Custom Car June 2026

T for Two

Mick Tebbs and Phil May have been lifelong hot-rodding buddies… but they’ve only just managed to get a pair of T-buckets on the road at the same time. Worth the wait…

Actually, make that three…

You wait all this time for a T-bucket and then three of them come along at once. Phil Davies’ is a tribute to a dearly departed car-building friend – and a worthier one you’d be hard pushed to find

News & reviews

Flagging it

Set against the wide-open backdrop of Deenethorpe Airfi eld near Corby, MPH Drags returns for its fourth instalment this summer with a weekend dedicated to the raw spirit of early hot rodding and motorcycle culture. Taking place from 3–5 July, this unique gathering brings together pre-’49 cars and pre-’69 bikes for a stripped-back, authentic drag racing experience.

At its core is the ⅛-mile fl ag-to-fl ag drag racing, run in the traditional style just as it was in the early days. No frills, no gimmicks

– just vintage machines, skilled drivers and riders and the unmistakable atmosphere of grassroots motorsport. It remains one of the only events in the UK where you can witness original-era vehicles being driven as they were intended, side-byside on the strip.

Beyond the racing, MPH Drags is a full weekend experience. Expect live music, great food and drink, trade stalls and onsite camping that keeps the energy going well into the evening. The beer tent lawn will once again be open for people with

www.customcarmag.co.uk

Piston Publications Ltd, PO Box 8830, Burton on Trent DE14 9QW

EDITORIAL

Group Editor: Alan Kidd

editorial@pistonpublications.co.uk

Art Editor: Ian Denby-Jones

Contributors

Dave Biggadyke, Mike Pye, Keith Lee, James Webber, Olly Sack, Dan Fenn, Tony Thacker

Photographers

Julian Hunt, Vic Peel, Harry Hamm, Richard Hair

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Assignment Media Ltd

Colin Ashworth 01283 742969 colin.ashworth@assignment-media. co.uk

MANAGEMENT

Publisher: Alan Kidd

editorial@pistonpublications.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS

13 issues of Custom Car are published per annum

pre-‘71 display vehicles, welcoming vintage hot rods, customs and trucks to be part of the show, even if you’re not competing on the strip.

Whether you’re racing, displaying or simply soaking it all in, MPH Drags offers a relaxed and genuine atmosphere that’s become increasingly rare. It’s not about spectacle, it’s about celebrating the machines, the people and the culture that built it all.

Tickets are available online now. www.mphdrags.co.uk

SUBSCRIPTIONS AGENCY

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DISTRIBUTION

Distribution in Great Britain: Marketforce UK Limited, 121-141 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 6JR Tel: 0330 390 6555 www.marketforce.co.uk

UK subscription and back issue orders: ccsubscriptions@wwonline.co.uk 01283 742970

Every e ort is made to ensure the contents of Custom Car are accurate, but Piston Publications accepts no responsibility for errors or omissions nor the consequences of actions made as a result of these. When responding to any advert in Custom Car, you should make appropriate enquiries before sending money or entering into a contract. The publishers take reasonable care to ensure advertisers’ probity, but will not be liable for loss or damage incurred from responding to adverts

Where a photo credit includes the note ‘CC BY 2.0’ or similar, the image is made available under that Creative Commons licence: details at www.creativecommons.org

© Piston Publications Ltd 2026 All rights reserved

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News & reviews

Something for the weekend?

Mopar and more

Now in its 22nd year, the Chryslers at Brooklands Day is one of the biggest static gatherings of Mopars in the UK, showcasing everything from classic muscle to modern legends. The date for this year’s iconic display is Sunday 24 May, with the show being open from 10am until 5pm. Admission includes all that Brooklands has to offer, including interactive collections of motor vehicles and aircraft, simulators and more than 100 years of history at the world’s first purpose-built race track. www.brooklandsmuseum.com

More Throttle

The Vintage Hot Rod Association is back at Bicester Heritage on 24 May 2026 to host the third running of Throttle. The event sees traditional hot rods and customs taking to Bicester Motion’s Experience and Demonstration Track which, at just under 1km in length, has

six technical turns and a long straight to test cars to the full. While track time at Throttle is exclusively for members of the VHRA, spectating is open to all – and this includes access to the pits. Numbers on all tickets are limited and it is strictly preentry, with no tickets available on the gate, so book early to avoid disappointment. www.vhra.co.uk

National truckers

The date for the 5th American Truck Nationals UK is Sunday 7 June. It takes place at The Rose Inn in Shotley, Suffolk, and along with trucks the day offers trade stands, music, a BBQ and lots of friendly, like-minded people. For those wanting to make more than a day of it, there will be a preshow hangout and cruise night on Saturday.

Facebook: American Truck Nationals UK

Dad’s day 1

Father’s Day, Sunday 21 June, sees the Old School BBQ Bus Car Meet in Chadderton, Oldham OL9 7LP. Hosted by Rainy City Cruisers, the familyfriendly meet starts at noon and is open to hot rods, customs, and choppers.

Facebook: Rainy City Cruisers

Air jump

The multi-function 12V jump starter from Laser Tools offers roadside-ready power and tyre inflation in a single unit. Utilising the latest lithium battery technology, it is lightweight yet highcapacity with powerful jump-start output and a 150psi air pump. www.lasertools.co.uk

Dad’s day 2

For those in the south of the country, the Father’s Day Custom & American Show at the National Motor Museum, Beaulieu, is also on Sunday 21 June. Attractions include cars from film and TV, mini monster trucks, live music and fairground rides. www.beaulieu.co.uk

Flamin’ up north

The Flames ‘n’ Dice Car Show is on Sunday 6 September at Wearmouth Colliery Welfare, Sunderland SR5 2SD. The show is open to all hot rods, classics, Americans, retro cars and bikes, as either individual or club displays. Camping is available from 4-6 September (strictly prepaid only) and a bar, food, trade stalls, kids rides and an auto jumble are on offer. Access for Sunday show vehicles is from 9am, with the visitor gate open from 10am through to 4pm. Public admission prices are adults £2, senior citizens £1, with accompanied children under 16 being admitted for free. donna.wilkinson14@virginmedia. com / 07970 669909

News & reviews

Challenging days

They called them ‘The Band of Brothers’ during World War II. Now, some 60 years on, the Band of Brothers automotive style makes a return to RAF Upottery (otherwise known as Smeatharpe Airfi eld’s Dakota Raceway) for a series of four American Muscle Challenge meets presented by Straightliners.

Last month’s season opener produced a signifi cant turnout of American muscle cars racing at Dakota’s eighth-mile drag strip, Bracket Race style. Although the days blend themselves to Run What Ya Brung for all models of cars and motorcycles, those

at the wheel of a Yank will get automatic entry into the bracket with qualifying and eliminations in the afternoon.

RWYB entries can be made via the Straightliners website or on the day. All you need is you with some American muscle and a crash helmet for safety. Get scrutineered, pay your money and away you go. The dates for the three remaining challenges this season are 4 July, 15 August, and 26 September.

Trevor: 07971 172210 / Helen: 07921 712266

straightliners.events

Cheaper service

Webcon has just reduced the price of its Weber Carburettor Service Kits by 40%, meaning genuine Weber kits are now retailing at similar prices to copies. As a typical example, Twin 38 / 40 / 42 / 45 / 48 DCOE Weber Service Kits are now priced at just £53.94 including VAT. Various needle valve sizes are available. www.webcon.co.uk

News & reviews

Bearing on

Santa Pod Raceway has renewed its partnership with Coated Race Bearings for a further three seasons, strengthening a shared commitment to performance, innovation and excellence. Known for its Race Series and Performance Series products developed alongside leading bearing brands, Coated Race Bearings also offers specialist services that go beyond its core range. These include a Coating Only Service for customersupplied bearings and a DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating service for components such as piston wrist pins, cam followers and rocker arms, improving efficiency and component lifespan. www.santapod.co.uk / www. coatedracebearings.com

Champion sponsorship

Santa Pod Raceway has announced that FuelTech has been appointed the main title sponsor of the Motorsport UK British Drag Racing Championship for 2026. The partnership brings one of the world’s leading motorsport electronics and engine-management companies into the top tier of UK drag racing, and the newly named FuelTech Motorsport UK British Drag Racing Championship will showcase the Pro Modified class.

“FuelTech has become a global force in performance motorsport, and their

commitment to innovation aligns perfectly with how we want to develop drag racing in the UK,” said Keith Bartlett, CEO of Santa Pod Raceway. “Their involvement will not only raise the technical bar but also grow the profile of the Championship with fans and racers alike.”

FuelTech will also be the main title sponsor of Santa Pod’s unique and ever popular ‘outlaw’ race event. Now known as The Doorslammers Powered by Fuel Tech, this takes place over the weekend of 15-17 May.

www.santapod.co.uk

Exploded view

Webcon now offers reproduction PDFs of the original, genuine exploded diagrams of various Weber carburettors, as produced by the manufacturer itself. The schematics detail a breakdown of the components of the carburettor, with corresponding part numbers and calibration information. They are extremely detailed and can be a massive help in restoring a Weber carburettor correctly.

Please note that while these are predominantly in English, because these are original Weber exploded diagrams a number are in Italian, French or German and will need to be translated.

The exploded diagrams are available from just £5.94 including VAT each and can be downloaded immediately after completing the checkout. www.webcon.co.uk

Weekend attendees can enjoy socialising in the bar on Friday night, followed by a lazy day on Saturday, maybe taking in the market. Things get livelier later, though, with a party night and a late bar. Caterers will be on site all weekend.

Sunday is the main show day, with the exhibitor gate opening at 8.30am and public admission

The weekend of 25-27 September sees the End of Season Bash at Fort Paull, near Hull, hosted by the Yorkshire American Car Club (YANCS), which was established in 1982. The Fort Paull American Rod & Custom Car Show is open to American cars, vans, trucks, bikes and pretty much anything of interest.

from 10am until 4pm, with prize-giving taking place around 3.30pm. On-site camping is available from noon on Friday for those wishing to make a weekend of it. This must, however, be prebooked with Jackie Walker.

The organisers welcome enquiries from any traders wishing to attend, together with sponsors interested in supporting the show. They are also on the look-out for marshals, so please get in touch if you can help.

Email: yancs1@yahoo.co.uk / 01709 542555 / messenger: Jackie Walker / Phil: 07787 915081

T FOR

It’s taken more than 40 years of friendship for these hot rod buddies to have a pair of well-matched cars

Words:

Custom Car would like to thank South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum in Doncaster for the photoshoot location: www.southyorkshireaircraftmuseum.org.uk

This is a tale of individual achievement with a hefty smattering of joint endeavour, centred around the north of England. While building a car is a personal thing, it’s a process that can often benefit from the catalyst of an extra pair of hands,

or maybe just a few words of encouragement to get things moving again.

While this pair of T-buckets hail from Yorkshire, their owners live some 80 miles apart. But that didn’t stop them from helping each other out whenever the need arose.

