Another vintage Brit tin rod survivor surfaces

I remember this one.  Its a 1936 Austin York "6 light saloon" and it really epitomises what the early British resto rod scene was all about.  Its running a 4.2 straight 6 out of a Mk10 Jag backed with a 4 speed manual.  Rear end is a Jag IRS and should be fully chromed and polished, front end we have a Nick Butler chrome tub with Transit spindles.

The Austin in happier days

These 70s built cars usually were in a 2 tone, with the wings (never called fenders back then) painted black and the body in a typical stock colour like maroon, navy blue or park-bench green.  Stance was level and usually low, wheels were often chrome basket wires, star wires or similar or as in this case the ubiquitous slot mag.  There were the days when Truespoke had a full page ad in every issue of Custom Car.

Magazine seen - spec sheet is useful

These were simpler, more creative days.  Back then you built what you could find cheap and local.  You built it with stuff you could find easily in the local bone yards.  This was before everyone seemed to get obsessed with building their rides to be exactly the same as the rods being built in the USA.

As today. Just needs paint...

I'm pleased to say and see that British tin and 70s/80s built heritage of our scene are both being seen with fresh interest in the last couple of years (and there are a few stalwarts who never gave up the faith).  Its sad to see this one given the faux-rat matt blacking and I hope who ever buys it from its eBay ad will return it to its former glory.

1960 Corvette C2 FIA approved historic race car

Its got a Le Mans, Spa, Silverstone, Dijon & Brands Hatch racing history as a pedigree, its got its FIA papers so its ready to race.  What more could you ask for?  Well, its cute as a button too...

Personally I could also be asking for the scratch to pay for it.  Ninety five thousand of your English pounds sterling in fact.  Its stout cash.  But these fully papered race cars are never cheap.  This is no po-boy hobby.

And for that reason alone am I watching from the sidelines, but its a dream, a beautiful dream and this is a beautiful way to dream that dream...

If, unlike me, you have the money you can pick this one up on eBay as we speak.

Old school Brit-rodded V8 Ford Thames Pickup

Stuff just keeps on creeping out of the woodwork doesn't it?  If you wondered what happened to all those feature cars from Street Machine, Rod & Custom UK, Custom Car etc. from the 70s and early 80s it seems that a fair number of them are out there awaiting their moment in the spotlight again.  It seems only a few months back that the famous "Belch Beers" truck was on eBay as a donor vehicle and I see from this month's Custom Car mag that she's out and about in the show circuit again now.

What we have here is another old feature truck built in the very-British style of the time where the V8 engine was installed through the bed as a mid-engine arrangement and the back end would be a chromed and polished Jag IRS.  This one was a feature ride back in about 1983 in Street Machine according to the collective memories of those I asked and threads on Rods N Sods...

The V8 motor was a Daimler Hemi when this was magazine featured, a popular choice for a while but a tricky motor to rebuild and modify now.  From the eBay listing it appears they used the much rarer 4.5 Hemi from the Magestic Major. Unfortunately and perhaps understandably this has been replaced by the far more common Rover V8.

I love the murals and hope that these get retained or replicated in some way by whoever buys it.  Or if not then some paint job suited to its build era rather than the ubiquitous rattle can satin black which too many old show rods seem to have acquired.

At time of writing its on eBay with £1000 starting bid not made yet.

804 rear wheel horse power "rat look" 2010 Camaro

OK, this is one of those "marmite" cars.  You either love it or you hate it.  I Must admit that despite despising most of this fake patina rat look nonsense going around at the moment this beast is hard to argue with when its packing 804 BHP - at the rear wheels...  OK the looks are subjective at best.  In fact I like to think theres an element of tongue in cheek going on here.

 

Its difficult to tell where the tongue is or even should be on this car though.  Its obviously an anathema to the ol' skool rodz mentality of build what you got and build it cheap and nasty and kool.  This is a car with a reputed $150,000 "invested" in it.  And its a showroom new model.  But hasn't the whole "rat" thing got a bit out of hand and needs someone to bring that into clear focus?  Like Rick Dobbertin with his Pontiac J2000 back in '86 marking the moment we realised Pro Street for show had gotten just a bit silly.  So will Bill Rombauts' name go down in hot rodding history (or infamy if you prefer) in the same way?  His 2010 Camaro "rat rod" has certainly started getting him the coverage...

Under the hood runs the 485 cube V8 with its Kenne Bell supercharger, built by Dave Sherer and Anthony Mussulli at DNA Restorations and tuned and dyno'd at Vette Doctors this beast makes over 1000 BHP at the crank and manages to get 804 of those ponies to the ground.  Its drivable and tractible too, having completed the Hot Rod Power Tour.

 

The idea is apparently to simulate 30 years of neglect.  Its an interesting idea and one which is causing not a little comment.  My take has to be that its his car, its his money and he's not ballsed up something rare.  Good luck to him.

You can see a video of the dyno run at Vette Doctors above.

Bye bye Checker, Caprice and Crown Vic. New NYC cab is...

NYC's new iconic yellow cab will be some horrific looking Nissan van thing.

practical it may be but charismatic?

For most of us our view of NYC comes from movies and TV.  We see those iconic yellow taxis nose to tail in the gridlock over the decades and they have always been big ol' yankeedoodle domestics.  But now the pressures of commerce, environment and whatever else have ended this with a Japanese model being selected by the city.

The current city fleet is Crown Victoria based

This is one of those sign-o-the-times things but its kinda sad as the yellow taxi is very much a signature of New York style.

 

 

 

 

As per the TV show...

But somehow with New York being one of the great multicultural cities its somehow fitting?  I'm not sure. 

I can haz Twitter

You can now follow me on Twitter - HERE!

Life's kinda getting in the way of too much blogging right now so maybe a microblog will feed your fix of my ramblings.  Or not.

Jaguar's hybrid supercar is more than a concept

Back in September 2010 when Jaguar displayed their C-X75 hybrid super car at the Paris Motor Show there was an awful lot of "oh year, right" style comments from people who thought it would be just a show car concept.  Seems they were wrong.

Jaguar are now taking orders.

Warp factor five Mr Sulu

There is no specific delivery date and the price doesn't seem to have been set and echos of the XJ220 supercar of the 1980s should be ringing in the ears of anyone thinking of putting the £700K down these beasties are rumoured to be selling for.

Who says hybrids have to suck?

Its still an awesome device either way.  Exceptional performance and low emissions are provided by one electric motor per wheel and a kind of jet turbine engine which runs on regular unleaded.  The space age is now.