Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Custom Car

The 2025 British Drag Racing Hall of Fame Gala Awards Dinner took place in November at the Oatlands Park Hotel in Weybridge, Surrey. Five new members of the HoF were inducted, and the 2025 Stuart Bradbury Junior Drag Racing Awards were presented. Special guests attending the event included Hugh Chambers, CEO of MotorsportUK, and his wife Elisabeth, and from America, Doug and Mimi Herbert and their daughter Carly. A pre-dinner drinks reception was hosted by Santa Pod Raceway, the occasion marked with a static display of historic Top Fuel Bikes: The Hobbit of John Hobbs, the Ian Messenger/Derek Chinn Pegasus and the late TC Christenson’s Hogslayer from America. The three bikes were provided courtesy of the National Motorcycle Museum. www.britishdragracinghof.co.uk 2025 inductees A: Jon Webster, racer and racecar constructor, and…

This issue of CC hits the shelves just before the shortest day of the year. So what could be more cheerful than a look back to the Summer Nationals, when the weather was… oh. The teams came from far and wide to do battle in 12 different categories. And do battle they did, with qualifying complete and one early elimination round knocked over by the end of play on Saturday. But then along came Sunday. Or Rainday, it would better have been called. The wet stuff started coming down literally seconds before racing was due to begin, and once it was set in it just kept coming. There was a brief moment of hope later in the morning as the clouds seemed to be clearing away and the endlessly patient…

What kind of cars has Mike Hale owned? It would be easier to say what he hasn’t. Classic Fords, air-cooled VWs, Yanks, bikes – literally anything with a motor in it, if it’s interesting he’s probably had one. He’s more than just a punter with impressively wide-ranging automotive tastes, too. Mike actually ran an air-cooled restoration shop for a number of years – and those skills were to come in handy on his latest project. “This 1950 Buick Super came up for sale on a lesser-known Facebook page in February ’24,” he tells me. “It was in Hornchurch but was something silly like a couple hundred quid, so I went to look at it. It wasn’t in great shape but appeared to be all there and the owner had a…

It’s fair to say that Pete Dewson’s story with this truck is one of highs and lows. Let’s just say there’s a reason why the custom paint colour is referred to as Phoenix Aquamarine. But we’ll come to that in a moment. “I purchased my pick-up in late 2018, after dreaming of owning a 1955 GMC truck for a number of years,” Pete recalls. Why a ’55 GMC in particular? “It’s the GMC front end. That’s what I wanted. And it had to be a ’55, not a ’56 or a ’57.” The difference is negligible but there is a difference, and Pete was adamant. “I’ve got the truck I always wanted now, it’s just not the truck I bought!” What Pete was looking for was a stock truck he…

PROGRESS REPORT: PART 3 Following on from the front splash apron being formed, this time around we take a look at the front wings, running boards, roof and faux spare wheel carrier on the Jaguar Atlantis currently taking shape in the hands of Steve Cook and Graham Slater. As usual, forming them involved polystyrene sheet, spray-on polyurethane foam and unbelievable amounts of dust. Steve did reveal some of his tips of the trade, all designed to simplify the process as much as possible. If a process as involved as this can be simplified, that is. When creating finishing edges on the window apertures, Steve and Graham made good use of UPVC window trims as utilised in the majority of UK houses. Once cut to length, they were heated with a…

Event: Flame and Thunder Show Date: 25 October 2025 Venue: Santa Pod Santa Pod will celebrate its 60th anniversary next year. The hallowed quarter mile has seen every kind of weather in that time, and the last couple of years have been particularly rainy ones – but there can’t have been many events when it’s been as downright cold as it was for the Flame and Thunder Show on the last weekend of October. It was cold and it was wet, too, with rain showers coming down on and off throughout the day to interrupt the fun. But so what, because what fun it was, with a stellar array of cars on the track and no end of cool stuff to check out around the pits and show areas. Oh,…

With thanks to: Thornton Manor Country Estate (thorntonmanor.co.uk) for the photoshoot location “Welding previously done on the body was not up to scratch” It is often said that your teenage years are the most formative, and that is certainly true when it comes to a young Brian Crawford. In 1970, aged just 14, he spotted a Ford Mustang in a local car sales showroom. Its alloy wheels were wrapped in eye-catching white lettered tyres and Brian was instantly smitten. He visited that showroom after school every day just to stand and stare at the car – until, much to his dismay, a couple of weeks later it disappeared. That brief encounter had, however, been enough to germinate the automotive seed that was implanted in his psyche. And a year or…

The 2025 Pendine Sands Hot Rod Races proved that the sun does shine on the righteous… and that even for the righteous, good things come to those who wait. The weekend of 20-21 September was a wet one across most of the country – but over there on the Carmarthenshire coast, they copped the very worst of it. The result was that Saturday was a complete wash-out. Not a wheel was turned in anger… though plenty were in frustration. Not to worry, though, everyone who had gathered in Pendine village still headed down to the Sands themselves to hang out, admire the cars and get wet. Well, a beach full of hot rods won’t make the rain go away but it’ll make it a lot more fun. And you know…

Ihave to say, the Rømø Motor Festival was an incredible event – but then my heart sank as I joined the M25 and my GPS said “90 min delay” as I contemplated a few weeks navigating pot-holed British roads, endless speed checks, a couple of mega hills and, of course, rain. First stop was Santa Pod Raceway for the 37th annual Hot Rod Drags, presented by the National Street Rod Association UK. I was there to provide the tow car for Nick Davies’ ‘No Quarter’ AA/Fuel Altered, with the Stromberg demonstrator ’55 Pontiac wagon we featured in last month’s issue of CC. Thankfully, Big Poncho performed flawlessly as it did for my whole 5000-mile trip. No so much Lil’ Shitter. My first race was against Maz Woolfall in her 350…

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 DECEMBER 2025 21 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey 27 All American Cruise In Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 27 Cold Turkey Run Cromer, Norfolk, Facebook: Bod Here JANUARY 2026 4 New Year Autojumble. Whitewebbs Museum of Transport, Enfield. www.whitewebbsmuseum.co.uk 7 Hot Rod Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 18 Huddersfield Auto/Retro Jumble Brook Street, Huddersfield. www.phoenixfairs.jimdo.com 18 Krispy Kreme Cruise Krispy Kreme, Shannon Corner, New Malden. Facebook: Krispy Kreme Cruise Surrey 25 ‘Normous Newark Autojumble Newark Showground, Newark, Notts. www.newarkautojumble.co.uk 20 VW Air-Cooled Night Ace Café, London. www.acecafe.com 31 All American Cruise In…