FOR TWO

“Three or four weeks wearing away their fingerprints”

Note how the hand-crafted centre console flows into the modified ’32 Ford dash, forming a letter T shape. Clever, eh? With the switchgear and controls for the handbrake and gear selection mounted under the seats, the interior has a sleek and simple look, with only a single multifunction gauge and a bank of warning lights being visible

Nestled almost cocoon like, the ali bomber seats are trimmed in cream vinyl with diamond pattern stitching. The trimming is the handiwork of a former employee of Plaxton, the Scarboroughbased company known for building luxury coaches. The seats incorporate aftermarket heated pads in their squabs and backs

Right: The headlining has been stitched to match the rest of the interior trimming, including inside the pick-up bed

T for Phil

Scarborough resident Phil May knows his way around a Model T, as the one pictured here is the third he’s built. His first brewed T was a blown Rover V8-powered bucket that went by the name of OTT. The next stirring was more sedate, if such a thing is possible with a hot rodded Model T, a small block-powered Doctors Coupe. Ultimately, the coupe was sold to Maurice Takoor and is currently in the final stages of an extensive rebuild. That, however, left Phil without a hot rod – until, that is, his wife Caroline gave him a Christmas card which seemed to carry a special meaning. Search out the picture of it and you’ll see what we mean…

Phil took the sentiment on that card as inspiration to embark on his third Model T build. That journey began in March 2012 with a trip south to the NSRA Swap Meet. Phil came home having netted himself a Jago T-bucket shell.

It wasn’t just a simple job of bolting the new-found body on to a chassis, however, as Phil planned to stretch the vehicle’s body in both directions to give it some additional legroom and interior space. First, though, he needed to design and fabricate a chassis.

The front-end rolling stock was kept traditional with a drop tube axle, while Phil went a touch off-piste at the rear. “I had Jag axles in both my previous Ts”, he explained. “Besides, I knew of an alternative that was up for grabs.”

With the enlarged body bolted to the freshly fabricated rolling chassis, Phil formed a one-off centre console. That turned out to be six inches wide as it flows through to the dash, ironically negating the extra width he’d added to the body. The ali bomber seats were custom-made, their increased squab size effectively counteracting the additional legroom Phil had built in.

Brewing Phil’s T

With Phil’s intended body stretch and widening in mind, his first job was to design a custom chassis. That’s his son Ted in the picture, giving dad’s handiwork the once-over

The drop

front

and

Phil widened the ‘glass body by 6 inches and also lengthened it the same amount in the

Phil formed the basic chassis rails from 80 x 40 x 4mm box section and added a heavy-duty tubular front crossmember and a box section rear crossmember

The front axle is located by stainless 4-bars and the rear IRS by home-made chromed hairpins

Phil fabricated mounts for the small block, along with a removable tubular transmission crossmember

Sourced from the late Steve Fletcher, the axle casing for the ali Corvette LSD IRS was narrowed 8 inches by a local engineering shop

Here’s Ted again, comparing his own set of wheels to the one that his dad’s putting together

Sometimes bits are removed, however, as others are added

No, that’s not a flowerpot poking out the top of the engine

You had noticed the righthand drive configuration, hadn’t you?

The widened rear wings are clearly visible in this shot. Can you tell which of them is the heavyweight, though?

It’s a shame the body conceals so much of what lies beneath it

Bed time

Back to square one, Phil resorted to cutting off the rear of the pick-up bed and fabricating a steel rear panel, which he laid back to give more carrying capacity – and, unlike with the space inside the bucket, that didn’t change.

Despite looking identical, the now-wider rear fenders are not a matching pair, as one weighs twice as much as the other. Phil bought them at the same swap meet from two different sellers, only to realise one is a lightweight and the other a heavyweight. Before you ask, we have no idea which is which.

Having hit that proverbial wall with the build, mainly due to work getting in the way, circa 2015 Phil got in touch with his old mukka Mick Tebbs. That resulted in Mick helping out on the bodywork, with the bucket and pick-up bed relocating to his workshop in Doncaster. One thing led

“Thanks to Brian Stephenson for engineering parts when needed and to bounce ideas o�, Mick Tebbs for his help with the bodywork and general advice and interference, Richard Crookes for the final prep and paintwork and, of course, Caroline for her support and giving me the go-ahead in the first place”

“Inspiration to embark on his third Model T build”

With the body swage lines flatted out for a smoother look, Richard Crookes sprayed it Peugeot Red with added rainbow flake, then coated it with lacquer. Phil designed the roof so it can fold down and concertina back to rest on the bed lid. Phil and Mick made the ‘screen frame and mountings, with Phil then handling the final welding. The laid-back pick-up bed rear panel sets Phil’s T apart from the rest, as well as providing a little more storage capacity

to another, and Mick’s involvement wasn’t limited to fibreglassing.

Phil was adamant that the underside of the body was finished to the same standard as the topside and to that end, sheets of mirror-finish stainless steel were cut to shape and firmly attached, only to be seen by those who crawl underneath. The steel bed top that Phil had fabricated was reworked, essentially because it didn’t fit properly, and the locking mechanism was scrapped and replaced with hydraulic rams. Again, down to Phil’s determination that the finish of everything was to be top drawer, he spent hours making nuts, bolts and washers then having them chrome plated.

After Phil and Mick had spent three or four weeks wearing away their fingerprints, Richard Crookes came along and finished the final body prep before spraying it. Richard also painted the chassis. The wiring was another job for which Phil sought the help of a professional, telling us the guy did a great job but was by no means the quickest of workers.

Chinese takeaway

Initial road tests highlighted a couple of issues, the first of which was resolved when Phil ditched the Chineseum Vega steering box in favour of a proper one. Then there was a severe vibration issue, which was traced to the tyres being oval. Phil had them professionally shaved to make them perfectly round and what a difference that made, with the T now cruising at seventy with ease.

The T’s official debut was at the Flames ‘n’ Dice Show early last September, after which it was displayed on the NSRA stand at the NEC Classic Motor Show. Having been completed late in the season means Phil has only clocked up 320 miles in it so far and he’s still chasing a few rattles and squeaks, but nothing serious. There are no current plans to change anything, although it did come up in conversation that Mick has three superchargers in stock. Likewise, Phil has no plans to embark on another build. Unless Caroline sends him another card, of course.

Yet more straight line milling on the front brake backing plates

The 15-inch diameter American Racing rims measure 3½ inches wide at the front and 8½ inches at the rear. Tyres are Firestone F560 and Pro-Trac 50 front and back respectively. Note the radiator shell has been widened to match the enlarged body

“Built using a kit from California Custom Roadsters”

T for Mick

Just like Phil, Mick Tebbs is no stranger to owning a Model T, having previously had a couple –one of which was the Nick Butlerbuilt Doctors Coupe Vitamin T. At that time, Phil was building his second T and it was Mick taking him out in Vitamin T that fired him up to get it finished. By the time he did, however, Mick had sold his, so the two friends missed out on being on the road together in the same type of hot rod.

Fast forward a few years and finding, himself in need of a fresh T in his life, by coincidence Mick was on the verge of buying the ex-Maurice Takoor T-bucket, but the deal fell through.

Ever resolute, Mick continued in his quest and towards the end of 2023, he came across an advert for 28 State Cars in Burscough, Lancs. Billed as importers of prestige American cars and trucks, it was a company Mick had never come across before (and neither had we). That was of no consequence, though, as among the Camaros and Mustangs listed in the advert were a couple of Model T hot rods. Before he’d even finished his cuppa, Mick was heading across the Pennines.

Born in the USA

One of the cars had already been sold, but it was the remaining one that Mick was most interested in. “I hate to use

such a three-letter word, but what they had on offer was a ’23 T built using a kit from California Custom Roadsters,” Mick enthused. “It was complete but not UK registered, and it was in need of a thorough going through. There was nothing majorly wrong with it though, and it was well worth the £15k I paid for it.”

With the T trailered back home and safely ensconced in Mick’s Doncaster workshop, aka Micky T’s Hot Rod Garage, work began on bringing it up to scratch. A new inlet manifold and carb were the first tick on the list of jobs to do, closely followed by changing the rocker covers and air filter to more age-appropriate items. Fresh bling came in the form of replacement headers, together with a replacement grille shell from California Custom Roadsters.

To help achieve the Fad T look Mick was after, the windscreen needed replacing

Gauges are by Stewart Warner, with Mick having updated the speedo by fitting the internals from a cheap aftermarket GPS unit. Richard Crookes enhanced the wooden steering wheel rim by spraying on a bit of chameleon, ultra-fine rainbow flake and lacquer. It’s all in the detail you know

The sumptuous bench seat was trimmed in cream leather in the States, while the carpet has been replaced since Mick bought the car

wheels are

Rear wheels are 15 x 15-inch American Racing 5-spokes with International Wide Street rubber measuring 31x18.50-15.The pinstriping and Super CC and Grumlin graphics were added by Tootall Paul

with one of more epic proportions. After mocking up numerous possibilities, Mick finally achieved the right proportions to fabricate a new frame.

What the T then needed was a hood – and in Mick’s eyes, there was only one option for how that was going to look: it had to be tall and cartoony style. Again, he set about mocking things up and having finalised the design, he fabricated a frame for that too. He did concede to his limitations though and entrusted the fabric trimming to a professional.

Steering straight

In addition to this, Mick did a host of other things to mould the T into his vision of how it should look, and also to improve the driving experience. These included

Although still to hand, the switchgear is hidden away in the seat base

The engine is a 350 small block Chevy fitted with a 400 crank to create a 383 stroker and Mick has fitted a new intake manifold, along with an Edelbrock 1901 AVS carb. Transmission is a 700RA auto’ which has been rebuilt at Mister Gearbox in Sheffield

The coated sprint-style headers fitted in the States were ditched, with Mick switching them for chromed replacements. To achieve more height for the scoop, Mick fitted a 1-inch carb spacer together with a 2-inch air filter riser, secured with polished pike nuts. He mounted and plumbed in the fuel pressure gauge at the same time

Mick fitted a pair of ’36 Ford cowl lights using machined inserts / adapters drilled and tapped to the ‘screen posts. Under the driver’s side light is a Harley Davidson cup holder, ideal for that can of Coke

fitting new springs which raised the rear by 2-inches, improving the rake and increasing ground clearance for the transmission sump pan.

Play in the steering was corrected by rebuilding the reversed Corvair box, fitting

new rose joints and realigning the column mounts. Mick improved things further with a pair of steering stabilisers.

Mick first got the T on the road in early 2025, although it was by no means finished as neither the new windscreen nor the hood

had been sorted by then. That did give him the chance to clock up some road miles, though, and iron out any minor bugs that raised their heads.

“It really is a pleasure to drive,” Mick enthused. “It now looks just like the vision

“It had to be tall and cartoony style”

Brewing Mick’s T

This is the sight that greeted Mick at 28 State Cars. Not quite the car he ultimately wanted, but a great starting point

4. 5.

One of Mick’s first jobs was to remove the T’s straight steering column and Banjo-style wheel…

Imagine how that would look with a much larger windscreen and a seriously tall and raked fabric roof

…which he replaced with a polished tilt column and a unique home-made steering wheel

8.

…and once they had been tweaked to fit, and the necessary bracketry fabricated, it was over to Karl at Quality Chrome for plating

After referencing the CCR website, Mick determined the overall ‘screen height that would work best, as it put the top rail about an inch above his eye line

Mick made use of the two brackets he had left over from the wheelie-bar installation, along with a piece of old propshaft, to fabricate bracketry for mounting the Moon tank

Mick trying out the new steering arrangement for size

Now don’t they look the part?

The ‘screen frame was formed from 20mm ali bar, with mitred corners and a 10mm recess for the glass milled out by John at Custom Component Engineering in Doncaster. The support stays are 11mm stainless bar

Result. Another great-looking piece of work 15.

