Classic car mechanic’s weekly motoring – Americana

‘In the corner of the workshop, Olli Ragbin sits watching events unfold before him’

This week Shrimp-eye Justin has been off to the Bagshot classic car gathering whilst I have somehow managed to get myself over to the US of A. The need for workshop rags is a global one and in these times of mobile working and the Gig economy, who am I to stand in the way of the juggernaut of progress. By coincidence both Bagshot and LA lasered-in on American iron, so our blog this week has a distinct Yankee flavour to it.

America is a fascinating place. It’s exactly like the UK, except for one small point - it’s different in every measurable way. Other than that, indistinguishable.

Clearly my eye is taken by the automotive contrast and a contrast it is. So, before we land on this week’s photo’s, let’s have a quick roll-call of US car and motorbike observations;

The general masses like vanilla cars. Design in the last few years has been disappointing with only moments of clarity and wonder. The disappointments come from generic Japanese/American mainstream cars which live in an echo chamber of homogeneity. If you up-scaled a jelly mould, gave it wheels and painted it silver, you’d be there or there abouts.

Bigger is better. Ever been in Chevy Escalade? Good Lord. That thing is the size of a small county, looks impressive and luxurious from the outside but has that ‘Toyota Camry’ flavour inside. They doubled-down on the blackness of the paint and skimped on the quality of the damping. For what has to be a 3-tonne car, the crashy ride is bordering on unforgivable

Electric has landed. Well, in LA at least. Many a Tesla can be spotted silently drifting in the streets, virtue-signalling to the Petrolista

When the Americans do classics, they do them exceptionally well. Whilst California may not be a bellwether for the genre as a whole, the examples I saw whilst out walking with slack-jawed wonder, were broad and choice in thexir nature and preserved in a way that only ‘hot and sunny’ weather can. It’s a kind climate for a classic and the average American classic owner has really very good taste.

Petrol still rules. Sit at a bar on any interchange and before long you’ll hear a V8’s throttle being mashed to the floor or a large-capacity (and un-silenced) Harley being gassed away from the lights

Petrol is cheap. But inconsistently so. Gas prices can vary by 25% from stations across the road from each other with no seeming difference in customer popularity. I simply don’t understand this

Whilst petrol is cheap, everything else (and I do mean everything) is expensive. The $10 loaf of bread is alive and kicking and in demand

It’s not clear what the differences are between UK and US classic owners however, the commonalities are numerous. Be a bit different, appreciation of genuine style and design, willingness to be a little bit of an interesting square peg in a world of increasingly generic circular holes.

Classic owners plough their own furrow. Long may it be so.

And so to this week’s photos.

Christopher Lee admires his new whip

This guy was pulled over for having a number plate in the wrong position. Too close to the machine gun apparently

Can somebody get him a dock leaf?

A leather upholstered park bench sits up front in a car longer than Idaho. Ye-hah

LA class #1 - gotta love the prequel to the S-class

LA class #2 - shark-nosed 6

3 lovely fords and Bryan 'the shin'. Our man is unafraid of a pocket

A Lister XJS complete with naca ducts and swollen arches. (Soothing lotion available)

I absolutely love this LandCruiser. Battered and sun-weathered paint. 15 inch alloys and balloon tyres. Perfect. Just perfect

A $4m house and this is what is parked on the drive. Who says the Americans don't have a sense of humour. I reckon it's electric...

There's something disturbing about this photo. I can't quite put my finger on it but I have a sneaky suspicion that a crime is about to be committed....

Back in Blighty and the Porsche has again taken up residence at CCM. Yet more fettling before winter hibernation and the slow (and expensive) march toward obsessive perfection continues.

Have a good week all and go steady. It's a wild world out there.

Olli