pedals are in the same place, the gear lever and steering column

Greyhound mascot a Ford trademark in the 30s.

Mike Bouet’s immaculate 1965 Mercury Park Lane originally came from Pennsylvania, by sheer coincidence Mike then found out so did half of his family…

M

ike Bouet bought this 1965 Mercury Park Lane sedan as a birthday present to himself in 2008, “I love a car that comes with a lot of history,” says Mike, “and this one certainly did.

“I spotted it in the classified adverts in Classic American. I fancied a 1961 Thunderbird, but I couldn’t find one or a decent Mustang, I’d been to look at an Oldsmobile Cutlass but that turned out to be quite rusty. Then I spotted this Mercury advertised just 12 miles from my house. With my wife Anne’s words to my son Ed echoing in my head: ‘don’t let your father do anything stupid,’ as soon as I saw the colour of the car, I had to have it.”

The Mercury is Mike’s first American car and in fact his first classic, “I hadn’t thought it through to be honest,” laughs Mike, “I live in a

narrow one-way street and there was no way it would fit in my garage, so the next thing was to find some local storage.”

The Mercury was purchased from Dave Harvey in Sussex who bought it from its previous owner at the 2007 Hershey show. “It was in stunning condition and really unmessed with,” remembers Mike: “once I went through the stack of paperwork that came with it I saw the Mercury was supplied new on January 23, 1965 to Earnest K Sterner of Mundy, Pennsylvania via the Larry Heron Inc. dealership in Williamsport. ❯❯

1965 Mercury Park Lane four-door

Words: Mike Renaut Photography: Matt Richardson

classic-american.com 41

“The next owners were Brady and Geraldine Russell of Allenwood and they sold it to Delmar K Townsend of Hughesville on July 13, 1973. When he died his widow sold the car to their neighbour, Grant L Smith who drove it from 1989 until 2007 when, aged 81, he felt the car was too big for him. Until Dave bought it the Mercury had been in Pennsylvania all its life, never further than 15 miles from the town where it was originally supplied.”

Apart from a respray in the original Tiffany Blue that Grant undertook, the Mercury is pretty much as it was when it rolled out of the Wayne, Michigan plant. The engine is the original 390cu in Super Marauder four-barrel V8, the threespeed Merc-o-Matic has also been in place since the car was new. In the time Mike’s owned the car all it’s needed other than regular service items are new springs; “the front end was aiming at the sky,” and head gaskets. The Mercury is looked after by John Simmons at Complete Automotive Repair Service (01825 722641) and Dean at Pipecraft Exhaust (01268 285535) recently fitted a complete new system with twin pipes replacing the original single one.

Paperwork with the car includes insurance details from evocatively named ‘Threshermen’s and Farmer’s Mutual Casualty of Harrisburg’ and owner booklets for the Breezeway electric rear window offers: ‘Smooth! Silent! Refreshing! Allweather ventilation.’

Rear window

Mercury made a pretty big deal of its Breezeway rear window – a three-piece rear windscreen in which the centre panel lowered into the boot area behind the back seat.

Supposedly first dreamed up for a 1953 Packard show car called the Balboa-X, when Packard decided not to produce it the rights (and much of the styling cues) were sold to Ford. Nash had also considered a retractable rear window for its 1956 Rambler and at least one functional prototype was built.

Clean crisp styling continues inside.

Ignition is on dash, not steering column.

Ford’s version was first seen on the XMTurnpike Cruiser; a Ford show car with its origins in a 1954 proposal from John Najjar. One of its features was a canopied – although not rearward slanting – back window with retractable centre section. The 1957 Mercurys included a new topof-the-line Turnpike Cruiser series with retractable centre rear window, which Mercury called ‘Breezeway Ventilation.’ These expensive models lasted just two years, but as the Breezeway idea was killed at Mercury, it found new life at Lincoln for the heavyweight new 1958 models.

The Breezeway provided ventilation with little

The Mercury on

wind noise in the days before air conditioning became a cheap optional extra. Talk to kids who grew up with one and they’ll tell you it was great fun to half crawl out the window and lay on the bootlid (presumably while the car wasn’t in motion!). There was also a chance of the child in the middle of the back seat getting a good dose of exhaust fumes – parents no doubt thinking their kids went off to sleep thanks to the comfortable rear seat. The backwards slope of the rear window allowed the lowered glass to drop right behind the seat and not take up boot space. It was promoted as staying dry in rain and

a cruise in Hu ghesville.

