BUILDING A SHOW STOPPER
Expert advice from the mind of Gary Martin
Do you think it’s become harder to please everyone in the scene?
I think the classic Ford community has an eclectic mix, with both old and young generations appreciating different qualities. To me, the saying ‘If it looks right, it is right’ has stood the test of time and it’s still the same things that make a stunning build; attention to detail, be it a standard car or race/rally car.
Has the scene changed to make it more difficult to build a show car?
The biggest change I’ve seen that makes it harder is there’s a new generation that never had parents tinkering with cars, so skills like metal shaping are a dying art. That said, I think media and TV shows are inspiring the new generation and what happened out on the streets in the 1950s to 1980s is now happening onTV.
How do you take on any big project car for a customer?
The cars are built from the ground up, so the start for me are the wheels; first sizes, then ride height and next what the customer wants to do with the car. A lot of people think the fabrication costs are the biggest part of a build, but they’re not. A Clubman Group 4 project can have its fab work done for less than a good respray.
Do these crazy builds still excite you?
When a customer says ‘I want big wheels, big arches and lots of swaged holes’ then I get a buzz. It’s the enthusiasm to create. It’s bad for business because I’ll spend hours creating something from mind, to paper, to steel and then patterns through failures to the finished part.
So these big show-stopper builds aren’t easy still?
It’s what I enjoy doing. Lawless is a classic example of this; hours on the string computer working out wishbone pick-ups, and that’s after lots of drawing time. But I’m happy staying up until 2 am scribbling out angles and radius movements; it’s why I do it.
What would you say to someone aiming to build a show-stopper?
There’s a bit of advice that’s stood the test of time: work out a budget, double it, and then double it again. That will happen if you don’t have a clear idea of what every last bit will be. Recently, a car I was working on evolved and it went from one engine and gearbox to another that’s tripled the cost of those components.
Do you always need a big budget?
You don’t need to spend a fortune to get the perfect car, you just need to know what that is. A weekend fun toy? Keep it simple and it won’t be a five-year project. And spend wisely: chassis first, then engine, as the latter is a bolt-in part and a clean 100 bhp Pinto looks the same as a race 2.4-litre Pinto.
And what’s the key to a show winner?
If you build a stunning chassis, the expensive bit (the engine) can be added over the years, but it all starts with the bits between the Tarmac and bodyshell. Get that right, and you’ll have a stunning and enjoyable, usable car. And one more bit of advice: to be a show winner, you need to be at the show.