Mick posing with the T when he first got it home. Note the opening door, an extra spec feature of a California Custom Roadsters (CCR) kit

Keith Freeman kindly supplied the used but serviceable wheelie bars, which Mick mocked up in position…

The first stage of forming a new windscreen frame was to fit a pair of upright ‘screen posts

The Walker radiator and chrome grille shell from CCR were not quite the promised simple fit. It looks the nuts, though, so worth the effort

Unable to find a rear-view mirror to match the peep mirrors he’d bought, Mick made his own from bits and bobs he had kicking around, and then had it chromed 16.

fabricating the

and

There will certainly be no shortage of headroom when the fabric goes over the frame

The roof covering was stitched from cream mohair hooding. The function of the extendable poles is clearly evident in this shot

After careful consideration, Mick had the corners of the wind wing glass radiused with a greater radius on the outside edges

The first part of forming a frame for the roof was to fabricate a wooden hood edge in mahogany…

Again after referencing the CCR website, the trial framework for the cartoon-style roof was mocked up using tubing, lengths of wood and a lot of tape

Mick formed the frame from 22mm steel tubing, with a couple of extendable tent poles to add tension and keep the cover taught. The poles are ali so will polish up nicely, while the framework fittings are polished stainless from a ship’s chandler

The rear roof panel can be unzipped and rolled up for added ventilation, just like the window of a tent. The roof can also be folded down completely

The 9-inch rear axle installation features radius rods, coil overs and the Mick Tebbs added chromed wheelie-bars

The pick-up bed murals are the handiwork of Kev at Nimbus Airbrush Art in Rotherham

of it I had in my head from day one.” In that first year, the T picked up lots of awards at local shows, but for Mick the icing on the cake was being awarded Traders’ Pick at the NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals.

Another highlight came in September when he and Phil had their Ts on show together at Flames ‘n’ Dice in Sunderland. A first after 40 years of friendship for the pair.

Apart from enjoying it as much as possible by driving it as much as possible, Mick has no plans for the T, although we must question what fate awaits the superchargers he has sat on the shelf. That aside, he now has the restoration of the Cherry Pie C-cab to keep him busy, along with numerous other projects on the go in his workshop. It’s easy to keep abreast of what he’s up to on Facebook as Mick regularly posts updates. Just search for Micky T’s Hot Rod Garage.

“Thanks to Phil for the two-way help and enthusiasm in both directions, Darren Archer, Kev at Nimbus, Tootall Paul, Tony Williamson and, of course, special thanks to Helen for her endless support – and for all the teas and coffees delivered to my workshop 150 yards down the garden!”

Phil’s brewed T

Body: Stretched, widened and smoothed out Jago fibreglass bucket, modified pick-up bed, widened rear fenders and radiator shell

Chassis: Home-fabricated box-section steel

Front axle / suspension: Drop tube axle, stainless steel 4-bar location, transverse mono leaf spring, friction shocks

Rear axle /suspension: Chevrolet Corvette IRS with hairpin location

Brakes: Front discs with Wilwood calipers and modified backing plates, Corvette rear discs with internal handbrake drums

Engine: Corvette C4 with twin carbs

Transmission: TH400 automatic with electronic gear selection

Wheels / tyres: 15-inch diameter polished American Racing rims fitted with Firestone and Pro-Trac tyres

Mick’s brewed T

Body: California Custom Roadsters ’23 T fibreglass bucket, with opening door, and pickup bed

Chassis: California Custom Roadsters 2 x 3-inch box section chassis

Front axle / suspension: 5-inch drop tube axle with custom ’37-’41 Ford spindles, multileaf spring, radius rods, twin steering dampers

Rear axle /suspension: Currie 9-inch axle, adjustable coil overs, radius rods, chromed wheelie-bars

Brakes: Front discs with Wilwood single-pot floating calipers, rear drum brakes

Engine: 383 Stroker small block Chevy

Transmission: 700R4 automatic

Wheels / tyres: Front – 16-inch spoked motorcycle rims with Heidenau tyres. Rear – 15inch American Racing 5-spokes with International tyres

“It’s far more than a passing Fad”

T time

The tale of these two Model Ts typifies the bonds that hod rodding can cement when friendships are forged. Neither Mick nor Phil would hesitate to drive an hour and a half over to the other’s house to provide that extra pair of hands or just offer a few words of encouragement. Then there’s the invaluable bonus of being able to bounce ideas off each other and maybe even cheekily adapt an idea or two if it suits their own build.

Mick and Phil trod different paths to achieve the same ultimate goal and the cars that resulted from those journeys are individualistic takes on the same theme. There is no doubt, though, that each car contains a little part of the other builder in its DNA.

Now they can park up side-by-side on a show field, there is no fear of their friendship waning. It’s far more than a passing Fad. CC

Out & About

Event: Spring Nationals

Date: 11-12 April

Venue: Melbourne Raceway, Yorkshire

Word: Jerry Cookson

Pics: ADImages (main pic) & Tog for eurodragster.com

When Straightliners announced that Europe’s coolest altereds, the OSCARs (Old School Classic Altered Racers) where coming to Melbourne Raceway’s Spring Nationals, there was an air of anticipation as to what these cars would do – and how they would handle Yorkshire’s unprepped eighth!

Well, we didn’t have long to wait, despite the English weather having other ideas. Friday was like a day in sunny California but then it took a turn for the worse, with high winds and rain for the two teams to contend with.

But in true old school fashion, both Nick Davies and Bryan Whitfield put on a show, with long smoky burnouts followed by even more smoke and power on two respective passes. Talk about fuel, guts and glory! All three were apparent before they had entered the gates.

With No Quarter, Nick’s ’37 Fiat Topolino, and Bry’s ’31 High Spirits 427ci nitro Dart iron-blocked Austin Bantam fully warmed up, the air of anticipation began to turn into reality as both altereds cackled and shook with seismic proportions. Almost six-sixty style burnouts engulfed the length of the track thanks to the weekend’s flag cracking tail wind.

On the green, both blazed their rear tyres again at the hit of the gas pedal for as long as they dared. With Nick quite literally hanging on to the wheel that once was handled by the legendary Dave Stone of Tee Rat fame, No Quarter stormed to a tractionless 6.863 to Bry’s 8.362. Once the smoke had cleared and the crowd had picked up their jaws, we all had to

Altered images

scrutinise the top-end photographers’ handiwork which revealed that High Spirits had in fact crossed lanes!

The following day’s mid-morning blast saw Nick this time opt for the left lane, just to see what the car’s blown 417ci Donovan, looked after by guru of speed Rob Loaring, can do. And ‘do’ it did as the massive burnouts once again were just as impressive as the passes – 6.345 at 109mph for Nick covering Bryan’s gutsy 6.778 at 104mph. What a way to spend a birthday weekend!

Will they be back? The Melbourne hierarchy certainly hopes so. Thanks, guys, for the entertainment.

“Almostsix-sixtystyleburnouts engulfedthelengthofthetrack”

Live terminal

People react to serious illness in different ways. In Richard Oldfield’s case, he’s racing the waves

Words: Tom Alderney Pics: Alan Kidd

If you were at Race the Waves last year, or Drag the Halls just after Christmas, you’ll have seen Terminal Velocity before. Richard Oldfield and Ste Morecroft’s ’37 Lanchester LA11 Sport is a proper bit of British tin, bought two years ago as an unfinished project and turned into something that’s come to be a lot more than just a car.

Ste, he’s the owner of 5 Speed Automotive Engineering Ltd in Pinxton, near Mansfield.

He does cars and bikes, even EVs, he’s a former Ferrari tech, he likes building Land Rovers everyone says aren’t possible, you get the idea. It’s a proper old-school village garage and no two days are the same.

Richard’s job is more straightforward: just keep going. Cancer, stage four. It’s a battle, obviously. “Not sure which way I’m going yet,” he says.

This is a reference to what you’ll find on the car. “The names on the back are friends

and family who lost their fight with this horrible disease. There’s another group too, friends and family who have got through it.

“My name is in the middle.”

It’s very much a team effort, and when they go out in the car they go out together, but Richard candidly admits that he wasn’t able to do as much on the build as he would have liked. No-one’s holding that against him. It’s the realisation of a life’s dream, at any rate.

“I used to get Custom Car and Street Machine when I was much younger and regularly went to the Doncaster Custom Show at the race course. Then I got into drag racing through friends, with my wife Lesley racing with Rookie Racers.

“Life sort of happened but I always liked the unusual. I’m partial to a 60s’ muscle car, and I do like a British hot rod. Terminal Velocity was our first foray into building one.”

Life’s a beach

It all started at Race the Waves in 2024. “We went to watch. Got hooked, the sights the sound and smell. The atmosphere. We said it wouldn’t it be amazing to do it.”

That led to a look at what was for sale, which in turn led to the Lanchester. Not too far away, so they went to check it out and

next thing you know they’re shaking hands on a deal.

“It wasn’t until we got back to the garage that we realised how much work it needed,” says Richard. “We did start a clock on the hours put in. We stopped counting at 1000…”

What they got was an LA11 whose roof had been chopped by three inches by a previous owner, possibly as far back as the 60s. Richard’s not certain on that but he’s very sure that it was “very unfinished.” The body was attached to the chassis by gravity, for example, and it had no floor or interior. No electrics or propshaft, either. “The car sort of unveiled itself to us during the build,” says Richard; he doesn’t mean it leapt out from behind a bush like a leopard pouncing on an unsuspecting wildebeest, though back in those early days it must have felt like that.

We could point to the B&M shifter, or the OMP steering wheel on the Corsa column, or we could even make a comment about the dip switch being a floor-mounted Land Rover unit and therefore keeping it in the family with the company that now owns the right to the Lanchester name. But instead we’ll just point you to the dashboard, which started life as an old oak-veneered wardrobe

The seats are from a Maxda MX5, and they’re heated – Ste actually wired them up so they work, though with 7.2 litres’ worth of exhaust passing just below the floor you wouldn’t think the cabin would be short of warmth

Talking of the floor, when Ste and Richard bought the Lanchester it didn’t have one. And the body was held to the chassis by its own weight and not a lot else. As you can see here, Ste addressed both these issues; something else you can see is that the original handbrake has been retained

The chassis had been built at around the same time the roof was chopped, using front and rear suspension from a Jaguar S-Type. The sixties one, obviously. The engine was a big-block Mopar 440 six-pack from a Jensen SP, with the A727 Torqueflite auto from the same vehicle bolted to the back of it.

Seize the day

So that gave them something concrete to work with. Or a set of problems to wrestle with, at least. “The engine was seized when we got it, due to being stood for so long,” explains Richard. “We took the heads off, to find a broken head stud and snapped valve. After much soaking with oil down the bores and hitting the pistons with a block of wood, the engine moved. And the bores looked good.”

Thus reassured, Ste gave it new valves and springs, ported and polished the heads, added electronic ignition and topped it off with dual 600cfm four-barrel Edelbrocks. Further upgrades included a Lucas alternator, spin-on oil filter and high-torque starter motor; actually firing it up is a bit of an art, he told us, but once it’s running it runs good. A proper set of fuel lines helps there; whoever first dropped the Mopar lump into it hadn’t thought about that, so Ste ran in a new 10mm set to link the business end to an 81-litre tank in the boot.

Also not really up to the job of handling a 440 was the original radiator. A pressurised cooling system was necessary – but no way did the guys want to lose the top tank, whose cover was stamped by its maker, Coventry Radiator and Presswork Ltd of Canley,

back in June ’37. Step forward Lincolnshire Radiators, who managed to fit in a new rad without touching the grille or top cover; you’d never know it was there and it works a treat. So when you turn the handle (a 7/16” Whitworth spanner) and open the engine cover, the car’s history is looking right up at you – and it’s not obscured by a cloud of steam, which is always a bonus.

