Ben Klemenzson
View point
PLUS ÇA CHANG E
Life has afunny way of sometimes taking us back to where we started;well, at least that’swhat I thought as Iwas working my way through writing the obituary of Steven Myatt, theman whogave me my start on Classic American almost 30 years ago (see pages 6and 7)
Fresh from universityand having escaped the clutches of corporategraduatetraining schemes (Marks and Spencer: thank youverymuch, but no, we’re not amatch!), Imet Steven, whoran his publishing frm in offces opposite apub in Hale, arather ritzy part of Manchester next to arailway line, that used to shake when thetrains went past, abit like that scene in the Blues Brothers…
They say that the past is another countryand certainly the early Nineties when Classic American belonged to Myatt-McFarlane is unrecognisableto many of us today. Iremember aworld ofpeople
smoking at their desks (yes, actually going into a real proper offce to work!), topless models, people going to the pub at lunchtime and never coming back, green computerscreens, fax machines and no internet or emailorpronouns… ahhh, happy days! And for many of us, classic American car ownership transports us back to less stressful, easier times like those.
So, why not relax, sit back and indulge yourself in this month’stime travel to those simpler, happier days?
Ben Klemenzson, editor bklemenzson@mortons.co.uk
1957 Pontiac Star Chief Custom Catalina. Image: Gary Chapman.
E DITOR Ben Klemenzson bklemenzson@mor tons.co.uk
DESIGN
Druck Media Pvt.
CONTRIBUTORS
Jon Cass, Gar yChapman, Richard Coney, Huw Evans, Richard Heseltine, Mar tin Mumford, Des Penny,Mike Renaut, Will Shiers, Zack Stiling, Serena Robinson
Photography
PRODUCTION
EDITOR
Pauline Hawkins
PUBL ISHER
TimHar tley
Sue Keily skeily@mor tons.co.uk
ADVER T ISING Sarah Frisby,sarahf@talk-media.uk
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Classic
NewAmericans
STEVEN MYATT, 1952-2025 OBITUARY
The name Steven Myatt will be familiar to long-time readersofthis magazine as his publishing company,Myatt-McFarlane, owned ClassicAmerican for aperiod of several years in the Nineties (1991-1999).
Born and bred in Timperley (a suburbofSouth Manchester), Steven started out his career in media with adegree course in Film &Television StudiesatManchester Metropolitan University between1974-1977,thenknown as Manchester Polytechnic.
Later,hewent on to workfor Custom Car as awriter in the late Seventies/early Eighties but
Pictured at acustom show in the Seventies, is Steve’s Custom FordConsul.
Myatt-McFarlane owned Classic American for
was probably best-known for establishing famed biker magazine BackStreet Heroes,fondly known as BSH,in his mother’skitchen in 1983 (back when publishing empires could still be built up like that!). BSH famously “celebrates the sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll, black leather,long hair and open exhausts aspect of motorcycling”. It covered events such as the Bulldog Bash and featured owners’/readers’ home-built (or custom-
built) custom bikes and covered everyother aspect of thatside of biking culture, from music to fction writing. It is still in publication today as asister magazine to Classic American
Anotherfamous two-wheeled title established by Steven Myattwas Scootering magazine, which was set up in 1985 and is also asister publication to CA.Aswith BSH and Scootering,it was Steven’sethos of the titles essentially being the centrepieces of those particular scenes that led to Classic American,under his guidance, adopting asimilar editorial direction. Forthe UK classic American car scene, it meant viewing the title as acommunitypublication (the ‘bible’ of
Steven Myatt, 1952-2025.
Back Street Heroes issue1, November-December1983.
Scootering magazine was established in 1985.
eight years between 1991-1999.
Steve owned several custom bikes and trikes over theyears.
Steve’smost recent American vehicle wasthis lightly modifed 1965 FordMustang.
One of Steve’smost popular and successful books was titled The Complete Customiser.
the UK American car scene, as it were) rather than just amagazine about cars.
