Autumn 2014

CLASS

ICAM

ERICAN AUTO CLUB OFGRE

ATB

RITA

IN

C.A.A.C. OFG.B.

Featuring:Brooklands 2014

& Old Yeller II

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BROOKLANDS 2014

Sunday 7th September 2014 could only mean one thing: The annual CAAC

Rally at the Brooklands Museum, and yet again, the event enjoyed encouraging levels of support from both club members and classic American vehicle owners in general. This year we counted at least 46 club member’s vehicles in attendance, which was a gain of some 22% over last year, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the overall increase in support wasn’t of the same magnitude, as there were American classics to be found in every nook and cranny in the area surrounding the famous old Brooklands Clubhouse.

The day started early for our Club Secretary, David, and fellow club members Bill Carter and Les Hughes, who set off from deepest Essex to arrive around 8.45 am ready to start preparing the venue and attend a marshals meeting arranged for 9.15 am. What a fine site their convoy must have made - three early sixties examples of the Chrysler Corporation’s finest in the form of Dave’s 1963 Imperial Crown convertible, Bill’s freshly refurbished 1962 Chrysler 300 Sport 2-door hard top, complete with “H Letter Series” 413 cid V8, and Les with his 1963 Crown Imperial 4-door H/T. Other early arrivals included Robert Creamer & Sadie Gough with their nicely preserved ‘68 Mustang coupe, who regularly assist with the marshalling each year, and your editor and his wife, Jan with our 1979 Winnebago Brave, which we were planning to use as the H/Q for this year’s event, after we witnessed the inadequacies of the club gazebo during last year’s heavy rain shower that fell around midday. In addition, our Chairman, Richard Coney,

along with his wife Patricia were also early arrivals, and prior to Richard taking up his camera to shoot the varied entry, he also assisted with marshalling.

The early arrivals were greeted by an overcast day, but we were promised the sun would eventually break through, and indeed it did later in the afternoon, but at least while the cloud cover persisted, the wind was light and temperatures pleasant. As your editor struggled to get parked, turn on the LPG so we could make a cupper, and put the awning up, the others erected banners and attended the marshals meeting. It wasn’t long before Membership Secretary, Alan Jones and his wife, Avril arrived in the ex Bob Draper/ Tim Brown 1958 Edsel Ranger, laden down with trophies, and these were displayed under the Winnebago awning on a trestle table for everyone to see. Quite how Alan manages every year to come up trumps with so many trophies at such little cost to the club, thanks to sponsorship, is a mystery to your editor, but they make a magnificent display and elevate the event to the highest levels, and we should all be grateful to those who contribute to their purchase.

It seemed to your editor that Brooklands must have opened the gates earlier this year for entrants to gain access because well before the usual 10 am opening time American vehicles of all shapes, sizes and hue, were streaming in to find an advantageous position to park. We were forewarned by the Brooklands staff that interest in the event had been high, and the constant stream of gleaming vehicles drifting down the steep entry slope clearly confirmed this. As usual, the main Club

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House compound was limited to club members only, but it had to be on a first come first served basis, and to fit everyone in we had club members vehicles parked down the side and around the back of the club house. Even so, we tried, as usual, to group the pre-war vehicles and their owners, which the club is justly renowned for, together, in front of the Club House.

Oldest club vehicle on display this year was Geoff Stannard’s 1927 Chrysler Model 50 Tourer finished in dark red with black fenders, with nary a sign of any nickel plating, save for the headlamp rims, to brighten up its appearance, as this was the entry level model, which essentially was a revamp of the old Maxwell model that first got Walter Chrysler started in the business, under his own name. This beautifully turned out example would go on to win the award for Best Veteran later in the day.

Geoff’s South African market, right hand drive model, was parked close to Mark

& Maria Lye and their 1929 Chrysler Model 65 roadster which is finished in a very pale green with dark green fenders, khaki canvas top and, just like Geoff’ car, smart wooden artillery style wheels. With plenty of nickel plating, in contrast with the Model 50, this Model 65 roadster was first imported into the UK back in 1990, but soon left these shores for a stay in Spain, before returning to our shores, via France, where Mark was able to purchase it. Before he arrived at Brooklands, Mark told me he had to remove copious amounts of mud acquired the day before at an event, but at least his narrow wheels, and modest horsepower allowed him to extract himself unaided, which wasn’t the case for those with more modern classics.

