Custom Car October 2025 by Assignment Media Ltd

The Art of Dart

Dodge’s 1968 Daroo concept: created by George Barris – and now recreated by Andy Saunders

PLUS Simon Fox likes project cars that need a bit of help – and he’s helped a derelict ‘38 discover the ﬂowing lines it never knew it had

News & reviews

We’ll be bringing you the full lowdown on this year’s Hod Rod Supernationals next month – but for now, here’s a pictorial snapshot of what was an excellent event. The weekend had it all: myriad live music, a mega cruise, wallto-wall sunshine and, of course, cars – and plenty of them. Oh, and it was hot. Very hot. Top job, NSRA.

Superheat

www.customcarmag.co.uk

Assignment Media Ltd, PO Box 8632, Burton on Trent DE14 9PR

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, Tony Tjacker, James Webber, Olly Sack, Dan Fenn

Photographers

Julian Hunt, Vic Peel, Harry Hamm, Richard Hair

ADVERTISEMENT SALES

Tandem Media Ltd

Account Manager Faye Littlewood-Tribe – 01233 228752 faye@tandemmedia.co.uk

AD PRODUCTION

Tandem Media Ltd.

Production and Design Manager Neil Hepden – 01233 220245 custom@tandemmedia.co.uk

MANAGEMENT

Publisher: Sarah Moss sarah.moss@assignment-media.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS

13 issues of Custom Car are published per annum

UK annual subscription price: £64.87

Europe annual subscription price: £78

USA annual subscription price: £78

Rest of World annual subscription price: £85

UK subscription and back issue orders: ccsubscriptions@wwonline.co.uk 01283 742970

SUBSCRIPTIONS AGENCY

WW Magazines, 151 Station Street, Burton on Trent, Sta s DE14 1BG 01283 742970

DISTRIBUTION

Distribution in Great Britain: Marketforce UK Limited, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR

Tel: 0330 390 6555 www.marketforce.co.uk

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

Long horn

Webcon now offers a 100mm long aluminium air horn for the Weber 40 DCOE series of carburettors.

The super-light air horn weighs just 0.08kg, is a simple bolt-on ﬁ xing, is suitable for use with Webcon mesh air ﬁ lters and is priced at £35.94 including VAT. www.webcon.co.uk

News & reviews Something for the weekend?

Demon show

The Street Demons American, Custom, Classic and Bike Show takes place at Bexleyheath Broadway on Sunday 7 September. The show runs from 10am until 5pm, with access for registered car owners being available between 7am and 9.30am. The postcode to head for is DA6 7HF, and food and music are on offer throughout the day.

Barry: barrysaun2003@aol. com / 07745 202074

And relax

High Wham Farm in Bishop Auckland is the venue for the North East Rod & Custom 3rd Relaxed Weekend on 19-21 September. The weekend offers bands, karaoke, a raﬄ e, bingo, car boot sale and maybe a Saturday cruise. Breakfasts and hot snacks will be available, and you can bring

your own drink into the bar. Camping is priced at £25 for the weekend for a 2-person pitch. Donations to Parkinson’s UK are welcome.

Facebook: North East Rod & Custom

Eighth wonder

Velocity Vintage Drags returns to Manston Raceway Park, Kent CT12 5FE, on 11-12 October. The weekend offers quarter-mile period drag racing, with paramedic and ﬁ re crew attendance, and public liability insurance and raceaﬃ liated licenses are in place. Saturday will be a day of grudge racing for all race participants, with eliminations taking place on Sunday. Prize money is up for grabs thanks to race day sponsorship from Royal Kustoms and NAMCO. www.velocityvintagedrags. racing

Added turkey

Saturday 27 December is the date for the second staging of the Cold Turkey Run. The format will follow that of

last year, with three separate cruises descending upon the same destination in Cromer, Norfolk. Full details will be announced in the next few weeks, but as the organisers are hoping to surpass the number of 120 entrants last year, put the date in your diary now.

Facebook: Bod Here

Indoor tradition

The South of England Showground in West Sussex plays host to the Traditional Indoor Kustom Show, organised by Blacktop Kings , on Saturday 10 January 2026. Hot rods, customs, bobbers and choppers are all welcome, and details and pictures should be submitted by email to be considered for entry. blacktopkingscarshow@gmail. com

Kev York

Kev York passed away suddenly on 14 July. Having been heavily involved in the car scene in the UK for many years, Kev and his wife Sue moved to Spain to live their best lives. He was a man with so much life in him and lived for the day. A muchloved husband, father and grandad, Kev will be greatly missed by so many.

A Celebration of Life for Kev York will be held at Ashby Road Sports Club in Hinckley, Leics on Friday 12 September, when all who knew him are invited to celebrate his amazing life.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help ease some of the ﬁnancial burden for Sue in this stressful time. Our thoughts go out to Sue and the rest of Kev’s family and friends.

RIP Kev

Chris Raschike

Veteran driver Chris Raschike died in a crash on the Bonneville Salt Flats during Speed Week. About two miles into the run, he lost control of the Speed Demon III car at 283mph. A tragic loss of such a talented and experienced driver.

RIP Chris

Pic: C/O Kayleigh York, Facebook

Pic: Speed Demon 715

News & reviews

Size matters

The Laser Tools ¼ inch drive Extra Long Socket Set provides extended reach for diﬃ cult-to-access-fasteners. Manufactured from satin ﬁ nish chrome vanadium steel the 140mm long thin wall sockets are supplied in a set of 9-pieces of sizes from 8 to 16mm. The sockets come in an EVA foam tray for £134.11 including VAT. www.lasertools.co.uk

Inter planetary

Penned by Martin Smith, the man who now owns the Paul Bacon-built Cosmotron, is a new title in the Juvenile Fiction category. The colourfully illustrated Cosmo and Friends Save Planet Earth tells the story of Cosmo, Adam the Alien, and Rob the Robot, leaving Planet Zen and embarking on a journey to Earth to educate humans on how to save their planet and protect the environment. The book is available by mail order, priced at £8.99 plus postage. www.austinmacauley.com

Getting shirty

The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame organised a pop-up display of crew and oﬃ cials’ shirts from past years inside the Historic Marque at this year’s Dragstalgia. Two of the oldest crew shirts on display, and probably the ﬁ rst of its kind from the 1970s, were the Komodo Dragon / JBW shirts from the British Pro Comp days and worn by Jeremy and Richard, sons of Liz & Ollie Burn, now Elizabeth Rowland.

The next oldest must have been the denim jacket worn by Tony Pearson in 1976 when he crewed for Don Garlits in that memorable year. Another jacket having pride of place in the display, but needing no introduction, was the Chief Starters STP silk purple jacket as worn by BDRHoF founding chairman Stu Bradbury in 1976.

The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame would like to thank all those who contributed shirts for the display and to the photographers whose images continue to remind us of the good times.

Good bidding Pics: Jerry Cookson

The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Benevolent Fund’s Grand Auction & Sale at Dragstalgia delivered £3,600 into the Fund’s coffers, which exist to help those in the drag racing community beset by misfortune.

Thanks go to Richard Lyon, Mick White, and Phil Forth, who displayed Tudor Rose in the historic marquee and invited visitors to sit in the AA/Fuel Dragster in return for cash donations. Thanks also to Max Frost and the Santa Pod Raceway team for the provision of the facilities and permission to use them for fundraising purposes. Further gratitude goes to all who kindly donated auction items and to those who placed bids on them.

Attention already turns to the 2026 Dragstalgia auction, which will focus on two major UK drag racing anniversaries: the Hall of Fame’s 20th and Santa Pod Raceway’s 60th. Benevolent Fund enquiries may be addressed to Nicola Marshall at nikki.marshall@britishdragracinghof.co.uk

Pic: Jerry Cookson

…and now, thanks to Andy Saunders, there are two. Though in fact there’s actually three. Are you sitting comfortably?

Additional pics: Chrysler archive and Mopar Muscle magazine

Thanks to: Little Thatch, Norden, near Corfe Castle, (airbnb.co.uk / tel. Lisa 07803 777740) for the photoshoot location

Words: Mike Pye Pics: Alan Kidd

There are collectors in every area of car culture you can think of, but among them are the really serious ones. In Mopar circles, few can come close to the collection Steve Juliano from New York assembled over the years. What marked Juliano out was that he didn’t just go for quantity: he went after the obscure, and surrounded them all with the most extraordinary collection of NOS parts, memorabilia and original dealership artefacts. Google him, and the 2019 Mecum auction

where a lot of it was put up for sale after his death in September 2018. It’s mind blowing.

Not only did Juliano manage to locate and piece back together the three Plymouth Rapid Transit Caravan cars from 1970 / ’71, he also found and added to his collection the Daroo I show car from 1968.

Da-what? Daroo, that’s what.

And so it was, in what I like to imagine was a smoky oﬃce in 1967, Dodge’s then chief stylist, Bill Brownlie, sketched a radical, topless version of the company’s popular

Dart model to go on tour and create interest in the regular production line models. Satisﬁed, he turned his sketches over to ‘King of the Kustomizers’ George Barris in North Hollywood to turn into reality for the 1968 show season.

“We wanted to convey the feeling of a real dart in motion, even while the car was standing still,” wrote Brownlie in a 1968 Dodge press pack. “The intent was also to give a tough performance image compatible to the style concept.”

“It’s fully legal, other than I can’t see where I’m going!”

Performance image

Consequently, Barris was given a brand new, 383 Magnum-powered, ’67 Dart GTS convertible, a four-speed one at that, for that ‘tough performance image.’ Incidentally, only 229 big block Dart GTS were made in 1967, and it’s generally agreed that less than 10% of those were convertibles.

Brownlie’s drawings called for the roof to be removed completely and the car stretched in the nose, shortened in the tail, completely re-designed in both and equipped with a low, wraparound screen, effectively removing any resemblance to a production Dart.

Aside from a curious swap to coil springs at the rear, everything under the skin was left alone, though the stock 14-inch wheels were upsized to a set of Rader DBR-500Ds, wrapped in Firestone gold line racing tyres.

Barris made the necessary body modiﬁcations, created the one-off tubular front and rear grilles and added the outrageous, non-functioning intake pipes through the bonnet, before painting the whole thing in a delicious coating of electric yellow kandy with satin black highlights.