Aconfrmed petrolhead of both four wheels and two wheels, Steven owned anumber of American vehicles, as well as custom cars and bikes over his lifetime. He built a custom Ford Consul in 1976/1977, which he described as having “lovely metalfake paint which faded from silver to amid-blue. A Continental kit on the boot, and awraparound rear bumper off a Jaguar Mk Xwhich ftted perfectly. Later it gained agrille insert off aVauxhall Wyvern… Iloved it to bits!” Outside the offces of Myatt-McFarlane in Hale duringthe Nineties one could often see Jeep Cherokees, Grand Cherokees, RollsRoyce Camarguesand eventhe odd Harley-Davidson.
Steven set up his publishing company,Myatt-McFarlane, with fellow motorcycle enthusiast Alistair McFarlane in 1983 and the company went on to acquire and establish other motorcycling and motoring titles over the following decade. As an accomplished author Steven wrote books on topics as varied as the best-selling book on car customising, The Complete Customiser,to a biography of John Coghlan and Status Quo, titled Spud. As part of the cauldronof creativity that was Manchester in the Eighties and early Nineties that was simultaneously bleak and magical, he was emblematic of atime and place that produced everything from FactoryRecords, the Hacienda nightclub, New Order,The Smiths and the likes of Tony Wilson.
In later years Steven wrote for various titles and publishers, including Bentley Motors, Strutt &Parker,Paper Moon Communications, APlant, Microgaming, Digital Pathways, Dennis Publishing, Mortons Media, and The Combermere AbbeyEstate. Following ayear-long fght with heart failure, Steven passed away peacefully surrounded by family at acare home in Mobberley,Cheshire and leaves behind ason, Tom, and daughter Philippa.
Another of Steve’s books, about John Coghlanand Status Quo.
AUCTI ON WATCH
H&H AUCTIONS
Pavilion Gardens, Buxton, Derbyshire
February 12, 2025
This month we’re looking at two verydifferent vehicles, both in terms of era and condition (and auction format too –one’sa traditional auction,the other an online one…). First up isthis rather challenginglooking Cadillac, although it does have great potential in the right hands…
1955 Cadillac Series62 Coupe
No reserve: sold for £8212 We pointed out this rather ratty looking ’55 Cadillac in ourMarch issue beforethe sale. Despite no reserve, it seems someonewas brave enough to bid more than £8k forit–certainly if one can look beyond its rather dilapidated appearance, there’salot of originality in this car.Evidence suggests that this Cadillac spentits early life around the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area thanks to an inspection sticker on the window dating back to the early Eighties.
The British vendor and long-term owner apparently discovered this Caddy for sale on a trip to the US in the early Eighties and imported it back. Since then, it’sbeen laid up in drystorage until late December 2024, when the decision was made to sell.It’scertainly aproject and ahalf and is unusual in that it appears to be still very original. It even comes with its original hubcaps, rear-wheel spats, original jack and period set of snow chains in their original Allstate box.
The corrosion on the bumpers is probably the most noticeable issue, as in some places the rust has actually gone through the metal andit’s held together with somesort of metallic bonding agent. Yikes! On the bright side, the interior, although shabby,does look to be originaland all there –ithasn’thad ahorrible cheap, Mexicanstyle reupholsteryjob, although whether anyof
Engine is a331cu in V8 and appears to be all present.
it is salvageable is amootpoint. The door cards lookfne, as does the back seat. All the switch gear,instrumentsand even the Autronic Eye automatic headlamp dipper are still there. What electrical issues may result from 40 years of being laid up can only be imagined!
Similar to the interior, the engine lookstobe ‘all there’ and not messed with and in many ways this is probably themost straightforward element of aproject like this to restore, assuming there’snoterminal mechanical issues lurking within. Probably the biggestquestionhere is whether that corrosion that’ssoevident externally has madeits way into the structure of the vehicle, as that’samajor issue when it comes to restoration. We’d certainly be interested to hear from whoever bought this Caddy; maybe the plan is to just get it back on the road and drive it as it is, patina and all!
Missing badges should be an easy fix.
Pennsylvania inspection sticker from 1981.
Interior still wears original seat fabric.
Door cards look like they could be salvaged.
Back seats areingood nick.
Caddy comes witha boot full of bits, like hubcaps and spats.
