Classic American July 2017

JET SET VETTE

POWER BIG MEET

'66 Sting Ray

THE

BEST IN SHOW '52 Custom Buick

TOASTY

GOAT VHRA Vintage Nationals

MODERN MUSCLE

KentFord's Steeda Mustangs

'65 GTO rises from the ashes

MUSCLE CAR SPECIAL

Ben Klemenzson

Viewpoint

T

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

he theme of this month’s magazine is ‘muscle cars’… which of course I mean in the widest sense of the word: two-door coupes with powerful V8 engines. Of course some people may raise an eyebrow at including a Corvette in this category (“surely this is a grand tourer… especially an automatic!”); however the magnificent ’65 GTO featured on our cover and on page 24 surely ticks every ‘muscle car’ box and many would argue was the original progenitor of the genre.

But what about the 1960 Impala on page 47? Full size, fair enough, but that coupe styling and hoppedup engine spell sporty performance in anyone’s book.

And bringing things bang up to date is Steeda Mustang featured on page 41 – it’s amazing to think that today you can walk into a British-based Ford dealership and buy a high-performance, right-hand-drive Mustang offering almost 800 brake horsepower right off the sales floor!

Now that summer is well and truly here, I hope every ryone y has been able to get their cars out, hit the road and attend some fantastic shows, cruises or events. There seems to have been a seismic change in the American automotive show scene over the past couple of years. The biggest events have all but disappeared, with even the closure of one of the UK’s few drag strips (Shakespeare County) announced and impending. Having said all that, there seems to be more of an appetite for shows that off ffer f more than just parking up in rows and having a picnic… ‘Lifestyle’ events dominate our advert rtising t and the events pages, and many would argue that this type pe of gathering makes our lives the more ric richer for it. What do you think?

Ben Klemenzson, e editor bklemenzson@mortons.c co.uk

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51 35 79

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Contents July 2017

Regulars

Features

06 12 14 16 18 20 31 70 87 92 106 108 111 114 120 122 134

24 32 35 41 47 51 57 67 73

News Letters Across the Pond Muscle Car Files Here to Obscurity Subscription Offer CA Shop Reviews Tech Scale Autos Discoveries Drive Buy Readers’ Rides Events Club News Private Classifieds Services Directory

1965 Pontiac GTO 1967 Ford Mustang 1965 Plymouth GTX Steeda Mustang 1960 Impala 1966 Corvette Camaro History Part 2 Can Am profile Anglo American Oil

Events 79 VHRA 98 A&M News 100 1952 Buick Custom

47 100

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Classic American

News SUMMER T-SHIRTS

Essential summer wear for any American vehicle enthusiast has to be a Classic American T-shirt rtt and we’ve got plenty ty y of diff fferent f varieties, sty tyles y and sizes for you.

There are the ever-popular Charger-themed ‘Ain’t no substitute’ and ‘Takin’ Charge’, as well as the Fift fties-inspired t ‘They’ll never build ’em like this again!’, plus others. Priced at £12.50 these high quality ty, y pure cott tton t T-shirt rts t make the perf rfect f gift ftt (even if you feel like spoiling yourself!) and the full range can be seen on page 31 or they can be ordered on the Classic American website at www ww ww.classicw american.com.

CAR OF THE YEAR

The Footman James Car of the Year is in full flow for 2017, with upcoming heats at the following events, so get your diaries out and make sure you bring your classic American car!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

June 17-18 July 1-2 July 9 July 23 July 28-30 Aug 19-20 Sep 30-Oct 1

Bristol Classic Car Show, Shepton Mallet, Somerset Stars & Stripes, Tatton Park, Cheshire Rally of the Giants, Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire Damn Yankees, North Weald, Essex Mopar Euro Nats, Santa Pod, Northamptonshire Atomic, Sywell, Northamptonshire Prescott Hill Climb, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

THE TRUTH ABOUT ‘THAT’ JUNKYARD IN BELGIUM… A lot of books cross our desk here at Classic American, but this one, Chatillon – A Junkyard Story by Dutch men Maarten Swarts, Jan de Graaf and Jack Brands particularly piqued our interest. You see it concerns ‘that’ junkyard in Belgium that’s been clogging up the internet with fantastical nonsense stories for years.

