Custom Car June 2025 by Assignment Media Ltd

Burning Ambition

Kurtus McEvoy’s quest to make a street-tough racer of the Impala he’s owned for half his life

Patina redeﬁned on a ‘47 Chevy 3100 Thriftmaster PLUS Abandoned ‘37 sedan project ﬁnally gets its time in the sun

News & reviews

Best in Britain

The National Hot Rod, Custom & American Car Show returns to the Lincolnshire Showground for the weekend of 27-29 June 2025. Both indoor and outdoor show spaces are available for pre-1980 and all-year American vehicles, together with club display areas.

The pre-1980 show ﬁeld is outside the marquee and is open to all hot rods, classics and retro vehicles, along with any age of American vehicle. Vehicles can be exhibited between 7.30am and 5.00pm on either Saturday or Sunday, or for the entire weekend,

with the show ﬁeld exhibitor gates opening at 10.00am on Friday.

The prestigious Best in Britain display will form part of the indoor car show, and entries are now being accepted. To be considered for the BiB lineup, simply email details to admin@ hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk attaching a few pics of your vehicle showing the exterior, interior, and engine. Those selected will be automatically allocated a place inside the Show Car Hall. Successful applicants will receive a full refund covering up to 2 prepaid tickets upon arrival at the show. Indoor

www.customcarmag.co.uk

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EDITORIAL

Group Editor: Alan Kidd alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

Art Editor: Ian Denby-Jones

Design: WW Magazines 01283 742970

Contributors

Dave Biggadyke, Mike Pye, Gary Martin, Tony Thacker, James Webber, Olly Sack, Dan Fenn, Tony and Carmen Matthews

Photographers

Julian Hunt, Vic Peel, Harry Hamm, Richard Hair

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spaces are understandably limited, so get your application in quickly.

The show is run in conjunction with the Modified Nationals, with exhibitors and spectators alike having the benefit of a comprehensive and diverse array of supporting acts to the show vehicles. These include rally car rides, lowriders, stunt plane aerobatics, wrestling, monster truck rides, an extreme bike stunt show, Wall of Death, stilt walkers, fire girls and trade stands. There are also the live band daytime stages playing host to the likes of Blue Note, Hicksville Bombers,

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Every e ort is made to ensure the contents of Custom Car are accurate, but Assignment Media accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in Custom Car, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org

The Barntwisters and The Rocker Covers. If all that’s not enough, access to the Ink & Oil Tattoo Convention is available to all. Additionally, weekend passes open up a world of evening entertainment second to none. A funfair runs alongside the Rave Room and the Silent Disco. Then there are the tribute acts, most of whom need no introduction. These include Guns & Yorkshire Roses, Highway Junkies (Americana / country / southern rock), The Committed (Commitments tribute), Sam ofFender, Richard Ashcroft & The Verve tribute, The Wonderwhys (funk / rock / indie), and – most timely considering the band’s reunion tour – Definitely Could be Oasis. Show field weekend tickets are priced at £50 per person, or £30 for teens aged 13-16 years, and single-day tickets cost £15 per person or £10 for teens. That’s a small price to pay for so much entertainment.

Tight fits

New from Laser Tools is this ¼ inch drive Double-Ended Thin-Wall Socket Set, which includes six sockets in both metric and imperial sizes. The set includes two extension bars, each equipped with a quick chuck, making them compatible with impact drivers and power tools. Slim design ensures optimal use in tight spaces, and the dualsided functionality allows for quick and easy flipping to access different sizes. www.lasertools.co.uk

News & reviews Something for the weekend?

Jail birds

The organisers of the Kickback Show are hosting a further one-day custom show on Sunday 6 July. Appropriately named Cars’n’Bars, the show takes place in the grounds and exercise yards of HM Prison Gloucester, which closed as a detention centre in 2013. The show runs from 10.00am until 4.30pm and, due to capacity regulations, visitor tickets must be purchased in advance. Anyone interested in displaying their hot rod or custom should apply via email to Lorne@rwrw. co.uk attaching pics of the vehicle.

www.kickbackshow.com

Buying spree

The International Hot Rod Association (IHRA) has finalised the purchase of GALOT Motorsports Park in North Carolina. Known for being the flattest track in the world, with a temperaturecontrolled racing surface, the first-class facility offers stadium seating for 9000 spectators and a climate-controlled startline. The IHRA has also added The National Trail Raceway in Ohio, and Milan Dragway in Michigan, to its already impressive portfolio.

Facebook: IHRA www.ihra.com

Pleasure beach

19-21 September are the dates for this year’s Normandy Beach Race. Staged at Sword Beach in Ouistreham, France, the event revives the atmosphere of the mechanical rendezvous of the ‘40s and ‘50s. The ⅛ mile drag style racing mixes pre-1947 vintage cars and motorcycles of both American and European origin. Tickets will be released in three stages, with the first batch having gone on sale at the end of April. The two subsequent batches will go on sale in midJune and at the end of August. www.normandybeachrace.com

Ferreting around

Presented by West Yorkshire Hot Rods & Horsepower, Flat Caps & Ferrets 9 takes place on 26-28 September. The venue is Elland Cricket Club, Halifax HX5 0QY. Hot rods, classics, customs, American cars, lowriders, retro rides, bikes and trikes are all welcome, and the weekend features live music and a Saturday cruise. A fancy dress party will create the atmosphere on Saturday evening, and the show is open to the public from 9.30am on the Sunday.

Facebook: Flat Caps and Ferrets Huddersfield

Tidy ties

Keep cable ties within easy reach with this magnetic cable tie holder from Laser Tools. Designed to keep cable ties neatly organised and easily accessible, this UK-made storage unit features three powerful neodymium magnets, allowing it to securely attach to your toolbox, tool chest, or any metal surface. The holder is supplied with 200 assorted cable ties in three useful sizes: 100mm, 160mm, and 300mm. www.lasertools.co.uk

Unification

(with image Webcon50DCOCarburettor)

In addition to the conventional LH and RH Weber 50DCO/ SP carburettors that have sealed outer throttle shafts, Webcon now offers a unified version with a threaded throttle shaft at both ends. The 50 DCO/SP Unified can be utilised in either left or right-hand installations, is ideal for use with a Webcon throttle position sensor kit and is priced at £919.49 including VAT. www.webcon.co.uk

Meshing about

Webcon has announced that Weber DCOE mesh filters are now back in production. Designed to be used oil-free, the filters feature two layers of stainless mesh around a high-performance filter layer, providing superior levels of filtration with almost no restriction to airflow into the engine. Prices start at £58.20 including VAT. www.webcon.co.uk

Belly full

In another first from the team that brings you the Hot Rod Hayride, this year’s staging will feature an incredible display of Belly Tank Racers. And that doesn’t mean just one or two – there will be loads of them, a bit like a sort of wasp’s nest of weird and dangerous machinery that you’ll immediately want to get too close to. The team is bringing them in from all over Europe and firing them up for a lap of the site, providing a once-in-a-lifetime video opportunity like no other.

www.hotrodhayride.co.uk

News & reviews

Easier access

The new Long-Reach Air Cut-Off Tool from Laser Tools is specifically designed for cutting in confined or difficult-to-access areas on vehicles. Its robust design includes a 360° adjustable protective head guard and a safety trigger lever, it operates from a 90psi air supply and uses standard 75mm extra-thin cutting discs.

www.lasertools.co.uk

News & reviews

Royal appointment

Despite this season barely having got into second gear, we are getting notiﬁ cations of calendar dates for next year already. Well, one date anyway.

The inaugural Blacktop Kings indoor show, dedicated to all things Kustom, will take place on 10 January 2026 at the South of England Showground in Haywards Heath, West Sussex. Keep an eye on the Blacktop Kings socials for updates, or email blacktopkingscarshow@gmail.com for more info.

Added wobble

Laser Tools now offers square-drive adaptors with wobble function for enhanced access in tight spaces. Specifi cally engineered for use with 1/4, 3/8, and ½ inch drive sockets in combination with 6-point (single hex) ratchet ring spanners. Using a slim ratchet ring-spanner to drive the socket gives a signifi cantly shallower combination making these adaptors ideal for accessing hard-to-reach fasteners where a standard ratchet-handle driver would struggle. The adaptors are manufactured from impactresistant chrome-molybdenum steel, with a polished chrome fi nish for durability and corrosion resistance.

www.lasertools.co.uk

Great show

Richie Henry

Congratulations to Terry Haddock and the Showtime Funny Car team for setting a new European Speed Record during the Festival of Power over the Easter weekend. Terry piloted the Dodge Charger to a stonking 4.1240 / 307.88. Awesome job guys. Respect.