Going back to the Torqueflite ‘box, this sends the engine’s power (330bhp when new) to the wheels via a one-off prop made by Wilson Propshafts of Nottingham (“made with nothing but the gearbox output shaft and a lot of measurements, and fitted perfectly first time”) and a factory LSD in the Jag IRS. The suspension around it got a boost to improve its ride, with Protech springs backed up by the same company’s

shocks, the latter featuring adjustable preload and damping for bump and rebound. Up front, shortened Jaguar springs kept it both simple and low, while the brakes were upgraded with vented discs, braided hoses and 4-pot calipers.

Antiques roadshow

We mentioned above that the car had no interior. Ste welded in a new floor and tranny tunnel, mounting a pair of Mazda MX5 seats which, would you believe, are heated. The seats are trimmed in leather, while the rear bench is wrapped in a monochrome Union Jack (mirroring another on the roof). The original Lanchester latches and door locks are mounted on a set of ali door cards, while the gauges are set into a dash made out of an antique wardrobe.

The klaxon is Lanchester original. So too are the headlight shells, though the bodies around them were made up from dog bowls

Rear lights are ’31 Ford. The Lanchester started out on trafficators, so Ste installed a DSS universal loom and indicator switch

It looks whimsical, but the names painted over the Lanchester’s heavy patina are all cancer victims – and when you look at how many more there are on the wrong side of the rear screen, it shows you how far we’ve still got to go in the battle against the disease. Richard fights on, his name in between the two camps beneath that of the vehicle, picked out in finest Iron Maiden style lettering

Also original are the ignition switch and starter button, the klaxon, the handbrake lever and the wiper motor and mechanism. So too are the front side lights, which contain LED internals from Emberton Imperial, and the headlight shells, also now with directional LED bulbs and new glass. The headlight bowls, on the other hand, are stainless steel dog bowls. Wonderful. While we’re talking lights, it’s ’31 Ford on the back. And the dip switch for the headlamps is a floor-mounted unit from an early Land Rover. A DSS universal loom and indicator switch means there’s no longer any need for the trafficators, so their switch now operates an electric cooling fan.

On the outside, we’ve already mentioned the message on the back body that makes this such a personal build. The underside has been protected with Underframe Black from Paintman, while the body is resplendent in the patina given to it by decades of wear. Ste and Richard decided simply to seal it under a generous dose of satin clearcoat.

Closing in

About ready for a test drive, then? After all, by now Race the Waves was getting close.

More fun with Iron Maiden; Lanchester has been owned by Jaguar since 1960, but who needs a pouncing cat when you’ve got Eddie the Head?

“It was horrendous,” says Richard. “The geometry was all out and the bump steer was awful.” Something needed to be done. In true hot rod style, that something involved robbing stuff from whatever parts books were at hand with bits in them that would work. This is where an old-school spanner man with an old-school garage is worth his weight in gold, and the waves beginning to crash on to the beach Ste converted the car’s Jag hubs to rack and pinion steering, using a Mk1 Peugeot GTi rack turned by a Vauxhall Corsa electronic PAS column.

This helped, though now the wheels were fouling on full lock. “We had to trim the inside of the front arches for clearance,’ says Richard. ‘That was the evening before Race the Waves…”

We mentioned test drives, and what little they were able to do was short. At least it didn’t take forever for the issues to present themselves, though. As it is, obviously it went up to Bridlington on a trailer; “the longest drive it had done since we finished it was from the car park to scrutineering…”

The event itself was exactly as you’d expect. “Racers were very welcoming and

The old rad had to go but with heritage like that stamped into it, the top tank cover had to stay. This now has the business end of a pressurised cooling system hidden inside it, courtesy of Lincolnshire Radiators

supportive of our efforts. There were no egos, just people there to race, have fun and entertain the crowd.” Also as you might expect, an exhaust made 60 years ago took a dim view of all this carry on. So Ste’s first job after getting home was to bend up a new one.

Level pegging

But actually, once that first job was done the second, third and so on didn’t really happen. “There were many times we wondered if it would ever be ready in time,” admits Richard. “But since then, other than keeping an eye on levels it’s been fine.

“We’ve taken it to a few local shows since Race and Waves. The furthest was down to Rutland for an evening meet up. That’s the longest run it’s done so far – it managed an impressive 14mpg.”

This year’s Race the Waves is definitely the next plan, though of course Richard has other more pressing concerns too. “We’ve not really immersed ourselves in the hot rod scene as yet,” he says. “Since the race last year, I had more cancer

When you’re calling 14mpg ‘impressive’ (which, to be fair, it is), you’re needing a big tank. There’s an 81-litre job in the boot, with a Holley pump and regulator feeding the engine via upgraded 10mm fuel lines

surgery in September. I have also started immunotherapy, and it’s giving me a kicking.

“I was told the cancer is now spreading. Hopefully the treatment will keep on top of it.”

When you look at those names on the back of the car, you’ll notice that one side has a lot more on it than the other. It’s a stark reminder of how far we’ve still got to go in the battle against cancer; every survivor is a miracle of modern science, but there still aren’t enough of them.

Terminal Velocity is, in Richard’s own words, “a nod to our dark humour.” It’s a way of refusing to be beaten, perhaps, and of refusing to stop enjoying the things that make life fun, even when you’re fighting for life itself.

“Thank you to Paul Garbutt and his team from Race the Waves for having faith in us to get the car finished on time,” says Richard. “And thank you very much to all in Team Terminal Velocity. Without your help and support, I would never have thought about doing this.

“This has been a roller coaster of a journey for me. It’s been emotional. Thank you.” CC

The 440ci Mopar six-pack from a 1971 Jensen Interceptor was already in place when Ste and Richard found the car. Job one was to free it off, as it was seized from being sat for so long, then Ste rebuilt it with new valves and springs, electronic ignition and ported and polished heads. He also added dual 600cfm four-barrel Edelbrocks, a Lucas alternator, spin-on oil filter and high-torque starter motor, as well as 10mm fuel lines to keep the big-block supplied with the good stuff

First time Richard put his foot down in the Lanchester, the exhaust did exactly what you’d expect a 60-year-old exhaust to do. So when they got it back home, Ste bent up a system with exits for the street and the beach

The louvres in the engine cover were added after the fact to help air flow. Remarkably, the 7/16” Whitworth spanner that now opens it wasn’t there from the word go either

Ste (seated) and Richard; the spirit of 1930s’ motoring is safe in these guys’ hands

Most hot rod stories include a list of thanks somewhere along the line. A lot of people played a part in getting the Lanchester on the road and Richard is grateful to every one of them. Here they are, in his own words:

• Ste Morecroft at 5 Speed Automotive Engineering Ltd in Pinxton, for doing the vast majority of making it a working, driving vehicle

• Lincolnshire Radiators for rebuilding the original 1937 radiator for the 440 so it would still fit in the original grille

• Wilson Propshafts of Nottingham, for manufacturing a one-off prop with nothing but the gearbox output shaft and a lot of measurements. Fitted perfectly

• Minilite Wheels, for a one-off set made to spec and colour in just four weeks

• Martin Robeys in Nuneaton, for the Jaguar parts for the brakes upgrade and suspension

• Paintman Paint Ltd in Retford. For supplying the paint used on the inside and underside, and the satin clearcoat aerosols for the outer body

• Protech Suspension, for the built to order rear suspension units at short notice

• Steve Blow for the generous donation of the steering wheel

• Harry for machining bespoke parts

• Eddie for the radiator cap and steering parts

• Chris and Kara for their time in coming down from Middlesbrough to help in the build and painting, and covering the cost of the wheels

• Cat Morecro�, for making the roof infill and Union flag

• Roy Summerfield for all the help

• Lesley Oldfield, for feeding and watering us, keeping us going, grinding in the new valves… and kicking us up the arse when motivation needed an up!

Spu ard’s return lights up FESTIVAL OF POWER

Festival of Power • Santa Pod Raceway • 3-5 April

Words: Olly Sack Pics: Julian Hunt

The 2026 drag racing season is underway and in full swing, with Easter’s Festival of Power providing a weekend of fierce competition in Santa Pod’s first major event of the year. Cars were racing in ten classes, additionally to which there were regular exhibition passes by the usual range of jet vehicles – as well as a couple of top names making licensing runs, with Colin Millar in the cockpit of a top fuel dragster for the first time and John Spuffard making a popular return to the Pod after more than a decade away in the Showtime funny car.

The event also saw American guests David Barton and Scott Libersher racing Copo Camaros in Comp Eliminator, as well as a number of newcomers including Hemel Hempstead’s Ellie Messham, driving the Just4Fun dragster previously raced by her grandmother Liz Malcolm. Regular readers will already know about Jack Petley’s Maliboost Chevelle, too, and this event marked a first public outing for our April ’26 cover car. Having eased himself into it at the start of qualifying, Jack got progressively faster throughout the weekend and made it

all the way through to the semi-finals, where he posted a PB 8.3747 / 162.47 in losing to Andy Bond.

Like Ellie Messham, Michael Dowdy had been crewing at Santa Pod for many years before getting into the hot seat for the first team at the Festival of Power. His son Matt is a well known competitor in Pro ET and would have been racing at the event, but his car was not yet ready following a winter programme of work. Dowdy Sr therefore took the chance to have a go himself, taking part in Sportsman ET aboard his Corvette

Stingray. He qualified fifth, running a PB 15.4430 / 81.81 on a 15.43 index, before a breakout cost him his chance against Eva Huxley in E1. A one-off appearance behind the wheel? Not if he gets his way…

Another PB came for Kevin Kent in the Nitro Funny Car final, a sensational 4.1704 / 293.98 giving him victory over Dale Leeks. Kevin Chapman was back, too, doing observed runs on his return to the floppers. Friday’s pass had him going straight from launch to chutes out, all as required – however in an indication of the strong

Event: Season Opener

Date: 22 March

Venue: Santa Pod

Junior Sprint Car: Dexter Wilson (9.61 / 58)

Six Sixty Car: Sara Unsworth (15.36 / 90)

Event: Spring Nationals

Date: 11-12 April

Venue: Melbourne Raceway

Junior Sprint Car: Dexter Wilson (9.024 / 71.35)

Six Sixty Car: Bob Molden (6.175 / 116.03)

Pro Comp: Mark Flavell (5.238 / 153.00)

NSCC: Ian Walley (6.368 / 118.62)

American Super Stock: Tyler Smith (6.644 / 116.34)

Event: Full Throttle

Date: 13 April

Venue: Elvington Airfield

Mile: Jonathan Kelly (214.155)

1.25 Mile: Jonathan Kelly (219.879)

Last time you saw Jack Petley’s fresh-out

it was looking serene on the cover of our April ’26 issue

Festival of Power Results

Pro ET: Thomas Watkins (8.99) 8.9816 / 149.54 beat Don Scott (9.73) 9.7330 / 136.12 [red]

Super Comp: Charlie Seward 8.9335 / 130.57 beat Stevie Gates 8.9462 / 134.16

Super Gas: Stuart Morrice 9.9050 / 146.72 beat Leigh Morris 9.9596 / 131.71

winds that made life difficult all weekend long, they had brought him to a halt before the finishing line.