You know the ones, suggesting that the abandoned American cars found in a forest were left by American soldiers after the Second World War… well, of course, we know that it’s pretty unlikely that American soldiers would be bringing fleets of American cars

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with them when liberating Europe in 1945, let alone cars that weren’t even built then, like the mid-Fifties cars that appear in the images.

But that’s the internet for you, everyone likes a good story.

Here then we have the real story about the junkyard, which is actually in Chatillon in the south of Belgium and was run by Fernand Contant (pictured, right, with his wife) until his death in 2007. The site was cleared in 2010 and what remains now is a museum run

by Jan de Graaf in Flushing. The book is quite poignant, containing photographs from when Contant first set up selling cars after the

Mr & Mrs Contant.

war through to the mid-Sixties and then pictures over the years of the cars in what initially was just a field in the Seventies to the images we’re familiar with more recently, with the cars in a forest, seemingly returning to nature.

Often images from the midSeventies are contrasted with more recent ones from 2010 of the same

cars or scenes, to show how the vehicles deteriorated. It’s a fascinating read, beautifully laid out and about time someone told the real story. A lot of it is in Dutch, but there’s English translation as well and as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. For more information or to order, see: www. chatillonbook.com

HAVE YOU GOT ALCO SENSE? Remember those old drink-driving adverts in the Nineties that featured that song by Mungo Jerry ‘In the Summertime’? Well, it’s that time of year now, with barbecues, visits to the local pub and all sorts of outdoor entertainment from sporting events to gigs and concerts. This summer will also see people driving across Europe for their holidays.

The new AlcoSense Excel breathalyser can ensure that ‘morning-after’ driving is much safer as, while drink-driving is beyond the pale for most, morning-after driving can still be an issue for motorists. And remember, when you’re abroad, different rules often apply. For instance, in many parts of Scandinavia, haaving even small amounts of alco ohol in your blood even the day after while driving is against th he law, while here (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland at least) we still have one of the mo ost relaxed alcohol blood level limitss in Europe.

The new AlcoSense Excel allows you to set different limits to comply with driving alcohol limits for the different countries as you drive through. There are other factors to bear in mind, for instance to comply with French law, you will need to keep an NF Certified Single Use breathalyser in the car. This is the only country that requires this.

The Excel and Pro will work with the French limit, but to comply with French law, you would also need the NF single use breathalyser too. The single use breathalyser only works with the French limit and AlcoSense is one of only two manufacturers to be approved under NF regulations. They cost £4.99 for a twin pack. Of course, if yo ou are not driving through France, you don’t need these.

For information n on AlcoSense breathalysers or to order, see www.alcosense.co.uk or call 0800 195 0088

Common drink-drive limits and blood-breath ratios PLEASE NOTE: Due to diff ffering f blood-breath ratios used d in different countries the same breath reading may equate to a different blood reading in different countries. For example, a breath reading of 0.25mg/L equals a blood-alcohol reading of 0.50% oBAC in France, but in Scotland this would equate to 0.575% oBAC. UK (England & Wales and Northern Ireland) BBR: 2300:1, Breath Alcohol mg/L Limit*, 0.35% oBAC Limit* 0.80 UK (Scotland) BBR: 2300:1, Breath Alcohol mg/L Limit* 0.22% oBAC Limit* 0.50 Holland (under 21) BBR: 2100:1, Breath Alcohol mg/L Limit* 0.10% oBAC Limit* 0.20

Holland (Normal Limit) BBR: 2100:1, Breath h Alcohol mg/L Limit* 0.24% oBAC Limit* 0.50 Germany (Under 21) BBR: 2100:1, Breath Alcohol mg/L Limit* 0.00% oBAC Limit* 0.00 Germany (Normal Limit) BBR: 2100:1, Breath Alcohol mg/L Limit* 0.24% oBAC Limit* 0.50 Denmark BBR: 2100:1, Breath Alcohol mg/L Limit* 0.25% oBAC Limit* 0.50 Sweden BBR: 2100:1, Breath Alcohol mg/L Limit* 0.09%, oBAC Limit* 0.20 *Limits correct as of January 2015, errors and omissions excluded. Always check the limit with the relevant local road authority.