The car immediately went out on tour with the new-for-1968 Dodge Scat Pack edition cars but, such was the appetite for such vehicles among show promoters, it only lasted a year in this guise before being re-painted in kandy green. That was how the Daroo appeared at the January 1969 Detroit Auto Show, before being retired towards the end of the year and promptly forgotten about.

The Daroo re-surfaced once, brieﬂy, in 1985, when it made an appearance at the Mopar Nationals in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by

then repainted back to its original PP1 Bright Red colour. At that point it had just 143 miles on the clock.

A decade or so later, Steve Juliano decided to track down its owner, who had bought the car directly from Chrysler, and eventually persuaded him to sell the Daroo to add to his eclectic collection. Preferring the green version, Juliano had it put back to exactly how it was when Chrysler retired it, and that original car still exists today.

British connection

So, that’s the back story. What’s the story with the one you see here, photographed just after its debut at the Beaulieu Custom and American Show in mid-June? Well, you’ve got that man Andy Saunders to thank this time, for it is he who has created this superb

The car’s trademark faux intake stacks were made from seamless steel dairy tubing, cut to the appropriate angle and then chromed

Not the prettiest part of the car, but a bit Andy is particularly proud of as he’s absolutely sure Barris also used parts of a ’55 Buick Super grille for the bonnet inserts on the original

The original Daroo began life as a ‘67 Dart GTS convertible, but Andy started with a ’69 GT convertible. The wheelbase is stock 111-inch, but the overall length has increased from 195.4 to 202 inches, the dramatically different proportions coming from a 17-inch extension to the nose and a 10-inch reduction in rear overhang. With the heavily chopped and tinted windscreen, the car’s overall height has been reduced by almost a foot

replica that has brought the Daroo back on to the world stage.

In writing this feature, Andy and I discovered a shared love of books –speciﬁcally the Motorbooks offerings from the 1990s and early 2000s that chronicle the American custom car and show rod scenes.

“A lot of the stuff in those books I don’t like,” says Andy, “but when you get to the ’60s stuff, it’s just like wow! Yet nobody seems to know anything about them.

Among these books is one by David Fetherston titled Barris Customs of the 1960s, a photographic showcase of the master’s prodigious body of work.

“When I ﬁrst saw pictures of the Daroo, probably 25 years ago now, I absolutely fell in love with it. It was one of those ‘I don’t need to do it, but I’m likely going to do it’ moments.”

And if you know Andy, you’ll know when he says he’s going to do something, he invariably does, even if sometimes many years later.

And so it was that some 15 years ago now, he bought a 1969 Dodge Dart GT convertible with the express intention of building a replica of the Daroo one day. Mopar buffs will note immediately it’s a column-shift car, not a desirable four-speed, and won’t be surprised to learn there’s a workhorse 318 under the bonnet. None of that matters to Andy: “Cars like these were all about the visual. I know my workmanship ain’t brilliant, I class what I do as styling, and that’s the bit I enjoy doing.”

And boy, has he pulled out all the stops on this one.

That same year, Andy went to Hershey Autojumble in Pennsylvania and picked up a set of Mercury Cougar tail lights and the

The original Daroo rolled on Rader DBR-500D wheels, but Andy’s choice of rare Parnelli Jones Rebel wheels is fantastic. Tyres are 7.75-15 Firestone Super Sport gold lines, while a set of tri-bar spinners add a further detail, elevated with reproduction Parnelli Jones stickers

The sidepipes are made from a set of NOS Pecos. Andy had his mate Ted (with great diﬃculty) roll the ribbed aluminium covers to mimic the original car and then used the original Peco perforated cover as an embellisher

The tube grille is mimicked at the rear, this time nestled under a moulded rear spoiler in a completely handmade rear end. Full-width hidden tail light is made from three ’67 / ’68 Mercury Cougar light units with their metal grilles cut away, while the reversing lights below match the driving lights up front

The Build...

Here’s the car Andy started with. A pretty decent 1967 Dodge Dart GT convertible, bought 15 years ago with the express purpose of building this car

Then it was time to build the extension out of various tube, flat and angle section of steels. The lower valance is part of a Mk9 Jaguar bonnet

Last metalworking job at the front end was to add tunnels for the driving lights

Next came the bonnet extension, created from parts of two Mk2

Air intakes in the scuttle were removed and a U-channel frame made for the chopped and V’d windscreen to sit in

Starting at the front, the bonnet was smoothed and all the Dart hardware stripped off

After that came the front wing extensions and the curved corners to blend them smoothly into the curvaceous valance below

10. 8. 11. 12.

Andy’s pretty proud of this bit. It’s an original insert from a ’55 Buick Super grille, which he’s confident is exactly what Barris used on the original car to…

grille insert from a ’55 Buick Super. He also bought a set of rare 15-inch Parnelli Jones Rebel wheels from a collector in Seattle, the Firestone gold lines from North Hants Tyres and “the most beautiful steering wheel I’d ever seen” at Beaulieu, but that’s as far as he got. Until a couple of years ago when a builder friend offered to help him sort out his garage.

…make the inserts behind the holes in the bonnet, on to which are bolted the outrageous faux intake stacks

Right: Moving to the rear, 10 inches were lopped off the back corners… 9.

Buried under years of accumulated crap was the Dodge, which Andy was on the point of selling until he remembered he’d bought those parts to build his Daroo. “I don’t have a lot of money at the moment, so it had to be a cheap project. Because I already had everything I needed, I figured the only things I’d have to pay for were an interior and paint.”

Just four days into the project, Andy had the radically restyled front end wrapped up, complete with the holes cut in the bonnet for the faux intake stacks

Ambitiously, in January of this year, he agreed to a deadline of June 15 – the date of the Beaulieu show – and set to work.

Six pic Saunders

The problem was that other than the two photographs reproduced in Fetherston’s book, Andy could find precious little information

Jag’ bonnets

Another subtle modification is the raising and re-profiling of the rear wheelarches

…and everything in between. Note evidence of the car’s original Light Green Poly colour in the spare wheel well

That’s the proportions of the shortened rear end done; now to create the cam tail. Note the more acute kick up from the rear wheels compared to the donor car

Re-styled rear end complete, time to try the custom stainless grille for size. Sweet

A whole world of sanding and priming later, the car is ready to go to the paint booth…

about the original car. “I found about six pictures of the car, that’s it, so I didn’t have much to work with.

“I think I must have had Barris working through me in spirit,” he laughs, “as I’m 95% sure I’ve got the same hood insert as he used, and I reckon the headlights I’ve used are 100% the same.”

From there, a whole new tail panel was fabricated, into which Andy slotted a pair (later three) ’67 / ’68 Mercury Cougar tail lights, with their metal grilles cut away

Next task was to fill the rest of the rear deck area. What’s left of the original boot lid was welded in place and then extended forward with two pieces of sheet steel…

From there, it was on to the arduous task of filling, shaping and prepping for paint

…where it received its three-stage pearl colour coat. Have you spotted what regular Ford production car the colour is from yet?

Had the latter been some domestic offering, that might not be at all surprising, but the fact they’re a combination of Talbot 180 Cibies and Citroën Ami 8 is nothing short of extraordinary. “I know Barris put Cibies in everything for a while, and I picked the headlight surrounds up at Beaulieu for £25. I knew straight away what they were as I used

…while each rising buttress (or winglets as Barris called them) was made from three pieces of flat steel. At 5ft long, Andy laughs when he says there’s 40 feet of seam welding in each side!

Compare this shot of the door tops with the donor car at the beginning. The whole idea was to create a pleasing flow from the tail of the buttresses through the chopped ’screen

Finally, who else but Andy would enjoy his sandwiches sitting on a 1970’s private jet seat? Extended and moulded in glass fibre, it formed the basis of the car’s twin swivel seats. Perfect

to do a bit of car cleaning for my dad as a kid when he had a car lot and I remembered washing this Citroën every day with those lights in it.”

That’s the real beauty of Andy’s work. His cars have always been about being resourceful. “I haven’t got loads of fancy equipment. In my workshop there’s a metal

Aside from the whimsical TV, and that lovely Beaulieu swapmeet ﬁnd steering wheel, the Dart’s dash remains untouched, Andy feeling the exterior of the car shouted loud enough

Seats are based on one from a 1970’s private jet, extended and moulded in glass ﬁbre then covered in simple black tuck ’n’ roll to pick up on the horizontal design in the repro Dart door panels. Note how the design of the stainless ornamentation on the console matches the shape of the graphic on the bonnet

Behind the grille sit lozenge-shaped Cibie headlamps, ex-Talbot 180, sourced form eBay in France. The chrome bezels, which Andy forgot he had bought for £25 at Beaulieu Autojumble, are from a Citroën Ami 8 and are absolutely perfect for the job

The wild restyle is most obvious at the front, the new, pointed nose overhanging a custom tube grille made from round stainless bars, bevelled and welded together in the centre. Curved corners of the front wings soften things a little, leading the eye to the moulded driving lights set into the front panel below. These are cheap Chinese knock-offs, sold as Harley bobber headlights

bench, two vices, a welder, three angle grinders, a shrinker / stretcher, a few ﬁller spatulas and an old pipe bender that my dad showed me how to make out of a piece of 4 x 2 wood. I’m just good at ﬁnding other parts and panels that will work.”

The Cougar tail lights hiding behind the tubular rear grille are unrecognisable now as Andy cut away almost all the distinctive pot metal grille and then narrowed a third unit to ﬁll the space between the two, to make a continual light unit across the whole width of the car. Asked if he’s kept the cool, sequential

indicators, Andy laughs: “I’m always in such a rush that I’ve lost interest in details like that by the time the car’s ﬁnished, and in my head I’m already on to the next thing.

“That’s the thing about customs, even the most famous ones. No-one was ever worried about what was going on underneath, only about the top.

“I’m pretty sure I read somewhere that Barris built the original in six weeks. That sounds ridiculous, but I did the whole front end on this car in four days working on me tod. Admittedly, I then spent two days just on

The original Daroo I was designed by Bill Brownlie, Chief Designer at the Dodge Exterior Studio, one of the brand-speciﬁc oﬃces of Chrysler’s Styling Staff in the late 1960s. Hired by Virgil Exner in the late ’50s, he was said to be a cool fella, wearing sharp suits and driving a Porsche 356 coupe to work. Having got the go-ahead from the board, he contracted Barris Kustom Industries in Hollywood to build the car for the 1968 auto show season

Is it just us, or does anyone else see a hint of Run A Ground, Andy’s old road legal speedboat, in this shot? Fortunately, Andy’s 6’4” tall so, while he waits to see if he can get some laminated glass ’screens cut and tinted to replace the Perspex ones, he can see over the top to drive the car!

