LOCALLY BUILT V8 FORDS

[Firenza GT]

Thanks for that Gavin I'll give him a call. I have some photo's we took on the way up and it looks like the exact car. It did'nt have the standard rims already then and seems like they may have flared it a touch as you see there. The thing overheated cruising at about 160 km/h through the Karoo which is more or less where the cam starts to work. It had two open pipes and made a noise which was still ringing in our ears a day later. My friend drove with me as I told him to save on an air ticket and share the driving. He drove for 100 km and said no more as he was'nt used to this raw noisy car.

Think thew price was 16 000 Rand. My friend had paid 15 000 so he made 1 000 rand and the thrill of when he had it for a while.

If the same car it took us 18 hours from sleeping on the side of the road to 200 km/h cruising at times when it was cooler.

Was my most stressfull trip ever on that route, most tiring but most memorable. Tank range varied from aproximately 200 km to 350 max at reasonable cruise speed.

When we got to Pretoria we went to that famous roadhouse there Daan mentioned as we heard that's where things happened. Just to check out the scene. As expected guys looked at us skeef with a foreign number plate out of town V8 thinking we were there to dice.

[CanAm302]

I thought that car was yellow Lino - or am I thinking of another one?

[zahistorics]

I think the yellow car you are thinking of is Gerhard's car - Lino met him in Joburg may years ago - it's the car in the video in What started your interest in muscle cars? thread.

[CanAm302]

Ahh yes, that's the one.

Lino - have you got back in touch with him - I'm assuming that's a 'recent' video.

Will have to see if that video I made is still around and small enough to fit on the forum.

[zahistorics]

Seth, I met Gerhard in May 2007, that's when I made the video. Lino has chatted to him on the phone since.

Looks like we need new thread for the videos.

[Firenza GT]

Just a correction here, Gerhard is my Cape Town V8 fanatic friend that has not time for Ford's. This Can Am in the pics above which Gavin posted if the same car as I drove up to Pretoria, Gerhard had a hand in that too. He went with our friend that bought it from upcountry and the two of them brought it to cape Town on a trailer behind a Fairmont GT.

Gerhard is presently busy with this drag car project.

Progress can be seen here:
http://www.ctv8club.co.za/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=339

About this Can Am I drove to Pretoria, this mate of ours also had another Can Am but they had a slightly hotted 350 in it with a 2 speed Powerglide. We then compared the two and in every way we tried even swopping Drivers the 302 could not match the 350 engined Can Am at least in acceleration. Then the day before I drove that 302 up to Pretoria myself and my brother went to go fetch the Can Am with our Capri Perana. My brother at the time in the Army was not too familiar with these cars as he did'nt own his Can Am at that stage yet. He drove the Can Am and I said to him he should hit the pedal after he sees the Capri begin accelerating. Only a small jump ahead I got then he passed me when I was going to third and the Can Am had just gone to second. That's just another comparison.

The friend Seth and John are speaking about is Dawie from Pretoria. This is his yellow Can Am. Dawie and myself (leaning againsti car)

[CanAm302]

Hi Lino

That's right, it's all staring to turn the lights back on in the brain again now This stuff we talked about probably 7/8 years ago - WOW - that's an eye opener - see how time flies!!!

The red car there - is that a CanAm or Firenza? I don't think we've got details of that one for the register either. That one has also got the front spoiler that I've seen on a few, including one of the historics. Dosen't look bad and would be a good assett for the CanAm (circuit car) due to its 'wing like' design to create lift(the car that is). Are they available new?

The little antennae on the roof seems to be a common add-on too.

[Firenza GT]

Yes that is a real Can Am flared before Dawie bought it if I remember correctly. When I first saw the car at Tarlton Drags in 1980 parked it was already flared and had chrome sidepipes.

He first had another massive spoiler on it and tells me the joke was that it was such that created the impression the car had a vacum cleaner pose as it went out far forward. And that he worked for "Pretoria Carpets" which was just a joke. He changed that to another which he adapted to the car as you see there which is more or less as the car is now still.

The antenna you are so right as I have seen it on so many other Can Am's almost as if it was a dealer accesory. One of ours also had it which is on my brother's Firenza GT now. The one that Gavin posed on this thread also has one as does the one that races in local classics here.

[Firenza GT]

Sorry was refering to the yellow Can Am. No the red one was a 2,5 fitted with a V8. They are now busy with a serious project there. No that's not a Can Am or rather lets say a rare V8 "Vauxhall" !

Remember I said the term "Can Am" has become as common as a basic food source call "Mieleipap" here. Even 2,5 coupe's are being refered to as Can Am's !

[zahistorics]

Oops sorry - yes I meant Dawie - my brain is too full of stuff right now

That nice picture of Dawie's car shows that it hasn't changed much in all theses years, it still looks like that.