Grant and Mike chat about the Mercury.

Mike Bouet.

Vent window has a small crank; the rest are power.

Report Event

T

en years ago a bunch of crazy and likeminded hot rodders in the guise of Anna and Terry from Executioners Car Club and Jerry Chatabox invaded the field behind the Black Swan pub in Ockham, Surrey, to put on an event. That event was the first Hot Rod Hayride.

Filling the field with a selection of the UK’s best traditional hot rods and bikes wasn’t enough, so Jerry booked some rocking bands to turn up and play in the evening and Anna and Terry let those daring enough loose to test their vehicles on the first Hayride old style hill climb at Brooklands.

Outgrowing the field behind the pub and now in the capable hands of Jerry Chatabox, Anna Porter and the Detonators Car Club, the Hayride has grown into one of the friendliest, relaxed hot rod events on the planet and enjoyed its second sell-out year at Bisley shooting ground. The 10th anniversary promised to be the biggest and best Hayride yet and didn’t disappoint.

Words & Photography: Jonny Wilson

Hot Rod Hayride.

Bisley, Surrey.

The weekend got off to a laid-back start with people mad enough to start turning up on the Thursday evening to secure the most prized camping spots and get the bar staff warmed up for the rest of the weekend’s shenanigans.

Waking up on Friday morning to the rumble of V8s and smell of petrol in the air, the weekend was well and truly under way, with the arrival of visitors from all over Europe and as far as the US. They came to drive their cars fast, eat and drink far too much and listen to some of the finest rocking bands and DJs that Jerry could persuade to return to the asylum that is the Hayride.

A brief, yet impressive spat of rain, thunder and lightning tried to dampen the spirits, but the Hayride crowd are a hardened bunch and only proved how friendly the event is, with the masses gathered under the pavilion to keep the party going and watch the awesome machinery and abundance of colourful characters continue to roll on to site and the show field.

July 25-27, 2014

The show field soon resembled, as one happy hayrider put it, “Heaven’s Car Park”. It also saw the return of the Gasser Circus, as well as best in show going to Jackhammer Hot Rod and Kustom Supplies Miles Sherlock’s 1950 Ford Tudor sedan, with a custom mix gold paint job that left onlookers in awe. As the day progressed the trade field was bustling as people revelled in the moving art show of hot rods and custom bikes, and those inclined to do so prepared for the evening’s entertainment.

Friday night blurred into Saturday and saw the welcome return to the oval dirt track of the Detonators’ Dust Up. For those daring enough to risk putting their prized hot rods in mortal peril it provided the packed-out crowd plenty of opportunities to “ooh”, “ahh” and gasp in amazement. With sand and race numbers still fresh from Pendine, these boys love to race and didn’t disappoint, with nail-biting races by Johnny Diablo and his 1931 model A coupe, Wicksey in his Lincoln flathead powered A coupe and the Brisca heritage boys.

E ON FA OR M

OOK ★ EB C

E ON FA OR M

The final came down to Jim Turnbull in his very fast, used and abused ‘32 roadster against Russ DeBarr in his (not wanting to risk it) Sedan model A. As Russ didn’t think his car would be any good out on track and Jim being a pretty damn good driver in a very fast car, it was a surprise win and came as a bit of a shock. Sponsored by Stormberg 97, the Dust Up provided the busiest day out that Tongham Motor Club had ever seen and a welcome break from all the drinking and pie eating back at Bisley.

For those too weary or hung over to attend the Dust Up there was still plenty to occupy back at Bisley, with music from the Union Canal String Band, the return of those crazy tattooed vixens at the Roller Derby and for those in need of death defying stunts, the Demon Drome Wall of Death.

Never one to disappoint, Dynamite Dave likes to mix things up each year at the Hayride and this year was no exception. As well as daring to drive his Austin 7 around the wall, there were added thrills in the form of The Arousers playing live from within the wall itself. ❯❯

OOK ★ EB C

classic-american.com 71

Richard Coney

Scale

autos Neo Scale Models Multimedia models and kits are relatively new alternatives to traditional high volume die-cast metal models and plastic kits. In simple terms, the model is made from a two-part polyurethane resin formulation. When mixed together and poured into a mould, it hardens into a plastic-like substance which can be sanded, glued and painted.

