Custom Car March 2022

The good news is, that after a couple of years absence, Wheels Day is firmly back on the calendar for 2022. The date is 15 April, Good Friday, and the venue is Rushmoor Arena, Aldershot, Hants. The family-orientated day out runs from 10am to 4pm, and anything interesting on wheels will be made welcome. Additional attractions include trade stands and market, funfair and caterers. Show car admission is by pre-entry only, with application soon to be live online at www.surreystreetrodders.com. It just so happens that 2022 sees legendary former pirate broadcasting station, Radio Caroline, celebrate its 58th birthday. Now fully legit and thriving, the station also offers a DAB service in the Aldershot area, so Radio Caroline is the official radio station for Wheels Day 2022, and will be enthusiastically promoting the…

It must be two or three years ago now that I made mention of murmurings relating to the possible introduction of noise cameras in a bid to combat the ever-increasing problem of overly loud vehicles on our roads. Since then, it all went quiet (pun intended) on that front. As can easily happen in such matters, though, things were not as quiet as I thought. Noise cameras were installed in Chelsea towards the end of September and, reportedly, in the first 11 days of being switched on were activated 130 times. Noise output for new cars is limited to 74 decibels, so presumably the cameras trigger if that level is exceeded. Again, only reportedly, one so-called ‘supercar’ was clocked at 104dB. Presumably, cars’ registration details will need to be checked prior to…

Staged at Peterborough Arena on 28-29 May, plus set-up day on Friday 27, the 2022 National Hot Rod, Custom & American Car Show will feature both an indoor display hall and outdoor show field. There will also be trade stands, food vendors and live entertainment throughout the weekend. Admission also gives access to the 20th anniversary Modified Nationals, held at the same time on the same site. Tickets are available now, priced from £40 per person for the weekend. For those attending in a show vehicle, they are priced at £12 per person, or £20 per person for all others. www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk…

There’s a new show on the block, and the Vultures are behind it. That means no egos, no trophies, just good times, lots of beer and a shared love of the right kind of cars. If that sounds like a bit of you, block off 27-29 May in your diaries and pre-book your tickets now. Acknowledging the ‘street is neat’ era of hot rodding, any pre-’75 trad’ rods, customs, bikes, vans and drag-inspired machinery are welcome, and there will be a vaguely organised drive out on the Saturday to the Haynes Motor Museum, with preferential parking in the paddock and reduced entry for participants. Outta sight Ade will be sorting out bands and DJ’s for both nights, so expect a twangy, ’60’s garage band style to go with the laid back vibe of…

‘The Patch’ is not a patch on what ‘The Patch’ used to be. I am, ‘The of course, referring to Famoso Raceway, known as ‘The Patch,’ and the California Hot Rod Reunion. Blame Covid and a changing world, but the 29th edition of the Reunion appeared considerably smaller than previous years, with a race car count of some 300, compared with possibly as many as 600 in past years. There were only nine Top Fuel dragsters, for example, and 17 Funny Cars, though Ron Hope did a great job of corralling 10 AA/Fuel Altereds for a spectacular show. 10 AA/Fuel Altereds fora spectacular show The Swap Meet seemed smaller too, though that’s probably due to the internet, the Grove was sparsely populated and the Cacklefest was a mere 20 cars, compared to highs…

Sometimes it’s the simplest things that make us smile, and reaffirm our belief in the things we love. Doing this job, we get to speak to a lot of people who cluster tightly under the umbrella term of hot rodder. The phrase means different things to different people, but to us it’s about having fun with old cars and injecting a bit of your own personality into them. Standing out from the crowd, or the crowded road, if you like. Now, a Fiat 500 will likely not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think hot rod, but when it made its debut at last year’s Supernats I didn’t see a single person not smile when they saw this car. I think some people are taking it all a…