RIP Richie

Richie Henry, aka Front Man, passed away suddenly at the beginning of April. Richie had been a part of Martin Hill’s Jet car team since 1994. Ever the showman, Richie will be remembered by racers and spectators alike for introducing all of the FireForce cars whenever they pulled round to make a run. Even those who didn’t know Richie personally knew who he was, such was his larger-than-life persona both at the track and away from it. A ﬁ tting one-minute’s silence in memory of Richie was held at the startline during Santa Pod’s Festival of Power on Good Friday. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Simon ‘Womble’ Norwood

Long-term Surrey Street Rodders member, Simon ‘Womble’ Norwood, passed away in April. Womble was also a member of the Haydon Place Motor Cycle Club, having joined their ranks in 1974. Womble will be remembered as a large guy with a large heart, a gentle giant who always had time to stop for a chat. One of the old school, Womble will be missed by so many. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

RIP Womble

Peter ‘Lego’ Legrice

Peter ‘Lego’ Legrice passed away peacefully in his sleep on 11 April. A through-and-through hot rodder and custom bike enthusiast, Peter will be best remembered as having become the custodian of the Pinball Wizard Ford Pop in 2003. A true gentleman, Peter had an unwavering strength of character and will leave a hole in the lives of all who knew him. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

RIP Peter

Rich Guasco

RIP Rich

Rich Guasco, famed driver of the Pure Hell Austin Bantam Altered and International Drag Racing HoF inductee, has passed away at the age of 88. Rich’s passion for roadsters manifested itself when his ’29 Ford took the America’s Most Beautiful Roadster honours in 1961. Following a switch to Funny Cars, Rich won the 1973 NHRA Springnationals. Rich then had a modern version of his favoured Altered built, enabling him to keep Pure Hell’s legacy alive with Brian Hope at the wheel. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends.

Pic: Julian Hunt

Pic: Pure Hell Racing Facebook

Pic: Julian Hunt

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Preparation- Remove all plugs from block & heads, acid dip. Replace all plugs, Core plugs to be brass. Pressure test to check for cracks. Line-bore cylinder block, machine decks parallel to crank centre line, rebore/hone block to pistons, commonly, +.030”. Replace cam bearings. Fit camshaft. Clean & balance all reciprocating p arts. Check clearances- main bearings, conrod bearings, crank end float, conrod side clearance, piston rings & pistons. [some engines have new conrods, others are recircled and fitted with ARP bolts]. Fit pistons to conrods & assemble bottom end. Fit timing gears & chain, time in camshaft. If it is a std engine, then the C.I. heads are fitted with guide liners if required, 3 angle seat job, new valves, springs, seals, rockers, collets. The heads are then installed with new lifters & pushrods.

Black Betty

That’s the name Kurtus McEvoy gives to his ’60 Impala, a car that has caused him some grief over the years but is now the tough street racer he always wanted

Words: Mike Pye Pics: Alan Kidd

We’re accustomed to men of a certain age referencing one film in particular when it comes to their inspiration for building a hot rod. But if you were born at the tail end of the 1980s, your frame of reference is likely quite different. I’ll admit I had to look up the TV series Supernatural when Kurtus McEvoy mentioned it had been the reason he went looking for a ’67 Impala. Hang on, a ’67? Doesn’t look much like one to me…

“I was driving a Vauxhall Corsa at the time and had my heart set on a ’67 Impala,’ says Kurtus. ‘But then my dad called me one day to say he was in the Wirral and had seen a car I might be interested in. He’d knocked on the door and asked if it was for sale and the elderly owner had said yes… but you’ve got to take the Edsel I’ve got as well.” Kurtus, just 22 and still studying at university at the time, was straight over there to check out what his dad had found. “I knew it wasn’t the ’67 I was after but thought it

was worth a look all the same,” he recalls. In the meantime, dad had called one of his mates who he thought might be interested in the Edsel.

“Once we knew it was sold, I was straight down the local car dealer with my Corsa, then took all my student loan money out of the bank and, by the end of the day, I was the owner of a ’60 Impala four-door sedan.”

Parade car

And that’s how it started. Look at the build pics and you’ll see the car looked quite different to how it does now. More of a parade car kind of deal than a tough street racer, but Kurtus was just stoked to be behind the wheel of his first – and only, as it goes – American car.

We’re guessing it took a bit of getting used to, especially parking it, after driving a Corsa. And the journey since has certainly taken some unwanted twists and turns along the way, thanks to some less upstanding members of the American car community

The build

The car as Kurtus bought it, repainted at some point in the States but otherwise largely original

…and a rogue trader who did a bunk without paying his rent didn’t help matters at all

Now with 350 and tunnel ram, on its way to a blistering 17 at Shakey, or was it a 16?

Fortunately, though, Kurtus found Gary at Smithy’s Body n’ Paint in Kent, who picked up where the previous guy had left off…

Unfortunately, when it came time to address the bodywork, things were a lot worse than they looked…

…and finished the metalwork to a far higher standard…

In case you’re thinking this car is just a nice paint job, it’s had a full body-off-frame restoration …before prepping the body for paint…

…and laying down a new coat of glass black. Sure looks better now, huh?

in this country. So much so, Kurtus admits there were times when he was ready to throw in the towel. “I actually put it up for sale once at Shakey but, when no one was interested, I gave it the middle finger and said I’d do it myself.”

So, let’s go back to the beginning. The car originally came from North Carolina and was imported into the UK in 1993. It came in turquoise and white, with a 327 motor, and was owned initially by a lady but then by an old guy who used it for weddings and the like. As Kurtus recalls, “It was very stock, and very original. I didn’t really have any major plans for it back then, maybe just dress up

About the only bit of the running gear that hasn’t either been replaced or renewed is the front suspension, but that’s next in line for a makeover

Interior was completely stripped and treated to a layer of Dynamat before…

…fresh carpets went in, along with a new headliner

The original interior was then re-ﬁtted, but not before turning the turquoise vinyl to black. That’s just a stop gap measure though as Kurtus plans to treat the car to a full re-trim in due course

the engine a bit, put a set of wheels on it and enjoy it.”

The need for speed

Unfortunately, the 327 dropped a bollock not long after, though not before he’d taken it for a trip up the quarter mile to see what it would do. “I thought I was going really fast,” he laughs, ”but it was abysmally slow.” How slow? I asked. “Oh, I don’t remember exactly, in the 17s I think… I might have just broken into the high 16s on my last run, but I remember deﬁnitely wanting to go faster!”

To that end, he swapped in a 350 Chevy with a tunnel ram, hoping that would liven

“I gave it the middle finger and said I’d do it myself”

the old girl up a bit. “I really wanted to go blown, but the block only had two-bolt mains so I was a bit wary about pushing it too far. I spoke to the guys at EDA and they said they could make it work, but then another engine came up for sale that already had a blower on it. The guy selling it said it was all singing, all dancing, and it looked the business.

“That was on a Friday. I was in the Navy at the time and was going away on exercise the following Monday, so the whole deal, including removing and selling the existing engine and ﬁtting the new one, had to be done over a weekend.”

Kurtus describes the Torque Thrusts on the car as his day-to-day wheels, while the pair of polished Rocket 10-spokes are kept for when he wants to party. Tyres are Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/Ts all round

Heavy duty Ford 9-inch axle with Strange shafts and Truetrac LSD is kept in check by a CPP 4-link kit and QA1 adjustable coilover conversion kit

A recurring breakdown problem was eventually traced to rust forming in the fuel pick-up wedge Kurtus had in the modiﬁed original fuel tank, which was then blocking the ﬁlter. Changing to a plastic fuel cell and replacing the whole fuel system cured that one

This is the third engine Kurtus has had in the car in his time with it. It’s a Blueprint Engines 400ci small block, which came with a four-bolt main block, forged crank, rods and pistons, hydraulic roller cam, Blueprint aluminium 64cc heads with 2.08 / 1.60 valves, Holley 850 double pumper and a dyno sheet showing 500bhp and 500ft.lbs of torque. To that Kurtus added MSD ignition, a March Performance pulley kit, Meziere electric water pump and Hedmann Hedders (sic) that run into a full three-inch system with electric cut-outs and side exits notched into the sills. Transmission is a B&M Turbo 350 with manual reverse shift pattern valve body, worked by a B&M Mega Shifter

Wilwood black master cylinder replaces the factory servo-equipped unit and pushes ﬂuid to a full set of iron disc brakes

Distress signal

Three months later, Kurtus was back in the UK, revving to get behind the wheel of his now blown Impala. All seemed to be good, and it was deﬁnitely quicker than it had been with the old 327, so Kurtus was now able to start thinking about doing the bodywork and paint, which was starting to show signs of distress.

“I came across this guy through Facebook, I think. I contacted him and we discussed what needed doing. He came up with what I thought was a reasonable price and we agreed that I’d go over there, strip it down and then he’d do the welding and paint. Long story short, it all seemed to be going okay, but then Covid hit and he asked me for more money up front as he didn’t have any other work coming in…”

You can guess where this is going. Suﬃce to say, Kurtus paid him more money, only to then get a call from another guy a month

Car has a tough stance, considering it’s still on stock front suspension, albeit with two-inch lowered coils. That’s the next area that will getting some attention, with tubular arms and a QA1 upgrade on the cards in the near future

later saying he was the fella’s landlord, that he hadn’t paid any rent for a year and had done a bunk.

Thankfully, the landlord was sound, the car was safe and Kurtus was able to go there and retrieve it, with some of the welding done but nowhere near ﬁnished. Tough lesson learned.

Fade to black

We’re pleased to report that the next person he contacted, Gary Smith at Smithy’s Body n’ Paint in Shorne, Kent, turned out to be one of the good ones. Gary re-did a load of the work the previous bloke had done, ﬁnished the rest of the welding and then prepped and painted the car in Kurtus’ choice of black. “Yeah, he hated me for that,” he laughs.

