WELCOME...

... to the October issue of Classic American. I write this on the last day of August, always a bit of a sad time as it heralds the end of summer and the start of autumn, which for many of us marks the end of car show season. It’s certainly been a frenetic one this year, with almost all events back to full capacity and people really enjoying being out and about again. Even record fuel prices haven’t put people off and now that electricity and gas prices are about to go through the roof, there’s almost a ‘last days of Rome’ feel to driving an American vehicle with a big thirsty V8 – enjoy it while you can, because sometimes it feels like they’ll to be coming to take it off you!

Recently I had my first holiday in the US after an absence of four years (I’ve written about it in Behind the Wheel on page 55). It’s amazing how things have changed over there in terms of what people drive now, compared with when I first visited in the 70s and 80s. In many ways, it’s extraordinary how few classic Americans are actually still on the road stateside, when you think how many were built and how – relatively speaking – easy and inexpensive it is to run a classic over there, especially in hotter, drier states on the West Coast.

Of course, like here, classic American vehicles in the US are mostly just used for high days and holidays. Gone are the days when, as an exchange student in North Carolina walking to high school, I would pass several classics parked on the street that were still in daily use… So, if you’re planning on laying up your American vehicle over the winter, just remember there can still be some fine days’ driving in autumn, so get out there and enjoy it while you can!