AUCTI ON WATCH
BONHAMS CARS ONLINE
March 26, 2025
1964 BuickWildcat
Estimate: £10-£15,000
Sold: £9406
And from one extreme to another is this absolute cream puff of acar Classic American featured this car back in the January2024 issue (CA393) andit was memorable for howoriginaland unmolested it was. In some ways it’sabit of acurate’segg, being asporty four-door hardtop. While just over£9k isn’tbad for afour-door,it wouldhave almost certainly got alot moreasa two-door coupe or convertible. One can only assume that it’sthe Buick Wildcat’s‘unknown-ness’ as a modelthat resulted in the fnal hammer fgure.
That being said, condition is king andyou’d be hard-pressed to fnd acleaner car that’s obviously been well taken careofits wholelife and never messed with. Thecar was allegedly bought by the frst ownerfor his wifeand then remained in the family until 2000. It’shad one UK owner since 2021 and comes with astack of paperwork that verifesthe car’sprovenance and remarkable mileage of 47k!
The chrome, trim and badges areall in fantastic condition, while the paintwork is largely unblemishedand most critically, the interior, which is whereyou can usuallyreally tell if acar’sbeen looked after or not, is likenew. The boot may be theonly part of the car that shows its age, but even thereitstill carriesits unused spare. The underneath is just as clean as the rest of the car,the only mysteryisa New York dealer’sbadge on the boot lid, as it would suggest that the car musthave beengaraged and never driven in the winter to have survived half acenturyofNew York winters
Wildcats were Buick’s mid-range offering yet were stillpowered by Buick’s famed 325bhp 401cu in Nailhead V8 hookeduptoathreespeed Dynafowautomatic transmission. You could imagine ayoung husband going into a Buick dealership and craving asporty Skylark GS or Riviera but having to settle for asensible
four-door family car like this –sort of the best of both worlds.
There’salot to like about this Buick; it has the verydesirable and handsome Buick Rally wheels that were in use until theSeventies and it’sftted with an updated air conditioning system that works. It even has the optional ‘speed alert’ or ‘speed minder’ feature, withabuzzer that alerts the driverwhen they exceed apre-set speed. Roll those windows down and the car’spillarless profle is handsome, sporty andveryairy. Being a four-door and white, it could even earn its keep as awedding car.Someone got abargain, as this is aturnkey classic that wants for nothing.
With less than 50k on the clock, Buick was immaculate.
Bulletproof 401 Nailhead V8 is good for 340bhp.
Super clean vinyl interior appears ‘as new’.
Handsome, sportyRally wheels weremint.
Dash includes ‘speed minder’ feature.
Describing someone as ‘a legend’ can be an exaggeration, but not when discussing Gene Winfeld. BornJune 16, 1927 in Springfeld,Missouri, Robert Eugene Winfeld was the youngest of six children. The family moved to Modesto, California, escaping the Great Depression, and at age 10 Gene worked as acarhop at the family’sdrive-in hamburger restaurant. Behind the restaurant Gene set up his frst shop and aged 15 constructed his frst car;a 1928 Model Acoupe he paintedin dark blue lacquer.Headded dual antennas, although the car had no radio and ftted twin exhausts. After graduation Gene joined the Navy,serving just ayear before the war ended. He then opened Windy’sCustom Shop, based in his mother’s20x35ft chicken coop. Later he would double its size. The frst car Gene roof-chopped was his brotherFrank’s1941 Plymouth convertible. Windy’sstocked copies of Hot Rod and Genegot ideas from the magazine. He built himself a Flathead-powered 1927 Model T Roadster on aModel Aframe, with asectioned Deuce grille. Atrip to
OBITUARY
GENE WINFIELD,1927-2024
Mike Renaut remembers car customising icon Gene Winfeld, who has diedaged 97.
the drylakes in May 1949 achieved aspeed of 121.45mph. He redid the Tfor the 1950 Oakland Roadster Show,reupholstering, repainting and chroming everything, even the wheels. By now he was also selling parts such as camshafts andhis own dropped front axles
Meanwhile, Genewas alsoracing wherever he could; at thedry lakes,injalopies,atthe dragstrip and on the street. He even held aNASCAR licence from 1951 to 1953, only stopping racing when he got married. Gene’s next big project was a1946 Ford convertible for customer Al Serpa that was extensively modifed with achopped, padded top,Frenched headlights, 1941 Mercuryfender skirts and an Olds grille. The Ford was on the June 1953cover of Rod &Custom and, although uncredited at the time, Gene appeared withAl.