Limelife

After its 1968 tour, Dodge executives took the decision to repaint the Daroo – allegedly unbeknown to Barris – in a two-tone kandy lime green, with the

cartoonish ram pipes reduced to short, vertical stub stacks. In this guise, the car appeared at the premier American motor shows at the start of ’69 but then wasn’t

the brackets for the bloody side pipes, but that’s what I mean about the details. If you don’t worry too much about them, you can get the big stuff done pretty quick.”

So how long did Andy spend in total on this one? “1200 hours, between 13 January and 15 June,” comes his immediate reply. Call that 22 weeks and that’s 54½ hours a week. Not bad for a man in the prime of his early 60s.

Tangerine Scream

When it came to choosing an appropriate colour, Andy pored over the few pictures he

seen again until 1985 – when it made a brief appearance in the hands of a private owner, now repainted in factory red. At that point, it had 143 miles on the clock.

could ﬁnd, which show the original Daroo as anything from pale yellow to a rich orange, but clearly a pearl. “I went over to Rainbow Paints [in Bournemouth] and told them I wanted the colour of a buttercup,” he recalls. “He came back with just four colours and the one I went for is Ford Tangerine Scream. Isn’t that a great name for a paint?

“I’ve no idea what paint Barris used, but I reckon I’m within 50 shades of what he painted the original car.”

It certainly looks incredible in the light and, contrary to what you might be thinking, there’s

no fade, no extra coat in the side panels, just a straight covering of the three-stage pearl by Andy’s trusted painter, John Bethell, set off by a very subtle black pinstripe around the factory body lines, as per the original car.

“I think I’ve got it pretty close,” says Andy modestly. “Though I don’t honestly know how it happened, how I got this thing so correct.”

What I always ﬁnd amazing talking to Andy about his creations is how detailed his recollections are of the way he built stuff, especially considering the madness that has to have been going on in the intense

“I think I’ve got it pretty close, though I don’t honestly know how it happened”

Daroo take two

Wanting to capitalise on the excitement surrounding the first Daroo show car, Bill Brownlie convinced the Chrysler board to finance a second version. This time, the contract went to Ron Peraus’ Imperial Customs in Oklahoma, and so Daroo II was born.

Based on a 340-powered ’68 Dodge Dart GT hard top this time, it again featured extended front and shortened rear metalwork, both heavily re-designed, with a chopped ’screen and an integral metal deck that turned it into a stylish two-seater. One significant difference to Daroo I is the moulded roll hoop over the

back of the cabin area, and another is a different treatment to the custom interior with a swooping centre console.

Daroo II was painted a dark orange kandy with gold flake and pearl, and sat on a set of deep dish Raders with Goodyear sports car rubber. It joined the Dodge travelling show car caravan in late ’68, but was only shown at some of the smaller auto shows while Daroo I visited the headline events. It was not as well received as the original Daroo, and no evidence has been found of it appearing anywhere after March 1969, though word is it too still exists in the hands of a collector.

timescales he gives himself to build cars. On paper, angle iron, rebar, B&Q metal rods and exhaust tubing don’t sound very exotic, but look at the end result. I can also tell you that there are parts from one Mk9 Jag’ and two Mk2s in the radically re-styled front end, while the rear end is made entirely from scratch. With tinted Perspex ’screens in place to continue the line of the metal buttresses, which seemingly grow out of the extended rear deck, that was the exterior done. Attention could now be turned to the interior.

Inner feeling

“I thought the interior of the original Barris car was just awful,” says Andy. “It was really clunky, with these huge padded seats and a piece of plywood with a load of gauges in it,

“Thanks to Rob Magorian for the stainless steel grilles, Peter Holloway for various engineering jobs including wheel ﬁtment and dummy air intake tubes, John Bethell for the paintwork, Scott Lloyd for trimming, John at North Hants Tyres, John at Precision Units for the windscreen, Ted Edley for alloy welding and Terry Wareham for mechanical work. And special thank-yous to Keith Briggs for all his help along the way, and Maxime for her support and all the ﬁsh and chips!”

“Because I already had everything I needed, I figured the only things I’d have to pay for were an interior and paint”

so I wanted to change that a bit.” He started out with a pair of space age Citroën SM seats, but the opportunity to make a closer inspection of the Dodge Deora at the Amelia Island concours led him down a different path: “I had this 1970’s private jet seat in my workshop that I used to sit and have my lunch on. I found a local guy who does glass ﬁbre to heighten it by three inches, make a splash mould and two new seats, and mounted them both on swivel bases.”

Having bought some new reproduction Dart door cards and a carpet set, all the trimmer had to do was cover the seats and the centre console Andy had made, which houses a piece of stainless tube work that echoes the shape of the black panel on the bonnet. The period telephone and TV are

Andy’s additions, pulled out of his stash of vintage ephemera.

“When you’re doing things this quickly, there’s always something you think you could have done better, but you don’t have that sort of mental clarity at the time.” And with that parting comment, Andy’s off telling me about the next project, and the one after that, and the one he’s really looking forward to but isn’t in the right place to start yet. “I just love it,” he says, “I can’t stop. There are always moments when I wonder what the hell I’m doing, but then you step back and look at the ﬁnished thing and it all makes sense.”

You might not think any of this ‘makes sense’, as such. I mean, Andy reckons it’s a nice car to drive, unsurprising as it’s a stock ’67 Dart under the skin, “and it’s fully legal,

other than I can’t see where I’m going!” But he also concedes, “it’s predominantly a show car, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?”

For Andy, it’s all about the process, creating something jaw-dropping from whatever he can find around him. And doing it quickly so he doesn’t get bored, or bogged down trying to create perfection. That way, unfinished projects and madness lie. “You don’t want to spend five years rolling the perfect roof panel for a car like this, you just want to see it finished and then move on to the next one.”

It’s that infectious enthusiasm, coupled with an innate ability to actually build what’s in his head, that sets Andy Saunders apart and keeps us returning to his workshop time and time again to report on progress. Rest assured, we’ll be back… CC

Fun, fun, fun…

PART 2

Words: Dave Biggadyke

Pics: As credited

NSRA Fun Runners descended on Cornwall in their droves for the revamped version of the much-loved week-long event. We looked at the goings-on from Monday to Friday last month – now it’s time to get set for the weekend

As we reported in last month’s issue, this year the NSRA brought back the Fun Run after a couple of years’ hiatus. Based in Cornwall, the event gave participants all the excuse they needed to spend some proper time behind the wheel – the reward being an entire week of rod-related fun. A ﬁve-year tie-up with Away Resorts means the Fun Run will travel to a new location each year from now until 2029.

Accommodation is ﬂexible, meaning you can attend for all or part of the week to enjoy the chilled vibe and constantly varied mixture of cars hitting the road for the daily cruises – organised this year in tandem with the local Proper Cornish Cruisers club. The event culminated in a massive showand-shine on the Sunday that was blessed with sunny weather and saw a winner crowned which will soon be appearing as a CC feature vehicle. And with that, hundreds

of happy rodders headed for home, already looking forward to next year – when the Fun Run will cross the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Everyone we’ve spoken to about the event has been full of praise for those behind the scenes, especially the Proper Cornish Cruisers, saying they appreciated the freedom to choose between joining the organised cruises or doing their own thing with family or friends. The NSRA has nailed it yet again – let the good times roll!

The end is nigh Saturday’s mega cruise, billed as a South West Coast Adventure, enticed 84 vehicles to leave the holiday park on a 65-mile round trip. A scenic coastal route took in Hayle, St. Ives, and then through Poldark country, before coming to a halt at Land’s End. After sightseeing and lunch, the return journey was along the opposite coast via Penzance and Mounts Bay.

Pic: Media Memories Photography

Pic: April Sheppard

Pic: Colin Ayres Pic: Sue Ayres Pic: Sue Ayres

Proper Cornish Cruising – Pics: Media Memories Photography

The focus of this year’s Fun Run was the driving and, thanks to the efforts of the Proper Cornish Cruisers, there was four days’ worth of that – and even more for those who ventured out on their own, doing the touristy thing. Just shy of 10,500 ‘oﬃcial’ cruising miles were clocked up throughout the week; fortunately, John Lockie of Media Memories Photography was on hand to capture many of them.

Pic: Hannah Thomas

Pic: April Sheppard

Showtime – Pics: Hannah Thomas

Come Sunday, it was time to stop driving, park up on the show field and get the polish out. The sun cream too, of course. In all, 115 vehicles made for a fitting finale, depicting all that is great

“The NSRA has nailed it yet again”

about the UK rod and custom scene. What could be more diverse than the Havoc Moggy van and Graeme Rust’s Alvis Woodie, and even a model hot rod pick-up based on a Singer sewing machine?

Everyone’s a winner –

Pics: Hannah Thomas

The closing act of the Fun Run was the presentation of trophies to the winners. The car show winners, that is, as everyone who took part in the Fun Run was a winner in our book. Here’s a look at those who walked off with the silverware, including the now restored original Fun Run Participants’ Choice trophy.

Top 5

“Hundreds of happy hot rodders headed for home, already looking forward to next year”

Pic: Ken Amos Jnr

Hard Luck Award – presented to the Stapleton / Coles families following issues with all 3 of the cars they travelled in

Miles of Dedication Award – the Montgomery family, who had driven the 430 miles from Norwich in their ’71 Pontiac and ’51 Lincoln Mercury

Away Resorts’ Pick – Chris Grundy, ’70 Ford Mustang

Best Commercial Award – Paul Tresidder, ’54 Ford F100 pick-up

Martin Curbishley – ’34 coupe

Mark Moyle – ’49 Ford pick-up

Garry Bennetts – ’34 coupe

Scott McHattie – ’30 Model A coupe

Chris and Alison Tranter – ’62 Chevy Corvair van

Best Hod Rod – Mark Oxford, ’32 roadster

Best Custom Award – selected by Blackout Autofab – Rob Drage, ’51 Chevy

Proper Cornish Cruisers’ Pick – Kevin Smith, ’60 Ford Zodiac

Participants’ Choice – Paul Tresidder, ’54 Ford F100 pick-up

COMING FROM A CALIFORNIA PRIVATE COLLECTION SOME OF THE LOWEST PRODUCTION MUSCLE CARS FROM THE GOLDEN DAYS OF HORSEPOWER WARS

1969 PONTIAC TRANS AM $175,000

Here’s one you will not ﬁnd everyday the original trans am, 400ci ramair, 4 speed manual, matching numbers nut and bolt rotisserie restoration, one year only model with a mere 570 built with a 4 speed manual gearbox ﬂawless condition throughout zero miles since restoration.

car fully documented with Marti report, previous history/ownership, zero miles since restoration.