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BEAULIEU SPRING News AUTOJUMBLE Classic American

Beaulieu, Hampshire May 13-1 14, 2017

Ford Model A pick-up.

Words and photography: Steve Havelock

In many ways I prefer Beaulieu’s smaller and more laid-back Spring Autojumble to September’s vast and busy International affair, where often you can’t see the wood for the trees.

It has more of a garden party atmosphere and, being somewhat quieter, folk have more time to chat. Alas, the day didn’t get off to a good start when I encountered a long tailback of traffic a few miles from Beaulieu. Normally at this event, I drive straight in.

An ambulance forced its way through and 15 minutes later, as the queue started to move, I discovered the reason why. A cow had run into the road and was killed by a car, which was so crumpled I couldn’t tell what it was. There must have been a knock-on effect, as a Ford Transit on the opposite side of the road was also badly damaged. I later found out that on the other main route into Beaulieu, a horse had been hit by a lorry. In the New Forest folk need to take care as animals roam free and are often unpredictable.

American hub caps at £30 apiece.

2010 Boss Mustang ragtop.

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Just as I arrived at Beaulieu, it started to rain hard. I took shelter and had a cup of coffee, by which time the sun came out and the rest of the day was beautiful. My first port of call was the Automart where several American cars were up for sale; the most attention-grabbing of which was a 1978 Chrysler Newport ‘black and white’ highway patrol police car, fitted with a 400cu in big-block V8 and equipped with flashing lights and siren.

According to seller James McLauchlan, it was built as a movie prop car in the States and was owned by a real sheriff. It was imported into the UK in 2016 and carried a sticker price of £10,000.

He also had on offer a 2006 Ford Mustang which had been fitted with an X-Charger supercharger, custom headers and exhaust for £14,500. A blue 2010 ‘Boss’ Mustang GT convertible looked in fine fettle, but struck me as pricey at £25,000. A tidy 1929 Ford Model A pick-up could have been yours for £14,995, and from France there was a Dodge Ram 2500 TD recovery truck fitted with a 5.9-litre Cummins diesel motor for £17,000.

Elsewhere, I spied an understated and underrated rear-engined Chevrolet Corvair, a lovely Model T Ford pick-up and a 1965 Pontiac Tempest 326 with upgraded underpinnings.

Mooching around the stalls, there was Americana everywhere. Some brightly coloured Indian, Harley Davidson and Chevrolet stools would look great in any workshop or garage at £125 each. The vendor, American car fan and 1936 Buick owner, Ian Tucker from Braintree, told me that he makes them himself, having been a car paint sprayer for nearly 40 years.

Well-known automobilia dealer, the colourful and effervescent Spencer Elton, was displaying an action-packed, limited edition, Nicholas Watts print of a scene from the film “Bullitt” which,

Dominic and Maria O’Neill with Shelby photo.

Chevy pick-up truck.

in a change from the norm, features the black Dodge Charger R/T being chased by the Mustang rather than the other way around. Spencer says he believes that the original painting was commissioned by Chad McQueen, Steve’s son, as he owns a ‘Bullitt’ Charger. This was number 11 out of a limited edition run of 50 and commanded a price tag of £400.

An evocative array of Fifties and Sixties motor racing photographs really caught my eye. They were being sold by Dominic and Maria O’Neill and had been taken by Dominic’s father, Desmond, who passed away some 14 years ago. Dominic, a professional photographer himself, explained that his dad was a well-known social and society press photographer, but he didn’t know that he had taken so many fabulous motorsport photos. He

’65 Pontiac Tempest.

only realised after his father was long gone, when he discovered all the negatives in a box in the attic.