Topofthe chops
Winfeld began getting calls for other customising, increasingly on brand-new vehicles, including chopping a1952 Ford pick-up with barely 100 miles on the clock. He was still ahot rodder and to promote his business built a1927 Model Tcoupe he called The Thing. Chopped 12 inches withalaidback screen, channelled body and tri-carb Flathead, it ran 135mphat Bonneville. The business expanded and on Saturdays there’d often be 10 or 15 cars lined up for lowered suspension or other modifcations.
business card.
Another vehicle that brought huge exposure was Spence Murray’s Dream Truck, a Rod &Custom magazine project Chevy pick-up Gene did fender work on as wellas sectioning the hood. It opened the door to other magazine features. Perhaps the car Winfeld is still best known for is the Jade Idol, a stunning custom 1956Mercury built in 1959 for client Leroy Kemmerer at acost of $15,000. Given acompletely free hand,Gene radically restyled the car,including sectioning the bodyfour inches, ftting 1957 Chrysler rear fenders and adding blended fadegreen paint inastyle that became known as a‘Winfeld fade’. It’s said Jade Idolwon three trophies in every show it entered.In1962 Gene built a1950 Mercurycalled Solar Scene; he was buckingthe trend using the Mercuryata timewhen full ‘kustoms’ were out of vogue, but the car displayed such fresh
ideas with itssculptured, stainless steel accented wheel arches and recessed-centre roofand trunk it was judged amasterpiece.
Big and small screen
Winfeld’sReactor, built for owner Joe Kizis in 1964, wasCitroen-based with ahand-formed aluminium body.Itwould feature in Bewitched, Batmanand Star Trek. Winfeldalso constructed the Galiloe 7shuttle craft for StarTrek andlater produced movie cars for Blade Runner,Sleeper and Robocop as wellasTVshows including Get Smart, Ironside and The ManFrom U.N.C.L.E. In the 1960splastic model kits were big business and he worked for AMT designing customising parts for their models. Gene’s custom square headlight surrounds included in the Studebaker Avanti model kit would later appear on the full-size production car.Hewas also employed by Ford on its Custom Caravan, creating showcars out of brand-new cars and pick-ups. By 1974 he was working at Traditional Coachworks, turning new Cadillacs into pick-ups and wagons, but Gene soon opened another shop. In the 1980s Winfeld wasproducing glass fbre readychopped Mercurybodies, making it straightforward to build aclassic leadsled on amodern frame. And he never stopped buildingtraditional custom cars, as wellasremaining in huge demand as acustompainter, applying his signature fades on countless cars. Gene Winfelddied on March 4, 2025, but undoubtably his impact on the worldof customising will be everlasting.
Gene Winfeld.
1953 Rod &Custom with1946 Ford
AWinfeld
Gene Winfeld’sshop.
One of Winfeld’smost famous creations, Jade Idol.
Solar Scene.
The Reactor. The Thing.
Winfeld fade paint on his own Cadillac Maybelline.
Winfeld withthe Jade Idol.
TENGTOOLS FITS PERFECTLYWITH TATTON PARK CLASSICCAR SHOWS
Mortons Media Group Ltd is delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with leading automotive brand TengTools for its trio of classic car shows.
Attracting thousands of visitors everysummer to Tatton Park, The Classic Car Shows are home to the biggest and best classiccar showsin Europe. Taking place in June, July and August, they offer agreat opportunity for the people of Cheshire and
beyond to enjoy displays featuring thousands of cars,abustling trade area and so much more, with this collaboration providing agreat foothold to future growth.
TengTools, atrusted name in the automotive sector,isthe perfect ft for the shows. Renowned for its high-performance tools and commitment to quality, TengTools will offer visitorsa chance to see the best in automotive care and tools.
Daniel King, managing director of TengTools UK and TTools Ireland, said: “We’rethrilled to partner with Mortons Media Group Ltd for the 2025 Classic Car Shows at Tatton Parkand arelooking forward to attending the showsover the summer.This partnershipoffersus the opportunity to showcaseour high-quality tools to apassionate and dedicated audience,whilesupporting the automotive community.”