1969 FORD MUSTANG BOSS 429 $340,000

One of 859 Boss 429s built in 1969 to compete on the Nascar banked ovals against the all conquering Mopar 426ci Hemi but never got to compete, this example is part of a private collection of the very best American classics, nut and bolt rotisserie restored, zero miles since restoration completed.

Fully loaded ragtop 265ci/auto, p/s,p/b, p/w p/seat p/top ﬂawless condition inside & out, original convertible owners handbook, restored to perfection and ready to cruise ﬁrst year if the iconic small block chevy that went on to power many a street racer and still doing it today.

The brain child of John Delorean his idea for was put a big block engine in a compact car to appeal to the hotrodders and the muscle car was born in 1964, this 1965 red on red goat is equipped with its matching numbers 389ci tripower engine mated to a 4 speed manual transmission, rally wheels redline tyres and a national pontiac award winner this rotisserie restored poncho is ﬂawless inside and out.

Simon Fox christened his ’38 Ford ‘El Turdo’ when it turned up, but nothing could be further from that description now

“Iknew it was rough, but I thought it was a lot of car for 5000 dollars,” says Simon Fox of the ’38 Ford Deluxe coupe he bought from a Facebook Marketplace ad in September 2021. “You know me, I’m a sucker for a car that needs a bit of help.”

I do know Si, and have done for many years. I’ve witnessed ﬁrst hand his progression from picking up trophies for

his daily driver Beetle at Santa Pod in the late ’80s to being a driving force in the UK chapter of one of the most esteemed VW clubs in the world. Over the years, his home restorations have risen to a level that is on par with anything turned out by professional shops, so I’ll admit I was excited to see what would happen when, after many years of encouragement by his brother, Mark, he ﬁnally turned his hand to something

other than a Volkswagen. The resultant mild custom 1950 Ford was featured in our November 2018 issue and marked a turning point for Si.

“I wish I’d got into customs sooner than I did now. I don’t regret all the time I spent with Volkswagens, but I think I’m just enjoying this more now. I like the variation, the freedom in it all. With the kind of VWs I was building, everything had to be factory

Words: Mike Pye Pics: Alan Kidd

correct, but you can do anything you like with cars like this.”

Anything you like if you’ve got the space, skill and inclination. No one ever has enough time, or money (certainly not both) but it’s that inclination that sorts the men from the boys.

Coupe club

After the Shoebox came a ’39 Dodge business coupe, again given the mild custom

treatment. But Si soon had the itch again, which led him to the ’38. “I didn’t go looking for any particular car. I just like early cars, and if it’s an early coupe it’s alright by me,” he says with a grin.

“I hadn’t even seen the car until it arrived at my house on a trailer. Chris [Newey] came over and helped me push it into the garage. It had about a quarter of a turn of lock on the steering, and when I opened one of the

doors it just fell on the ﬂoor. At that point I did wonder what I’d done, but I tucked it away and waited ’til I was brave enough to go back out there and get on with it.”

And get on with things is what Si does. And he does it himself, in a regular garage – admittedly a pretty decent sized one –behind his house. Aside from the ﬁnal colour coats and interior trim, Si does it all, and his rate of progress is both enviable and

impressive. From landing in November ’21, this one took a long time for him – two years and seven months until its first test drive in June ’24, ahead of its debut at that year’s Hot Rod Hayride. But when you look at how much work this car has had, including Si’s first ever roof chop, on top of a family and a full-time job, that’s an epic achievement in my book.

“The thing about these cars is they’re just so basic,” he continues. “They’re pretty much just a box on a chassis – and it’s only welding, isn’t it?”

And so it started, beginning by replacing the rubber body mounts, bolting the crusty body down tight and bracing the doors. Let battle commence.

Run for the hills

During our conversation, Si reeled off a list of bodywork repairs that would have sent a lesser man running for the hills. But by tackling one part at a time, using a combination of the repair panels that came with the car and ones he made himself, he worked his way round the body. “Where bits

were missing completely, like at the bottom of the A-posts, I just made it up… but made it strong.”

It wasn’t just the outer panels; much of the inner strengthening structure needed rebuilding too, as well as complex areas like the windscreen surround and the fresh air vent in the cowl. But Si plugged away at it in the evenings and at weekends, with a vision in his head of how the finished car would look to keep him going. He laughs when he says “the only bit of the body that was any good was the bit I cut out for the chassis notch!”

The driver’s side rear wing was so bad he had to buy a wheeling machine, teach himself how to use it and make the back half of it from scratch when he couldn’t find a decent original one to replace it with.

That was all largely just restoration work: it’s in things like the beautifully modified hood sides that Si’s ingenuity and inherent ability comes to the fore. Fashioned after those found on a ’38 Standard, it took a ton of work with round rod, flat plate and Australian-spec

VW Type 3 side trim to modify the Deluxe parts to look like their lesser brethren. So worth it though, as it enhances the flow of the car no end. And flow is what a custom like this is all about.

Other bits of that leftover stainless steel VW trim found a home as inner door trims and along the bonnet edges, but only after being cut, heated, curved, re-shaped and then machine sanded and polished. Time consuming but ultimately very satisfying work. And so much better than buying expensive, poorly fitting repro stuff, if it’s even available.

Mellow Bello

There’s plenty of historical and current reference material out there for modifying this kind of car, and Si is happy to acknowledge Mike Bello and his Bello’s Kustoms shop in San Diego as a main influence. “I’d been watching his videos and stuff for a year or more before I bought this car. I just like the way he works and the cars he turns out.”

Consequently, this one was going to get chopped, and chopped in a Bello’s style –three inches out of the top, with the rear windows left stock height but laid forward. Another ﬁrst for Si.

“I just like to challenge myself, see if I can do it. At the end of the day, what else am I going to do? I get an idea in my head and then I can’t accept anything less than I’m happy with. It’s my OCD that is. I can always ﬁnd things I could have done better, but I think I’ve got about the right balance as I can’t have things going on too long.”

The dash is another example of this ethos. Full marks if you spotted the ’35 Oldsmobile instrument panel re-worked into the centre, or the early Beetle glovebox lock, but we’d wager no one will clock what the additional pieces of trim that run out from that and wrap around the edges of the dash started life as. Carpet threshold strips, that’s what, machined ﬂat in the centre by Chris Newey to match the proﬁle of the original pieces and then heated and curved to follow the shape of the dash end caps. Wonderful stuff.

Wheels are a combination of original Ford steels and Kia space savers on the rear. Hubcaps are ’54 Chrysler with eBay-sourced metal stars that Si shaped to ﬁt

For once, a set of teardrops on a car they belong on! The bumper inﬁll panel was handmade, and the shaved boot lid now latches using a VW bonnet release mechanism

With the bonnet side trim missing, Si found that the stainless steel side trim he had left over from a previous Type 3 Squareback he built was a near perfect match

Boot is similarly tidy and trimmed to match, housing the air tank and offering just about enough storage space for what’s needed for a weekend away at a rod run

Fenderskirts are all Si’s own work. Having decided their shape should better follow the proﬁle of the wing, he marked out and cut the new opening, then welded a rod around the perimeter to strengthen it. A sheet of lightly wheeled steel was laid over that and scribed from the inside, then a length of rod welded round that edge, too. Welded tabs hold them in place

The build

Here’s the car as Simon saw it on Facebook Marketplace. Originally found in North Iowa by the fabulously named Rusty Baldwin, but bought from Kentucky through Brad Woosley

Left: Once he’d got over the initial shock, he got stuck in, rebuilding the car inside and out, piece by piece

Right: Si opted to replace the body mounts, brace the doors and keep the body on the chassis to do the major structural repair work

Left: Now the fun could begin, starting with a Mustang II front clip, disc brakes, rack and pinion steering and air bags at the front

Left: New floors went in next. Some panels came with the car while other parts Simon made himself, shaped to fit around the TH350 transmission

Then, of course, a quick mock-up to see how the car sits over its new front suspension and 6.40-15 tyres. Yeah, that’ll do nicely

Trying on the front body panels for size. Fortunately, one of the two bonnets was mint, albeit missing its side trim. Check the side panels, too

The dash might look standard at first glance, but is a combination of ’38 Ford, ’35 Oldsmobile, VW Beetle and aluminium carpet threshold plate!