Moving into the 1930s we managed quite a selection of vehicles, and surveying them illustrated just what major steps in styling the American manufacturers made during this tumultuous decade. Eldest of these would be Dave Robert’s lovely 1932 Hupmobile 216 4-door sedan. A past Best

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of Show award winner, this burgundy over black example is surely a rarity either side of the Atlantic nowadays, as Huppmobile were in serious trouble by 1932 as sales had started to slide even before the stock market crash in 1929. They produced just 10,467 cars in 1932, down from a high of 65,862 in 1928. They would struggle onto 1940 with their Skylark model, built in the Graham-Paige plant, and based on Cord pressings, but in this last year of existence, they only produced just 319 cars. A pity really, as Dave’s example demonstrates what stylish and well executed automobiles they were capable of building.

Dave’s good friend, John Sowden, who now also owns Dave’s previous 1932 Oldsmobile Series F sedan, and last year displayed a late forties Fargo pickup, reverted back to his highly original, 1932 Nash Big Six sedan this year. He tells me that he has pushed the original mileage over 4,000 in the Nash now, which shows he isn’t scared to use it, because when I first interviewed John for H&F back in 2008 the car had travelled just 3,083 miles. Even so, the astonishingly low

recorded mileage is a reflection of just how original this dark green over black car is. Reputedly this car was originally owned by a school teacher who lived in Kansas City, but it appeared she didn’t drive, so it saw very little use. John has owned the Nash since 2006, but prior to that it had been in the ownership of Brian Hughes, who nowadays, unfortunately, we rarely see.

The remaining entries in the Thirties Class demonstrated clearly how stylists had abandoned the formal, upright coachwork of the early thirties for more stream-lined bodywork with all enveloping fenders, and in the case of the sedans, built-in trunks. Wooden artillery and wire wheels were also a thing of the past, as American manufacturers embraced pressed steel wheels.

Brian Newman’s 1936 Ford Model 68 Deluxe, 5-window coupe is a familiar site to members, and was featured in H&F back in the Spring 2008 edition. Mildly rodded, in a traditional manner, with bright red steel wheels, clothed in wide-whites setting off it’s Cordoba Tan

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paintwork, it features a 221 cid side-valve V8 and was South African imported to the UK back in 2001.

Parked with other cars, out back in an area that used to be R&D back in the old Vickers/BAC days, was Ferrol Goldblatt’s beautiful, art deco styled, 1935 Dodge D2 2-door rumble-seat Coupe. Finished in metallic red with cream wheels and chrome beauty trims, Ferrol asked for my advise during his purchase of this car, as I knew it well during previous ownership. A RHD, Australian market car, I had no reservation in suggesting he should go ahead as it is a very rare car (one of 500 reputedly built) featuring coachwork produced locally in Australia, to avoid heavy import duties.

The other ‘36 model in attendance was John Slayford’s i v o r y p a i n t e d , C a n a d i a n b u i l t , Buick 90 limousine. With solid, “ t u r r e t top” roof, four-wheel hydraulic brakes and built in trunk, General Motors had moved the game forward for 1936, and this McLaughlin built, long-wheelbase limousine, with twin-side mounts, is an imposing beast.

John’s limousine model was joined by John Cody Jnr’s handsome 1937 Series 40, Special, sedan. Finished in deep black, this is another Canadian McLaughlin built, RHD model, and John continues a long family tradition of ownership and care for these handsome late thirties Buicks, and he was rewarded this year with the Best Thirties trophy for his efforts.

Gerry Bowler’s 1938 Buick Series 40, Special, 5-window Opera Coupe is, like many others in the Thirties Class, another regular at the Brooklands Rally, and it was good to see it parked outside the clubhouse in its usual position, flanked by Geoff’s ’32 Nash and John’s ’36 Buick. Finished in gleaming black, with dual side-mounts, these late thirties Buicks are amongst the handsomest of designs from this glorious period. A set of wide-whites, chromed wheel beauty rings and an ivory steering wheel only serve to embellish the styling of Gerry’s lovely coupe.

