Table of contents for October 2020 in Custom Car

Ever since this year’s April issue, we’ve brought you updates on fundraising activities to help save Melbourne Raceway. Thanks to immense efforts from those behind the scenes, and the generosity of racers and supporters alike, the target of £100,000 was raised prior to the 1 May deadline. That meant work could progress and a new eighth-mile track, with an equidistant shut-off area, could be laid. The theory behind that is so, when additional funds become available, a further shut-off area will be added to the end, enabling quarter-mile racing at the facility. So, all was looking good, until the Covid pandemic and lockdown smacked everyone squarely in the face. That was it then, no progress at Melbourne this year. Or so we thought. But, thanks to unprecedented efforts by volunteer…

Covid-19 hasn’t just decimated the UK show season, it’s had a major impact on hot rodding and drag racing worldwide. The latest disappointing news is that SEMA 2020 has been cancelled entirely, while the Grand National Roadster Show has been re-scheduled from January to 14-16 May 2021. Currently, SEMA plans to re-open its doors in Las Vegas on 2-5 November 2021 (www.semashow.com), while the organisers of the GNRS remain confident you’ll be able to see over 500 indoor show cars, plus another 400-800 drive-in attendants, in and around the Fairplex, Pomona in May (www.rodshows.com/gnrs/) Classy knob The Trofeo Heritage gear shift knob features a mahogany and beech layered grip with a tobacco leather top with the MOMO Heritage logo stamped in. £179.99 to you sir. www.momo-uk.co.uk Smooth and toothy Sealey’s…

It was with immense sadness we received the news of the passing of Stu Bradbury on 10 July, aged 75. ‘Startline’ Stu was like a piece of furniture in the realms of UK drag racing. He’s just always been there, and I guess many of us thought he always would be. His involvement with the sport is well documented and, with him having started work at Santa Pod Raceway even before its doors opened in 1966, there’s a lot to write about. After helping out with the labouring to prepare the track, Stu became Deputy Starter in 1967, before taking on the role of Chief Starter the following year. That proved to be a role he held through the 1980s, along with being involved with Long Marston, Rockingham Motor Speedway…

www.customcarmag.co.uk 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 cc.ed@kelsey.co.uk, fax 01733 557235, or write to Custom Car Events, Kelsey Media, PO Box 978, Peterborough PE1 9FL. Coronavirus (Covid-19): With events still being cancelled or rearranged due to the ongoing pandemic, these listings should only be regarded as provisional dates. Please adhere to current government guidelines, and always check the status of events before travelling. SEPTEMBER 4-6 The Trip Out. Debach Airfield, Clopton, Suffolk IP13 6QT. www.thetripout.co.uk 5-6 Straightliners. Melbourne Raceway. York. www.straightliners.events/ 10-13 NOT the European Finals. Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk 11-13 Flat Caps & Ferrets 6. Lepton Highlanders, Huddersfield HD8 0LX. Huddersfield Hot Rod & Custom…

Up and down The Sywell Classic Pistons & Props takes place on 19-20 September. Once again, the venue is Sywell Aerodrome, Northants NN6 0BN, and you can expect static exhibits, drag racing, aerial displays, trade stands and a wealth of entertainment. Tickets available on the day, but there’s a discount if bought in advance. www.sywellclassic.co.uk NewHeritage The all-new Classic Car Drive-In Weekend takes place at Bicester Heritage, Oxfordshire on 18-20 September. An expected 500+ classic vehicles will be on display, in action, on sale and on screen, all in Covid-compliant surroundings. Visitor numbers are limited, and advance tickets can be purchased online. www.theclassiccarshowuk.com One make fits all The ninth staging of Popstalgia, the only show dedicated to everything Ford Pop, Prefect, Fordson, Y type, 100e and Pilot, will be on…

With the profile of many high streets having changed in recent months, you may be experiencing difficulty locating your nearest Custom Car stockist, or any other Kelsey Media title come to that. If that’s the case, visit http://services.marketforce.co.uk/storelocator/search.aspx?pubcode=82&showmap=1, type in the magazine title and your postcode and all will be revealed. Failing that, you can buy a copy, with free postage, from the comfort of your own home via https://shop.kelsey.co.uk Virtual reality Thumbs up to the guys and gals of the NSRA for the Hot Rod Supernots, an online rod run staged on 6-9 August. Okay, it wasn’t that busy to start with, but things warmed up on the Saturday and Sunday. We would even go as far as saying it was virtually as good as the real thing. Top…

With Jon Webster at the wheel, a modified 1935 Riley Kestrel will attempt to break a record for a wheel-driven vehicle over a flying kilometre at Elvington Airfield in Yorkshire. Jon and the Kestrel will have to set an average speed of 171mph over two runs to claim the record. In March, the car’s owner, Nigel McNally – CEO of Brookfield Drinks, the company behind the Kestrel beer brand – commissioned Webster Race Engineering to transform the Riley, which hadn’t turned a wheel since 1965, into a potential record-setting car. Jon makes the work sound simple: “From the outside, we kept the car as true to the original as possible. A five-cylinder, 800+bhp, 2.5-litre, Audi turbo engine sits in a strengthened original chassis, and the car will do 0-60 in…