The wind was blamed for a number of wayward runs on Sunday, particularly in the back half of the strip, with bike classes brought down to running over an eighth of a mile during the course of the day. The previous day, Thomas Jaworski had posted his fastest ever time on a Pro Mod licensing run – despite weaving wildly to the right and left after a die-straight first quarter. The following day, Jaworski went faster still with a 6.5512 / 220.01 run – the quickest a Polish driver has ever gone.

The biggest talking point at the end of the event came as the result of another wayward moment – and a nasty looking one – when Leigh Morris crashed his Jaguar near the stripe in the Super Gas final, rolling it after getting out of line and narrowly missing the

wall. The good news, and indeed the only news that really matters, is that he was conscious afterwards and able to get out of the car under his own steam, and that after a medical check-up he was released to recuperate at home, having suffered nothing worse than painful bruising.

As a consequence of this incident, however, the remaining four finals were unable to take place. This meant there were no winners in Comp Eliminator, Street Eliminator, Super Pro or Junior Dragster; a disappointment all round but in particular for Ellarose Smallworth, who had reached the Junior Dragster final in her first ever event.

Santa Pod Racers Club regulations are that the finalists in these categories won’t receive points. However the finals will be run next time the divers are entered together at the same event, with trophies and the prize fund still up for grabs.

Sportsman ET: Dan Holloway (12.01) 12.0762 / 114.46 beat Rob Cresswell (14.80) 16.0114 / 72.37 [red]

Pro Modified: Andy Robinson 11.4044 / 61.77 beat Jon Webster

Funny Car: Kevin Kent 4.1704 / 293.98 beat Dale Leeks

Comp Eliminator, Street Eliminator, Super Pro and Junior Dragster finals did not run

Perfect Light Award: Scott Collier

Perfect ET Award: Stevie Gates (8.87) 8.8709

Finish Award: Lola-Belle Kent and Ted Sullivan (0.0023 / 3.09348 inches)

Dylan Riddell RIP

At midday on Sunday Santa Pod fell silent as the staff, marshals and track team paused in tribute of Dylan Riddell. A popular pit runner and member of the marshalling team, Dylan passed away

in January after contracting sepsis at the tragically young age of just 16. A heartbreaking loss to the whole of the drag racing community, he will be very sadly missed.

Tough at the top at SPRINGSPEED NATIONALS

Springspeed Nationals • Santa Pod Raceway • 18-19 April

A fortnight on from the Festival of Power, the Springspeed Nationals provided the season’s second outing for many classes and the first for others - including the various Volkswagen categories. This meant Lily Stevenson was out to defend the title she won as a rookie in VW Sportsman – and to keep up her extraordinary record of never having lost a green light race.

Following a programme of work over the winter that yielded a 10kg weight loss for her Audi TT, Lily had already posted a new PB of 13.44 at the previous weekend’s GTI Spring Fest. And she started well,

dominating qualifying to top the list going into the show, only to come unstuck when Jerry Saddler got the better of her in E2.

VW Pro, meanwhile, saw Ben Mace dominate throughout qualifying before quietly progressing through to the final. And his progress really was quiet, too, because his car is an Audi e-tron. The final was a race too far in the end, with a breakout handing it to Carl Goldsmith’s Beetle, but a sure sign that electric vehicles can compete for pace if not for drama.

Leah Kellett definitely knows how to put on a show and she’s not short of pace either, having won every Super Comp

title since 2019. However the instantly recognisable Dolly Daydream dragster, which also competes in Super Pro ET, is not yet running as smoothly as usual following its winter in the workshop, and a new crop of racers making their debuts in the same class means the pressure is on from all angles. You wouldn’t know to look at her results, though – because after a slow start in qualifying, she roared through to reach a final that was over before it had even begun when Paul Brown jumped the gun.

Leah also put on a good showing in Super Pro ET, posting a new PB of 7.2013 / 183.53 on the way to the semis before

losing out to Tom Atkinson. There was drama earlier on in this class, however, with Steve Saunders giving the wall a glancing blow after a hard launch turned into a hard landing from a big wheelie. That was his event over before it started, however AC Bell managed to get back into action for the eliminations after smoking his engine in a big way. On the plus side, there were new PBs for Peter Walters and Baylee Ashdown, the latter an outstanding 7.98.

In Junior Dragster, the event saw not one but two finals. The first, delayed from Festival of Power, saw Kai Cooper defeat debutant Ellarose Smallwood. Both these

two were beaten early in eliminations this time out, though, as Nieve Deevey won through to win it from Lola-Belle Kent.

Following Leigh Morris’ rollover in the Super Gas final at the Festival of Speed, the same fate befell Stuart Morrice in the semis on this occasion. Having been the winner of that final, he lost out to Dave Fulton, putting his ex Jon Morton Camaro on its roof in the process. Once again, the happy news is that he was able to exit the car under his own steam, the Camaro’s roll structure doing exactly what it was there for. There’s work to be done before it comes out again but the damage is mainly cosmetic.

Pro ET: Freddie Thompson (9.65) 9.6708 / 136.43 beat Stuart Thompson (9.63) 9.6686 / 138.21

Junior Dragster: Nieve Deevey (8.13) 8.1771 / 79.23 beat Lola-Belle Kent (8.09) 8.0857 / 79.37 [red]

Super Pro ET: Charlie Seward (8.88) 8.8438 / 151.08 beat Tom Atkinson (8.48) 8.4104 / 153.61

VW Pro: Carl Goldsmith (11.00) 11.0813 / 115.49 beat Ben Mace (10.91) 10.8740 / 129.10

VW Sportsman: George Miller (14.00) 14.1566 / 96.64 beat Jordan Clark (12.90) 12.7252 / 99.49

Sportsman ET: Peter Walters (12.28) 12.2513 / 108.31 beat Clive Dandridge (12.37) 12.2769 / 107.91

Comp Eliminator: Nic Williams (11.20) 10.6064 / 111.07 beat Spencer Tramm [no car]

Super Gas: Dave Fulton (9.90) 9.8547 / 152.12 beat Jazmine Tunstall (9.90) 9.9685 / 150.55 [red]

Super Comp: Leah Kellett (8.90) 8.8858 / 177.83 beat Paul Brown [no car]

Nostalgia Super Stock: Stuart Thompson (9.50) 9.7119 / 139.87 beat Don Scott [no car]

Outlaw Flat Four: Adam Lowe 10.6753 / 123.11 beat Darren Sheppard 10.6618 / 128.82

Ellarose Smallworth reached the Junior Dragster final on her first ever event – though that event was the Festival of Power. Held at the Springspeeds after being postponed due to Leigh Morris’ accident, the race pitted her against Kai Cooper – whose extra experience helped secure the win

The Gumball T

All good T-buckets should have a name and this outstanding example has gone through a few, starting with Frankenstein…

Just how does someone who has spent a lifetime immersed in the air-cooled VW world turn out what in our opinion is one of the best looking T-buckets built in this country since Eddie Wimble and Nick Butler ruled the roost? The answer is research. Detailed, comprehensive research. And a willingness to give it a go. And not give up.

The end result of all that blew my mind when Phil Davies first showed me some

pictures of his creation. For not only had he clearly got vital things like rake and proportion right, he’d built this magnificent T with no prior experience of chassis construction, glass fibre work, V8 engines or hot rod building. Astounding stuff.

In the course of that conversation, it turned out we’d actually met, more than a decade ago, when I wrote a feature for VolksWorld magazine on one of the many fine Beetles Phil has owned. I didn’t know

at the time that the latent hot rod gene was there, bubbling away, as it hadn’t risen to the surface yet.

Talking with him again for this feature, it’s clear one person in particular had a profound effect on his life, and spurred this car into action. That person was Mike John Lock. From hanging round his garage as a teenager, to forging a friendship that would have lasted their collective lifetimes, had Mike’s not been cruelly cut short by the long-

term after-effects of a near fatal motorcycle accident in 1993, their friendship was an integral part of this car.

T time

“We did everything together; building cars, having fun in cars, talking about cars we wanted to build,” recalls Phil. “Though we spent all our time with Volkswagens, Mike always said he wanted a Pro Street Pop, and I wanted a T-bucket. So, while Mike was still

Friends for life

This photo, taken in the heady summer of 1990, means a great deal to Phil as it perfectly sums up his friendship with Mike Lock. It started when they were both teenagers with a shared passion for Volkswagens and continued until Mike passed away in 2023. “He was just such a cool guy,’ says Phil. “No bullshit, never complained. He’ll always be a part of my life.”

with us, in 2021 I made the decision to swap a ’66 Bug I had at the time for an on-theroad T-bucket. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a bit of a turd.”

The basic components were there: ’glass ’23 T body, chassis, Volvo rear axle, Granada V6 engine, gearbox… They just weren’t necessarily put together in the right order. “I drove the car around for about a month and loved it. So I thought I’d just take the V6 out and drop a V8 in its place…”

And so a Rover V8 and Borg Warner 65 slush ’box was snagged out of a Consul custom to do the swap. Trouble was, the more Phil looked at the car, the more he couldn’t get past certain things. The Viva IFS was at the top of that list. “I knew that had to go, but my mates kept telling me it was never going to be the car I wanted, so eventually just about every part of the Frankenstein T, as I called it, went, and I started again.”

Take a look at the build pics and you’ll see we don’t say that lightly.

“I don’t mind admitting I was a bit intimidated by the idea of building something from scratch at the start, but it’s just patience. You don’t get anything for nothing. I think being a bit on the spectrum helps, too.”

Vital statistics

So, with the help of Mike, and poring over dozens of pictures of T-buckets built in America in the golden era of the late 1960s, Phil plotted out the car’s vital statistics, from wheelbase to rake angle to wheel sizes and relation to certain parts of the body, and chassis design. He then set about mocking it all up in wood. Yes, wood.

The internet and social media played its part too, for where Wimble and co had to scale things up with a ruler from magazine photos and despatch letters to the United States, hopeful of replies, Phil could question people he came across online direct. “There were a couple of guys building cars I liked

and so I contacted them and asked what the wheelbase was, things like that. It seemed that 95 inches was the golden number.”

That gave him a solid place to start, although his personal aesthetic dictated that his T ended up at 96½ inches. “That’s just where it fell. You can’t build a car like this without compromises but, if you just accept all of them, it can end up looking a bit, well, shit, so you have to get the big bits right and then work the smaller bits around them.”

There are countless examples of that methodology all around the car, so we’ll just pick a couple of examples. The steering box is a new Flaming River unit but when Phil sat it on the frame rail to work out the steering geometry, something didn’t look right. It was also in the way of at least one of the exhaust headers, and they all had to sit parallel to each other. So, the chassis was cut and strengthened internally and the steering box recessed into it. Not a lot, but enough.

A repro T-bucket windscreen is available from the likes of Speedway Motors but, exorbitant postage aside, Phil wasn’t entirely

Compared to many T-buckets we’ve seen, the driving position looks surprisingly comfortable. Phil reckons the car’s a blast to drive and takes it out at any opportunity, albeit so far only for local drives around Wales

happy with how they looked. So, he sourced some original brass-era T windscreen posts, cut and modified those, bought £90 worth of tube, made his own frame, had the whole lot chrome plated and then had some glass cut locally to fill the holes.

Oh, and those headers? They’re for a Chevy, not a Rover, so they also had to be modified to fit, and to fit right. “I just wanted the engine to look a little bit more American, so I ground and cleaned up the block and used valve cover adapters as well.”