Next stop was the rolling road to get the blown 350 dialled in in preparation for some run what ya brung. “It pulled some

nice numbers on the rollers – upwards of 500bhp – but then when I was driving it shortly after, I noticed this funny squealing noise. It looked like the crank pulley was wobbling, which was odd as I knew it was properly tightened. Anyway, it turned out it had sheared the crank bolt, which in turn had chewed up the snout of the crank. When we took it apart, the supposedly all-singing, all-dancing engine had just a crate motor bottom end. No forged crank, stock rods, cast pistons, not what the guy I’d bought it from had told me at all.” Another tough lesson learned.

Dilemma time. A stroker kit was considered to rectify that and bump the capacity to 383ci, but then one of Kurtus’ mates suggested he look at Blueprint engines. “I wasn’t sure at ﬁrst, but when I started pricing the two up, it was only going to be a little more to go for one of their 400ci engines – which come dyno’d, with

a 30-month / 50,000-mile warranty and good to go.”

So out went the blower, out went the notwhat-it-was-purported-to-be 350 and in came a new 400ci small block in a crate. While in another crate came a built TH350 auto ’box from B&M. The good news this time is the Blueprint motor has been good as gold, makes the 500+bhp and 500ft.lbs of torque it is supposed to and Kurtus is very happy with it.

Overkill

To ensure he doesn’t blow the back end out of it on the strip, or street, Kurtus had the late Steve Lang put together a strong Ford 9-inch axle for the car, ﬁlled with a Truetrac LSD in an aluminium centre section, Strange 35-spline axles and disc brakes. “I basically went overkill on everything. I think it’s rated to 1000 horsepower, so I won’t be blowing that up in a hurry.”

“When we took it apart, the supposedly all-singing, alldancing engine had just a crate motor bottom end”

Left: New gauges from Moon and Auto Meter are a visual and practical improvement over the temperamental originals, meaning Kurtus can enjoy the drive more now without the worry of having no idea how much fuel is in the tank. Full re-wire with an American Autowire loom helps, too

Right: Car came with a teal interior to match the turquoise and white colour scheme, but that was all a bit too cheery for Kurtus, so for now he’s re-painted it in black, more in keeping with the car’s more sinister looking exterior

“I basically went overkill on everything”

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1972 CHEVY C20 TOW TRUCK - $40,000

Local truck since new 396/4spd, p/s p/b a/c super Cheyenne interior , chrome wheels, fully functioning Holmes wrecker bed complete with all original towing equipment sold new local as a wrecker and purchased directly from him with very low miles and all original sales documents including protecto plate and original licence plates , zero rot ever ,never welded patched or restored other than the bed repainted and a Holmes optional wheel lift added when it entered the collection , its on the button drive it anywhere , the owner of the collection drove a tow truck as a teenager just like this for a local gas station , when I found this one he just had to have it , amongst all of his 6 figure plus vehicles this one is his absolute favourite and will be the hardest one to part with!

Cowl induction hood is done in steel and came about out of necessity after the old blower motor was sold and Kurtus needed a way to ﬁll the hole in the bonnet. “I wanted it to look tough, not stock,” he says. Smithy’s Body n’ Paint did the honours, matching the paint to their excellent bodywork on the car

The rest of the car has been a steady process of evolution, helped along by yet another unfortunate incident that occurred while waiting in the ﬁre-up lane at Shakey. That’s when the guy in front started his car when he wasn’t in it, without checking it was in neutral – which sent the parachute and its mount right through the front of Kurtus’ Impala, destroying the grille and much of the front-end trim in the process.

“It was a bit of a shame as the previous owner had covered all the stainless and chrome in Vaseline every winter, so it was in fantastic condition – a lot better than the bodywork as it turned out. To be fair, the guy

The change from two-tone turquoise and white to black with silver ﬂake inserts has transformed the car. Kurtus considered having the roof done in the silver too but decided against it in the end

that damaged it was very apologetic and offered to pay for any damage.

“So I got a load of really nicely restored trim for the front end from the States, but most of the rest is original. Only the hockey sticks had to be replaced as they’d been painted at some time in the past.”

Thankfully, I think that’s the last of the lows and, speaking with Kurtus, it sounds like the highs far outweigh them anyway. He grins when he says, “people always like to point out that it’s got four doors, but I’ve not seen many others so I reckon it’s about as rare as a two-door one anyway. Besides, it’s the one I’ve got and I love it.”

Impala was introduced in 1958 as the top-spec model in GM’s full-size range. Along with a ton of polished trim, symmetrical triple tail lights set it apart from its lower-spec brothers. Curiously, that signature element was dropped in 1959 – but returned in 1960 and lasted through to the end of fourth generation

He’s still got a hankering for a ’67 but, with all the work that’s gone into the ‘60, and continues to go into it, he says if he does get another Yank he’ll look for a ’68’70 Chevelle instead. “My dad’s been into American cars for many years, but I’m a Chevy guy. I love tri-Chevys, but I’d really love a Chevelle.”

In the meantime, he’s going to keep improving Black Betty, the car he’s had for almost half his life now and which, even when things weren’t going so well, we suspect gave him more pleasure than the Corsa he sold 15 years ago to buy it could ever have done. CC

“ Thanks to Gary Smith at Smithy’s Body n’ Paint in Shorne for their unbelievable work getting the body straight and fantastic paint job; Ed Vernon at EV Welding Services; Dave Mawer at Konnect USA for importing all of the never-ending parts list and Roy Ahmed (dad) for introducing me to hot rods and drag racing, for ﬁnding the Impala and having a father / son rivalry to have the faster car. Last but not least, my partner Emma for being there through the highs and lows and helping with anything and everything to get the Impala over the line.

Spring has sprung

After

a long winter in the workshop for Britain’s race teams, the new season is here. The Springspeed Nationals at Santa Pod got things underway with a de nite bang

Last year, Santa Pod barely managed to hold one major event without the British weather coming along to throw a spanner in the works. So maybe it’s a sign of good things to come that the 2025 Springspeed Nationals were held in glorious sunshine.

It was bright but not hot, with chilly air in the mornings making for excellent racing conditions as a full range of national championships got underway. Vic Parsons and Jack McClure had the honour of lining up for the first run of the year as the event kicked off with a round of Pro ET qualifying, but no sooner had the air started to fill with the scent of hot rubber than the emergency crews were on their way to assist Frankie Taylor after the much-loved Banshee Topolino took her for a wild ride.

The car’s roll cage did its job and Frankie was given the thumbs-up by the doctors, but the incident meant the event was running around an hour behind schedule by the time the racing restarted. The third round of qualifying was later called off, but not before an excellent crop of newcomers to the sport had had their first taste of competitive action.

These included Lily Stevenson, whose Audi TT isn’t the sort of thing you normally see in Custom Car. But how often does someone take the top step in their rookie event? That’s what she did in VW Sportsman, and respect is due.

By this point, the crowd had been treated to a weekend of close racing and a particularly rich feast of wheels-up launches from all the usual suspects in a

variety of classes. The first Hayley Hadfield Perfect ET award of the season had been claimed, too, when Lee Huxley ran 8.6206 on an 8.62 dial in Super Pro ET qualifying.

■ Words: Olly Sack

■ Pics: Julian Hunt

Not every class was up to full numbers at this early point in the season, but with 30 entries in Sportsman ET and 34 in Pro ET the signs are there that Santa Pod will be welcoming some big fields in 2025. Most of all, it’s already hosted one all-the-way sunny event more than it managed in the whole of last year – spring has sprung, and things are looking bright!

The new Pro ET season was all of three races old when Frankie Taylor’s lined up against Susie McClure in Eye Candy. Cue the ﬁrst wild ride of the year as the Banshee Topolino got away from her at the top end. Built by her grandfather Mick Taylor, Banshee is an award winner for its glorious looks – but it’s a comp car ﬁrst and foremost and its safety structure did its job, with Frankie given a clean bill of health following a check up at Santa Pod’s medical centre

Only four entries in Outlaw Flat Four, with Jonny Marriage’s Beetle leading the way in qualifying before seeing off Mark Eltringham in his Karmann Ghia to take the honours

Seeing double? Rouven Dawson’s name was on the windows of both Camaros in the Comp Eliminator ﬁnal as (9.02) 8.9746 / 98.33 gave his Copo victory over his old ride, now driven by David Barton

Warren Watts and Steve Hudson shared the Eurodragster.com Finish Award, for the closest ﬁnish of a race with no red lights or breakouts, after being separated at the stripe by just 0.0017 seconds (that’s 4.25 inches) in Super Comp eliminations. Warren went on to beat reigning champ Leah Kellett in the ﬁnal

Nostalgia Super Stock is now sponsored by Goodale American Speed Shop, and Chris Goodale was among a ﬁeld of 11 entrants in Russo’s Rat. Dave Billadeau, who built the Rat’s engine, lined up against Spencer Tramm in the ﬁnal – with the latter, pictured here, taking it on a time of (11.20) 11.2485 / 115.19

There’s never any shortage of variety in Super Pro ET – and as if to prove the point, a 20-strong ﬁeld was eventually whittled down to Alan Didwell’s 555ci S&H dragster (above) and Mark Bailey’s Barracuda. Didwell took the honours in the ﬁnal with a (7.61) 7.6292 / 170.43 run as Bailey’s wheelsup launch (below) was brought back down to earth by a breakout

We don’t normally pay too much attention to modern street cars like Lily Stevenson’s Audi TT, but great racing is great racing whatever the wheels. This was her first ever competitive event – yet when she lined up alongside George Miller in E3 with a bye waiting for the winner, the prize at stake was a place in the VW Sportsman final. Both were to break out, but it was Lily who progressed – and in that final, her (14.53) 14.8884 / 88.73 was enough to defeat Dominic Crawford’s (15.45) 16.2083 / 88.35. Victory on your rookie event – it doesn’t get much better than that!