Like Duster to Chrysler fans, the new, compact, lightweight, aerodynamic Maverick was considered the perfect candidate for the new-for-1970 Pro Stock class by loyal Ford racers. Better still, Ford’s 427 and 429ci big block race motors could be fit in the engine bay. Then Ford’s Simple Machine could really boogie.…

Peninsula view I’ve lived in Los Angeles more than 30 years but I’ve only ever been to the Rancho Palos Verdes Peninsula about three times. The nearest freeway is the 110 Harbor Freeway that runs north south from Downtown to Terminal Island, where Big Willy Robinson held the Terminal Island drags. But still you have to get off the freeway and wiggle your ass 10 miles through Rolling Hills to the ocean. wiggle your ass 10 miles No reason really to go unless you’re invited by Lynn Bird to attend one of his annual Palos Verdes invitational hot rod runs. Lynn, a lifelong hot rodder who owns several neat rides, grew up in the South Bay area south of LAX and organises the runs to give his friends a view…

Back issues: £4.99 per issue, including postage & packing (UK delivery only) Summer 2019 ’57 Ford F-100 Mk1 Zephyr convertible ’49 Plymouth wagon Wheels Day Hot Rod and Custom Show July 2019 Morris Z Gasser Model A coupe Paul Bacon’s Automatron VHRA Vintage Nationals Festival of Power August 2019 Austin Twelve pick-up Updated ’65 Mustang ’37 Plymouth pick-up Pendine Beach Races NSRA Fun Run September 2019 Swedish ’57 Ford ’36 Ford coupe Porky ’47 coupe Summer Nationals Dragstalgia October 2019 ’48 Ford F-7 Big Job Model A coupe Rocket ’32 roadster Mopar Euronationals Hot Rod Supernationals November 2019 All Shook Up ’32 roadster 1960 Thames 300e van ’48 and ’51 Ford pick-ups Green Light Nationals Euro Finals December 2019 Mailman Special Chevy roadster Icon Derelict Rolls Royce Model A coupe…

Last month I made reference to the lack of face-to-face interaction over recent months. Thankfully, that situation has now been addressed, though it was with some trepidation I drove to Santa Pod for the speedily organised Nostalgia Drags in July. How would social distancing work at such an event? Would people adhere to instructions? Would it be crowded? Yup, plenty of questions were buzzing round my head, but would they be answered to my satisfaction? The simple answer is yes. Everyone at Santa Pod played their part, including racers and spectators. If anyone had a momentary lapse of concentration and got too close to others, marshals were readily on hand to guide them back on track. It wasn’t a heavy-handed approach though. It was all done in a polite manner,…

General Motors has announced it is once again producing Gen 1 350ci small block V8s at its Springfield, Missouri plant. Designated as service replacements, the ‘all-new’ (as in all new parts) engines will be produced in three variants: Gen-1 for ’87-’95 model year trucks, vans and SUVs; Gen 1e LD and Gen 1e HD, aimed at light and heavy-duty trucks from ’96-’02 respectively. While all will feature four-bolt mains and a forged crankshaft, these are not performance engines, but an interesting development in the world’s most popular small block’s history nonetheless.…

One whole year after the ground last shook, the bark of supercharged nitro will reverberate once more around Santa Pod. The occasion should have been the European Finals weekend, drawing the cream of the continent’sdrag racers to settle the season’s FIA and FIM championships, but Covid-19 put paid to all that. Instead, taking its place on the same date, behold: NOT The European Finals! In effect, it will be the Euro Finals in miniature, but stilla weekend to relish for fans starved of blown fuel racing’s uniquely sensory spectator experience. At the time of writing, twoTop Fuel Dragsters and two fuel Funny Cars are slated to top the bill, with Nostalgia Funny Cars adding their own sweet sounds to the clamour. And for those who love the visual thrill of…

If the name Pete Wetherhill sounds familiar it’s probably because his radical, home-built Model Y graced the cover of the September ’16 issue. Whilst maybe less radical, his latest project is no less involved – the mating of a ’38 Ford sedan with a London Taxi. The combination should make for a good looking, comfortable and reliable ride, with a great turning circle! The Ford Transit 2.4-litre turbo diesel engine with overdrive transmission should make it pretty economical, too. the mating of a ’38 Ford sedan with a London Taxi Re-bodies on a Taxi chassis are nothing new, although the donor car is usually older than the one Pete went for, and the body is invariably glass fibre. Throw into the mix complications like the chassis being too narrow for…

After what seemed like an eternity, wheels once again turned in anger at Santa Pod in the first of the facility’s Back on Track events held in early July. Racer numbers were limited, there were no spectators and strict social distancing guidelines were adhered to. More ‘new normal’ than back to normal then, but at least some race teams had the opportunity to pound the strip again. This inaugural Back on Track meeting was for vehicles with race tyres only, but that was the only stipulation, which gave rise to quite the mix of cars. Super Gas, Street Eliminator, Nostalgia Superstock, Pro ET and Super Comp were just some of the race classes represented, along with a handful of slick-equipped, but otherwise street legal, hot rods, muscle cars and even…