Team effort

Another good friend, Robert Williams (not that one), proved a godsend when it came to discussing and turning Phil’s ideas for the chassis and various brackets into reality, helping to get everything looking just so.

“This car is a team effort. I built it, but I was like a foreman, if you like, with the ideas. The body was my thing but Rob did the chassis, Tim Williams did the wiring, Paul Davies overhauled the engine and ’box, Italian Jeremy helped out with the steel

Original 1918 Model T headlights have been converted for modern bulbs and the wiring exits modified so the conduits run straight into the chassis rails, where all the car’s wiring is hidden. Shock mounts are modified Ford F-1 pick-up, with Pete ’n’ Jakes shocks

Front wheels are Radir 18-inch 12-spokes in 3.25-18 moped tyres, rears are 8 x 15-inch American Racing Torque Thrusts with 10.0015 Firestone Dragster tyres. All have been aggressively blasted and colour matched to some original magnesium racing mags

Moon Equipment three-eared fuel tank cap makes a neat alternative radiator cap

There are little dedications all over the T to Phil’s best friend, Mike John Lock, who is sadly no longer with us. MJL are obviously his initials, 305 is part of the number plate on his Beetle and he was a big fan of Clint Eastwood

“You can’t build a car like this without some compromises but, if you just accept all of them, it can end up looking a bit, well, shit”

The Build

The basis of every project is a solid foundation. In this case, one made of wood! It’s a neat idea, though, for mocking up initial proportions

Further down the line, finessing the steering box position to account for header clearance, geometry and looks

Glass fibre tubs are absolutely period correct for this kind of Fad T hot rod. As Phil says: “I checked, they were available from 1957”

Great overhead shot of the largely assembled chassis. Note ‘the beast’, as Phil calls the 25mm thick steel centre crossmember / gearbox mount, and the modified Speedway rear hairpins

Even more work went into sorting out the shortened pick-up bed, including making compartments to house the battery and fuel tank

Who doesn’t like a good mock-up? It’s the only way to confirm things like headlight and exhaust position, plus it keeps the spirits up when the challenge is real

Left: All the brassera T parts (with the exception of the original headlights, which came from Tuckett Brothers) were sourced from Speedway, but then aged with some of Phil’s special sauce…

and Mike Morgan helped with a lot of the reference points – where to put the shifter, how to angle the prop, that sort of thing. My head is just full of Volkswagen, I was a bit scared of all that V8 stuff.”

Next stage was to transfer all the ideas in wood into steel. This was the first of three different front spring perches, each one with an inch higher kick-up to refine the rake

Much of the suspension hardware came from Speedway Motors, but Phil made his own front hairpins as the ones available off the shelf weren’t long enough for his liking

This shot gives you some idea of how much work Phil put into strengthening the Pro Laminates ’23 T body. Use of high density pipe lagging for the curved sections is inspired

Then came the arduous job of straightening and prepping it all for paint, all of which Phil did himself in his home garage. He painted it there too, twice 12.

When Phil says he did the body, he did it all, from modifying the original glass fibre tub to strengthening it, prepping it and painting it, twice, in his home garage, first red and then blue. “But then I had this idea

The interior is all handmade, starting with various thicknesses of marine plywood and sheets of foam

Here’s Eyeball Mike adding the pinstripes to the painted chassis. Mike also did all the striping and lettering on the prematurely aged body

of adding a third colour, so I could rub it through and age it a little bit, and I made a right balls up of it. So Andrew at AWL Car Body Repairs in Swansea painted it again for me.”

Phil says he has a thing for late ’60s race cars, so he used those as the inspiration for the interior treatment rather than focusing solely on hot rods of the period. Hence the black diamond stitch, drilled controls and rubber floor mats

10-inch Grant steering wheel was bought second hand so it didn’t stand out as a new piece (it’s also the only size wheel Phil says he can drive the car with), and is adorned with a rather imposing ’57 Chevy hood rocket

Other thanks go to Nathan ‘Hopper’ Davies for the diamond stitched interior, Colin Reay for various machining jobs and Graham Croft, an old friend from Scotland who lives in Seattle these days and helped no end with shipping over the various parts which Phil had sourced from Speedway Motors in Nebraska.

A Pro Laminates 1923 Model T roadster body and shortened pick-up bed entered the mix somewhere along the line, but they were just a starting point for Phil. “I used eight gallons of resin, a 100 x 1m roll of glass fibre mat, a sheet of 7mm steel plate and another of 2mm stainless for the firewall, 18mm marine ply for the floor and a whole load of pipe lagging for the ribs.”

In total, that added 150kg to the body, which made it heavy to lift on and off –thanks go to Gareth Dunce for all the help there – but Phil says it was worth all the work as the car feels solid, with no rattles, out on the road. “And it still feels like it weighs nothing when you put your foot down,” he adds with a grin.

Windscreen frame is homemade and attaches to original Model T ’screen posts. Note the aged pinstriping in the corners of the top section

Getting just the right amount of ‘cush’ in the diamonds around the car took a couple of attempts – and nearly cost Phil an old friendship. “But it’s okay, we’re talking again now,” he says with a smile

The pick-up bed cover is held in place with magnets under the trim, and there’s a second diamond stitched cover under the lid, covering the fuel tank and battery below. Incidentally, If anyone fancies having a go at making a matching diamond stitch cover for the carb scoop, Phil would love to hear from you

The dash is made from a sheet of textured aluminium that came out of an old VW bus, painted black and then sanded through. The gauge panel is steel, inlaid with a piece of Formica from a bungalow built in 1965, and the gauges are by Stewart Warner

To obtain his idea of the perfect profile, Phil determined the body should be channelled four inches over the frame, with a six-inch kick up at the front axle perch; the four and five inch versions he tried first didn’t quite cut it

Fun in the sun

Which brings us to the driving experience: “Because it’s an auto’, it just kind of drives itself. I don’t drive it like an idiot but it sounds the part with the headers, and it’s

a lot of fun. A bit cold, even when the sun’s out, but a whole lot of fun.”

Asked whether he still had another hot rod in him, or if building this one has been enough to scratch the lifelong itch,

“It feels like it weighs nothing when you put your foot down”

Engine is a low compression 3.5-litre Rover V8, stock internally and with a top end freshen up. Phil’s ’Americanisation’ programme included grinding and cleaning up the block, adding an Edelbrock manifold and 500cfm carb, finned small block Ford valve covers on adapters and modified Chevy V8 headers. The gearbox is a bog stock Borg Warner 65 three-speed auto’

Phil – almost guiltily – admitted that he had bought another T-bucket. It looked to be an old Wimble body and chassis, with motorcycle wires on the front, chromed Jag IRS, 10-inch wide Appliance wires with beefy Pos-A-Tractions. “I was going to do another one, but more early ’70s this time, but then woke up one morning and thought, there’s no way I’m getting into this all over again, so I sold it.”

Shame, it was a much better starting point than the Frankenstein T Phil started this one with, and it would have made an awesome pair in the garage, but he’s right when he says none of us are getting any younger and these things take time, as well as borderline

obsessive levels of commitment and sacrifice to complete.

“What I wanted was a late ’60s-style T-bucket that looks like it was built in Burbank, California, and I think I’ve achieved that. It’s my dedication to Mike, and I could never sell it now it’s finished. Cars like this are just so personal, aren’t they?”

Personal, yes, but in this case it’s a bit more than that. Talking with Phil, it’s clear this car is the manifestation of a long-held interest in hot rodding, combined with a deep personal friendship and a desire to create something tangible to bring those things together. And boy, for a first hot rod build, has he ever made a fantastic job of it. CC

Here’s where the majority of the work on the T took place, in Mike’s home garage. It’s comprehensively decorated with artefacts of his motoring life and inspirational images of US T-buckets, mostly culled from the pages of vintage issues of Hot Rod magazine

Wealder dealers Out & About

Event: NSRA Southern Swap Meet

Date: 8 March

Venue: North Weald Airfield

The NSRA Southern Swap Meet returned to North Weald Airfield in Essex on Sunday 8 March. With a record number of pre-booked trading pitches and no rain to speak of included in the weather forecast, the indications were for a very promising day – and it did not disappoint.

Okay, there was dampness in the air early on, but that didn’t materialise into anything more sinister. It wasn’t even as cold as it has been in the past and, true to predictions, the place was heaving. The downside of that for quite a few people was that it was by no means plain sailing to gain access to the site without having to queue.

Those who were there will be aware that the access gate had changed for this year due to the ongoing development of the site. That meant that early on, both sellers and early-arrival buyers had to enter through the same gate. With the

sellers all in, it was then the sheer volume of traffic that caused the issue. The NSRA committee and blue crew did all they could to ease the situation, but it was simply a case of everyone converging on the same place over a very short period of time. The current infrastructure couldn’t cope with the numbers and soon became overwhelmed with the volume of traffic. We understand that the site management is aware of the issue and is working on a new road layout to relieve congestion in the future.

As it was his first event at the helm, we thought it only fair to ask the NSRA’s Trevor Gardiner for his take on the day. “My first swap meet as chairman was a blast. Thanks to the amazing committee and blue crew, it all went well. Unfortunately, we did have a queue, but that shows how popular the event is.

“My time was spent between my own stall and committee work, meeting and chatting to members, and everyone seemed very happy to be there, spending money on parts and food. A big thank you from all the committee to everyone who supported us. We are looking forward to next year already.”

Okay, they may not be immaculate. But with determination and elbow grease, the wide whites on these polished Rocket Racing strike 5-spokes should clean up nicely

of

Although it wasn’t there in the flesh, it’s good to see that the ’52 Humber, Humbersaurus, is still alive and kicking. This piece of UK hot rodding history could be yours for £18k

At the other end of the scale, this ’54 project was far from complete. It did look solid, though, and a good buy for the £6500 asking price

’29 Dodge project offered a start to building something different. UK registered and fitted with a Cadillac Flathead engine, the tubbed panel van looked a good buy for the £15,750 asking price

There was a seemingly endless supply of Pro Street and drag racing wheels and tyres up for grabs. We can only presume a lot of race teams will be hitting the

Sales pitch

The designated cars for sale area offered an eclectic mix. Dare we say something for all tastes? And depths of pockets, of course. Should you be interested in any of them, we can provide contact details.

Possibly the sexiest thing up for sale was this big block Chevy power add-on. The package included a Dyers 8-71 blower, Hilborn EFI and all ancillaries including ECU, wiring loom and fuel pump. Yours for £7500, the same price it was last year

Equally as sexy as the Dyers blower and Hilborn EFI was this pair of spindle-mount 12-spoke mags. They were receiving some very close inspection when we came across them

The asking price for this chromed drop tube axle package was a reasonable £1200. For that, you’d get the axle, hubs, brakes, a transverse leaf spring and shocks

Incomplete ’72 Buick Skylark comes with a US title and had a price tag of £4000, with the seller also offering to swap for something interesting

All-steel chopped and channeled Model A sedan was up for grabs for £24,950

All credit to North Hants Tyres for hauling the massive amount of stock they had on offer at the meet

Show of force

Mark Phillips and Paul Marston were on hand promoting both the Velocity Vintage Drags and No Prep race meets at Manston Raceway Park in Kent

The NSRA allocated a specific show area in the public car park for those arriving in rods, customs, vans, and pick-ups. This was situated adjacent to the pay booth, with the idea being that everyone would get to view the vehicles when they arrived. The area soon filled up, however, and with an unprecedented number of show vehicles turning up, many had to park wherever they could find a space. This is just a snapshot of the vehicles on display

There must be something in Yorkshire water, other than what’s good for brewing a cuppa. It’s an element that makes hot rodders look outside the box and create something unique

PROGRESS REPORT: PART 7

In a previous issue, we mentioned that Steve Cook’s initial plan for the Atlantis was to give the aftermarket wheels he’d bought the look of Detroit Steels. But that was to change at a later date. He had already modified the wheels, sourced a set of 20-inch beauty rings from the States and bought the Baby Moon hubcaps he would need. But co-builder Graham Slater then stuck his oar in and dropped a bombshell: “It would look great with wooden wheels.”