Simon freely admits that he followed the process shown in some of Bello’s Kustoms’ YouTube videos when it came to doing his first ever chop

It looks rough, and it was, but it was also filled to the roof with spare parts, including two bonnets and repair panels, which saved Simon a small fortune

Selling the original axles, suspension and the ’52 Mercury Flathead that was in the car recouped a good chunk of the $5000 purchase price

The car even came with a spare ’37 Ford firewall, which was notched initially to clear the rebuilt 283 Chevy motor

Spot the difference, and not the fact it’s the other side of the car. Those custom side panels were a good idea but a hell of a lot of work to execute

Well, not exactly – but they gave him a good starting point. “I don’t have all the tools, or skills, he has, so I just had to do the best with what I’ve got”

It’s a three-inch chop, which seems to be the sweet spot on these late ’30’s coupes, with the split rear window left stock height…

With the Mustang 8-inch rear axle in place, work could begin on sorting the rear end and working out the new fenderskirt cut-outs

…but laid down at the top to meet up with the shortened roof profile and then seam welded along the bottom. The big difference to Bello’s technique is Simon didn’t make whole new sail panel sections

Fuel tank is out of a London Taxi, and proved to be a near perfect fit in the hole. Note the size of the kick-up over the back axle to get the car to sit this low

All new metalwork in the boot, some repair panels that came with the car, but most of it made from scratch

New skirts made, prior to stripping down for bodywork and paint. He’s good at it, but it’s the bit of the job Si says he enjoys the least. Fortunately, brother Mark (Eff) is a painter. They make a great team

Likewise, the body. It’s a thankless task, but the quality of the end result is directly proportional to the effort put in at the prep stage

Finally, off to the paint shop on the back of a truck it goes…

The (almost) finished chop transforms the profile of the car. There’s one job still to do here and that’s radius the door tops, which was a later but very worthwhile modification

That’s the stance sorted. Still a long way to go, but man, this thing is starting to look wicked

Things moving along now. Engine and firewall painted, plumbing in, window templates underway. That’s Si’s old ’39 Dodge in the background, now sold (but already replaced with a new project)

There’s many, many hours of hard work to get all the bolt-on panels to this stage, ready for their final prime. Si does all that at home, too

…and, thanks to brother Mark, this is how the old coupe looked a couple of days later. An incredible transformation from what Si started with, huh?

old beer pump. He sent it to Luke at Deluxe Creations in Australia and had him make the laminated plastic insert in his choice of colours, with dash knobs and a keyring to match

The reworked dash houses a ’35 Oldsmobile cluster with additional homemade trim. The original mechanical gauges work, but Si is still working out a way of adapting a modern speedo drive to the Olds input shaft. The ‘42 Super Deluxe wheel was an Instagram ﬁnd, the US-spec ’58 Beetle indicator arm a shelf ﬁnd

It took some searching but, when Si saw this gold brocade material, he knew immediately it was right for the car. He was initially going to combine it with brown and beige, but Sam Trigg at Aircooled Upholstery suggested the green materials instead. The end result is exquisite

Engine is an early 283ci Chevy bought from a retired engineer who, sadly, never realised his El Camino dream that he rebuilt it for. It’s got Power Pak heads, an Edelbrock intake, Holley 550cfm carb, tubular headers and ribbed valve covers for looks. “It’s the perfect engine for this car, not too lairy but goes when you want it to go,” says Si.

is a TCI TH350 bought from a local

“Flow is what a custom like this is all about”

The amazing colour is an early 2000s Lexus shade called Desert Sage Metallic, though with its gold ﬂecks it looks a million times better squirted over the lascivious curves of the ’38’s thoughtfully modiﬁed body. Brother Mark (Eff) painted the car over Si’s prep and primer work

Work of art

“It’s like a work of art to me, a car like this. I do understand why some people just enjoy the process of building them and then sell them, or don’t use them, but I like building them and I like driving and enjoying them.”

The way Si did the three-inch chop is covered in part at least by the pictures in the build box on the previous pages, but he says it was the inner garnish mouldings that caused the biggest headache. Making life harder, they’re not even ’38 Ford pieces, but ’39 Mercury, and took a hell of a lot of work to make ﬁt the upper proﬁle of the cutdown doors.

Which brings us neatly to the car’s divine interior. Having nothing in there to work with apart from a few headliner rods meant it was a blank slate, upon which Si’s imagination could run riot.

The seat is out of a Hillman Minx and, apart from choosing the materials and

The V-shaped top to the gear shifter was on the car when Si bought it and he thinks it’s probably part of an

Gearbox

“Thanks to my wife Fiona for putting up with it all (again); my brother Eﬀ – without his help I’d probably never have got it done; Chris Newey for help with the trim; Sam Trigg at Aircooled Upholstery for the interior; Luke and Samantha at Deluxe Creations and Designs for the dash knobs; Miles at JackHammer for the tyres; eBay for loads of stuﬀ; and fellow Original Aza Haywood.”

saying where he wanted the breaks in the door panels, he let Sam Trigg at Aircooled Upholstery in Cornwall have carte blanche with the rest. “Sam’s done work for me before and he’s just a great guy to work with. He just got what I wanted with this car.”

Having agreed on the combination of gold brocade, green vinyl and lighter green corduroy for the headliner, grounded by black carpet, Sam got to work, designing and making all the panels around the rear windows and the cover behind the seat, which has a lift-up lid and a removable front panel on magnets to access the twin Viair 444 pumps and Airlift 3P management system hidden within.

Ride control

The air tank, meanwhile, sits on a raised plinth in the boot above the rear axle and supplies air to a combination of Slam Specialties bags on the front and Firestone

sleeve bags mounted just ahead of the rear axle centre line, a slight change in direction but one Si says really improves the ride quality.

The rear suspension, incidentally, is an eBay-sourced parallel 4-link kit with Panhard bar, all mounted under a hefty chassis kickup that allows the car to sit the way it does but still drive nicely. The popular auction site also offered up the Mustang II-style IFS, and Si says he’s so happy with the budget kits that he’s bought another one for the next car already. “All I do is change the cheap balljoints in them for better ones, otherwise they work great. I’m not joking, this is the best driving old car I’ve ever owned. Even the brakes are amazing.

“It’s part of the reason why I sold the Dodge [you’ll see it in the background of some of the build pics]. It really is unbelievable how much better this one drives – more by luck than judgement I think – but

I can’t fault it, it just rides really well,” says Si with genuine enthusiasm.

Taking a leaf out of Andy Saunders’ book, we’ve skimmed over the mechanical side of the car a bit here as it’s what’s up top that counts in a custom. But suﬃce to say the workmanship underneath is every bit as good, which is a large part of the reason it drives so well.

“The only problem with the car is it’s not very big. I can only just take my wife and daughter out in it as it is, so maybe something with a back seat would be better…” adds Si.

Well, whaddya know, the space left by the Dodge has already been ﬁlled, by a ’52 Hudson Wasp Hollywood with a proper rear seat. It’s in considerably better shape than this one was when Si started and will be getting a similar treatment, only this time without fresh paint. In which case it should be done in a few months… CC

Words & Pictures: Dave Biggadyke

On the carpet

The last weekend in July saw the National Hot Rod, Custom & American Car Show roll into the Lincolnshire Showground for the third consecutive year. While the show’s title is pretty much self-explanatory, there is far more to the weekend than that. The larger part of the showground is home to the Modified Nationals, with supporting acts coming in the form of the Ink & Oil Tattoo Convention and the Lowrider Nationals. While each is a show all of its own, these four events combine to provide an eclectic mix with their sum total offering a weekend like no other in the UK.

It matters not if not every aspect appeals to you, as you simply turn the corner and find something else of interest. During the day, exhibitors and visitors could experience club wars, a rally experience, monster truck rides, bike stunts, wrestling, lawn mower racing and stunt plane aerobatics. In between all those activities, there were thousands of vehicles of a variety of genres to check out.

There was more in store for those making a weekend of it, as the night-time entertainment was wall-to-wall. The

“A weekend like no other in the UK”

stages were set, literally, in the hot rod show band marquee and the Exo Centre rave room. The live music on offer was extensive and all-embracing, coming from the likes of Guns and Yorkshire Roses, Sam Offender, The Committed, Richard Ashcroft / The Verve Tribute and Definitely Could Be Oasis. Add to the mix a silent disco and fun fair rides, and you get a comprehensive and exhaustive package.

For CC readers the focus is on the hot rods, customs and American cars, so that’s what we will concentrate on here. Particular attention will be given to the Best in Britain Pavillion, with its red-carpet display, as that was the focal point of the show. The dates for next year have already been announced as 3-5 July – so plenty of time for you to get that new build finished and be part of the line-up.

In the BiB lineup for the second year running, Richard Ward’s sublime ’56 Chevy took the silverware for Best Interior

Right: There’s quite a story behind Phil Bishop’s Ford Pop. Understandable really, as he’s owned it for more than 40 years. The judges selected the car as a recipient of a Highly Commended Award

Below: The other Highly Commended Award was a true family affair, with the Nortcliffe family being recognised for displaying three cars at the show: dad Martin, with his ’32 roadster, and siblings Wade and Shelby in their ’56 and ’57 Chevys respectively

Built by Ifan Miller, Stuart Davies’ distinctive Ford Prefect coupe features relocated B-posts and Pop doors and runs a Range Rover V8 with auto’ transmission and a Jaguar IRS

The ’60 Impala of Kurtus McEvoy was featured in our June ’25 issue. Rolling on American Racing Torq Thrusts, the sedan is powered by Blueprint Engines’ 400ci small block

There’s a full feature on Mark Ackroyd’s ﬁrstgeneration ’49 Ford F-series pick-up coming your way real soon. Mark took the award for Best Engine at the show

Jeremy Black’s all-steel ‘29 Model A sedan runs a Chevy 350 / 350 combo and rolls on polished Radir Tri Ribbs wrapped in Firestone Vintage wide whitewall tyres

Malc Clarry’s diminutive ’32 Standard Little 9 appeared in our May ’13 issue. It may be small but it packs a punch, thanks to the small block Chevy V8 Dave Haskell squeezed into the engine bay

THREE IN A CROWD

The main focus of the show is the Best in Britain lineup. Throughout the two days, the teams of judges inspect, discuss and inspect again. After much deliberation, the choice of their pick of the bunch was announced to the hushed audience assembled in the pavilion.

Featured in our November ’24 issue and built by Stuart Laird, who collected the award, Kevin Barnaby’s Mk1 Ford Zephyr Zodiac is powered by a Gen IV big block Chevy. Paint is Rolls Royce Wild Berry, while the interior is trimmed in smooth Nappa leather

1ST RUNNER UP

BEST IN BRITAIN

2ND RUNNER UP

Featured in our February issue this year, Colin Parkinson’s conceptual ’33 roadster features heavily modiﬁed front-end bodywork, Chrysler Inferno Red paint and red leather upholstery. Under that long bonnet lies a ’69 vintage 402ci Chevy V8

Nigel Hepburn’s ’52 Chevy pick-up is the most recent of the top three winners to be featured, having made an appearance in the July issue. The feature mentioned that Nigel had ordered a bespoke set of 20-inch rims, which are now ﬁtted and transform the overall look of the truck.