Stuart Doignie took the Super Gas title last year in his ’23, and he got this year off to the perfect start when his a ﬁnal run of (9.90) 9.9105 / 152.65 came up against David Fulton’s breakout

A slow start to the season in Outlaw Anglia saw just the three cars entered. That’ll change pretty quickly. You can only beat the guy you’re up against, anyway, which is what Ben Kennedy (above) did in his Pop, putting away Lee Taylor’s gorgeous 468ci pick-up (below) in a ﬁnal between two freshly rebuilt motors

Luke Mugridge came into 2025 as the reigning Junior Dragster champion, and he was soon into his stride in qualifying times before moving through the eliminations with the aid of a bye here and a red light there. Come the ﬁnal, however, Kai Cooper’s (7.94) 7.9547 / 79.79 was enough to take the win

Samuel Hiscock made it to E3 before losing out to Luke Mugridge, but if there was an award for the best presented car in the Junior Dragster ﬁeld it would take a particularly good ‘un to get past him

Simon Innes’ Plum Crazy Racing is now a two-car team, with his niece Amelia Innes piloting a completely rebuilt and reinvented Little Plum Crazy junior dragster. The team’s reward for a full-on winter in the workshop was a run through to E2 for Amelia – great going in her ﬁrst ever event, with plenty learned for the future

With last year’s title winner Brett Featherstone beaten by Collin Morrice in E1, a 34-strong ﬁeld of entries in Pro ET saw a diverse range of cars brought down to a ﬁnal between Morrice’s Camaro and Bob Molden’s White Noise Peugeot 205. Now there’s a couple that would have strange looking babies. Morrice laid down the pace but broke out by a narrow margin, so it’s advantage Molden in the race for the ’25 championship

Plenty of newcomers in the Sportsman ET line-up bodes very well for the immediate future of a hugely varied and very competitive class. They’re all going to have to beat Gary Lake if they want to get to the top, though – after three straight title wins in ’22, ’23 and ’24, he was back on top again at the outset of the new season, taking the win when Troy Attree broke out in the ﬁnal

Chance encounters can lead us to the strangest places… which is how an abandoned ’37 slantback project was brought back to life by Shane Taylor

Words: Gary Martin Pics: Richard Hair

It’s funny how the direction of your life can turn on a seemingly insignificant moment. A split decision, an impulsive action… Sliding Doors, we tend to call it, thanks to the 1998 movie about, well, those Sliding Doors moments.

By the time that movie came out, it was already close to 10 years since Shane Taylor had his own Sliding Doors moment. He could be driving a Transit now, or tooling around the place in a hot hatch or something. But scroll back to around 1990 and he was on his way from somewhere to somewhere else when he noticed a Ford 100e minding its own business up a driveway.

Not only did he notice it, he wanted it. Not all of us would be brave enough to knock on

the door and offer to buy a car we fancied the look of like that, but next thing you know Shane’s got it back home and he’s gutting it.

‘I did all the welding, cut the bulkhead and tunnel and ﬁtted a 1600 crossﬂow engine, gearbox and Anglia back axle. This was my daily for the next 10 years, changing it along the way with different engines, gearboxes and so on.

sedans, ’32 roadsters and coupes, Model Ts, Model Ys, endless Ford pops, all types of American cars and so on.

‘I like all sorts of hotrods and street rods, though I prefer the high-tech stuff done by the likes of Boyd Coddington and Dave Kindig. I prefer to build from scratch, as that means I can do it my way, but I do still take on part-builds.’

Bringing it home

‘I started going to car meets and then started looking at magazines. That lit up a spark in me and I’ve been building street rods ever since.

“I’ve built sit up and beg Pops, picking up some nice trophies on the way, to a lovely best-of-show ’32 roadster. I’ve owned lots and lots of stuff – Model A roadsters and

Which is how he came to own his current ride, a ’37 Ford sedan which he reckons might be the highlight of his rodding career to date. ‘The car was built serval years back,’ Shane explains. ‘It went through a couple of owners but ended up in a garden under a sheet, where it sat for a year or two – which is where I found it.’

He had already been to look at a ’37 roadster but wasn’t sure if it was the right car for him. ‘I decided to think on it – but in the meantime, I put a wanted ad out there for a ’37.’ Long story short, he heard from a guy whose friend was selling one and the very next day he was bringing it home.

‘It was a bit sorry for itself when we got there,’ he recalls. ‘It ran but not great, hardly anything worked on it – no windows, no door poppers, nothing – and the body had suffered. But it was complete. We loaded it and took it home and for the next two years we have been working on it.’

It may have been left to go to seed a little bit before Shane walked into its life,

but the car itself had strong pedigree. What he bought that day was an all-steel Slantback running a 5.7-litre crate engine with the Tuned Port Injection manifold and a 700R4 overdrive box, and underneath it’s based on a Wisbech Engineering chassis complete with the company’s own front and rear suspension. Whoever specced it at the

outset, they specced it right; you can see why he was up for taking it on.

Step one was to strip it, all the way down to that chassis. Off came all the panels, the suspension, the steering… ‘the only thing I didn’t remove was the engine and gearbox as this was fine, nothing that a good service wouldn’t cure.’ Everything else, he just went

through it bit by bit, starting again from scratch and making right whatever wasn’t.

‘We stripped everything out of it and started again. The wiring was fine but the system they had installed had failed – due to standing for such a long time, I think. So I managed to get a replacement and installed it to get everything working again. We went through it replacing any parts that were worn and rebuilt it all back together again ready for a test drive.’ This showed up a few niggles, as they do, so Shane went after those before starting work on the body.

Doing it right

This was largely a case of doing what had already been done – but this time just making sure it was done right. Simple, realworld things like adding rubbers to prevent body parts from contacting each other and damaging the paintwork.

He also removed all the glass, which doesn’t sound like too much of a chore until you learn that the rear quarter windows had been bonded in. ‘I thought we would break them while trying to get them out. But eventually we managed to remove them all safely. I wanted proper quarter rubbers and felts, so I contacted Mark at Pop Browns –he was brilliant, sending out samples until we got it right.’

With the body details all addressed and sorted, it was time for the part everyone loves most. ‘I was going to repaint it myself,’ says Shane. ‘I had the opportunity to use a friend’s booth, but I didn’t have the time so I decided to send it out for paint. Many would say that this is not an area in which to cut corners, right enough…

So off the car went to Passion 4 Paint in Nantwich. They’ve got a YouTube channel where Shane says you can see the actual work being done on his car. It’s Rimini Red, which is a Land Rover / Range Rover colour but looks far better on a ’37, combined with Toyota 209 Black Mica ‘with plenty of pearl.’

Getting into the details, Shane built the car with power windows and all hidden hinges and door handles. The bonnet and boot are on billet hinges with electric closures and the A-posts feature mirrors from Vision Hot Rod in Canada.

Nice tan

Inside, Shane and his wife Karen get to enjoy the comfort of a pair of Mercedes E-Class seats. Trimmed in tan leather, these are just about the only thing you’ll find in there that wasn’t custom made. As Shane understands

The car is built on a Wisbech Engineering chassis, complete with the company’s front and twin-shock rear suspension

The bonnet opens on a couple of polished billet hinges, but the party piece is an electrically operated lifter which Shane controls from the key fob. The vent on the scuttle panel is motorised too

Two more billet ali hinges at the back – and another motorised strut, once again fired by the fob

it, a previous owner had someone in their family who specialised in this stuff – their identity has been lost to time (unless any of you lovely people can tell us otherwise) but they made the rear seats, all the panels, the centre console and the roof console – which ﬂows the whole length of the cabin, lighting it up with in-build LED strips. It’s all ﬁnished off with a digital display running sat-nav and, more importantly for the appearance of the interior, a tilt-adjustable steering column topped off with a Billet Specialties wheel.

Talking of billet, everything on the vehicle that was made from aluminium has been

215/35R18 front and 245/35R20 rear tyres are wrapped around American

which, like all the other billet parts around the car, were ﬁnished by

Torq

Shane and Mushty were already friends, and with a ﬁnish like this they ought to be better friends than ever now

I prefer to build from scratch, but I do still take on part-builds’

Racing

Thrust 2s

Mushty’s Polishing in Crewe.

‘It was a bit sorry for itself. It ran but not great, hardly anything worked –but it was complete’

polished – not just with a floppy sleeve, either, but professionally by Mushty’s Polishing in Crewe. Shane and Mushty are friends, so it’s not like he was going to go anywhere else, but take a look at the company’s website (not to mention Shane’s car) and you might be tempted to take your stuff to him too.

Putting the ’37 back together again was, says Shane, a slow process – and a job he took his time to do properly. Now it’s there, though, having given the car a serious going over it ought to be good for a lot of cruising before it needs any more in the way of major work. He’s a regular at the breakfast runs in the north-west area and this year you’ll see him at Hot Rods and Hills in June and the Stars and Stripes show the following month. That’s if he’s still got the car, however. There’s another project underway already (ain’t there always) and only so much room on the driveway. Shane’s shop truck, which we’ll feature in a forthcoming issue, is a definite fixture in his life, so he says the ’37 might go up for sale. “Might…” So if you see it at one of those events and you’ve got the readies burning a hole in your pocket, maybe it could give you a Sliding Doors moment all of your own.

