Classic American Magazine 338 June 2019 Back Issue

…The electric car revolution that is. Is it happening? Is it here yet? Listening to the news and what industry pundits and commentators are constantly saying, you’d think it was literally happening now.

And indeed, when I stop at aservice area and see banks of Tesla chargers in the car park (and I’m not talking one or two, but dozens) it certainly seems to be on the horizon, or around the corner… or something. And yet, all these chargers are strangely deserted. It isn’t here yet; it hasn’t happened and electric cars still seem to be a bit of a pipe dream. The outcry for more and more to be done about carbon emissions gets louder by the day, whether it be Extinction Rebellion protests or Greta Thurnberg addressing the United Nations, or our own Parliament. All of this brings us to how we, as American car owners, square our hobby, pastime – love even, whatever you want to call it, with a growing antithesis to cars and particularly ones with internal combustion engines and thirsty ones at that.

I for one don’t feel guilty (should I?). My cars are 50/55 years old and as such represent the ultimate in make-do-and-mend driving – everyone knows that the amount of resources that go into building a new car easily outstrips any environmental ‘benefits’ that a newer, cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicle might offer. My cars might not be as fuel-efficient as a modern EV or more fuel-efficient ICE vehicle (Internal Combustion Engine!) but they’ve lasted five times the lifespan of your typical vehicle. Now, surely that’s efficiency in action?!

This month’s magazine includes a supplement celebrating probably the American car scene’s most popular classic, the evergreen Ford Mustang. Love it or hate it, there’s no denying the car’s popularity and relevance today – I hope you enjoy our paean to Ford’s pony car.