California Dreamboat

For 63-year-old Stuart Holmes, his fascination for unusual American cars began back in his childhood. “I built up a huge collection of toy cars made by Corgi, Dinky, Matchbox and Spot On,” he recalls. “All these once-famous manufacturers made scaled-down American cars that to me looked just like their full-sized cousins.” The radical US styling and attention to detail also caught Stuart’s eye and he still keeps his prized collection in a safe place to this day.

As we grow up, the idea of owning not just a scaled-down model, but the real thing, can sometimes become a reality. For Stuart, that goal was achieved when he found himself in a position to buy a ’72 Mustang convertible. “It was a beautiful car and I really enjoyed driving it,”