The final club member’s vehicle present in the Thirties Class was Walt Swainson’s familiar Seventeenth Series, long wheelbase, 1939 Packard 120 Limousine.

As many will know, Walt has owned this car since 1967 having a c q u i r e d it from the estate of a wealthy individual who lived in Henley-

upon-Thames. Always a chauffeur driven car, prior to Walt’s ownership, if you look carefully, you can still see the original owner’s monogram on the rear doors.

Unfortunately, there were no entries for the war interrupted 1940s class at Brooklands, although our Chairman had hoped to bring his ‘40 Ford, before his plans were nixed by a sticky temperature gauge. Therefore, we quickly move on to the 1950s where, as usual, the selection was plentiful, starting with the fabulous 1953 Hudson Hornet 2-door Brougham belonging to Shaun Magee, and brought along to Brooklands by his daughter, Sarah-Jane.

Dave Robert’s 1932 Huppmobile Modle 216 sedan

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Prepared for the 2001 heritage version of the infamous La Carrera Panamerica road race and featuring plenty of performance and safety upgrades, the Twin-H-Power straight six has just been freshly rebuilt and now sports three side-draft Weber twin-choke carburettors. It certainly sounded very healthy and attracted the judges attention, who awarded it the Best Orphan trophy on the day. Of course Hudson Hornet’s achieved a memorable reputation for winning stock car race events in the early years and in 1953 Marshal Teague won 12 of 13 AAA stock car events while drivers Herb Thomas, Dick Rathmann, Frank Mundy and Al Keller drove Hornets to 65 NASCAR victories through 1954. It’s just a shame none of these old race cars survive, but Shaun’s ‘53 Hornet provides a timely reminder of these glory days, with its grey paintwork set off by period graphics, a white roof and bright red, steel wheels.

1958 may not have been a stellar sales year for American auto manufacturers, but that didn’t stop the industry from introducing some iconic models, and Chevrolet were in the vanguard with their new Impala model. Chevrolet’s were all new for 1958, adopting the so called ‘Safety Girder’ chassis which allowed them to produce an all new lower, wider and longer range of vehicles available in base Del Ray, mid-range Biscayne and top of the pile Bel Air models. For 1958 though, Chevrolet introduced an additional model in the Bel Air range called the Impala. Available only as a convertible and two-door Sports Coupe models, the Impala featured snazzy interior fabrics; standard rear radio speaker between the rear seat back recess, dummy chrome plated air scoops, a triple tail lamp arrangement, and crossed flag emblems, among the many embellishments. Available only with V8 power, the base level, 230 bhp Super Turbo-Fire 283 cid engine could be swapped for the larger 348 cid V8,

either in 250 bhp form or optional tri-power in 280 or 315 bhp form, depending on compression ratio. At Brooklands, we were fortunate enough to have two ‘58 Impala Sports Coupes on display.

The first of these was the white over light metallic blue version, complete with continental spare, belonging to John Danial. A genuine “big block” 348 cid car with the three two-barrel carburettors, John kept the hood open all day to display this unusual option. Meanwhile, close-by could be found the white over turquoise version belonging to James Keenan. While lacking the 348 “truck motor” option, it did have a full complement of options, including rear mounted, twin antennas, and accessory wing mirrors. The judges were suitably impressed with both and awarded John Danial’s version Best General Motors and James Keenan’s Best of Show (Was this the same car that won “Best Visitor” back in 2010?). While separate production numbers were never recorded for the ‘58 Impala, one must assume that as big a hit as they were, they represented only a tiny fraction of the 1,217,047 Chevrolets produced that year, and all full-size models at that!

Another 1958 model on display was Mike & Wendy Dockree’s “baby-blue” Cadillac Series 62 convertible, complete with white soft top and white interior. Mike is a prolific collector of fifties Cadillacs, and currently has a 1959 convertible, 1956 Biarritz convertible and ‘58 Brougham in his collection, but the ‘58 convertible anchors his collection, and represents one of his earlier restoration projects. The Dockree’s convertible wasn’t the only ‘58 Cadillac on display within the clubhouse compound however, as Tony Lancaster had his splendid white Coupe De Ville on display as well. A car we covered in some depth in the Spring 2014 edition of H&F, and the judges saw fit to award Tony’s car with the Best 1950s trophy.