John Proctor’s Daimler V8-powered Model A was another recent CC feature car on display inside the Best in Britain Pavilion

In the March ’18 issue, we ran a feature on this SBC-powered ’53 F100. Back then, it was owned by Clive Jones, but now Derek Dennington’s name is on the V5. There’s now also a Triumph TR6 Bobber in the pick-up bed

This isn’t the ﬁrst occasion that Jeremy Hill’s American Speed Company Speed 33 has appeared in these pages. You may not recognise it though, as back in the December ’18 issue it was painted straight black pearl. Jeremy collected the trophy for Best Paint at prizegiving

Crank

Vintage

Precision

Parts

SUNDAY BEST

The outdoor display was on all weekend but, as Sunday attracts more day visitors, that’s the main show day. The mix of vehicles was all-encompassing, from classic Yanks through to hot rods and customs. Prizegiving was held in the BiB Pavillion, with the Top Five being announced as:

1ST 4TH 2ND 5TH 3RD

Mitchell Landridge – ’67 Ford F100

Andy Chaddock – ’65 VW Splittie

Richard Crookes – ’56 Ford F100

Shane Smith - ’55 Chevy Bel Air

Steve Taylor - ’66 Pontiac Le Mans

Fresh from our September issue comes Paul Wilson’s ’34 coupe, the car’s ﬁrst major outing since its completion. It was very well received, with Paul going home with the Judges’ Award

Having a former NSRA chairman as his dad has been a good inﬂuence on Reece Proctor. His subtle ’61 Ford Prefect runs a 1500cc Cortina engine, a vast improvement on the original 997cc lump

Scaling things down a bit, the indoor radiocontrolled drift cars put on a great display, attracting spectators from the very young to those of a more responsible age

Bob and Lesley Wilding made the trip over from Boston in their Model A pick-up

Bob Shepherd’s ‘55 F100 panel van makes for a great daily driver thanks to the Mercedes diesel engine that lurks under the bonnet

Russell Cook took the outdoor show Best Engine award for the blown Hemi in his chopped Model A coupe

With painted black accents contrasting with the orange paint, and rolling on black painted wheels, this ﬁrst-generation Mercury Cougar looks as hard as nails

The Best Retro award went to Dean Rushton’s awesome ’72 Opel Manta. Factory-ﬁtted power plants were either 1.2, 1.6 or 1.9-litre. Richard had other ideas, however, and there’s now a small block V8 under the bonnet

A SOLID-STATE ELECTRONIC IGNITIONSYSTEM… “Neverchangepointsagain!”

45,000 VoltCoil enableslarger pluggapsfor greaterfuel efficiency &more power.

Low resistance,highperformance sparkplugwires,availableintwo versions.

HEI DISTRIBUTORS we’veengineered ourmoduleandcoil toworktogether, toprovideyouwith superiorignition performanceonthe streetortrack.

Notjustanother ignitionbox… apowerful 2ndspark throughout theentirerpm range.

THEORIGINALDOUGSHEADERS

there’sonlyoneDoug –hisengineering geniusinheaderdesignisonlyavailable here.Theno-compromise fitandqualityof Doug’sheadershasbeenthechoiceofthose seekingmaximumperformanceforalmost five decades.

Allthebenefits oftheoriginal ignitor &more… averages 4times moreavailable energybetween 3000 &5000rpm.

45,000 VoltCoil maximizesenergyand reliabilityoverthefull rpmrange.

BilletDistributors plugn’platbillet distributorsare designedfor maximumignition performanceat apriceyoucan afford.

NewFlame-Thrower “Stock-look” Distributorsareloaded withallthefeaturesthat wouldexpectfroma highperformancepart, yetmaintaintheoriginal lookfortheultimate “sleeper”.

Foolproofcontroldesignedforuse with any 4, 6 or 8 cylinder engine.

JBAPERFORMANCE EXHAUSTSYSTEMS addevenmorepower toyourcar,truck or SUV, stainlesssteel construction,high flowmufflerdesigns andgreatlooking tipsaretheperfect complementtoany vehicle.

CORVETTE SIDEMOUNT HEADERS

OurIgnitorIII ignitionmodules aredesignedforthe seriousperformance enthusiastwho demandsserious power.

60,000 VoltCoilour HC(highcurrent) andHV(high voltage)E-CoreCoils wereengineered specificallyforour ignitorIIIignition modules.

Integratedpatented IgnitorIItechnology with apowerfulmicro controllerandadaptive dwellalgorithms.

40,000 VoltCoil delivers morespark energyand voltage.

Optimizedcoil designyieldsat least15%more energyavailable forthesparkthan themostcommon OEMCoils.

Performancecast distributorsforBritish ngines replaceyour wor noutdistributor withonethatwilldeliver performanceyou demand.

PATRIOTEXHAUST productsofferthe bestvalueformoney ofanybrandinthe industry.

Multiplesparks throughoutthe entirerpmrange.

PowerRelayKit Universaldesign…

workswith mostbattery ignition systems.

ElectricExhaust Cut-outsun-cork yourexhaustwith the flip of a switch

Since1920the world’soldest performance mufflerisnow availablefor that“resto-rod” onyour1950’s custom.

Performancecast distributorsforVWand AlfaRomeoengines nowyoucangeta qualitydistributor thatdeliversexcellent performanceand doesn’tbreakthebank.

QuickchangeCrimp Tool

Professional qualitycrimp tooldesignedfor peoplewhowant tomakeplugwires on aregularbasis.

JBA Performance Exhaustmore power,more sound,higher quality,the originalisstill thebest.

Varaflow TunableMuffler Gettheexactsoundyou’relooking for,ortuneoutannoyingdrones whendrivingdownthehighway.

The show plays host to the Lowrider Nationals and on two occasions each day, the guys and girls wowed the crowd with displays of extreme bounce and more besides. Away from the live demos, the parking attitude of the cars was a sight to behold.

Loving the look of Ian Barber’s Rover V8-powered ’35 Morris 8. It caught the judges’ eye too, and Ian went home with the award for Best British / Euro

Below: Things don’t get more traditional than a ﬁrst-generation Ford Thunderbird, and that’s the award that Alain Vose walked away with

We’ll be taking a closer look at this fresh out of Bomber County Classics ’55 GMC pick-up shortly. For now, we’ll tell you it runs a 350 crate motor and 700R4 transmission

Below: The award for Best American went to the ’68 Plymouth GTX of Steve Hill

More diesel power. Lee Bishop’s bagged and faux patina-coated ’62 GMC pick-up took the award for Best Commercial

A question of sport

It was a wet start to the 2025 Sportsman Nationals over the first full weekend in June. But the heroic Santa Pod track crew did their usual sterling job and had the racing surface prepared for a 10.30 start – in the face of a distinctly iffy prediction for the day ahead.

Jeff Bull 7.60 Heads Up

A six-car ﬁeld in this exciting heads-up class and, at the end of Q1, it was Belinda Bull on top, ahead of Jon Sleath, Matt Southcott, Kev Perkins, Mark Turner and Scott Collin. Despite a breakout by Bull in Q2, positions remained unchanged when the day’s racing concluded early.

Turner then went a fraction too soon off the line in eliminations, giving Sleath the win, while Perkins needed the holeshot he pulled to overcome Bull (7.719 / 154 vs 7.610 / 173). Finally, Collin’s lack of traction gave Southcott no competition in the ﬁnal pairing.

Come the semis, Southcott was all in, turning up the wick and posting a new PB of 7.542 / 178 but, as it was under the class index, that gave Sleath the win to face Perkins in the ﬁnal. Two tough competitors in two rapid cars made for a superb race, Sleath just edging it 7.848 / 141 vs 7.643 / 177. What a ﬁnish.

The six 100e Challenge entries were the first cars down track and the racing was fast and efficient through to the next rainfall at 3.30. Racing resumed briefly around 5pm after another drying session, allowing VW Sportsman a second qualifying session, but further rain ensured that was to be it for day one.

Thankfully, Sunday dawned brighter, albeit cooler, with a much improved forecast, leading to a solid day’s racing from around 10am right through to 5.30, when the last of the weekend’s finals were completed on time. A great effort by all.

The Sportsman Nats is always a busy weekend, with a slew of bike classes and a

John Sleath

■ Words: Mike Pye

■ Pics: Julian Hunt

small FWD Drag Series contingent slotted in between the classes we’ve covered here, along with a few exhibition runs by jet dragsters and, for this weekend, a somewhat curious Truck Takeover. Not quite sure what that was about – but it was something different and certainly added to the spectacle.

Big Bracket

A small but pleasingly varied class with dragsters lining up against NSS cars and a street-driven Anglia. Matt Dowdy’s Nova came out on top in Q1, 11.270 on an 11.17 dial, but Tyler Ashdown moved him into second position in Q2 when his opponent, Vic Parsons, broke out. He was in good company when Dowdy and Sharpe broke out together, leaving just the two McClures to run through cleanly.

At the end of the ﬁrst round of Sunday eliminations, only Dowdy, Matt McClure

and Ashdown were left in the running, two 11-second street cars and a low eight-second dragster. As Ashdown was on a bye to the ﬁnal, that just left one race to decide his opponent, Dowdy eliminating McClure, 11.240 / 109 on an 11.16 vs 11.862 / 102 on an 11.63.

Eagerness got the better of Ashdown in the ﬁnal and a red light in his lane signalled the end of his weekend, Dowdy lifting the Big Bracket crown with an 11.201 / 118 on an 11.13 with Ashdown going 8.402 / 156 alongside.

Kev Perkins Matt Southcott

Matt Dowdy

Tyler Ashdown

Supercharged Outlaws

Four screaming blower cars this weekend, Paul Dale’s Anglia, Keith Freeman’s Jago coupe, Andy Taylor’s Nova and Nigel Rigden’s The Good Guys Topolino. Dale’s 8.622 / 145 pass earned him the no.1 spot in Q1, but Rigden squeezed him into second in Q2 on Sunday morning after a solid 8.489 / 156 blast. Freeman then triumphed in a great 8.999 / 149 vs 9.685 / 140 battle with Dale.

Gasser Circus

Ten entries in the Circus this weekend and Jason Pickett continued his consistent ways, running 10.066 on a 10.04 dial to head the grouping at the end of Q1, just a fraction ahead of Racin’ Ray Turner. There was jostling in the ranks behind them during Q2, but no change at the end of play on Saturday.

There was an upset on Sunday afternoon when John Gibson took out championship leader Turner in the first round of eliminations, while Steve Matthews, Sam Glenn, Nick Hewison, Steph Milsom and Pickett all made it through to round two. By the end of that session, the ladder had reduced to Steph Milsom, Gibson and Glenn on a bye to the final. When Milsom broke out by less than Gibson she booked her first place in a Gasser Circus final in her first season behind the wheel of the Blunderbuss Model A. Steph only then went on to win it, 11.943 / 108 on an 11.87 to Glenn’s red lit 10.602 / 122. Go girl.