Taken by Shaun during the rebuild, these pictures show the Wisbech Engineering tubular chassis in all its glory

The ’37 came to Shane with a 5.7-litre TPI crate mill already in place. The engine and the 700R4 overdrive box behind it were the only things that stayed in place when he stripped the car down to its chassis – all they needed was a service, so fetching them off would have been an awful lot of work for nothing

Shane says he prefers building from scratch to taking on someone else’s part-finished project, but doing so in this case meant he didn’t have to worry about creating and trimming an interior. A previous owner had a family member who specialised in this area, and it shows. Mercedes E-Class seats are trimmed in tan leather; the rest of the cabin matches them, though rather than being harvested from a showroom motor it was all custom the rear seats, all the panels, the centre console and the roof console were all custom-made. The latter contains two full-length LED strips, then up front there’s a Billet Specialties steering wheel and a digital display

When you’re dragging your heels with a project, it sometimes takes intervention from a friend to kick-start you into action

Words: Dave Biggadyke Pics: Alan Kidd

We’re going to let Chris Ellis relate the story of his first encounter with this ’47 Chevy 3100 5-window Thriftmaster in his own words. “I bought the truck 10 years ago from a guy in Newquay who had imported it from the States. What an experience that was.

“Thinking I might need an extra pair of hands, I took my dad with me. A good move as it turned out, as the seller’s house and yard were at the top of a steep drive. Having taken a good look around the truck and done the deal, it was time to load it.

“The guy suggested I park at the bottom of the drive with the trailer attached and let the truck roll on to it. In a way that made sense – but with no brakes, and so much play in the steering the wheel would do a full turn before it responded, it was always going to be challenging! I sat in the cab, and with a push it was off down the drive. More by luck than judgement it ended up on the trailer without running into the back of my tow car. Result!”

The pick-up was Chris’ first ever hot rod build, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have the skill and experience to see it through

to fruition. “I used to be in the motor trade, and I’ve always messed about with cars,” he explains. “I’ve built kit cars and modified all manner of vehicles over the years. I’m also really into Harleys.” That ratifies his qualifications, then, so let’s take a look at how Chris got on with the build.

Good intentions

With the Chevy sat in its new home, Chris had every intention of getting to work on it straight away. A trip to Farm Fresh in Essex netted him a Mustang II-based front clip with Wilwood disc brakes, a 4-link location

The bonnet raises on billet ali hinges to reveal the 1996 vintage LT1 V8 that lies beneath it. Ian Burton had previously had the engine rebuilt and had polished much of the exterior and ancillary components. Chris polished things a little more and describes the engine as very pretty with no wires on show. Tubular headers feed the scratch-built stainless exhaust system…

…while an aftermarket ali radiator keeps things cool

Above: Laying frame when parked up is handled by an Air Lift Performance system with ride sensors. It certainly gives the stance Chris was looking for, and he tells us it operates faultlessly

kit for the rear axle, air bags and a steering column and linkage. He stripped the pick-up down to its bare chassis, which he had sand blasted, and bought a rear axle.

Within six months, however, the body and all the parts he’d collected were put in a container and the chassis was chained to the roof of his unit.

“Other projects just got in the way,” Chris explained. “It wasn’t until about three years ago that I got the push to start work on it in earnest – and only then after a friend of mine, Ian Burton (who is no stranger to these pages), showed an interest in buying it.

“I boxed the chassis and fitted the front clip and additional crossmembers but then, to save time, I sent the chassis to Farm Fresh to be notched. They also installed the Camaro rear axle, and I fetched it back as a rolling chassis on 28 December 2021. With Ian’s help, I got stuck in with a vengeance.

“Relying on his expertise, I had opted for an LT1 engine, simply because I like the look of them and he had one for sale a few years previously that I’d bought in readiness. The engine is mated to a 700R4 transmission linked to the rear axle by a Hauser Racing fabricated propshaft. The axle is fitted with a slipper diff and Camaro disc brakes with a push-button operated electric handbrake and has been narrowed by Hausers.

Go your own way

The cab, pick-up bed and ancillary panels were bare metalled but not repaired. Quite the opposite actually, as every repair completed over the years was eradicated, leaving each of the many war wounds visible for all to see.

This is where this pick-up comes into its own as a crossover, with Chris explaining. “It’s now almost 80 years old, and it’s got history. I removed all the filler, and with the metal primed to keep the rust at bay, the rawness of the bodywork grew on me.”

These days, many owners of pick-ups such as Chris’ opt for the full-on patina look with faded original paint, while others are insistent on perfect bodywork with a high

and polished

The repro front grille and bumper were sourced from Jim Cronin, while the headlights are aftermarket Mk1 Golf Crosshair units

Wheels are painted

American Racing Torq Thrust 5-spokes fitted with 3-ear spinner caps. Tyres are by Falken and measure 225/45/18 up front and 245/45/20 at the rear

Unable to source

second-hand visor, Chris had to purchase a new one for what he refers to as crazy money. The cost was worth it, though, as it complements the build style

Thriftmastery

The pick-up was painted white when Chris bought it…

…but that wasn’t its original colour, and others lay beneath the red visible here

The

An AccuAir

The original 216ci inline six was destined to be replaced by something far more potent

The engine that Chris bought from Ian Burton a few years previously…

The rear axle is located by a triangulated 4-link supplied and fitted by Farm Fresh

When Chris was happy with the bulkhead, he got Scott Richards to paint it

The bare chassis prior to Chris adding boxing plates and crossmembers

cab part-way through the bare-metalling process

The Mustang II-based IFS is fitted with Air Lift Performance bags

…was slotted into the freshly finished rolling chassis

Chris set to work smoothing and generally tidying up the bulkhead

The custom ali fuel tank was fabricated by John at Uplands Engineering

The cab and body panels were trial-fitted onto the uprated chassis

5-gallon tank is mounted in front of the compressors towards the rear of the chassis

The

The stainless steel exhaust system tacked together prior to final welding

With the freshly painted cab mounted back on the chassis…

With the lacquer stripped off, Chris polished the wheel rims himself

This overhead shot reveals all that lies beneath the pick-up bed floor

dual-circuit brake master cylinder with servo is tucked away within the chassis rails alongside the gearbox

First the cab was painted red…

…Chris began to sort out the electrics

The wooden bed floor was formed from old scaffold boards

The rear suspension also features air bags, and the fuel tank doubles up as an occasional coffee table

…then it was painted black. Both are stock colours and not vehicle specific

Ian Burton formed the inner rear wheel tubs

The freshly painted wings and tailgate ready for fitting

With the body panels fully assembled, the wet flatting process began, revealing areas of red paint under the black

gloss paint finish. Alternative options are repaired bodywork covered in matt or suede paint, or even faux patina, and finally there’s the bare metal look.

Chris hasn’t trodden down any of those pre-defined paths, opting instead to go his own way. “I wanted something that I can jump in and use and not be afraid of leaving it parked up. The battle scars quantify the honesty of the truck, so I left them untouched. I painted the bodywork gloss red, which I then sprayed over with gloss black. With the paint fully cured, many hours were then spent wet flatting to allow the red to break through the black in certain areas, essentially because I like the look of red and black together.”

In contrast, Chris wanted the bulkhead and inner wings to look right, as he likes things to be nice and clean under the bonnet. After

The scaffold boards used to form the pick-up bed floor have been wire brushed Shou Sugi Ban style. That’s a Japanese method of preserving wood by scorching it with a blow torch, then removing the top layer with a wire brush

The bench seat is the original, albeit with the springs removed and replaced with new strapping and sculpted foam. Ian Burton trimmed the seat in vinyl, a trial run before he trimmed his own seat in leather (April ’25 issue)

The repro rear bumper was another item sourced from Jim Cronin, who also supplied the cowl mount rear view mirrors. The LED rear lights feature chrome housings and bezels, together with blue dots

Raising the bed floor reveals the fuel tank breather and forward of that the in-line fuel filter. The fuel pump is mounted within the custom-made tank

Amazingly, all the dash trim dates back to 1947. It brushes up really well, a sign that things were made to last in those days. Creature comforts include an electric heater, and a 2500-Watt sound system runs through an old school head unit

Also located under the bed floor are the twin Viair compressors for the air ride system

The tilt steering column houses the transmission shifter, while the dash is home to the direct drop-in gauges by Dakota Digital

repairing them, ﬁlling all the unused holes and generally smoothing things out, he got Scott Richards to paint them. “I’m okay with the rough bits,” Chris elucidated. “However, I wouldn’t trust myself to get the proper shiny bits looking right.”

Headache relief

There was no such crossover of styles when it came to reassembling the bodywork. Chris confesses to having made many trips to Jim Cronin in Essex, the supplier of numerous trim parts and more besides. “All those ﬁddly bits that can be a headache to source become a right nightmare,” he clariﬁed. “You know, the washers and clips you need but don’t know where to get them from. Jim makes all that simple – he has them all readily available in little packets as he knows just what people need.”

Having had the foresight to incorporate storage lockers within the chassis rails, Chris needed to devise a method of easily raising the pick-up bed ﬂoor to access them. A Mini convertible roof motor and pump, along with a pair of rams, make light work of raising the wooden ﬂoor to resolve that issue.