After picking himself up off the floor, Steve started to give the idea some thought. Research revealed that some Chrysler, Oldsmobile and Cadillac models were still equipped with wooden wheels in the 1930s, so they would be in keeping with the era. The decision was taken.

The problem, then, was that wooden spoke wheel trims are not available off the shelf at Halfords (other car accessory shops are available [and they don’t do wooden

wheels either]). No problem, the intrepid duo would make them from scratch.

The starting point came when Graham fished out some staircase spindles left over from a job he’d done, one of which would be the basis for the spokes. A Google search as to how to make wooden spoke wheel trims wasn’t exactly productive, so Steve and Graham had to work things out as they went along. And what a great job they made of it.

The beauty rings were utilised but the Baby Moons made way for a far more British alternative, with the added twist of a unique Atlantis embellishment. This is a case of thinking outside the box at its very best.

To bring things up to date, the engine has now been fired up. But at the time of writing, Steve had yet to drop it into gear. As the brakes needed bleeding, he felt that being able to stop took priority over getting it to move forward. We will bring you one more look at the Atlantis in this series of build-up features, after which you’ll have to wait until

Those paying attention will know that Steve opted for a set of aftermarket Land Rover steel rims. With 60 profile tyres fitted, the overall diameter would be 20-inches…

we feature the finished product – which, as you can imagine, is something we’re more than a little excited about.

…the 9 x 20 inch rims, however, had the wrong offset, so the welds on the centres were ground off and repositioned 50mm inwards then professionally rewelded

With the central hub formed from plastic to provide a 10mm lip for the hubcap mount, a total of 16 spokes were cast in plaster

When the rubber had cured, it was pulled out of the wheel and, once the band was reattached around its perimeter, it formed a reverse mould

The castings were trimmed and smoothed, then sprayed with a 2k base coat in readiness for the woodgraining that would follow

With the initial plan being to create budget Detroit Steel-style rims, smooth steel discs were laser cut and welded in place

With the inside of a wheel covered in masking tape, the central hub and plaster spokes were carefully placed in position, together with wooden triangular wedges…

The starting point for the wooden spoke trims. With the back of the staircase spindle planed flat, a rubber mould was made

…which kept the spokes and a 40mm deep stainless steel band in position, along with saving on the liquid silicone rubber, which was poured in until it completely covered the spokes

Castings were then taken from the mould using a combination of resin and 10mm chopped strand fibreglass matting. A total of six castings were made this way

Steve experimented with painting the spokes in a variety of wood effect finishes before the final choice was made by a majority vote

A trial fitting complete with one of the 20-inch beauty rings and a Jaguar XJ6 hubcap. A further ring needs adding to tie the ends of the spokes to the wheel rim

A plastic template was made to uniformly drill eight holes in the cast hubs, five of which will be decorative while three will secure the trim to the wheel using hex-headed stainless bolts

Wanting to add distinctive centre caps, Steve sourced a cut glass bowl from an antique shop, made a mould from it, cast replicas in resin and then machined a flat recess into the top of each of them

The finishing touch is the Atlantis badges stuck within the recesses of the centre caps. Cleverly, the caps are gravity-weighted at the bottom so they become ‘floating’ and don’t revolve as the wheel turns

“It would look great with wooden wheels”

The backs of the centre caps, into which the cast mix of bolts and bearings would be mounted, were routed out. Note the blue colourant added to the resin

With the final woodgrain effect decided upon, a stainless steel band was screwed into the ends of each of the spokes. The three hex-headed bolts with washers around the hubcap are the ones that secure the wooden spoke effect trim to the wheel

NEXT TIME: Going spare

Auto Focus

SHappy 60th, Santa Pod!

anta Pod Raceway has been at the heart of drag racing in Europe ever since hosting its first ever event on Easter Monday 1966. And with the start of the 2026 season, the celebrations commenced: Santa Pod is 60 years old. That inaugural event was a one-day meeting organised by the British Drag Racing Association. A company, called National Dragways, had been set up to buy land at the WWII Podington airfield and to give drag racing a permanent home in this country. John Bennett was the visible face of the track operators, along with being chairman of the British Hot Rod Association – and editor of the monthly Drag Racing and Hot Rod. It was a frantic rush to get the venue ready for that first ever race. A huge number of home-made plywood boxes were constructed and filled with rubble to form the crash barriers; some of these were still in use into the mid-seventies.

Some of the three-floor control tower did even better than that and is still around, having been moved a few times. These days, it is integrated into the pit-side end of the current tower complex.

Rather unkindly, it rained a fair amount during that day. But the 60-odd competitors got through the programme and a good crowd of spectators were on hand to watch. Harold Bull had the honour of recording the first timed pass in his little Austin dragster, called Stripduster, which was unblown at that time. He took the first of many class wins. Another of the earliest pioneers, Ken Cooper, was also competing in his flathead Mercury slingshot.

with its oddly asymmetric chassis, who would take the very first Top Eliminator win at the new track.

Life, like the cars, was so different back then, and so much simpler. The rule book was still being written in those early beginnings. Keep in mind that only a few short years previously, Sydney Allard was told by the ruling RAC committee that the UK’s first dragster needed front brakes – and a cover over the engine! Confusingly, a car with the class designation D/A was not an altered, but actually an A-class dragster.

The quickest driver at the event, though, with a best of 12.21s in the damp conditions, was none other than Allan Herridge, driving his Cadillac powered dragster. He later broke, however, and it was Tony Densham in the little 1500cc blown Ford Worden dragster,

Left: Harold Bull with three of his sons helping out with Stripduster. Ted in front is pumping up the fuel pressure for the little Austin dragster

Right: Bud Barnes, suited up in the visiting Ultrasonic fuel dragster, which was quickest runner at the Pod in ’66. Partner Bob Gladstone is being interviewed alongside

Most people would not recognise the strip layout, which for the first two years of operation saw the pit area sited behind the start line. This would change for 1968, after a new track arrangement was constructed, which resulted in the start line moving back more that 300 yards.

The year 1966 promised a real step forward with the establishment of a

permanent track. Nobody would have dared think it would be so spectacular, though, following the losses sustained by the previous year’s Drag Fest promoters. Within two months of Santa Pod opening, however, we once again witnessed American machinery coming over to wow us onlookers. There were five of them and for my money the star was a bike rider – but no ordinary rider. EJ Potter, known as the Michigan Mad Man, perched on a bike powered by an injected 327 Chevy V8! With no gearbox, he was tow started and spun the rear tyre up to speed on a stand – before rocking forward and careering wildly up the track in clouds of tyre smoke!

Right: Peter Atkins, in the racing overalls, was the new owner and driver of the ex-works

year for the British Hot Rod Association and would be for the following few years. Today, that weekend is the one in the Pod’s calendar that is not used for racing – and becoming a champion takes rather longer!

There was a full calendar of drag racing and sprint events run at the track during that initial season. My own first experience of the track came a week or two after the Easter meeting, and was not good. With straw bales on the strip, it turned out to be a slalom sprint!

To become a national drag racing champion for 1966 was a one-race deal. August Bank Holiday was the big event of the

In 1966, the dragster division champion was Tony Gane. His unique machine was a rear-engined racer with Moulton bicycle wheels at the front and a 500cc singlecylinder Rudge bike motor hanging out the back! Eliminations were on a handicap basis – and the little car came out as champion. Tony’s team included one Dennis Priddle, who squeezed into the little cockpit to drive the car in 1967… before things got very lively for him in 1968!

The old Mickey Thompson Ford dragster had been left over here following its appearances in 1963 and it re-emerged in the hands of Tony Densham as the Golden Hind. By the following season, it had been fully revised as the Commuter, with Tony setting the pace for others to beat as the sport progressed.

The establishment of Santa Pod brought with it an enthusiastic crowd of followers. Looking back today, the times might possibly be seen as pedestrian in comparison with modern machinery – but the fact is that the developing scene was all new, and the unusual machines created much interest. Top time of 1966 was 8.57, set by visiting US racer Bud Barnes in the Ultrasonic slingshot dragster.

It took time for the home-grown American V8 entries to really shine, given the lack of available tuning parts and the expertise needed to make them fly. It was probably just as well that drag slicks were virtually non-existent back in 1966, given the bumps on the track which created bow waves for drivers when it rained! Meanwhile, the smaller cars with their British motors were punching above their weight, and it made for some interesting battles.

Drag racing was enjoyable in Santa Pod’s first season, which I was lucky to witness a few times in that far-off era. For us race fans today, it is sobering to think that in the Pod’s 60th year, one Top Fuel engine now boasts more power than every car combined that took part in that historic first race!

BRENTACRE

NB: We advise you to double check with organisers that the event or show as listed is still going ahead, to avoid any wasted journeys. To submit an event, email editorial@pistonpublications.co.uk

MAY 2026

9-10 Melbourne Mayhem Melbourne Raceway www.straightliners.events

9-10 Retro Rides Gathering Goodwood Circuit, West Sussex. retroridesevents.com

10 Spring Break Kustom Kulture Show Stonham Barns, Suffolk www.stonhambarns.co.uk

10 Sunday Breakfast Hop Barley Farm, Eccles, Manchester Facebook: Breakfast Hop

10 Victory Wheelers Hayling Reuinion Hayling Island www.facebook.com/groups/ VictoryWheelers

11 Full Throttle Monday Elvington Airfield, West Yorkshire www.straightliners.events

15-17 Doorslammers Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

16 Art of Auto Show Bull Inn, Newborough, Peterborough Instagram: the_art_of_auto

16-17 Bernie’s V8s and Historic Outlaws Thruxton (British Truck Championship). www.berniesv8s.com

16-17 Duchy Ford Show Watergate Bay, Newquay, Cornwall www.duchyfordclub.co.uk

16-17 Motor Madness Festival Great Yarmouth Seafront / Joyland American Diner Facebook: East Coast Pirates Car Club

17 Breakfast with the Reapers Boar Inn, Moddershall, Staffs 07928 214543 / 07976 655636

17 Classic Wheels Rutland Showground, Oakham www.classicwheelsrutland.co.uk

17 Fins ‘n’ Chrome Car Show Gypsy’s Green Stadium, South Shields Facebook: Fins & Chrome

17 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

19 VW Air-Cooled Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

21 Spur Gear Car and Bike Meet The Spur, Slindon, West Sussex Facebook: Spur Gear Car and Bike Meets

22-25 The Main Event Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

24 Great Eastern American, Classic, Vintage, Car, Scooter and Bike Show Lowestoft & Yarmouth RUFC. Paul: 07900 005871

24 Chryslers at Brooklands www.brooklandsmuseum.com

24 Throttle Bicester Motion, Oxon. www.vhra.co.uk

24-25 Cars & Kirmes US Car & Oldtimers Show Germersheim, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany

25 The Hop-Up Westerham Brewery, Westerham, Kent Facebook: Detonators CC

25-31 NSRA Fun Run Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park Isle of Wight. www.nsra.org.uk

