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I
t was a beautifully sunny morning on Wednesday,
December 6 — one that was far too nice to spend
stuck inside the comfortably air-conditioned office.
So I snuck out to photograph Herb’s Ford Ranchero
for this issue’s Daily Grind feature. The photos
were easy — just parked the thing up in a nice
Central Auckland car park, fired the camera a few
times, got a few shots that would work fine, and that
was that. A half-arsed shoot if ever there was one!
I’m a slow writer, so, to get the information about
the car, I figured I’d record a chat rather than try to
keep up with a conversation, and Herb suggested
grabbing a coffee — sweet as. Naturally, we took the
Ranchero.
There’s nothing quite like being in something like
that in the middle of the starched-collar big smoke;
disinterested, side-eye types in their air-conditioned
and power-assisted bubbles turned their heads a full
90 degrees — OK, maybe 45 degrees — to get more
of an eyeful of the grumbling, gleaming assault to
every form of straight-laced civilian sensibility.
The Ranchero didn’t need a big supercharger
through the bonnet, or steamroller-sized rear tyres,
or a $40K paint job to stand out — it just did. I
reckon that’s awesome. We love these cars because
of what they are — survivors from a time when
vehicles were as much forms of art as they were
transport appliances.
I’ve made this the subject of editorials before,
and I’ll say it again. In this era of easy access to
aftermarket parts and the latest modifying trends, it’s
easy to lose sight of the forest for the trees — a car
doesn’t need 1000hp, or 20x15-inch rear wheels,
or an Art Morrison chassis, or whatever, to be cool.
Sometimes, being cool to begin with is enough.
That’s something that definitely applies in this case.
Herb’s Ranchero is entirely stock to look at; it’s got
period-correct Magnum 500 wheels, a roller-cam
351 Cleveland under the bonnet, and an AOD
overdriven auto transmission.
It is a reliable and kinda practical daily-driver, and
it sounds like one hell of a muscle car. There is
nothing to compare with the sound of a cammed
and carburetted pushrod V8, especially when the
exhaust system contains a minimal number of
mufflers, and more especially when its soundtrack is
reverberating through places where ‘stiff upper lip’
isn’t just a saying but a way of life.
Cars like these are cool, and, when it comes
to building or buying a car, I reckon the most
important thing is to make sure it’s what you want
— not what everyone else wants. I’d much rather
have something that can be driven and enjoyed
anywhere, any time — even if it never makes it
into a magazine — than a tricked out showstopper
full of compromises to garner the approval of
people I don’t even know. How’s that for a lovely
Christmas message?
Have a good one, and make sure it’s a safe one.
Connal
[email protected]
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bench seat
SOME MUNTER’S 15 MINUTES OF FAME