Classic American

My recent editorial discussing a reader’s request for newer American cars to be featured in Classic American seems to have unlocked a maelstrom of comment, both for and against. Not ‘new’ cars, you understand, but cars in that murky ‘no man’s land’ w

On October 25, General Motors announced that it had ratified a four-year labour agreement that covers workers at 55 United Auto Workers-represented facilities across the US. The agreement put an end to the longest strike witnessed by the automaker si

One of the things I really enjoy at club race meetings is that you can still find plenty of owner/drivers fettling their cars, or sat beside them eager to tell you all about them, rather than hiding away in some drivers’ club. Such was the case at Th

On September 21 classic car auction house, Historics at Brooklands, returned to its namesake, the Weybridge-located auto and aero museum, for the last time this year with another eclectic mix of classic cars and motorcycles, old and relatively new. U

About five years ago, I remember being part of a motor industry event where topics being discussed included the future of mobility, specifically revolving around connected cars and autonomous vehicles. One of the panellists in the autonomous vehicle

What’s in a name? Well, when it comes to cars, quite a bit. They convey a lot about what a car is meant to represent. Either that, or they impart a sense of wonder in potential customers. They’re meant to be evocative. The car pictured here, by contr

This month I am focusing on the often overlooked and much maligned four-door models of our favourite muscle cars. Not all models lend themselves to multi-door configuration; however some have been designed and were built in numerous varieties. The mo

Dear Classic American, Could you please congratulate Jon Cass for me on those excellent photos of that ’71 Fury, for me a top 10 car – I like the way he’s got down low to get good side/front and rear photos. I’ve got a picture of this car in a book,

Looking at this stunning 1941 Buick, it’s hard to believe this is the base model of those offered that year. It’s equally unbelievable that two years ago the car had the entire nearside smashed in, as owner Glyn Olden relates. “I’d had my Buick just

In today’s classic vehicle market values are constantly on the move. So, when you’re looking to buy insurance, should you have your cherished car insured on an ‘agreed value’ or a ‘market value’ basis? It’s a distinction that can suddenly become very

Considering he’d never owned an American car before, one might say that Malcolm Cozens was jumping in at the deep end when he decided to buy one that’s aircraft carrier-long, had a very brief production run and survives in such excellent unrestored c

When I saw Mike ‘Nashville’ Nash’s 1967 Dodge Coronet 440 at the Boxing Day Romsey Car Show it looked so nice I wondered if it was a recent restoration, or a rare survivor, but I never caught up with him to ask. Fortunately, he attended the Beaulieu

Prior to purchasing his Chevrolet Apache pick-up truck, Phill Smith was very much into his Volkswagen Type 2s. Indeed, it was through the classic Volkswagen scene that he first got to know about the pick-up truck: “A few years ago I purchased a Karma

A useful and versatile new screwdriver has just been released by Kamasa Tools (part number 56137); it is a smooth ratchet screwdriver – but grip the ratchet gearbox, twist the handle and it turns at four times the speed! Great for repetitive work and

It sometimes happens with our features; you see the vehicle first and are impressed enough to want to know more about it, and then you meet the owner, and the ‘back story’ becomes just as interesting as the car or truck that’s being featured. This is

We all know – and it’s often been said on these pages – that the weather can make or break a show; the horrifically rainy forecast in the run-up to the third Horsham Ameri-CAR-Na should theoretically have been the kiss of death… Amazingly, however, d

A couple of years ago I found a small, reputable company in the US called Shiftworks. After somehow losing my original Impala SS floorshifter and mechanism during one of the car’s storage moves, frustratingly I had to start from scratch. I wanted an

1. Just 1010 people handed over the $5400 needed to buy an Imperial two-door Southampton Crown Coupe in 1962, making this California car a real rarity. Despite weighing 4830lb, it could still reach 60mph in under eight seconds. Sadly, this one never

HAYNES BREAKFAST CLUB. Calling all motoring enthusiasts! On the first Sunday of each month we host a breakfast club which is open to all marques. As well as meeting other like-minded enthusiasts, owners can chat over a coffee and a hearty breakfast (

Vendor: John Daniel, Brentwood, Essex Telephone: 07804 870817 Price: £8250 Our Drive-Buy car for this month is a Ford Gran Torino Sport two-door hardtop. It was built on May 18, 1973, five days ahead of schedule, and was supplied new by Westfield Mo