Custom Carの July 2023 の目次

Experience the ultimate nostalgia event at Santa Pod Raceway this year – Dragstalgia 12. From 7 to 9 July, immerse yourself in the timeless allure of Drag Racing. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or new to the sport, Dragstalgia offers an unforgettable experience both on and off the track! In honour of drag racing’s golden era, Dragstalgia will showcase an impressive line-up of drag racing classes. The spotlight will shine on the exhilarating Dragstalgia Cannonball, featuring a fierce battle between Nostalgia Funny Cars and Fuel Altereds, all vying for the prestigious Cannonball Trophy. Adding to the excitement, a supporting cast of Nostalgia classes, including the electrifying Supercharged Outlaws, the captivating Outlaw Anglia, and the adrenaline-pumping Nostalgia Superstock will compete for both bragging rights and championship points! An extraordinary gathering of…

Autocross is big news now in the States. Companies like Hotchkis, QA1, Reilly Motorsports and others offer complete bolt-in suspension systems to transform most popular American-made cars into corner carvers that can stop and turn on the proverbial dime. The sport is nothing new, we’ve been steaming round cones in car parks in the UK since the dawn of the automobile, but the level of technology going into today’s cars far surpasses what were commonly largely stock production saloons. That was the appeal of the sport, though. It was cheap and accessible to anyone with a car. Modern Autocross cars are anything but cheap to build, but infinitely more fun to hoon around in. But when Chris Brown popped his head into Valley Gas Speed Shop one afternoon, saying, “I’ve…

50 Years on This year’s much awaited Dragstalgia event at Santa Pod is fast approaching. It has extra significance, in that this July’s meeting will mark the 50th anniversary of the launch of funny car racing in Europe. Before CC is hit by complaints that the Glow-worm Capri, and the Hillbillies Transcontinental – not to mention the Swedish Roaring Viking car – preceded this date, it should be pointed out that there was no recognised class for the funnies. A spectacular change to that state of affairs was signalled at the Peterson Publishing International Series in July 1973. This was such a memorable event; in large part due to the effect that the American visitors Don Schumacher and Paula Murphy had on the huge crowds attending. With the Santa Pod…

“He immediately insisted he is known as the ‘fryer messiah’” In contrast to the norm, this feature doesn’t focus on chassis and drivetrain upgrades, but instead on the vision and eye for detail of the builder. His intention was to create a functional and practical workhorse housed within a uniquely styled body. A contemporary mix of Airstream, Art Deco and Jules Verne springs to mind, with a hint of Roman warrior headgear for good measure. The man behind it is builder extraordinaire Paul Bacon, a man all too familiar to CC readers. Over the years quite a number of his diverse creations have appeared on these pages, namely Dualatron, Cosmotron, Automatron, the not-so-standard Standard, and most recently the WTF-1 pick-up. Adding to that list is what is affectionately known as…

Email photos and details of your car to alan.kidd@assignment-media.co.uk, or post to Custom Car, Assignment Media Ltd, PO Box 8632, Burton on Trent DE14 9PR. Please include your contact details – and when sending digital pictures, use the largest file size you have available Jim Stewart has been into hot rods all his life. As have many of us, but he’s been fortunate enough to have owned a long list of rare and cool cars over the years. It held up well on the Autobahn and broke into three figures He got his first ’32 Ford, a Tudor sedan, when he was just aged 24 – and that cast the die. It was running a Corvette engine and rear axle and Jim built his own front suspension from various Granada…

Help if you can MANY READERS WILL BE FAMILIAR with the name Halfass Kustoms, Brent Hoitink’s personal garage located in Southern Manitoba, Canada. Brent has a love of ‘30s through to late ‘50s rods and customs, with all his cars being used as daily drivers. Brent has been uploading YouTube videos of his builds for a number of years now, but whilst away at the Lonestar Roundup a few weeks ago disaster struck. A fire started in the workshop and virtually everything was destroyed. That’s cars, parts, tools and equipment – we can only imagine how devastating that must have been. Brent’s stepson, Mathew Sierks, has set up Go Fund Me page and if this tragedy has touched you please donate if you can. GoFundMe Halfass Kustoms Essex bits DESPITE…

Sunday 23 April saw the annual Drive it Day across the whole of the UK, with various car clubs organising cruises and runs out. Down in Cornwall, the big one was organised by Gary Down of Launceston Retro Rides. The route started with members in the north of the county meeting at the local Co-Op in Launceston then cruising down to a big service station on the A30 to meet anyone from the south and mid-county. From here, route details were passed out and the cruise proper began – heading into Newquay and up the coast, with hills, tight curves and narrow sections making it a great driver’s road. A 45-minute stop was held at Trevone Bay Café, who kindly turned off their parking cameras for the group. From here,…

The Offset Show is now into its third year. And to celebrate, for 2023 Brad Stone and the team at Wagon UK decided to evolve it into a weekend event. Held on 15-16 April at the Royal Cornwall Showground, the forecast of good weather meant that this was shaping up to be the best yet – even if, as it turned out, Yanks and customs were a bit thin on the ground. With show sponsor Immerse Detailing offering pre-show valeting, exhibitors started rolling in early on the Saturday afternoon to set up and get their cars looking their best. Then at 4pm, the gates opened to anyone with a camping ticket – ahead of a pumping Saturday night show featuring a host of top drum’n’bass DJs including Tommy Wise, Danny…