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The fifties decade was finished off by three 1959 models. The first of theses was Paul Gatty’s lovely black Impala Sport Coupe - another Impala with factory fitted, 348 V8 and Tri-power set-up. Complete with contrasting red interior, and a set of American Racing Torque Thrust, five-spoke alloy wheels, Paul explained that his next job was to detail the engine bay. This Impala was imported from somewhere in Michigan back in 1988. Meanwhile, Brian Rice displayed his very nice white 1959 Ford Thunderbird, complete with genuine Kelsey-Hayes style wire-spoke wheels and nearby Ken Chadbone displayed his metallic pale blue, 1959 Cadillac Series 62 2-door coupe. While even the most besotted American car e n t h u s i a s t might find it hard not to agree that the ’59 Cadillac models were s o m e w h a t extravagant in appearance, s o m e h o w Ken’s version, complete with matching blue interior, managed to emphasise the car’s class rather than just its extravagance.

The final fifties model present was the ’59 Edsel Ranger brought along by Alan Jones which was mentioned earlier. While the classic American movement in the UK is graced with quite a few of this rare marque, this was nonetheless, the first Edsel to grace the CAAC Brooklands event for a number of years.

Keeping with a fifties theme, there were three pickups belonging to club members on display. Alan Ford’s light turquoise, 1956 Chevy pickup has the stance of a modified vehicle, and probably features

a late-model 350 Chevy V8, and maybe more modern front suspension, steering and brakes. Unfortunately, your editor was unable to catch-up with Alan on the day to checkout the details, but a nice set of five-spoke “mag” wheels and a fabricated bed cover were an outward sign of additional modifications underneath I suspect.

Meanwhile, Tony Paton has finished returning his bright red, 1957 Chevy 3100 pickup back to stock appearance, although it does retain a modified interior and late-model drive train to make it a more practical proposition. As we have come to expect from Tony, presentation is

first class.

Final club m e m b e r ’ s pickup on d i s p l a y was a very unusual 1955 International S120 pickup, c o m p l e t e with four-wheel-drive, owned by C h a r l i e

Ayres, who told me that he had only recently acquired the truck and knew very little about it other than it was an Australian market specimen, and was fresh out from a “nut & bolt” restoration, and now finished in two-tone purple over silver with red painted wheels. Two-tone paint was an option back in the day, but its unlikely this combination would have appealed to the farmers and contractors that made up IH’s core market. So was a side-mount spare on the pickup bed, but Charlie’s version lacks this. This was Charlie’s first event in the truck, and its condition and relative rarity were enough to attract the judges attention, and it was awarded the Best Commercial trophy, which must have made Charlie’s day.

Brian Rice’s 1959 Ford Thunderbird

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Moving to the sixties class, we shouldn’t overlook another club member’s vehicle that wasn’t parked in the Clubhouse compound, in the form of Mal Cooper’s 1963 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday Coupe. While the sixties saw the majority of American auto manufacturers adopt more conservative styling and muted, mono-tone, metallic and solid colours, after the excesses of the late fifties (the exception being the Chrysler Corp.), Mal’s iridescent peacock blue Olds initially surprises. H o w e v e r , it’s colour, together with a set of white line tyres mounted on chromed five-spoke alloy wheels, work well with the conservative, squared-off styling and slim pillars, large glass area, and just small vestiges of rear fins.

John & Jean Major had hoped to bring along their dark blue, Packard 110, but an overheating issue forced them to adopt a safer mode of transport in the form of their ‘64 Ford Falcon Futura convertible.

Meanwhile, on display in the compound there was a fine turnout of early Mustangs led by Ken Bargh’s black, 1966 Fastback, complete with red accent stripes along the rocker panels. Ken’s fastback is equipped with the full GT package including Rally-Pac instrumentation, twin fog lamps set into the grille, chromed GT wheels sporting red-line tyres, and the hi-performance engine package that is made up of the 271 bhp 4-barrel V8 with twin exhausts. While this car was a past overall Best of Show winner at Brooklands, it seems Ken was not completely satisfied

because this year he has treated the car to a bare-metal respray, making it, if possible, even more perfect, and certainly a worthy winner of this year’s Best Ford trophy.