With Chris having wired the pick-up using a kit from American Autowire and fabricated a 2½ inch stainless steel exhaust system, eventually the day came to fire it up for the first time. “It was a time of trepidation,” he recalled. “That was short-lived, however, as with us in disbelief it fired up on the first turn of the key.”

Alas, the euphoria of the instant startup was also short-lived. “As the engine started to warm up, water began leaking from around the head studs. We whipped off the heads, sealed the bolt holes and

reassembled everything. Thankfully, that sorted out the problem, and there have been no issues since.”

Two and a half years after getting seriously stuck in the project was complete, culminating with the pick-up’s maiden voyage to the NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals in 2024. “I had no pre-conceived conception as to how the truck would drive,” Chris confessed. “It does drive surprisingly well though, and I couldn’t ask for more than that. It sounds great too, even more so since I’ve added switchable exhaust cut outs for when I really want to be heard. I’ve no plans to change anything, as I’m really happy with how it is.

Besides, I’ve other projects on the go. None of them are hot rods, though.” Maybe he’s still getting over that wild ride on to the trailer back when it all began… CC

“Thanks to Ian Burton for all his help and advice – without him I would still be in the garage. Also John at Uplands Engineering for the fuel tank, Scott Richards, Jim Cronin for all the truck bits, Dad and my son Kallum, who have all played a part in getting it to where it is today. I would like to say a special thank you to my wife Zoe for her patience and understanding”

Chris and the crossover pick-up he created in his own unique style

Words: Dave Biggadyke

Pics: Tracy Perks

PROGRESS REPORT: PART 1

All those of you who know Brian ‘Crusty’ Perks will be aware he is a traditional sort of guy. You will also know him as Crusty, so that’s what we will call him in this article. Together with his wife Tracy, Cannibals Car Club UK member Crusty lives on a narrowboat. I guess life doesn’t get more traditional than that.

It’s no surprise, then, that when Crusty embarked on a new project, it was to be a traditional style hot rod. What’s more, it was to be built the old school way by mainly using what was kicking around and making stuff wherever possible. This was never going to be a catalogue car.

“I bought a roadster body when lockdown hit,” Crusty recalled, “and I already had a basic chassis that I’d put together around 15 years previously. This was to be my Covid Special to stop me going mad.

“The idea behind the build was to keep the cost down by utilising what I already had wherever possible, especially as the country was in lockdown at the time.” Lockdown is now a distant memory, and the project is still ongoing, but that’s no surprise as builds can take longer when you’re adapting and fabricating much of what you need.

Crusty has stuck rigidly to his build ethos, proving that hot rod ingenuity still gets the job done. “I added outriggers to the chassis that follow the body lines and extended the rails to accommodate the rear suspension I planned to ﬁt. The rear axle is off a Sherpa, and it’s pretty much bulletproof with loads of available gear ratios. I picked that up for 50 quid. The front end is a mismatch of Mopar, Chevy and American and English Ford parts, and utilises many of the steering and suspension components removed from the ’50 Plymouth Tracy ran many years ago.

The ’28 Model A roadster body bought from Mark Bull (main picture) was to be mated with the 2-rail box section chassis Crusty had in stock from a Model T project that never came to fruition

“At ﬁrst, I planned on using a 4-pot Duratec motor and a 5-speed ‘box, but you can’t beat the sound of a V8. So, in keeping with the simple and cheap mantra, I’ve gone for a Rover lump and 5-speed.”

As for a completion date? Well, Crusty is conﬁdent he’ll be driving the roadster later this year.

As Crusty wanted to hang the Sherpa axle from an F1 spring he had lying around, he ﬁrst had to extend the rear chassis rails

Originally a miscalculation, the upper shackle mounts are now destined to be re-purposed as rear cycle fender mounts

This shot shows the outriggers added to the chassis for additional support and to provide body mounting points

The rear spring ﬁtted transversely on the new rear crossmember. Note that the chassis rails feature a 9-inch kick-up at the rear

The ‘40s Ford I-beam front axle installation also features a transverse leaf spring, this time an off-the-shelf aftermarket item. Directing the wheels is handled by a Vega steering box

The rear shocks are NOS of unknown origin that were in stock in the unit. Crusty bent up the CDS tube hoop, which runs behind the seats to add both rigidity and mounting points

Rear axle location is handled by a home-made 4-bar arrangement

To get the correct geometry, Crusty adopted an old school approach and heated the Plymouth steering arms with oxy-acetylene enabling him to bend them

Crusty fitted 1950 Plymouth front drum brakes as he finds them more efficient than the more usual ’40 Ford items. Cheaper, too, especially as he already had them in stock

“It was to be built the old school way”

…and bit by bit the posts get smoothed down

No buying off-the-shelf stock when it came to the front ‘screen posts, as Crusty set to and made a pair himself

With one post ground smooth, work could begin on welding together its counterpart

The posts were formed from mild steel stock which was cut to shape, bent and welded together as needed

Work begins on grinding down the welds…

With a Panhard rod formed from CDS tube bent to ﬁt around the diff, the rear chassis section, axle and suspension components were painted

Box section and steel tube were welded inside the posts to provide additional strength and rigidity

The front axle is located by ‘40s Ford split wishbones, which Crusty cut and shut to suit

The welded-in captive nuts and threaded bar are for mounting the posts to the cowl

Alternators

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#89502S 6v 60A 3/8” Pulley...........$241

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#905023 12v Chrome 3/8” Pulley...$154

#905024 12v 100A 5/8” Pulley.......$263

#R3902 100A GM 1955+................$211

#17294 100A GM 1-3 Wire.............$212

#37293 150A GM 1-3 Wire.............$250

#17078 65 Ford 1G........................$212

#R3903 Ford 1965-1989................$205

Main Wire Harnesses

#13237 Hwy 15 Street Rod............$693

#500944 Hwy 15 Nostalgia..........$2217

#500695 Hwy 22 Street Rod..........$768

GM CS-144

Ford 2G

#ALT23 Ford 3G

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Cylinder head and engine reconditioning Crank Grinding / Balancing Vintage Engine Works Carried Out Rebores Precision Machining Parts Supplier On-site Repairs

“Hot rod ingenuity still gets the job done”

The ‘screen posts now ﬁtted and looking good. Note the body has been channelled around 4-5 inches over the chassis for that East Coast look

A second CDS tube hoop mounted under the front cowl provides anchorage for the aftermarket steering column, among other things. The steering wheel was another item lying around in the unit

Crusty heated and bent the front I-beam in the middle to take the smile out of it and achieve the correct camber angle. Note that no front shocks are ﬁtted at this stage

Crusty bought the 15-inch steels as a job lot. The fronts are early Ford as they have the same stud pattern as Mopar hubs, while the rears are aftermarket multi-stud rims. Tyres are crossplies, of course

SoCal

Diaries

Former Custom Car editor

Tony Thacker lives in California these days, and this month he’s ying the ag for expat Brits in his back yard

Englishmen Abroad

As we’re in a slow period between events, I have a slightly di erent Diary entry this month. I hope you nd it a nonetheless interesting potpourri of Brit-related things going on in So-Cal.

First on the agenda is the news that I have shipped my garage nd ‘Lil’ Shitter’ hot rod to the UK to attend the Rømø Motor Festival in Denmark and the Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races. I might also make the NSRA Hot Rod Drags, all thanks to ex-Custom Car sta er Clive Prew of Stromberg who has loaned me his ’55 Pontiac wagon as a tow vehicle. Huge thanks also to John Reid and Jane and Stewart Bassett of USAutomotive who helped immensely with shipping and logistics.

To prep the Shitter for its summer hols, I enlisted the help of ex-pat and fellow Brit Jay Dean of Nostalgia Ranch. Jay is one of the few go-to guys who will do service work and repairs when he’s not digging cars out of barns and xing them up. Meanwhile, we’re prepping Geo Stilwell’s 7707 land speed racer for this year’s season, including Bonneville, and doing some service work on the Dos Palmas Machine Spl. dragster after all the core plugs rusted out during its own vacation last summer at Santa Pod Raceway.

There are any number of barn nds still to be unearthed, as my Lil’ Shitter proves. This ’27 Roadster atop a Deuce chassis was parked in a garage on a busy Pasadena street in 1958 right through until we pulled it out in 2021

There’s nowhere quite like El

the

and the

Certainly an odd rod, Lil’ Shitter comprises a ’27 Roadster body atop a ’32 Deuce chassis with ’40 Ford power, column shift and juice brakes. It had this big hole in the back that cried out for a Deuce gas

It’s amazing what you can achieve with hard work. Weirdly, there was one Navarro head in the boot, so I bought another and a matching intake from H&H Flatheads and installed a pair of Strombergs – and it runs a treat now

but the louvered sides were intact. Marco Piehl at Mick’s Paint made me a new apron while Janne Forsik made a new hood top

car came with a

out the tyres for 5.50

but

16 Auburn

radials up front and 7.50 x 16s in the rear. 7.00s would have been better but they were not available at the time

With or without the hood, I

driving the

be very

Getting ready to be loaded in the last container to leave California Shipping for the UK as they are out of business. Thanks to Brit

tank

Unfortunately, the front apron was well crunched and the hood top was MIA,

The

nice rake

I swapped

De Luxe

Mirage

dusk as

racing dust settles

sun sinks over the San Gabriel mountains. The background cars are land speed roadsters from Aaron Brown’s The Garage Shop – a long haul from Denver, North Carolina

love

Lil’ Shitter – which has proven to

reliable. I put a little Marvel Mystery Oil in the petrol tank, leave it for weeks and it always start right up

