Custom Car April 2022

Pure gold Since its inception in 1972, the National Street Rod Association (NSRA) has evolved over the last 50 years more than anyone could have envisaged back in those early days. The club was spawned when the dozen or so members at the time decided it was time the Roadster Register, a sub-division of a drag racing club, be disbanded and a stand-alone street rod club formed instead. Half a century on, membership stands at around 2,500. Many things are planned to mark the NSRA’s golden anniversary throughout this year, including specific vehicle displays at a couple of events. The Fun Run at Rutland Showground on 17-19 June will play host to dedicated displays of previous Participants’ Choice winners (coordinated by Mick Harle) and Cars of Significance Part 1 (coordinated by Dave Biggadyke).…

Write to: Custom Car Mail, Kelsey Publishing, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent ME18 6AL E-mail: cc.ed@kelsey.co.uk Fax: 01733 557235 Uncovered Dear CC, I thought readers might like to see some former cover cars that are now living here in central Florida. Unfortunately, the green Pop had an accident last summer, but is being fixed back to original like in the magazine pictures. Greg Saunders, via Instagram > Thanks for getting in touch Greg. It’s great that an ex-pat hot rodder (@britrodder in your case) still keeps in touch with his roots. Glad to hear that the damage to the Mark Simkiss-built ragtop Pop, Participants’ Choice winner at the 1999 Supernats, is repairable. Ed. Impala hunter Dear CC, the ’64 Impala pictured in your February issue letters page was featured in Street Machine in 1979,…

It’s been far too long. We haven’t had a Granddaddy fix since 2020 so, despite the Los Angeles County requirements for proof of vaccination and to wear masks, people came from all over the world for the 72nd edition of the Grand National Roadster Show. They were not disappointed. It was back on form as a top-notch show with top-quality cars by the hundred. Spread over seven buildings, the show has space for more than 600 cars, and on Saturday they have a drive-in section that attracts hundreds more. This year, it being the model’s 90th anniversary, the drive-in main feature was ’32 Fords. a top-notch show with topquality cars by the hundred The other special exhibit this year was housed in Building 9, and comprised a carefully curated 'Gathering of Hot VWs' past…

The Trip Out has become a lifestyle. It’s about using your vehicle as a vehicle to meet up with like-minded souls. That can probably be said of many rod runs, but the Trip Out harks back to the glory days of the late ’60s and early ’70s. No negative waves, man. There’s no attitude, it’s just about the earned respect for keeping an old Harley or Triumph or classic Flathead V8 or beat-up old Yank on the road, and travelling the miles in it. It’s about ‘feeling it’. After missing last year due to Covid, this year we really tied it on. Lots of people saying afterwards this was the best ever Trip Out, despite the word beforehand being that this would be the last ever Trip Out. Shame, though never say…

Hot rods and Gassers have been a feature of the Goodwood Revival for several years now, but never before on the scale of the 2021 event. More than 60 cars, including a contingent of 12 Rolling Bones-built hot rods shipped in from the US (at their owners’ expense, incidentally), were one of the main attractions and, as you can imagine, that took quite some organising. And so it was, in February 2021, I received a call from local hot rodder and Goodwood inside man, Greg Waters, asking if I could help find some British hot rods to augment the display. The brief was simple – traditional style, no shiny bits and keep it quiet as it may never happen. But by April, the ’Bones attendance was confirmed, and we had a goal of…

The British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala dinner was held at Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey on 20 November 2021. The formal part of the evening centres around awards and the presentation of Bootsies to the latest Hall of Fame inductees and this year, Honorary Chair, Lesley Wright, opened the proceedings commenting, “It’s been a tough two years for all. However, thanks to the amazing efforts by our tracks, I am pleased to say that drag racing is alive and kicking.” Tony Thacker then announced the inaugural Stuart Bradbury Junior Drag Racing Awards, which went to Liam Holgate, Luke Fulton, Hollie King and Harry Redshaw. Earlier, Tom Davis of VP Racing Fuels made presentations to these 2020 and 2021 Junior Drag Racing champions. drag racing is alive and kicking Having waited almost…