MEET THE CONTRIBUTOR
In the first of a new regular section, Classic American reveals the writers and photographers creating the features you enjoy…
When I became a freelance writer in 2010 following a background in journalism, radio presentation and local TV it was Classic American magazine I was especially keen to write for. My first ever memory involves American cars – an uncle visiting in his circa 1973 LTD Country Squire and me running my tiny hand along the wood side trim. Apparently I was about 10 months old.
A neighbour owned two late Sixties Cadillac limousines. They took up four spaces outside her house and her son and I would play with our Hot Wheels cars on the enormous back seat. Years later another neighbour had a gold 1978 Seville and a white 1960 Sedan deVille his wife drove daily. I’d walk the long way home just to see them. A kid at school somehow had access to the new Matchbox cars pre-release and, naturally, the American ones such as the ’83 Corvette, Lincoln Continental and ’57 Thunderbird were my favourites.
I had a large collection of models – and still do. Add to that Seventies car chase movies such as Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry, Gumball Rally and Carquake that I taped on our new VHS recorder – along with all those car-related TV shows like Fall Guy, CHiPs, Dukes and Knight Rider
– and I was exposed to a massive amount of American car culture. Most Classic American readers can likely relate…
My interest heightened when I realised older American cars were often styled for one year only, making precise identification between, say, a ’56 and a ’57 Dodge extremely easy. I couldn’t do that with a Morris Minor. The American cars just looked and sounded better than anything else around and my passion for them has never left me. I’m lucky to have built an enjoyable career involving classic cars. It’s impossible to pick a favourite, but I’d certainly find space for a 1961 Coupe deVille or ’59 Electra!