‘PEACE AND LOVE’

This was the sign-off of long-time Classic American contributor and Mopar EuroNats organiser Tony Oksien, who recently passed away. That vaguely ‘hippy-esque’ language was so typical of a man who was far more of a multi-dimensional character than the two-dimensional ‘petrolhead’ you’d imagine. Over the years I’ve dealt with Tony regarding the Mopar EuroNats and just as the magazine supported the event as a sponsor, Tony too supported Classic American and was a loyal and valued contributor to the title. His passing leaves a big hole in the American car scene in this country, particularly the Mopar community, where he had carved out a niche as being a bit of an expert (understatement of the year; in a way he was like the UK’s equivalent of the American Mopar guru, Galen Govier) and had even set up his own valuation service TOVA. I first crossed paths with Tony shortly after starting work on Classic American. I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and not the jaded, somewhat cynical hack I have since become. As such, I learned a valuable lesson from Tony when he contacted me about a feature I had written on a certain Mopar. I had taken the owner’s word on everything about the car. Big mistake. It was in fact a clone, something Tony was able to explain to me in a non-patronising and helpful way. It was a valuable lesson and one I’m grateful he taught me, as I have on many occasions since discovered that there are plenty of car owners who are misinformed about their vehicles – although that in itself can be a bit of a challenge: no one wants to hear that their big-block R/T Charger actually started off life with a slant-six motor and is in actual fact a clone…