Tatton Park, known forits beautiful grounds and rich history,provides the
perfect backdrop forThe Classic Car Shows, drawing car loversfromall over the UK. Each year,these events attract thousands of visitors eager to see impressive displays of classic and retro vehicles. Thisyear theshows are set to be even more exciting, with expanding partnerships with the likes of Scalextric, Hagerty and The Telegraph bringing additional interactive elements, expert advice and exclusive car displays.
Nigel Hole, event director of Mortons Media GroupLtd, also expressed his enthusiasm forthe new partnership: “Weare delighted to welcome TengTools as apartner of The Classic Car Shows at TattonPark. Its commitment to providing highperformance tools forenthusiasts and professionalsalike truly complements the passionand craftmanship celebrated at our shows.”
Mark your calendars! The 2025 Classic Car Shows at TattonPark will take place on the following dates:
•Classic &Performance Car Spectacular: June 7-8
• Classic American Stars &Stripes: July 5-6
•Classic &Retro Car Revival Sponsored by Hagerty: August 16-17
Formore information about the shows and to purchase tickets, please visit: www. theclassiccarshows.com
Richard Heseltine
From obscurity here to
Ford’s24.7: boxy,but good?
Ford 24.7 Concept
Ah, the millennium…the technologicalpossibilities seemed endless andthe Ford Motor Company stepped up to theplate with this multilingual ‘voice commanded’ concept vehicle that wouldassistwith owners’ daily lives. However,its unveiling in 2000 was met with amixedreaction, as RichardHeseltine explains…
Bydefnition, concept cars are meant to foretell the future, if only in the imagination of those conjuring them. The vehicle pictured here was created to look after its owner as more than ameremeansoftransportation It would,theyclaimed,assist themintheir daily lives, andat alltimes, hence the 24.7 tag. That said, there was more than one variant. Built in conjunction with technology provider,Visteon, it waspacked with then cutting-edge wizardry, some of which has since made the leap to mainstream acceptance.
Styled under the direction of Ford’senigmatic design director,JMays, the 24.7 emerged at the 2000 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. There werethree versions: for adventurous types, therewas apick-up. For urbanites, there was acoupe and acrossovertype thingamajig. Visteon’srole in thescheme stretchedtoproviding voice technology,voice activated reconfgurable projected image display, and the advancedlighting system. The former allowed drivers to set controls and make calls via voice commands. As such, their handsdidn’t need to leave the steering wheel.
Employed in conjunction withthe vehicle’s on-board navigation system, it included an in-vehicle web browser thatallowed drivers to verbally request real-time route assistance and information regarding road conditions,the weather,and even stock market trades. What’s more, its maker insisted thatdirectives couldbe delivered in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese and Spanish. Oh, and it understood numerous dialects. The reconfgurable projected image display,meanwhile, allowed the driver to change the instrument display by means of simple voice commands.
The advanced lighting system afforded white and red LED clusters which,Visteon claimed, consumed afraction of thepower required by regular halogen lights. They purportedly lasted the lifetime of thevehicle, too. As for the styling, each version appeared deceptively simplistic, borderingonchildish.There were some neat details, including the‘lipstick’ camerasinplace of thedoor-sited mirrors (they were so called due to their resemblance to tubes of lippy). They provided the driver with apanoramic view of their surroundings via
an internalscreen,but their tiny size reduced aerodynamic drag.
The large, square-shaped push-buttons opened the frontdoors, the activation of which released the rear-hinged rear items. The seats appeared much like stylised seashells, the single-spoke steering wheel in each variant being strangely reminiscent of those found in umpteen Citroën models of yester year.Power, meanwhile, came from a1988cc four-cylinder Zetec unit that produced agiddying 111bhp. The 24.7 in any of its manyfavours was not intended to be aper formance weapon, the emphasis being placed frmly on user interaction.
It would be fair to say that the 24.7 wasn’t universally well-liked when it was unveiled. Some sections of themotoring media mocked the design and didn’tlook much beyond the styling. Unlike so many other concept queens of the period, numerouselements here are viewed as being commonplace 25 years on, so who’s laughing now? As to the fateofthe trio, the pickup at least escaped the crusher.Itexists in private hands, albeit incomplete… ★
Huw Evans
Across the pond
now.