Rob Creamer’s Pebble Biege, 1968 coupe – a well preserved and very original, “black plate” California car, is equipped with standard black vinyl interior, full wheel trims, and 289 V8 with 2-barrel carburettor, but was also ordered with power steering and air conditioning – the

latter no doubt c o n s i d e r e d vital in Ca l i fo rn i a . John George had his s i m i l a r coupe parked close by, but its deep b u r g u n d y paint, set off by factory fitted white vinyl roof

and matching interior, together with a set of 1969 Mustang steel wheels, complete with hub caps and chrome beauty rings, contrasted strongly with Rob’s understated example, illustrating just how it was so easy to tailor your Mustang to suit your preferences.

Continuing the Mustang theme was the lovely, Lime Gold, 1968 Mustang coupe of John & Linda Acres. Another ex-California car, this glamorous example is set off by a set of chromed GT Mustang wheels, a wood-rimmed steering wheel and a 4-barrel topped 289 V8. It was good to see both John & Linda present at Brooklands as John has endured a difficult past 12-months with health issues, but knowing there is a Mustang as nice as theirs waiting in the garage to be exercised must be a great tonic. Final Mustang present was Derek Hassel’s rare, copper

Derek Hassel’s 1969 Mach 1 428 Cobra Jet Mustang

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coloured, 1969 Mach I with 428 Cobra Jet option which has been in his ownership for many years. Rated at a conservative 335 bhp, I have read recently that many enthusiasts believe the actual output to be a lot higher, and certainly contemporary road tests would suggest so, given the performance figures achieved.

Keeping on a “pony car” theme, Andy Inglis brought along a very original (new paint only), burgundy 1967 Chevrolet Camaro in RS trim, with matching interior. While the later 1969 models seem to be e n t h u s i a s t ’s f a v o u r i t e , your editor has always preferred the first of the line for its smoother shape. Andy’s example comes complete with 327 cid V8 power, Strato bucket front seats and centre console. The RS (PO Z22) trim package was often combined with the performance related SS (RPO L48) package, but not here, and this added hidden headlamps, and side accent stripes above wider lower bright body mouldings, among other goodies. The car was good enough to catch the judges attention and was awarded Best 1960s trophy.

Another unusual entry was Steve & Terry Bromyard’s 1966 AMC Marlin fastback. It’s amazing how often I heard quite knowledgeable enthusiasts asking out loud “what’s that”. Steve’s Frost White over Cabellero Tan metallic example was acquired in 1983, after several attempts, and remains quite unique in the UK, and it’s not surprising as after a debut year sales figure of some 10,327 units in

1965, production slumped to just 4,547 in 1966. Like many AMC products of the period, Steve’s 287 cid powered example features an impressive interior treatment, somewhat reminiscent of Chrysler’s Letter series cars, with full-length centre console, and four separate seats finished rich cloth and vinyl.

Other club members with sixties entries were Bill Carter’s ‘63 Chrysler 300 Sport 2-door H/T and Les Hughes’ similar year Crown Imperial 4-door H/T. Bill usually brings along his ‘62 300H convertible,

but this year he brought along his just c o m p l e t e d , 300 Sport. In 1962 Chrysler dropped the m i d - l e v e l Windsor and replaced it with a straight 300, a model name designed to bask in the “halo-effect”

of the similar looking 300 Letter Series cars, and it seemed to work, because, while sales were well behind the entry level Newport, at 23,777 examples built, it out-performed the top of the range New Yorker series. It also buried the Letter Series cars that year, no doubt because, at first glance, they looked the same. Bill’s 300 Sport coupe achieved a production figure of 11,776 compared with just 435 300H 2-door H/T coupes. The original owner of Bill’s car added the 300H engine option (380 bhp), to achieve Letter Car performance at a fraction of the cost, but of course, missed out on the up-rated suspension and individual, leather clad, bucket seat interior. Meanwhile, Les’s “baroque” Crown Imperial 4-door H/T was just one of 6,911 built that year, but-nevertheless, the sales leader. Finished

Six DeLorean’s proved popular. More about visitor vehicles in the next edition of H&F

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in dark blue with deep, metallic red leather seating; an instrument panel that only “real men” could appreciate and classic looking, free-standing headlights, Imperials of this period offered luxury and individual looks that make it a welcome a l t e r n a t i v e to the almost “ c o m m o n ” Cadillac option. Just try finding one though!

