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Automotive American

Global Stories of Transport, Culture & Engineering

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Rescuing a Ford Cortina Part 9

Automotive American ·

2025/11/15

After getting the Brake Master Cylinder in shape next up was the Clutch Master Cylinder. This is also a Girling unit but obviously smaller due to the duty required. After a clean, the seals were also replaced in this unit. This one had a lot more spring pressure which made it a little more tricky […]The post Rescuing a Ford Cortina Part 9 appeared first on Automotive American.

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2024 Kia Stonic GT-Line S MHEV DCT — Mild Hybrid...

Automotive American ·

2025/11/13

Having recently purchased a used Kia Stonic GT-Line S and being very impressed, I thought I’d share the details! The 2024 Kia Stonic GT-Line S with 7-speed DCT — Kia’s flagship small SUV with mild-hybrid refinement. The flagship of the Stonic range The 2024 Kia Stonic GT-Line S DCT is the top-of-the-range version of […] The post 2024 Kia Stonic GT-Line S MHEV DCT — Mild Hybrid Smoothness Meets Top-Spec Style appeared first on Automotive American.

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Lightening a Model A Flywheel

Automotive American ·

2025/11/11

As anyone who knows about Model A Fords will know is that the weight of the flywheel is huge by modern standards. My flywheel originally looked as per the above photo and weighed in at around 65 pounds. My friend Austen at Ozcraft accepted the challenge of lightening the flywheel to a reasonable weight. The […] The post Lightening a Model A Flywheel appeared first on Automotive American.

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A chamfer for Sunday – Richard Herriott @Driven to Write

Automotive American ·

2025/11/09

There are three things you can do with an intersection of two distinct surfaces. One is a really sharp edge like two edges of a box. The second is a smooth blend — cars are covered with them. The third is the chamfer. That’s where a distinctly separate surface in the form of a strip […] The post A chamfer for Sunday – Richard Herriott @Driven to Write appeared first on Automotive American.

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Rescuing a Ford Cortina Part 8

Automotive American ·

2025/11/07

In the last post you saw the completion of the work on the front brake calipers, now we’ll turn to the brake master cylinder. As you can the cylinder wasn’t in great shape after being laid up for such a long time. After a good clean as seen previously the seals were then replaced after […]The post Rescuing a Ford Cortina Part 8 appeared first on Automotive American.

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Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 7

Automotive American ·

2025/11/05

Continuing our work on getting the long forgotten Cortina back on the road led to Simon joining the Ford Cortina Mk2 and 1600e Owners Club which was very helpful as they have a good quality reliable supply of parts. Buying parts from a good club such as this is a good way to ensure that […] The post Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 7 appeared first on Automotive American.

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🚗 NEC Classic Motor Show 2025: Britain’s Biggest...

Automotive American ·

2025/10/17

Every November, the halls of Birmingham’s NEC transform into a paradise for petrolheads — and 2025 promises to be the biggest and boldest yet. The Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show returns from 7–9 November, bringing together thousands of vehicles, hundreds of clubs, and a community united by chrome, carburettors, and nostalgia. 🏁 A Show Like […]The post 🚗 NEC Classic Motor Show 2025: Britain’s Biggest Celebration of Motoring History appeared first on Automotive American.

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🏁 The Lotus Carlton: Britain’s Unapologetic Super Saloon

Automotive American ·

2025/10/15

In the early 1990s, while BMW and Mercedes were refining their executive saloons, Britain unleashed something far more rebellious: the Lotus Carlton. It wasn’t just fast — it was outrageous. A four-door family car that could outrun Ferraris, terrify tabloids, and redefine what a saloon could be. 🔧 Born from Boldness The Lotus Carlton started […] The post 🏁 The Lotus Carlton: Britain’s Unapologetic Super Saloon appeared first on Automotive American.

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Ford Celebrates 75 Years of Making Patrol Vehicles –...

Automotive American ·

2025/10/02

This year, Ford is celebrating 75 years of making police patrol vehicles. But the legacy of Fords being used by law enforcement agencies stretches much farther back than 1950. Since the earliest days of the automobile, law enforcement agencies have been using the machines for police operations. Shortly after the Model T was released in 1908, […]The post Ford Celebrates 75 Years of Making Patrol Vehicles – David Griffith @PoliceMag.com appeared first on Automotive American.

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Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S — The Early-2000s Grand...