One advantage of resin is that it reproduces very fine textures and does not need the expensive tooling required for die-casting metal.

As a result, firms that can sculpt accurate master models can now reproduce them in resin for a reasonable capital outlay. One downside is that moulds used to cast the parts deteriorate fairly quickly, requiring replacement, unlike metal diecast tooling which can last for years. Many models are therefore produced in relatively small batches, hence the frequent ‘Limited Edition’ marketing spiel. When combined with etched metal and plastic detail parts, vinyl tyres etc they become ‘multimedia’.

Neo Scale Models is a Dutch company www.neoscalemodels.com which in recent years has produced a mouth-watering selection of extremely high quality multimedia model cars, of which a significant number are of American vehicles. As numbers are limited, you have to be quick, or be prepared to trawl online model shops, but they are well worth the hunt. Take this pair of 1:43rd scale 1966 Cadillac-based service vehicles, one a Sayers & Scovill (S&S) Fire/Rescue Ambulance and the other an S&S Landau Hearse.

S&S was one of America’s most popular suppliers of automobile-based ambulances and funeral cars and favoured Cadillacs for many years, due to their size and quality.

The ambulance has a typically red/white colour scheme with a matte red interior and comes complete with a gurney, blankets and equipment lockers inside. There are also spotlights aplenty and the mandatory roofmounted red ‘gumball’ light. The hearse has a semi-enclosed rear body, complete with vinyl roof and etched landau irons, to give the impression that it has a convertible top there are also delicate metal parking aids on the front bumper. Unusually, it includes a wooden casket.

Both models are finished to an excellent standard with plenty of chrome, etched metal details and scale decals. Quality doesn’t come cheap, so expect to pay up to £80 each.

92 classic-american.com

It’s back! After an absence of several years and in response to numerous reader letters and emails, the amazing world of American cars in miniature is making a small but significant return to

Revell News Revell continues to tempt us with several new American prototype releases, which should be available at all good toy and model shops. The Chevrolet Police Car is an eighth generation Impala produced from 1999 to 2005. Replacing the Lumina, it was Canadian-built with front wheel drive and a range of V6 engines. The model represents the 9C1 Police Package, only available to law enforcement agencies. Fitted with heavy-duty suspension and a 3.8 litre engine it could achieve 134mph and accelerate from 0-60mph in about 7 seconds.

The Brooklin Collection I’m gradually catching up with Brooklin’s prolific output of 1:43rd scale hand-built white metal collectibles. Released earlier this year, its 1954 Desoto Firedome is painted in an unusual and stunning fairway green with matching mid-green seats, black sun-visors and convertible tonneau cover. This Desoto benefits from the many separate chromed parts with which Brooklin models are now fitted, including the iconic toothed grille, much loved by customizers, bumpers, emblems, light bezels and trim.

The wire wheels are especially nice. The easily seen dashboard is also chromed, as are the tiny window winders. In contrast, Brooklin’s 1961 Ford Fairlane four-door sedan in garden turquoise and light grey interior, looks quite realistically stark, as the garish chrome of the Fifties gave

The kit is a simple, semi-curbside model with a one piece body, detailed interior, featuring police-equipped dashboard, a ‘perppartition’, roof lights and three decal options.

There’s no engine. Revell’s new Hummer H2 SUV kit takes the same approach, with single piece body and chassis parts and no underbonnet details, clearly intended for the beginner or less experienced modeller. In production between 2003 and 2009, the H2 was smaller than its H1 and military spec forebears, but more practical as a result.

Powered by a 6.1 litre V8, it was also produced as an SUT with a pick-up back. The 87 piece kit includes an opening tailgate, revealing a substantial hi-fi speaker system.

The RRP for these kits is a reasonable £19.99 and while quite simple in construction, they assemble into nice models.

way to more the subtle 1960s styling trends.

It’s all the more apparent on this base-model Fairlane, nevertheless, the head and tail-lights, bumpers, wipers and side trim are all chromed, as are the dog dish hubcaps. The wide radiator grille benefits from a black wash which picks out the details nicely. The RRP for both these models is £76.99.