Talking of “ b a r o q u e ” styling, how about Bob & Christine Kettle’s lightly customised, black 1961 Chrysler New Yorker 2-door H/T? While every other manufacturer had dropped proper tail fins, Chrysler persisted with glorious examples that commenced halfway down the body lines. Not to beat around the bush, Bob’s example was virtually beyond restoration, but the first UK owner got it back together, while two subsequent owners did very little but park the car and dream, it took Bob to finish the project and save it. Now with a dash of metalflake added to its black paint work, and a pearl coloured roof, plus that “love it or loath it” chain-link steering wheel, it certainly sparkled, and as a result, attracted the “Ladies Choice” trophy.

Final sixties entry was Terry Jeeves’ metallic blue, 1969 Mercury Cougar XR-7 convertible. One of just 4,024 built that year, out of a total Cougar production run of some 100,000 of all types, this particular example of the top of the range XR-7 came equipped with walnut appliqué trim, full instrumentation, deluxe seating, racing mirrors, full power options and even cruise control, illustrating that the

Cougar model appealed to a different market sector from the slightly smaller, Mustang sister model.

Moving into the seventies, the only club member with a vehicle on display was Wayne Wisbey’s 1970 Ford Torino R a n c h e r o , finished in metallic green with black vinyl roof, and fitted with a set of American

racing Torque Thrusts. This car would takes some beating, even if more seventies entries had been present, and that is what the judges thought, as they awarded the car the Best Seventies trophy. Wayne is well known for his collection of 1970/71 Torinos which include a metallic blue, GT convertible, red GT Cobra fastback and a Country Squire station wagon version, however, he chose to bring along his pickup style, Ranchero version this year, powered by a 351/300 bhp V8, the car had originally had been sold new in Portland, Oregon.

It was good to see our Honorary President Eric Barfield and his wife, Pat, make the long journey up from Kent, while Ann Draper was present, although unfortunately without her 1960 Lincoln Premier. Another club member present was Bob Silver, the well known ‘58 Rambler owner from Essex, who hitched a lift with his good friend, Steve Bromyard. If I have missed any other members present or overlooked your vehicle, my sincere apologies.

Geoff Mitchell

Impressive selection of trophies waiting to be awarded

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Brooklands Photo Round-up

Above: Rob Creamer’s 1968 Mustang & Andy Inglis’ 1967 Camaro RS

Above: James Keenan’s 1958 Chevrolet Impala Sports Coupe

Above: Charlie Ayres’ 1955 International S150 4 x 4 pickupAbove: John Sowden’s 1932 Nash, Gerry Bowl-

wer’s 1938 Buick & John Slayford’s ‘36 version

Above: Ken Chadbone’s 1959 Cadillac Above: Steve Bromyard’s 1966 AMC Marlin

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Above: Ken Bargh’s and John Acres’ 1966 and 1968 Ford Mustangs

Above: Paul Gatty’s ‘59 Impala, Mike Dockree’s ‘58 Cadillac & Terry Jeeves’ ‘69 Cougar XR7

Above: Ferrol Goldblat’s 1935 Dodge D2

Above: John Cody Jnr’s 1937 Buick Series 40 Special sedan

Above: Wayne Wisbey’s ‘70 Ranchero

Above: Brian Newman’s ‘36 Ford Right: Les Hughes’ ‘63 Imperial & Bill Carter’s ‘62 Chrysler 300 Sport

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Brooklands Trophy Winners

James Keenan - Best of ShowGeoff Stannard - Best Veteran Tony Lancaster - Best 50s

Andy Inglis - Best of 60s John Cody Jnr - Best 30sSarah-Jane Magee - Best orphan

John Danial - Best of GM Wayne Wisbey - Best of 70s Bill Carter - Best of Chrysler

Charlie Ayres - Best CommercialKen Bargh - Best Ford Bob Kettle - Ladies Choice

Trophies presented by Richard Coney and Jan Mitchell