29-31 Flat Caps and Ferrets Fire Up Auto Show Phoenix Sports and Social Club, Brinsworth, Rotherham Exhibitors: flatcaps.yas.25@gmail.com Traders: flatcapsNferrets@gmail.com

29-1 June VanJam Fir Tree Farm, Warmington. www.vanditos.co.uk

30 All American Cruise In Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

31 One-Off Custom Show

Rising Sun, Hazel Grove, Stockport Facebook: Rainy City Cruisers

31 The Drink Hot Rod Meet

The Artisan, Tring Facebook: The Drink Hot Rod Meets

JUNE 2026

2 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

3 Hot Rod Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4-7 Hot Rods and Hills Park Foot Holiday Park, Penrith www.parkfootullswater.co.uk

4-7 Street Weekend Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

5-7 Hot Rod Rumble

The Camp, Ramsey, Huntingdon www.hotrodrumble.co.uk

6 Only Fools and Motors

Tydd St Mary, Wisbech, Cambs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

6-7 Bernie’s V8s and Historic Outlaws Brands Hatch (Speedfest) www.berniesv8s.com

6-7 Street Weekend Melbourne Raceway www.straightliners.events

6-7 Wheels Weekender

Bottisham Airfield, Cambridgeshire

Eventbrite: The Wheels Weekender

7 American Truck Nationals

Rose Inn, Shotley, Suffolk. Facebook: American Truck Nationals UK

7 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

8 Full Throttle Monday

Elvington Airfield, West Yorkshire www.straightliners.events

12-14 The Old Race Clairmarais, Pasde-Calais, France. www.theoldrace.com

13-14 Sportsman Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

14 Sunday Breakfast Hop

Barley Farm, Eccles, Manchester Facebook: Breakfast Hop

16 VW Air-Cooled Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

18 Spur Gear Car and Bike Meet

The Spur, Slindon, West Sussex Facebook: Spur Gear Car and Bike Meets

19-20 LA Roadster Show Fairplex, Pomona www.laroadstershow.com

20-21 Argyle Mile Campbletown Airfield, Scotland www.straightliners.events

21 BHP Fuel Fest Westpoint Arena, Exeter, Devon. bhpshows.com

21 Breakfast with the Reapers Boar Inn, Moddershall, Staffs 07928 214543 / 07976 655636

21 Father’s Day Custom & American Show National Motor Museum, Beaulieu. www.beaulieu.co.uk

21 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

21 Rainy City Cruisers Car Meet Old School BBQ Bus, Chadderton, Oldham. Facebook: The Rainy City Cruisers

27 All American Cruise In Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

26-28 Dragstalgia Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26-28 National Hot Rod, Custom, & American Car Show Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln. www.hotrodandcustomshow.co.uk

27-28 Bernie’s V8s and Historic Outlaws Donington Park GP www.berniesv8s.com

28 The Drink Hot Rod Meet The Artisan, Tring Facebook: The Drink Hot Rod Meets

JULY 2026

1 Hot Rod Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

3-4 Hangar Rockin St Stephan Airfield, St Stephan, Switzerland. www.hangarrockin.com

3-5 MPH Vintage Sprint Denethorpe Airfield, Corby. www.mphdrags.co.uk

3-5 V8 Brothers Village Gits, Belgium. www.v8brothers.be

4 Drag’n’Drift Dakota Raceway, Smeatharpe Airfield, Devon. www.straightliners.events

4 Only Fools and Motors Tydd St Mary, Wisbech, Cambs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

4-5 No Guts, No Glory Manston Raceway Park, Kent. www.manstonracewaypark.com

7 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach 9-12 European Street Rod Nationals Sillé-le-Guillaume, Sarthe, France. www.esra-rod.eu

9-12 Goodwood Festival of Speed Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www. goodwood.com

10-12 Summer Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

11-12 Jet Fest Melbourne Raceway. www.straightliners.events

12 Custom Car Show and Carnival Debdale Park, Gorton, Manchester Facebook: Rainy City Cruisers

12 Sunday Breakfast Hop Barley Farm, Eccles, Manchester Facebook: Breakfast Hop

12 Tuckers Americana Eternit Sports and Social Club, Meldreth, Herts Facebook: Tuckers Americana 2026

13 Full Throttle Monday Elvington Airfield, West Yorkshire www.straightliners.events

16 Spur Gear Car and Bike Meet The Spur, Slindon, West Sussex Facebook: Spur Gear Car and Bike Meets

17-19 Rock ‘n’ Ribs Festival Bath and West Showground, Somerset. www.rocknribsfestival.co.uk

18 In the Mood, Presenting Wings & Wheels South Yorkshire Aircraft Museum Doncaster Facebook: Mick Tebbs / Les Andrews

18 Mustang Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

18-19 American Auto Club UK Summer Nationals Upton Upon Severn Worcestershire www.american-auto-club.co.uk

BRENTACRE

18-19 Streetcar Nationals

Manston Raceway Park, Kent www.manstonracewaypark.com

19 Breakfast with the Reapers Boar Inn, Moddershall, Staffs 07928 214543 / 07976 655636

19 Deuce Day British Motor Museum, Gaydon www.deucesofbritain.co.uk/deuce-day

19 Ford Show Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

19 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

19 VHRA Swap Meet The Camp, Ramsey, Cambs. www.vhra.co.uk

21 VW Air-Cooled Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

24-26 Bug Jam Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

24-26 National Street Car Challenge Car Show Grange Park Sports Club, Wetherby, West Yorks www.nscc.info

24-26 Weekend of Wheels Moor Green, Nottingham www.coffeencarsuk.club

25 All American Cruise In Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

25-26 Bernie’s V8s and Historic Outlaws Snetterton USA 300 www.berniesv8s.com

26 Bristol American Car Show Keynsham Rugby Club. Facebook: The Bristol American Car Show

10 Full Throttle Monday Elvington Airfield, West Yorkshire www.straightliners.events

14-16 Steel City Cruisers Rod Run Hooton Lodge Farm, Rotherham www.hootonlodge.co.uk

15 Drag’n’Drift Dakota Raceway, Smeatharpe Airfield, Devon. www.straightliners.events

15 Innit to Winnit Bull’s Head, Herstmonceux, East Sussex. www.bullsheadborehamstreet.com

16 Breakfast with the Reapers Boar Inn, Moddershall, Staffs 07928 214543 / 07976 655636

26 Newbury American Auto Jumble Woodside Farm, Newbury. Facebook: Newbury American Auto Jumble

28 The Drink Hot Rod Meet The Artisan, Tring Facebook: The Drink Hot Rod Meets

26 USA Snetterton 300 Snetterton Circuit, Norwich. www.snetterton.co.uk

AUGUST 2026

1 Only Fools and Motors Tydd St Mary, Wisbech, Cambs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

2 Rally of the Giants. Stonor Park, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire www.stonor.com

4 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

5 Hot Rod Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

6-9 NSRA Hot Rod Supernationals Old Warden, Bedfordshire www.nsra.org.uk

7-9 Mopar Euro Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

7-9 Retrofestival Newbury Showground. www.retrofestival.co.uk

8-9 Midsummer Nationals Melbourne Raceway www.straightliners.events

9 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

16 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

18 VW Air-Cooled Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

22 Bernie’s V8s and Historic Outlaws Oulton Park US Autoshow www.berniesv8s.com

22-23 Greenlight Nationals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

23 Ford Fair Silverstone Circuit www.fordfair.co.uk

28-31 Hot Rod Hop Scald End Farm, Thurleigh, Beds Facebook: Cannibals Car Club – UK

29 All American Cruise In Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

29-30 Bank Holiday Weekend Manston Raceway Park, Kent www.manstonracewaypark.com

31 Kuckle Busters at the Barns Stonham Barns, Stowmarket, Suffolk www.stonhambarns.co.uk

31 V8 Hotrods pre-72 gathering The Cross Keys, Redgrave, Suffolk Facebook: V8 Hotrods

SEPTEMBER 2026

1 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

2 Hot Rod Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

4-6 The Trip Out Euston Park, Suffolk. www.thetripout.co.uk

5 Only Fools and Motors Tydd St Mary, Wisbech, Cambs Facebook: Only Fools and Motors

17-20 Isle of Man Festival of Motoring www.iomfm.com

17-20 Speed and Wheelies Week Elvington Airfield, West Yorkshire www.straightliners.events

18-20 Hot Rod Drags Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

19-20 Bernie’s V8s and Historic Outlaws Brands Hatch GP www.berniesv8s.com

20 American Car Show Stonham Barns, Stowmaket, Suffolk ww.stonhambarns.co.uk

5-6 Bracket Bonanza Melbourne Raceway. www.straightliners.events

6 A602’s Autorama Fairlands Valley Showground, Stevenage. Facebook: A602’s CC Autorama Show

6 Flames ‘n’ Dice Car Show Wearmouth Colliery Welfare, Sunderland. donna.wilkinson14@ virginmedia.com / 07970 669909

10-13 Euro Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

10-13 Race the Waves Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire. www.backfireinfo.weebly.com

11-13 Goodwood Revival Goodwood Estate, West Sussex. www.goodwood.com

12-13 Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races Pendine, Carmarthenshire. www.vhra.co.uk

13 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

13 Top of the Pops 2 Industry and Supply, Northamptonshire Facebook: Industry and Supply

15 VW Air-Cooled Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

20 Breakfast with the Reapers Boar Inn, Moddershall, Staffs 07928 214543 / 07976 655636

20 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

25-27 National Finals Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

26 All American Cruise In Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

26 Drag’n’Drift Dakota Raceway, Smeatharpe Airfield, Devon. www.straightliners.events

26-27 Sywell Classic: Pistons and Props Sywell Aerodrome, Northants www.sywellclassic.co.uk

27 American, Rod and Custom Show Fort Paull, Hull. yancs1@yahoo.co.uk

OCTOBER 2026

3-4 Firework Finale Melbourne Raceway. www.straightliners.events

4 Victory Wheelers Hayling Sunset Hayling Island. www.facebook. com/groups/VictoryWheelers

5 Full Throttle Monday Elvington Airfield, West Yorkshire www.straightliners.events

6 Hayling Hot Rods at the Beach. Hayling Island Seafront, Hampshire. Facebook: Hayling Hotrods at the Beach

7 Hot Rod Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

10-11 King of the South Manston Raceway Park, Kent www.manstonracewaypark.com

11 King of the South 1/4-mile RWYB. Manston Raceway Park, Kent. Web: 4bk00h-0u.myshopify.com

11 Restoration Show and Spares Market Stoneleigh Park, Warwickshire. restoration-show.co.uk

18 Breakfast with the Reapers Boar Inn, Moddershall, Staffs 07928 214543 / 07976 655636

18 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey

18 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk

20 VW Air-Cooled Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

25 Newbury American Auto Jumble Woodside Farm, Newbury. Facebook: Newbury American Auto Jumble

25 Straightliners Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

31 All American Cruise In Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com

31 Flame and Thunder Santa Pod Raceway. www.santapod.co.uk

31 Whitby Kustom West Cliff School, Whitby. Facebook: Paul Kustom

31-1 Nov Halloween Fancy Dress Special Manston Raceway Park, Kent www.manstonracewaypark.com

Ford Model T Fire Truck to Spain

This 1925 Ford Fire Truck (Model T) is in the guise of a New York fire truck and represents a fascinating piece of social history.

Shipping from the UK to Santander, Spain

The vehicle was also used in Disney’s 2019 blockbuster feature film, ‘Dumbo’.