He has painstakingly scanned them all and is now offering prints for sale, including some wonderful shots of Carroll Shelby, Phil Hill and Dan Gurney. This was their first show and Dominic said: “We have had a lot of interest and we’re having a great time.”

Of course, there were books and magazines galore, plus painted and illuminated signs, motoring movie posters, vintage clothing, number plates, Schwinn bicycles, pedal cars, a selection of Cadillac, Chevy, Pontiac and Ford hub caps at £30 a pop and even a kiddies’ Police Harley motorbike. There’s nothing like a good rummage and you can’t do that on the inter-web!

Flat-top Corvair.

Super cool stools.

Kiddies’ Harley.

Schwinn Cruiser deluxe, £350.

Bullitt Charger print.

’78 Chrysler Newport cop car.

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Classic American

FANCY A NEW CAMARO?

News

If you fancy a brand-new or nearly new Camaro after reading the final instalment of our Camaro history starting on page 57, then make sure you check out Classic American advertiser Ian Allan Motors of Virginia Water, Surrey. Ian Allan is the only authorised GM dealer in the UK distributing Cadillac, Corvette and Camaro. The dealership always has several models in stock of each marque and not only sells new and used GM vehicles, but services them too. To enquire about new and used Camaros in stock, check out the website www.ianallanvirginiawater.co.uk or call 01344 842 801.

Ian Allan stocks new Camaros, Corvettes and Cadillacs.

GM ACCUSED OF EMISSIONS ‘CHEATING’

2011 Chevy Silverado HD Duramax.

Following the highly publicised Volkswagen diesel emissions scandal and with a US Government lawsuit against Fiat Chrysler that it also used software to cheat emissions tests for diesel vehicles, General Motors has now also been thrown into the mix.

A proposed class action lawsuit (on behalf of some reported 700,000-plus owners of Duramax diesel-powered GM trucks) has been filed in Detroit. The suit aims to seek owner

compensation for lost vehicle value along with other punitive damages reportedly as a result of emissions testing that revealed the trucks were polluting significantly more than legal requirements. The new suit follows on the heels of the massive GM recall scandal regarding faulty ignition switches, in which the automaker has already paid more than $2.5 billion in settlements and other fees. HE

FORD ANNOUNCES CEO CHANGES On May 23, Ford Motor Company announced the departure of CEO Mark Fields (right), replacing him with Jim Hackett, head of the company’s smart mobility operations and former CEO of furniture maker Steelcase. Fields had come under fire in recent months due to Ford’s declining stock price (it fell 37% during his reign from 2014-2017) along with a perceived failure to not only help the automaker keep pace with emerging trends but also by neglecting key areas of operations including product quality, morale, collaboration at the expense of investing billions in driverless technology.

Hackett, who helped turn around the fortunes of Steelcase and the University of Michigan’s

football team, is seen as an ‘original thinker’ and innovator. He joined Ford as a director in 2013 and was appointed head of its smart mobility operations. Whether Hackett can actually turn things around at Ford remains to be seen, yet upon the announcement of his appointment, Ford shares rose by 1.7% on the New York stock exchange.

Beyond Hackett, other key executive shuffles see Jim Farley appointed as executive vice-president and president, global markets as well as being responsible for the Lincoln brand.

Joe Hinrichs has been named executive vice-president and president, global operations. HE

ROUTE 66 COULD LOSE FEDERAL FUNDING America’s iconic Mother Road, Route 66, has faced a whole host of challenges since it began to be bypassed in the Fifties. The latest concerns federal funding. Rumours are circulating that the road may be dropped from the National Park Service preservation programme. If that happens, Route 66 could lose federal funding that goes towards preservation and restoration projects.

Since 2001 the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program has spent about

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$2 million on preservation activities with a further $3.3 million raised in matched funds.