John Reid for all the help with shipping and Jane and Stewart Bassett of USAutomotive in Bedford for the logistical help

Gallons of Marvel Mystery Oil failed to free up the 1940 Ford V-8 – it was just rusted solid. Some judicious hammering did eventually free it up, but Mike Herman and H&H Flatheads had to install ve sleeves

Far left: First stop on the Beach Hop 25 tour will be the Rømø Motor Festival in Denmark on August 23. It’s a casual 1/8-mile drag race on sand, so not particularly fast, but a perfect venue for Lil’ Shitter’s rst race

Left: After hopefully an appearance at the NSRA UK’s Hot Rod Drags, over the weekend of September 12-14 at Santa Pod Raceway, it’s o to Wales for the VSRA Pendine Sands Hot Rods Races

Unfortunately, Dos Palmas had a fair share of mechanical problems including a magneto contaminated by sea air to rusted-out core (freeze) plugs that were replaced courtesy of USAutomotive

Jay is a canny boy when it comes to not only building but nding old hot rods for refurbishing. He put together this beautiful athead V-8-powered ’27 track roadster from found parts

Above: Thanks to Keith Bartlett at Santa Pod Raceway, we were able to take the Dos Palmas Machine Spl. AA/Gas Dragster back to the UK to celebrate its historic trip to the First International British Drag Festival in 1964

Geo Stilwell, from Maidstone, Kent campaigns this 496ci Brad Anderson Blown Fuel Rear-engine Modi ed Roadster in American land speed events. Nick Davies, Rob Loaring from I.C.E. Automotive and Scott Barnes handle the crew duties

Another Brit running at El Mirage and Bonneville is Ian Northeast, who runs the F&B Jensen Blown Gas Competition Coupe out of San Diego, California. Sadly, there was no speed recorded for the November race

Geo ’s car was built entirely at Mick’s Paint in Pomona, California, which is owned by another ex-pat, Mick Jenkins. The car currently holds its class record at 277.869 mph but Geo ’s goal is 300 mph – hopefully this year

and

One of only about 500 made, Ian’s C-V8 is powered by a 383 Chrysler with a Tremec T-56 5-speed backing it up. The team has not managed to hit the magic 200 mph… yet

Nick Davies of I.C.E. Automotive in Milton Keynes chats with Brit Geo Stilwell as he prepares for another pass at El Mirage, where the dirt course is 1.3 miles and Geo has gone 230 mph

Ex-pat

Essex boy Jay Dean of Nostalgia Ranch, Fallbrook, California was a huge helping in getting Lil’ Shitter race ready for shipping to the UK. Jay is seen here on the left with Clive Prew of Stromberg Carburetor

HY and mighty

Words: Tony Matthews Pics: Tony and Carmen Matthews

Japanese creativity and a classic French design go together to form a unique and truly exceptional 1974 Citroën van

On our travels, while we’re out on a mission to search out the most incredible custom cars, every now and again we come across something extremely rare and special. A vehicle that defies possibilities and pushes the boundaries of creativity.

And that is the holy grail. The machines which, among all the others, make our job truly worthwhile. These are our unicorns.

This 1974 Citroën HY Van, built by Ushio Automobile in Japan, is one of those unicorns. It just simply blows your mind as soon as you see it.

That epic body drop and the coolness of its original patina paint is simply impossible to miss. We ﬁrst spotted it parked next to us at the Mooneyes Hot Rod Show in the Japanese city of Yokohama – and the moment we clapped our eyes on it, this article started forming in our minds.

Yes, we know, you’d assume that this was captured in the south of France. But that is far from where it’s based. This incredible French classic has its origins deeply rooted in the city of Osaka and is owned by a Mr Isc – a man who has a passion for all things four-wheeled.

The Citroën, is not Isc-san’s only prized possession – as we discovered when visiting his garage. He takes great interest in the most unique vehicles – and alongside Tetsuhiko Iizuka, the owner of Ushio Automobile, he has created several groundbreaking customs.

He has a particular fondness for French car styling, and it’s something that has been part of him for a long time. All the way back to the 1970s, in fact – that was when he ﬁrst observed just how far advanced the nation’s four-wheeled creatives were when it came to design.

Aiming HY

With Japan having its own unique custom van culture, it would have been easy for him to buy another Toyota Hiace and customise that. But instead, his mind was set on a French classic… this Citroën HY. He found it, he had it imported to Japan… and then the fun started. His mission was to recreate it into something that would embrace Japanese automotive excellence and match it to the French origin, all the while looking for it to be made ‘outstanding.’

So, how does one do that?

In this case, one knows where to leave well alone. Isc-san loved the boxy shaped

angles of the Citroën’s body, so his approach was to maintain the van’s original appearance. Thus the only cutting involved on the shell was to remove the rear body, providing a more solid foundation when adding the custom chassis.

Thereafter, it was all about removing the heart of the beast – including its entire skeleton structure, which was necessary to create a whole new engine bay. This in turn is no longer at the front of the vehicle…

If you’re wondering exactly what it is that they did, you’re in good company. Well, you’re in our company. We did too, and so we asked!

The answer is that they custom built the chassis from scratch. Ushio Automobile designed and created all the parts in house, including custom front suspension, to house the engine and gearbox from a Mazda RX8. This was mid-mounted, as, unsurprisingly, it just wouldn’t have fitted in the original engine bay.

As is often the case with custom cars, a few short words can describe a vast programme of work. And that’s what went into the HY. Every single part of its chassis was CAD designed then expertly cut and welded together – it’s hard to comprehend the sheer creativity that went into this build,

Above: A completely bespoke air ride set-up uses a compressor and tanks on custom mountings and plumbed with copper pipe. Rear suspension was donated by the RX8 that laid down its life for the cause, though no Mazda ever left the factory looking like this. Accuair springs hold it up, or drop it deep into the weeds at the push of a button. Tyres here are 295x20R20 Pirellis on 20x11.5”

Barramundi rims

Right: The Mazda RX8 is a front-engined car, but the Citroen HY is a forward-control van so something had to give. That something was the power train, with the engine and gearbox moving to a new home behind the cab

but that’s equally by the hard work that went with it.

Aired down

At the back, the same Mazda that donated its engine also gave up its rear suspension to the cause. To this, Tetsuhiko and his team added an Accuair air ride suspension system, with a custom housing and copper piping for the air tanks.

The wheels of choice were Barramundis, measuring 17x6.5” at the front and 20x11.5” at the back and shod with 195x40R17 and 295x20R20 Pirellis respectively. Tucked behind them, a set of Wilwood brakes

Ushio Automobile designed and created a custom front suspension set-up, with independent wishbones sprung by Accuair bags

The chassis is all custom made, and it’s as artistic as the rest of the van. As you can see here, the authors were super-keen to point their cameras at Isc-san’s new ride – so much so that it didn’t yet have a propshaft

There’s a lot to gawp at here, but let’s concentrate on those exhausts. They route spent gases forward from the Mazda RX8 engine to where they’re dispersed through the front grille

ensures it stops the way something with an RX8 engine needs to be able to.

Talking of the engine, its exhaust pipes run to the front cabin and beyond, to where they dispose of fumes through the front grille. Ironic, considering the entire thing runs in the open air. No rear floor to hide the engineering on this baby.

On the subject of floors, these panels had to be rebuilt and reinforced with steel intersections. In the front cabin, the seats are custom built in aluminium and heat protection has been added, as the engine is now positioned beneath where the seats would originally have been. The Accuair E-Level control unit is mounted to the left side of the steering wheel and the dashboard has been customised to house the new position of the steering column; it’s also home to two ultra-cool digital gauges, as well as to a custom ali gear shifter and handbrake in their own bespoke surround. This too was made from aluminium, and the overall effect is like something from a manufacturer’s concept car.

The final flourish was a custom tan leather canopy for the back of the van. Made by 9010 Design, this gives the vehicle

that little bit of extra vintage in the way it looks – taken alongside the patinated light blue paintwork, it sets the vehicle off an absolute treat.