Goodale American Speed Shop Nostalgia Superstock

An unusually small ﬁeld in NSS at this event but Dave Billadeau set out his stall early on, taking the top spot in Q1 with a 9.85 on a 9.90 dial, ahead of Stuart Thompson, Mick Sharpe, Adrian Portelli and Spencer Tramm. Thomson then ran closer to his dial in in Q2, a ﬁne 9.791 on a 9.79 earning him a bye into round two, while Sharpe’s improved 9.716 on a 9.68 snagged him second.

Come Sunday afternoon’s elimination round, Portelli handed Billadeau the win when he saw red, while Sharpe took out Tramm (9.840 / 121 on a 9.72 vs 11.274 / 115 on an 11.23) and Thompson stayed in on a bye. Next time out, it was Sharpe on a bye, leaving Billadeau and Thompson to stage together for a place in the ﬁnal. Both broke out, but Billadeau by less so the place was his.

A nail-biting double nine ﬁnale saw Billadeau lift the event trophy, 9.971 / 124 on a 9.88 vs 9.704 / 134 on a 9.65.

Nigel Rigden

Keith Freeman

Steph Milsom

Dave Billadeau

Mick Sharpe

Stuart Thompson

Gary Nash

A full field of 28 cars made up the hugely varied VW Sportsman class this weekend; everything from stock, modern VWs and Audis to some highly tuned FWD terrors and Jake Fronda’s outrageous V8-powered Golf van. The class managed to sneak most of a second round of qualifying in just before the racing was called on the Saturday, which saw Lily Stevenson, in one of the many Audi TTs, jump into the top spot, only to be ousted by Thomas Webb in a Golf GTi, first pairing down the track on Sunday to finish the session.

An interesting ﬁrst elimination round on Sunday saw Rob Carter drawn against his wife, Hazel Carter, though an over eager cherry on the tree saw the win handed to Rob on a plate. By the end of round three, the VW Sportsman class had reduced to Stevenson, Kaz Waterhouse and Andy Cooper, with George Miller continuing on a bye. The semis reduced that to Waterhouse vs Stevenson and Stevenson took the event win in a double breakout ﬁnale, 14.357 / 92 on a 14.37 vs 14.565 / 87 on a 14.60.

With some serious, purpose-built drag machinery like Ben Mace’s exquisite Altered, the Wilson’s Outrage Beetle ﬂopper and Rob Carter’s seven-second Street Eliminator Passat in the running for VW Pro honours, it was almost a surprise to see Luke Stevenson’s Mk5 Golf (11.72 / 113 on an 11.76 dial) at the top of the ladder after Q1. You can never underestimate the front-wheel drive racers these days, though, and Stevenson showed us why.

Come Sunday, Mace found his form, running 10.92 / 128 on a 10.88 for ﬁrst, only to be pipped to the top spot by Michael Strachan in an Audi S3. A bye in round two saw Mace continue through round three, despatching Phil Blogg (10.941 / 120 vs 11.117 / 129), joined by Stevenson and James Hodson.

With Stevenson on a bye in the semis, Hodson and Mace lined up to see who would face him in the final. Mace was on a flyer, but crossing the line 0.0068 seconds under his dial in gave the win to Hodson. In the final, both drivers dialled in with 11s but Hodson was closer to his (12.457 / 103) than Stevenson (13.158 / 100) and took the win.

Truck takeover

A sideline to the main event at the Sportsman Nationals was the Truck Takeover, which saw an assortment of truck tractor cabs lumber their way down the track in two batches of time trials across the weekend. Elapsed times ranged from a quickest of 21.988 at 73mph to a slowest of 27.590 seconds at 54mph from the big red Peterbilt pictured.

Luke Stevenson

The Wilsons

Lily Stevenson Quantum Leap Racing VW Sportsman

Six cars lined up for the Challenge, Paul Lorne, Mark Wade, Stuart Flitton, Steve Watson, Sharon Carver and Phoebe Davison behind the wheels. Lorne went quickest in the Saturday time trials, 9.879 / 134, ahead of Flitton’s 10.773 / 123.

Come Sunday afternoon, Flitton saw off Watson, Davison won over Lorne and Wade’s mistake on the line gave it to Carver. In round two, Lorne nailed the numbers to beat Wade, Davison took out Watson and Flitton went through on a bye.

Understandably, given this is the Sportsman Nationals, the biggest ﬁeld of the day was in Sportsman ET, some 29 racers ready to give it their all. Q1 saw Dave Cherrett top the ladder in his ‘other car’ Astra, 18 dead on a 17.99 dial in. Meanwhile, the quicker cars in the class, like Jago Stokes (Nissan Skyline) and Dan Holloway (Fox-body Mustang) were running in the 12.3s.

Next time out, Watson enjoyed a bye, Lorne went through on Wade and Davison beat Flitton in a double break out.

This being bracket racing, though, consistency and closest to dial-in wins, not outright speed.

A late second round on Saturday saw Felicity Gibbs dislodge Cherrett, gaining a bye going into Sunday’s eliminations. That turned into a battle of the breakouts, with no less than eight of the pairings decided that way.

By the end of round three, after two more double breakout pairings, the four racers headings into the semis were Gibbs, Gary Lake, Chris Creswell and Lewis Gilbert. From there, Gilbert and Lake progressed to the ﬁnal where the latter triumphed, 14.072 / 85 on a 13.90 vs 15.964 / 82 on a 15.84.

A round 10 Anglia racers showed for Q1, Rob Brindle heading the pack with an 8.382 / 154 pass, just ahead of Ben Kennedy and Will Power. Despite being pushed back in Q2, Power held position with only Gary Bird moving up.

After the ﬁrst elimination round on Sunday, only Kennedy, Brindle, Power, Gary Hill and Ben

Montgomery were left in the running following a number of no-shows on the line. Kennedy continued through to the ﬁnal with a bye after taking out Montgomery (8.382 / 156 vs 11.176 / 114) and Power blasted comprehensively past Hill (7.902 / 155 vs 10.738 / 92) while Brindle used his bye to protect his motor, pottering through on a safe mid-11.

In round three, Brindle staged against Power and both red lights came on the tree but, as Brindle’s was after Power’s it was he who faced Kennedy in the ﬁnal. That went the way of Kennedy this time, 8.384 / 159 vs an ailing 9.676 / 97.

Sharon Carver

Felicity Gibbs

Rob Brindle

Paul Lorne

Gary Lake

Ben Kennedy

Hutchinson & Dibley Sportsman ET

Tony Morris Carburetors Outlaw Anglia

Jailbirds Out & About

Event: Cars ’n’ Bars

Date: 6 July 2025

Venue: HMP Gloucester

Doing time, doing porridge, going down the stairs, Monopoly’s infamous Go To Jail square. You don’t want that to ever happen to you in real life, but on 6 July the phrases had a totally new meaning –as myself and many members of the public headed to the former HMP Gloucester for the annual, and new to cars, Cars ’n’ Bars event.

Hosted by Lorne and his team who brought to you Kickback in April, this was once again primarily a bike show with rods and customs added this year for good measure. The prison is situated just to the side of the famous Gloucester docks area and had space for around 80 cars, situated in and around the recreational areas of the prison, while the bikes were placed inside next to cells.

Some of the cells and washroom areas were open for the public to view and get a feel for what prison life would have been like for inmates. Inside, a bar was open for anyone who needed to quench their thirst, while outside a few traders were scattered around; these included Endless Road Artwork, Barber Town, Make Your Mark, Oily Rag Clothing plus a couple of catering trailers.

A statement from Lorne: “Thank you to everyone who made the show special and totally unique – the car and bike owners, vendors, volunteers, venue staff and of course all the visitors.”

Kickback’s final show of the year is scheduled for 7 September at the Sammy Miller Moto Museum. Lorne has informed me that hot rods, trucks and custom cars are all invited again.

Trucks high, trucks low…

This LS-powered van changed hands quite recently. Most of the work you can see was done by the previous owner

Left: Mel Garrard had his previously featured flathead-powered Fordson on display

Words & Pics: James Webber

Trucks high, trucks low…

SoCal

Diaries

Former Custom Car editor

Tony Thacker lives in California these days, and this month he’s been celebrating half a century of Speed Weeks

50 years and counting

It’s been 50 years since my rst trip to the Bonneville Speed Week in 1975. I was on my honeymoon and freelancing for Custom Car. Sadly, my photos weren’t great, but we had a great time and met some fantastic people. I became hooked and have been more on than o ever since.

This 77th running of the event was sadly marred by the death of Chris Raschke, who passed away at the controls of the new Speed Demon.

As far as I can tell, there are six Brits racing this year: Bill Cleyndert, Ian Glover, Harry Hunt, Richard Kelly, Ian Northeast and Geo Stilwell, whose team I hang with. Geo ’s crew includes Brits Scott Barnes, from 1320 Mini, and Nick Davies and Rob Loaring from I.C.E. Automotive and Havoc fame.