Automotive American ·

2025/09/30

When people talk about the modern classics of Aston Martin, few names stir the soul quite like the V12 Vanquish. Built at Newport Pagnell from 2001 to 2007, it represented a bridge between Aston’s traditional hand-built past and a new era of technology and performance. The ultimate evolution of this car arrived in 2004 at […] The post Aston Martin V12 Vanquish S — The Early-2000s Grand Tourer appeared first on Automotive American.

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Prowler Anybody?

Automotive American ·

2025/09/28

For sale on Hemmings.com 1997 Plymouth Prowler Convertible ”Some things are so uniquely American they become part of our culture fabric; blue jeans, cowboy boots, our love affair with the automobile. Perhaps few cars embody this love affair better than the Hot Rod. Built in garages and basements across the nation, they prowled the strips […] The post Prowler Anybody? appeared first on Automotive American.

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The End of an Icon: A Chronological History of the...

Automotive American ·

2025/09/26

From its debut in the late 1980s to its final model year in 2025, the Subaru Legacy left a lasting mark in automotive history. 1. Birth of the Legacy (1988-1990) The first generation Legacy appeared in 1989 (worldwide sales began in 1990). The design was fresh and bold for Subaru, targeting the midsize sedan market.. […]The post The End of an Icon: A Chronological History of the Subaru Legacy appeared first on Automotive American.

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In Memoriam: Sergei Sikorsky 1925-2025 – @LockheedMartin

Automotive American ·

2025/09/23

Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, is saddened to learn of the passing of Sergei I. Sikorsky on Sept. 18 at the age of 100. Our deepest condolences go to his wife, Elena. A proud military veteran, Sergei served our country during World War II, in the United States Coast Guard, assigned to the Helicopter Development […] The post In Memoriam: Sergei Sikorsky 1925-2025 – @LockheedMartin appeared first on Automotive American.

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Shed Racing’s Kurtis Kraft Midget First Outing

Automotive American ·

2025/09/18

You may remember my article from last year when I visited Shed Racing and saw the beginnings of Ivan’s restoration of his midgets. The article on the Bugatti midget was published in Charlie Yapp’s Secrets Magazine. You can find the it here On the back burner at the time was Ivan’s rare Offy powered Kurtis […]The post Shed Racing’s Kurtis Kraft Midget First Outing appeared first on Automotive American.

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Bad News for the Model A Ford Community

Automotive American ·

2025/09/12

Long time Model A parts house Bratton’s announce closure. Statement from Jeff Kichline below Store Closing I wanted to reach out to the community at large and share some sad news. After almost 50 years in the business Bratton’s Antique Auto Parts has decided to close their retail operations. There were multiple factors involved in […]The post Bad News for the Model A Ford Community appeared first on Automotive American.

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Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 6

Automotive American ·

2025/09/10

Time for blast off! As you will remember from the last post the brake calipers weren’t looking the best after 30 years off the road. Luckily for me, my friend Austen at Ozcraft has all the blasting equipment you’d ever need. So after finishing of in the vapour blaster things were looking so much better […] The post Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 6 appeared first on Automotive American.

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Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 5

Automotive American ·

2025/09/06

Further work on the Cortina Brake master cylinder piston being unseized using a combination of a grease gun and compressed air The brake calipers were removed, initially stripped and found to be seized (no surprise!) Progress being made on the seized caliper pistons, messy job with grease and compressed air! Looking to get the units […] The post Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 5 appeared first on Automotive American.

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The U.S. and Europe plan to “accept and provide...

Automotive American ·

2025/09/04

This decision should reduce regulatory barriers but raises concerns from safety advocates like the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), who argue that EU standards are higher, particularly for safety features like pedestrian detection and lane-keeping assistance, and that a mutual recognition deal could lead to more dangerous vehicles on European roads. The agreement comes as the U.S. seeks […] The post The U.S. and Europe plan to “accept and provide mutual recognition to each

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Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 4

Automotive American ·

2025/09/02

Next up was the cooling system, the car got a little hot after idling for a while on the initial start-up The thermostat and housing were completely plugged, something like Radweld or Bar’s Leaks is suspected to the cause, plus the 30 year lay up of course. Next up for inspection was the water pump, […] The post Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 4 appeared first on Automotive American.

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Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 3

Automotive American ·

2025/08/31

Further work on the Cortina, time to take a look at the hydraulics As you have seen previously and again above, the brake fluid has become a solid. The brake and clutch master cylinders were removed and the clutch slave cylinder was lubricated as it’s seized in place. After a clean up of the exterior […]The post Rescuing a 1970 Ford Cortina Part 3 appeared first on Automotive American.

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