Classic American Magazine 336 April 2019 Vorige editie

It seems seismic shifts are currently taking place in the UK car industry; Brexit has played its part in this, but so too has the changing face of the global car industry and also the recent free trade deal between Japan and the EU which effectively negates the need to manufacture in the UK as an inroad to European markets. Donald Trump’s sabre rattling about slapping tariffs on European cars sold in the US (i.e. German cars) presented the rather startling – tantalising even – prospect of American-built cars making their way to European shores in larger numbers, should he have his way…

However, they might not be American cars in the sense we know them. BMW, Honda and many other Japanese manufacturers have plants in the US and not that long ago American-built Hondas were on sale here in the UK (primarily Accord Coupes and estates).

Would one consider those American? What about Mexican-built Dodge Calibers – or Jeep Renegades, which are built in Italy? It’s a funny old world, in terms of what we might call an American car. Is it a car built in the US? Is it an American brand? Brands such as Cadillac and Buick are going gangbusters in China where they are manufactured and sold, but would we consider these American? Probably not...

No danger of any lines being blurred in this month’s Classic American; we’re celebrating Detroit’s halcyon days with pure American metal in the shape of such hallowed nameplates as Galaxie, Charger and Lincoln. And American automotive legends don’t get any bigger than John DeLorean, whose life we celebrate starting this month in an exclusive serialisation. Enjoy!