Geo set his rst record at 258 in 2018 and has been chasing the elusive ’red hat’ through Covid, rain and competition ever since.

found out when their merch trailer took an unscheduled turn. Nobody

Left: I’m partial to ‘35 Fords but this two-door Phaeton –which they never made – appeared to be a mash-up of parts

Right: The 700-mile road from LA to Bonneville is fraught with danger, as the Mooneyes team

hurt, thank goodness

Geo Stilwell from Maidstone, Kent, has been chasing that elusive red hat since 2018 and this year nally upped his record to 289.239, earning him entry to the coveted 200MPH Club

I wouldn’t take my Merc custom out on the salt as it eats steel with a vengeance. But this year, the salt was rock hard dry and not hungry

Bill Cleyndert, who hails from from Dereham in Norfolk, was displaying his perfect-stance Rolling Bones-built chopped Model 40 at the Nugget car show

This young lad seemed at home behind the wheel of this banger-powered Modi ed, appropriately named ‘The Bat’

Above: A few souvenirs of my rst trip to Bonneville Speed Week in 1975, including the February ’76 feature in Custom Car. The environment has hardly changed in 50 years, except the salt is thinner

Co n nose C-10s remain hugely popular in the US and they serve as great race car tow trucks

Mooneyes US president Chico Kadoma brought his beautiful rear-engined modi ed roadster but struggled to reach its potential and headed home early

This beautiful rear engine Modi ed ‘28 Roadster, owned and driven by Bill Cleyndert, is powered by a 358ci Chevy but was way o the 263mph record

Not so much ‘in da dirt’ as ‘in da salt’. I loved the down and dirty stance of this early fties Chevy truck

Brit rally driver Harry Hunt was another early exiter after his 555ci Chevy-powered ‘88 Pontiac failed to reach its full potential

Not your typical view but nevertheless a beautifully detailed ‘31 Roadster powered by a Nailhead Buick with a rack of Strombergs Driven by Mickey Thompson’s son Danny, Don Ferguson’s ‘liner is powered by an Ardun and went 381mph

Tim McMaster of Hanford Auto Supply always presents well and his ‘29 Ford is powered by a 304ci Y-block Ford

Ian Northeast from Horley, Surrey, was on the salt with the 496ci Chrysler powered F&B Jensen Racing ‘65. Unfortunately, he was o the 258mph class record

Now owned by Mike Wagner of Corn eld Customs, this blown Ford Coyote-powered MGA was once owned by Brit Colin Walker. So far, Mike has gone 188 in shakedown

Sadly, Chris Raschke of ARP lost his life in the new Speed Demon when it went out of control and crashed

Originally built in 2009 by Je Brock, ‘Bombshell Betty’ is a ‘52 Buick powered by a 324ci Buick 8 and is now owned by Donnie and Molly Dye

The Friday/Saturday car show at the Nugget Hotel attracts an eclectic mix including this blinged out ‘89 Impala.

The Friday/Saturday car show at the Nugget

First Time Fever

Phil Bishop is into his fifth decade as owner of his ’59 Pop. Impressive – especially when you consider that it’s the first hot rod he ever had

Words & Pics: James Webber

What do you remember about your first car?

The freedom you felt from being out on the road, perhaps? The adventures (or misadventures) you had in it, the accidents, the repairs?

What about your first hot rod or modified car? No doubt you can remember the mods you carried out and the shows you went to in it. What about if it still exists today?

Phil Bishop definitely knows where his first hot rod is. Because he still owns it. It’s the car you see before you, a ’59 Ford Pop that he bought in March 1982 and still drives it to this day. And boy does he drive it, but more on that later.

Phil starts off the story. “I’ve always been into hot rods and custom cars. As a kid, the neighbours had Mk1 Cortinas, so I was always near fast cars. And then in 1982, I saw this Ford Pop at a garage in Newbury and decided to buy it!”

The car came with a bit of history. Originally built in 1978 by Nigel Coppola, it had a small feature in these very pages a few months later (our Feb 1979 issue, to be exactly, which had the famous Coupe Detroit Mustang on the cover).

It was, according to the feature, Nigel’s first attempt at a hot rod, having never even worked on a car before. He bought it with a busted axle, so he purchased a replacement, fitted it on the roadside and drove it back home. He learnt how to weld, triangulated the chassis joints and tubed and boxed the steel throughout. He used HA front suspension and originally a 105e axle at the rear, before adding a slightly shortened Jag IRS.

A 2.0-litre OHC engine was placed in the bay and an Escort pedal box in the footwell, with the advantage of having a cable to operate the Ford clutch. The lights front and rear were frenched in and anything that could be chromed was, including the prop. The car was painted by Mech-Spray in blue with graphics and named Poppola.

Strip show

“I ran it around for five years before taking it off the road in ’87 to make some changes,” says Phil. “I stripped her down, refurbed anything that needed refurbishing, tinted the windows and rebuilt the engine with an RS

When Nigel Coppola first built the Pop in 1978, he powered it with a 2.0-litre OHC engine. A few years later, with Phil’s name now on the logbook, it gained an RS bottom end, unleaded head and fast road cam

bottom end, unleaded head and fast road cam as it was a bit smokey.

“Then I painted her pearl blue over white with rainbow graphics and she became affectionately known as Rainbow Pop. My partner’s uncle sent over a set of Moon gauges for me which are still in use today.

“I ran her around like that for many a year. After a few years, I got fed up with the

graphics so I just rattle-canned her black. Along the way, as opportunities arose a 5-speed Sierra gear box was fitted and Escort seats added.”

Fast forward now to Jan 21 and Phil was planning to make some further changes. Only this time, once you start digging…

“I took the car to Charlie Emmerick of Maserati Pop fame, who redid the A-B

A set of Appliance slot mags gave the Pop’s appearance a tickle-up in time for the 2023 Supernats. Measuring 5.5 x 13 up front and 8.5 x 15 at the back, they’re shod with Chinacheaps and BFGoodrich Radials

pillars and added Moon gauges, plus a few other bits and pieces. Then at the end of February I took it to Mark Harley, originally to do the rear arches and a couple of small jobs. But, as we started digging, it became apparent the car was showing its age. And so it became a full strip down.

“Everything came out until we finally had a bare shell, which was then bare-metalled.

Any metalwork which needed to be replaced was done.

“The Viva suspension was twisted, so I sourced another then cut it about to make it fit properly on the chassis. Wayne at Oddrods shortened the back axle by 5” to bring the wheels nicely under the arches. I decided on Hyundai Grey for paint, and she was fully rust proofed underneath.

Console yourself

“Inside we added MX-5 seats on custom fabricated runners. Mark made up the

custom centre console with cup holders and a sat-nav, and the switch panel now hangs below the dash.”

Elsewhere, a Moto-Lita steering wheel sits on a Pop Brown column. Phil and Mark fashioned the tuck ’n’ roll door cards, as well as the rear seat area and boot lid.

Down on the ground, the Pop now sits on Appliance slot mags. These measure 5.5 x 13 up front and 8.5 x 15 at the rear.

“The plan was to have it ready for the 2023 Supernats,’ says Phil. ‘And we just about got there, too, despite the back

window glass smashing the night before! Fortunately, Mark had a spare clear one and he was good enough to swap it out just so I could get there.

“Since then, I really have driven her here, there and everywhere. This year alone, I’ve driven from Windsor where I live down to Cornwall for the Fun Run, then home for a couple of days before heading up the other end of the country for Hot Rod and Hills.

“She’s really nice to drive, sits at 70 comfortably and starts on the key every time. It’s almost a daily driver but I enjoy

When the Feb 1979 issue of Custom Car became the first to feature the Pop, we reported that having bought it with a busted axle, first-time rodder Nigel Coppola had shown up with a new one and fitted it on the roadside so he could drive the car home. Legend. The 105e unit he started with soon gave way to a slightly shortened Jag IRS; later, Phil had another 5 inches taken out of it to tuck the wheels nicely under the arches

going to meets, shows and cruises and meeting other hot rodders and old mates.

“I’ve kept some little bits around the car from when she was Rainbow Pop, as a nod to her past. I love how it’s all come together, and the silly bits like the little seatbelt in the rear for our dog.”

Phil is a testament to the build em’ and drive em’ ethos, as well of course as to the spirit that saw him persevering with the car for all these years. Would he buy another? Would he sell up? After all the graft and effort he’s put in, and the reliability he’s achieved, I can’t imagine why he’d ever want to. CC

“Thanks to Charlie Emmerick, Mark Harley, Wayne at Odd Rods, my wife for putting up with my hot rod obsession and anyone else who has helped along the way”

With the clutch being a Ford unit, an Escort pedal box was an easy choice for Nigel to make as the cable would mate straight up

The Moon gauges date back to the car’s days as Rainbow Pop…

…as does the model on the parcel shelf

Phil and Mark Harley made up the tuck ’n’ roll door cards, as well as matching trim for the rear

The centre console was Mark’s handiwork. It’s home to a pair of cupholders, stereo and sat-nav units and a USB outlet, and there’s a matching switch panel hung from the dash above it

The seats are from a Mazda MX-5. They’re mounted on custom fabricated runners

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

AUGUST

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 6 and Finals Melbourne Raceway. Facebook: American Super Stock. www.straightliners.events

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

5-7 Steel City Rod Run Hooten Roberts, Rotherham, Suffolk Facebook: Steel City Cruisers

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

7 Street Demons American, Custom, Classic and Bike Show Bexleyheath Broadway. barrysaun2003@aol.com

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

19-21 North East Rod & Custom Relaxed Weekend Bishop Auckland Facebook: North East Rod & Custom

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

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

5 Victory Wheelers Hayling Sunset Funlands Amusement Park, Hayling Island Facebook: Victory Wheelers

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

11-12 Velocity Vintage Drags Manston Raceway Park, Kent www.velocityvintagedrags.racing

12 Straightliners Race Meet Elvington. www.straightliners.events

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

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

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

BRENTACRE

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

27 Cold Turkey Run. Cromer, Norfolk, Facebook: Bod Here

JANUARY 2026

10 Blacktop Kings Traditional Indoor Kustom Show. South of England Showground, West Sussex blacktopkingscarshow@gmail.com

18 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

FEBRUARY 2026

20-22 Race Retro. Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. www.raceretro.com

22 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

MARCH 2026

APRIL 2026

3 Wheels Day Newbury Showground, Berkshire www.surreystreetrodders.com

19 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

MAY 2026

3 BHP Show Kent Showground, Detling, Maidstone. bhpshows.com

16-17 Duchy Ford Show Watergate Bay, Newquay, Cornwall www.duchyfordclub.co.uk

25-31 NSRA Fun Run. Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park Isle of Wight. www.nsra.org.uk

JUNE 2026

4-7 Hot Rods and Hills. Park Foot Holiday Park, Penrith www.parkfootullswater.co.uk

20-22 Classic Car and Restoration Show NEC, Birmingham. www.necrestorationshow.com

22 Huddersfield Auto / Retro Jumble. Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com

19-21 Hot Rods Rumble. The Camp, Ramsey, Huntingdon www.hotrodrumble.co.uk

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

JULY 2026

3-5 National Hot Rod, Custom, & American Car Show. Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln. www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk

9-12 Goodwood Festival of Speed Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www. goodwood.com

AUGUST 2026

6-9 NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Old Warden, Bedfordshire www.nsra.org.uk

Custom CORNER Custom

RECHROMING

As rechromers for many of the leading restoration companies and having numerous top concours cars carrying our work, we know we can provide the quality, friendly and professional service you require for all your chrome plating needs - Just give us a call.