Is it fair to call the Citroën groundbreaking? We’d certainly say so. There’s low and then there’s loooow, and this is

loooooooow… and by taking a vehicle you’d never normally think of and mashing it up with another of the same, Isc-san and Ushio Automobile have created a truly world-class custom. One of those vehicles you don’t see every day. One of those unicorns we’re all forever hoping to stumble upon. CC

BRENTACRE

NB: We advise you to double check with organisers that the event or show as listed is still going ahead, to avoid any wasted journeys. To submit an event, email alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk

MAY

10 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

10 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

10-11 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

10-11 Melbourne Mayhem Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

11 Classic Ford Show South of England Showground. Facebook: Classic Ford Show

11 Victory Wheelers Hayling Reunion Funland Amusement Park, Hayling Island Facebook: Victory Wheelers

16-18 Border Raiders Run Bruce’s Cave Camping and Caravan Park, Kirkpatrick Fleming, Dumfriesshire. Facebook: Border Raiders Run 20-25

16-18 Doorslammers Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

16-19 Fins’n’Chrome Car Show Gypsy’s Green Stadium, South Shields. finsandchrome@hotmail.com

17 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

18 Classic Wheels Rutland Showground, Oakham www.classicwheelsrutland.co.uk

18 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

20 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

22-25 Elvington Speed Week Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

23-26 Run to the Sun Newquay. www.rtts.co.uk

23-26 The Main Event Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

25 Old Skool Cruisers Meet Anglia Motel, A17, Spalding, Lincs Facebook: Old Skool Kruisers

26 The Hop-Up. Westerham Brewery, Kent. detonatorsccuk@gmail.com

26 – 1 June NSRA Fun Run. St Ives, Cornwall. www.nsra.org.uk

29-1 June French Street Rod Nationals Parc de Cepoy, Loire Valley. www.fsra.info

4 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

5-8 Hot Rods and Hills. Park Foot, Pooley Bridge, Penrith Facebook: Hot Rods and Hills

7 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

7-8 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

7-8 Players Classic Goodwood, West Sussex. www.players-show.com

7-8 Sportsman Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

7-8 Straightliners Race Meet Elvington. www.straightliners.events

8 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

13-15 Street Weekend. Santa Pod / Melbourne. www.santapod.co.uk

14 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

14 Dereham Classic Car Show and Rock n Roll Music

The Greenstone, Dereham, Norfolk Facebook: The Greenstone

30-1 June Rods’n’Rockers Dunnington, York. Tel 07736 668925

30-2 June VanJam Fir Tree Farm, Warmington. www.vanditos.co.uk

31 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

31 50th Anniversary Chelsea Cruise. King’s Road, London

31 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

JUNE

3 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

14-15 American Super Stock

Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

14-15 Race the Waves. Bridlington, East Yorks. backfireinfo.weebly.com

14-15 Street Car Weekend

Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

15 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

16 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

17 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

21 Run What Ya Brung – Saturday Night Special Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

21-22 Duchy Ford Show. Watergate Bay Touring Park, Newquay www.duchyfordclub.co.uk

7-8 Straightliners Race Meet Cambeltown, Scotland www.straightliners.events

22 BHP Fuel Fest Westpoint Arena, Exeter, Devon. bhpshows.com

22 Custom and Classic Show. Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, Essex www.customandclassicshow.co.uk

22 Summer Brighton Run. Redhill to Brighton Facebook: The Brighton Run 29 VHRA Swap Meet Ramsey, Cambridgeshire. www.vhra.co.uk

27-29 Dragstalgia Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

27-29 National Hot Rod, Custom and American Car Show. Lincoln Showground, Lincolnshire www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk

28 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

29 Old Skool Cruisers Meet Anglia Motel, A17, Spalding, Lincs Facebook: Old Skool Kruisers

30 GAS Bash Santa Pod Raceway. chris@fgoodale.co.uk

JULY

1 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

2 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4-5 Hangar Rockin St Stephan Airfield, St Stephan, Switzerland. www.hangarrockin.com

4-6 MPH Vintage Sprint. Deenthorpe Airfeld, Corby, Northants www.mphvintagesprint.co.uk

4-6 Rattlers RoundUp. The Holman Clavel public house, Taunton, Somerset. Facebook: Rattlers Rod and Kustom

4-6 V8 Brothers Village. Hooglede, Belgium. www.v8brothers.be

5 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon. www.straightliners.events

5-6 Big Yellow Car Show Cheshire Showground, Knutsford www.bigyellowcarshow.co.uk

5-6 Summer Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

6 Cars’n’Bars HM Prison Gloucester. www.kickbackshow.com

10-13 Goodwood Festival of Speed Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www.goodwood.com

11-12 Mustang Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

12 Only Fools and Motors Meet The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

12-13 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

12-13 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

13 The Ford Show. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

15 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

18-20 Hot Rod Rumble The Camp, Ramsey, Huntingdon www.hotrodrumble.co.uk

18-20 Mopar Euro Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

18-20 Rock’n’Ribs Festival Wincanton Racecourse, Somerset. www.rocknribsfestival.co.uk

19 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

19-20 American Auto Club UK Summer Nationals. Upton Upon Severn, Worcestershire www.american-auto-club.co.uk

20 DeuceDay British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire www.deucesofbritain.co.uk

20 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, . Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

25-27 Bug Jam Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

26-27 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

27 Auto Extravaganza Walpole Community Centre, Walpole St Andrew, Cambs. www.kingslynnkruisers.co.uk

AUGUST

1-3 Hot Rod Hayride. Bisley Shooting Ground, Surrey www.hotrodhayride.co.uk

1-3 Ultimate Street Car Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

BRENTACRE

2 Only Fools and Motors Meet

The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

2-3 American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock

2-3 Straightliners Race Meet Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

4 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

5 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

6 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

7-10 NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Old Warden, Bedfordshire. www.nsra.org.uk

8-10 Retrofestival Newbury Showground. www.retrofestival.co.uk

9-10 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

10 American Day RAF Sculthorpe, Fakenham, Norfolk. Facebook: RAF Sculthorpe Heritage Centre

10 Ford Fair Silverstone Circuit www.fordfair.co.uk

10 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

14-18 Hillbilly Hoedown Crystal Lakes Leisure, Huntingdon. www.hillbillyhoedownweekend.co.uk

29-30 VW Action Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

29-31 Blue Ridge Runners Weekender West Huntspill, Somerset. www.blueridgerunners.co.uk

30-31 Straightliners Race Meet and American Super Stock Revival Rd 1 Melbourne Raceway Facebook: American Super Stock www.straightliners.events

15-17 Hot Rods in the Borders Lilliardsedge Holiday Park, Jedburgh. Facebook: Hot Rods in The Borders

16 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

16 Elvington Modified Nationals Elvington. www.straightliners.events

16 Ford Pop Day Industry and Supply, Weedon Bec, Northants www.industryandsupply.com

16 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon.www.straightliners.events

16-17 Greenlight Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

17 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

19 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

23-24 Knuckle Busters at the Barns Stonham Barns, Suffolk www.stonhambarns.co.uk

23-25 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

25 Bay Cruisers CC Drive and Jive Auto Show Whitstable Bends, Kent. www.driveandjive.uk

25 V8 Hot Rods Show Cross Keys, Redgrave, Norfolk Facebook: V8 Hot Rods

29-31 VW Action. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

31 Old Skool Cruisers Meet Anglia Motel, A17, Spalding, Lincs Facebook: Old Skool Kruisers

SEPTEMBER

2 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

3 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4-7 Euro Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

5-7 Kustom Kulture Blastoff Slates Farm, Market Rasen, Lincs. www.kustomkultureblastoff.co.uk

5-7 The Trip Out Euston Park, Suffolk. www.thetripout.co.uk

6 Only Fools and Motors Meet The Five Bells, Tydd St Mary, Lincs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

6-7 Petrolheadonism Live Herts County Showground, Redbourn www.petrolheadonism.live

6-7 Straightliners Race Meet Cambeltown, Scotland www.straightliners.events

7 American Car Show Museum of Power in Maldon, Essex www.museumofpower.org.uk

7 Flames’n’Dice Wearmouth Colliery, Sunderland. Facebook: Flames’n’Dice 12-14 Goodwood Revival Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www.goodwood.com

12-14 Hot Rod Drags Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

12-14 Hot Rod Hoedown. Barrasgate Farm, Annan.Facebook: Hot Rod Hoedown at the Steading

12-15 Isle of Man Ford Fest www.iomfm.com

13-14 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

14 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

16 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

18-21 Isle of Man Festival of Motoring www.iomfm.com

19-21 National Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

19-21 Normandy Beach Race Sword Beach, Ouistreham www.normandybeachrace.com

20 American Car Meet Bird in Hand, Hayle, Cornwall www.propercornishcruisers.co.uk

20-21 Pistons and Props Sywell Aerodrome, Northamptonshire www.sywellclassic.co.uk

20-21 VHRA Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races. Pendine, Carmarthenshire www.vhra.co.uk

21 Ford Fest. Mallory Park, Leics. www.fordfestshow.co.uk

21 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

26-28 Flat Caps and Ferrets. Elland Cricket Club, Halifax. Facebook: Flat Caps and Ferrets Huddersfield

26-28 Yorkshire American Car Club American, Rod and Custom Show. Fort Paull, Hull. yancs1@yahoo.co.uk

27 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

27 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

27 Straightliners Smeatharpe, Devon.www.straightliners.events

28 Old Skool Cruisers Meet Anglia Motel, A17, Spalding, Lincs Facebook: Old Skool Kruisers

OCTOBER

1 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4-5 No-Prep Drag Racing Manston Raceway Park, Kent Facebook: Manston Raceway Park

4-5 Malbourne Finals and Fireworks Melbourne Raceway, York. www.straightliners.events

5 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

6 Top Speed Monday Elvington Airfield, Elvington, West Yorkshire. www.straightliners.events

7 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

11 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

12 Straightliners Race Meet Elvington. www.straightliners.events

18 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

19 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

19 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

19 Straightliners Santa Pod Raceway. straightliners.events

21 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

25 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

25 Flame and Thunder Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 NSRA Northern Swapmeet Magna Science Centre, Rotherham. www.nsra.org.uk

26 Old Skool Cruisers Meet Anglia Motel, A17, Spalding, Lincs Facebook: Old Skool Kruisers

26 Run What Ya Brung Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

NOVEMBER

5 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

16 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

18 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

29 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

DECEMBER 2025

3 Hot Rod Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

16 VW Air-Cooled Night. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

21 Krispy Kreme Cruise. Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden, Surrey. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

27 All American Cruise In. Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

JANUARY 2026

10 Blacktop Kings. South of England Showground, West Sussex blacktopkingscarshow@gmail.com

Official Broker of the NSRA

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