However, the programme is set to continue for at least the next two years, meaning there is still time to come up with a suitable solution.

According to a news report from the Associated Press, one option would be to mark Route 66 as a National Historic Trail. Doing so would allow non-profit associations and preservationists to continue preserving artefacts along the 2448mile route. (Photo by Dietmar Rabich). HE

Classic American

Email us at: email@classic-american.com or write to: Classic American Magazine, PO Box 99, Horncastle, Lincs LN9 6LZ

Mail In a break from the norm, we’re dedicating this month’s letters page to some correspondence that seems to be more and more of a common theme from readers: DEALINGS WITH THE DVLA Dear Classic American, I’m a regular reader of your magazine. I would like to share and hopefully one of your readers can find a solution to some issues I’m having registering my South African 1955 Chevy 210 for UK use. I purchased the car at the start of January, unregistered, from a company in Scotland who had imported the vehicle. I instantly started the registration process. The documents were sent back and forth several times. On most occasions it was found that the DVLA staff had not checked the documents properly before sending them back to me.

In South Africa, they do not use a SORN system as we do in the UK. Instead they ‘unregister’ a vehicle while it is off the road.

When the car is once again returned to the road it is given the status as ‘built up’ on the registration document. It is also given a new registration starting from the date it was put back on the road. In my car’s case this happened in 1999. I was asked to obtain a dating certificate to prove the car was a 1955 car. I used the VHRA to obtain this certificate, providing them with photos of the car and its VIN tag and copies of the foreign registration document. The dating certificate was promptly sent off and after a couple of weeks I was very happy to received a V5 document with an age-related number.

Can you believe that a couple of weeks later they sent me a recorded letter, cancelling the registration they had presented me with and warned me it would be illegal to drive my car on the road!

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Should some sort of annual check be introduced for pre-1960 cars?

Their reason was due to the wording ‘built up’ on the foreign document. Due to this they believed the car must be some form of kit car and it would need a new VIN number stamped on the car, followed by an expensive IVA test. The biggest insult of all was that the car would then be issued with a Q plate and be liable to pay road tax! Plus there was also no mention of any refund of the registration fee I had already paid.

I obviously appealed immediately with some evidence found online, referring to the South Africans’ use of the term on their documents. It then took some 50 days to receive a reply. In their response they have given me two options. Either I obtain written confirmation from the South African registration authorities or police department which proves the car was previously registered in South Africa, or follow their previous instruction to obtain a Q plate. The DVLA has given me no clue on how to obtain such documentation. I contacted the company I purchased the car from and they are doing what they can to resolve the issue with their contacts in South Africa. Unfortunately, some weeks on we are still waiting…

Lengthy as my message is I would also like to make you aware of a second issue my brother is having with the DVLA. He imported a 1946 Chevy himself earlier in the year. Once again the DVLA sent the registration application back and forth. He has now been issued with a letter stating his car needs an inspection by SGS (a

leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company contracted by the DVLA for inspection purposes). The purpose of the inspection is to prove the car’s age and tax class so that the DVLA can issue an age-related number and to prove the car will be eligible for the MoT exemption allowed on pre-1960 cars.

The inspection will be done at my brother’s home at an agreed time. If the inspection is to prove the car’s identity and tax class, then I do not understand why they have not given me a similar option?!

It seems the DVLA has no firm system in place. It also appears this inspection may now become the norm for newly imported pre-’60 vehicles. My brother, a garage owner, and myself have always thought the law excluding MoTs on older vehicles is not only ridiculous but potentially dangerous.

No matter how mechanically competent you are, it’s always great to give your car a yearly once-over, and an MoT offers a chance to get a second opinion on your car’s general condition. Does anyone really think this is a good idea?

Mike Avery Kent Perhaps, Mike, you should consider contacting the DVLA and suggesting that they offer you what your brother has been offered?

What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Have any other readers experienced registering pre-1960 vehicles or have any advice to share with Mike?