Custom Car January 2022

Readers of a certain age will no doubt have fond memories of the Super CC comic strips that were a regular feature in these pages for around 16 years. Written and drawn by the late artist, John Richardson, Super CC can probably be best described to those unfamiliar with the character and his adventures as sexist and misogynistic. A true dinosaur from the 1970s and ’80s, the likes of Super CC would never be commissioned in today’s world. But, with the blessing of John Richardson’s family, many of the original comic strips are being reprinted in book format. Dale Jackson, the man behind the project, commented, “This is the first, and maybe the last, time Super CC will be collected into A4 hardback form. Book One of Super CC will contain…

Chances are a good number of us are familiar with this scenario: the timbers in the loft sighing under the weight of a lifetime’s collection of hot rodding and drag racing literature. One such long-time rodder and reader, Gareth Rees from Cannock, Staffs, has decided it’s time to give his ceiling joists a break and thin out his extensive collection. There are well over 4,000 magazines up for grabs, including complete sets of HOT ROD, ROD & KULTURE and a near full house of The Rodder’s Journal. Gareth’s book collection exceeds 300 titles, encompassing hot rods, drag racing, histories and biographies, woodies, technical guides and art and culture. There’s way too much to list all of it here, but they will be listed in full on the Custom Car Facebook page. If you’re interested,…

By my reckoning, we’ve come full circle now. The only ‘as normal’ hot rod event I attended in 2020 was the NSRA Southern Swap Meet, and the last ‘as normal’ hot rod event I attended in 2021 was the NSRA Southern Swap Meet. Okay, it wasn’t that normal as it was held in November, not March, but the sun came out and it was great to be back amongst fellow hot rodders and racers at North Weald after 20 months away. We’ll take a closer look at the dealings that went on next month, but for now we’ll just say trading was brisk and there were a lot of happy faces amongst the crowds. With restrictions having been eased over recent months, it’s looking very much like normal service will be…

Congratulations to Lee Johnstone’s family-driven, blown Chevy-powered Volvo P1800, Ain’t No Saint, for being selected as the UK entry in the Hot Wheels Legends Tour. Should it be deemed the overall winner, it will be immortalised as a Hot Wheels die-cast toy, and has already taken a step closer to that accolade by progressing through the semi-finals. By the time you read this, the global final will have taken place on Saturday 13 November, so all we can hope is Lee’s car was given the recognition it deserves.…

Auto Finesse has introduced six new products into its already extensive product range. Bucket Buddy is a detailing tool caddy featuring integral brush storage, whilst the Pro Combo Bucket provides 20 litres of storage capacity. The Pressure Sprayer provides quick and easy application of spray-on products, while the Pro Polish Bottle offers accurate dispensing of polish or compound. Finally, ObliTARate Gel is a powerful tar and glue remover and the Wonder Wheel wool brushes are ideal for cleaning wheels and brake calipers. www.autofinesse.com…

The directors of the British Drag Racing Hall of Fame welcome VP Racing Fuels as a new sponsor and supporter of its annual gala. A world leader in race fuel technology, VP Racing Fuels already has a major presence in UK drag racing, being the official fuel partner to Santa Pod Raceway, as well as a supporter of Eurodragster.com, and this helps expand the company’s role in the sport further still. VP Racing Fuels joins USAutomotive, Santa Pod Raceway, Santa Pod Racers Club, Eurodragster.com, BUA Motorsport, Straightliners, The International Organisation of Professional Drivers, Chair Office, julianhunt.net, 55Plus Equity Release, IRH Assessors, Custom Car magazine, Atlantic Fluid Tech, Paul Whitehouse Art and Shakespeare County Relics as BDRHoF sponsors.…