Therollbackbegins
Evans looks at thesweeping changes taking place under thenew Trump administration and what it could mean forthe motorindustry stateside…
There’sbeen alot going on this side of the Atlantic over the last few months. Since DonaldTrumpwas sworninasAmerica’s 47th President on January20, therehave been awhole slew of executive ordersand actions taken by the newadministration to change the country’sdirection. These covereverything from energy security,toborders and immigration, to eliminating government waste. Akey one revolves around emissions regulations and electric vehicle mandates. On his frst day in offce, President Trump signed an executive order that revoked aprevious one signed by Joe Biden, that (although not legally binding) targeted 50% of all new vehicles sold in the US to be electric by 2030.
This new executive order from the Trump administration alsotook aim at EV mandates set by individual states, focusing on repealing waivers granted to them by the Environmental Protection Agency,bydeclaringthat theEPA should eliminate waivers that aim to restrict the sale of vehiclespowered by internal combustion engines. Additionally,EVsubsidies, another darling of the Biden administration, have also come under scrutiny,with the Trump team lookingateliminating subsidies forelectric vehicles, including the $7500 federal tax credit available to those who purchase EVs.
Amajor target of these rollbackswill be the California Air Resources Board (CARB) which, since it wasfrst established in 1967, has
been able to set its own emissionsstandards, independent of federal requirements –standards that have become increasingly controversialand considered by many to be now both draconian and unrealistic. As perhaps asignal in the politicalchangeofdirection happening in the United States, merely days before Donald Trump’selection, CARB withdrew its waiver on the controversialAdvanced Clean Fleets regulation, which would haverequired all heavy-duty trucks in California to be zero emission by 2036.
Since Januar y2 0, the Tr ump ad mini strati on and the EPA’sn ew dir ecto r, Le eZ el din ,h ave been working to amend state reg ulati ons regarding EV mandat es and emissio ns, by transmit ting rules th at hav eg ranted states like California to Co ng ress in Wa shi ng ton DC. These include California’sA dvanced Cl ean Cars II (which calls fo rn ew cars and li gh tt rucks to be zero emission by 20 35 ), Ad vanced Cl ean Tr ucks (requiring all new vehicles wei ghi ng 8500lb or more to be ze ro emissio nb y2 045) and Omnib us low NO xr egulat io ns for heavyduty v ehicles and engines. Zeldin stated that previously,m embers of Congress were no ta ble to decid eu pon the implementation of these rules, enabling extremely consequenti al and costly actions to ta ke place und ermi ni ng the ability for Americans to make ends meet and choose safe and affordable vehicles fo rt hei r families.
“As an agency,weare accountabletoCongress, but most importantly we must be accountable to the Americanpeople,” Zeldinsaid. Formany in the carcommunity,these changes represent welcome news and acommon-sense turn against asea of ever-increasing red tape over the last decade thatwould restrict vehiclechoice, ownership andpersonal transportation, often with verycostly andatbest marginal outcomes. What will be interesting to see is how the State of California andthe California AirResources Board will fare under these major changes. California is currently suffering from declining economic growth, ashrinking tax-base and burdensome regulations that have tarnished the Golden State’s reputation andexacerbated arange of issues including business opportunity,construction, crime, government and emergency services and infrastructure.
The fact that other states, including Maine, Michigan, New Jersey and Virginia, that once followed California’slead on EV mandates, have now rescinded those requirements goes to show that perhaps the once utopian vision of mass batteryelectric vehicle adoption touted by the likes of CARB and the California state government under GavinNewsom is now dead in the water.Asfor internal combustion engines –including V8s, that nottoo long ago were considered by many to be avanishing breed –to quote famous author Mark Twain: “the reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” ★
Cars likenew V8-powered Mustangs could be around forconsiderably longer
Subscribeto Clas sicAmerican todayand you’ll fndout whyit’scalled‘ theBible of theAmericancar scene’ here in theUK. Notonlyisitpackedwitharticles on cars andtheir owners,but thereare technicalfeatures, travel ar ticles and historical pieces covering famous marques, designer sand more.Add to that hundreds of cars,trucksand part sfor sale,plusall thebig gest events in theUK andyou’llbelooking forwardtoitpopping throughyourletterbox.Joinusfor a greatrideevery month.
