Classic American – February 2019

… To all our readers, subscribers and advertisers! As 2019 rolls into town, one can’t help wondering what it will mean for the American car community here in the UK and elsewhere. The good news is crude oil prices are at an all-time low, which should have translated into a 17p drop at the pumps, but has actually only translated into a 9p drop*… Funny how that works when it’s that way round: a drop in crude prices never seems to be accurately reflected; however, a rise is usually reflected immediately and in full on forecourts overnight!

More challenging for UK-based businesses bringing in American vehicles and parts is the continuing slide of the pound against the dollar. It’s a situation which is out of their hands and which can only result in higher prices.

Lucky for us then, that relatively speaking – compared to modern European or Japanese cars’ spares – those spares, service parts and even the vehicles themselves are such good value for money. God Bless America!

This issue we salute the cars which took part in last year’s Car of the Year competition; some you may already have seen in previous issues, such as Diego Presenza’s 1963 Ford Falcon and the actual winning car, Gary Sanders’ 1957 Dodge Custom Royal. In a way it’s a fantastic reflection of what Car of the Year and the magazine itself is all about: reflecting the diversity, excellence and excitement of American cars of every era and type, something we’ll aim to keep on doing on these pages in the coming year!