Echoing Max & Paddies thoughts on this, I think the classic mini breaks the mold when it comes to classic car appeal. People love it now for much of the same reasons they loved it back when it was in production, because it's fun, different, quirky etc, it's not all about heritage and nostalgia in the way that it is with most classics.
Minis aside, as for the future of classics in general, I do wonder. Many of us in our 40's tend to be mad about classics because they were the kind of cars that our Dads drove back in the 70's. If I'm honest, I'm not convinced that's going to continue on the same sort of scale through future generations. Admittedly there's the fairly widespread appeal of the more modern old skool Fords & V-Dubs, but I don't see a huge amount of enthusiasm amongst those in their teens and twenties for the 90's family saloons that their parents drove twenty years ago. Maybe that will change over time, or maybe people just arent going to look back on those cars with the same sense of nostalgia and sentimentality.
The Slow Death Of Classics?
Started by
Yams
, Dec 02 2014 02:22 PM
20 replies to this topic
#16
AVV IT
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Posted 03 December 2014 - 01:44 PM
#17
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Posted 03 December 2014 - 02:25 PM
I am not sure there has ever been a time when significant numbers of young people have been particularly interested in classic cars. There have always been a few and in recent years I have personally known people in their 20s owning - an MGB, an Austin Healey 3000, A Jaguar XKS and a TVR.
I think there is a perception that young people two or three decades ago would have wanted these types of car much more but the reality is that they were newer cars then and more affordable second hand. Interestingly the newer generations of classic car owners I have known are design professionals who are looking for something stylistically distinctive and it is fair to say there has been little produced in this category in Britain for quite a few years. The new MINI is a rare example.
It is also significant that most British classics are sports cars and the interest may have faded for several possible reasons. Roads have gradually become more cluttered. The performance does not compare favourably with ordinary modern cars. The decline of high street shopping has meant a greater need for in-car capacity though car-based shopping is also beginning to change. With the “loads-of-money” generation of the 80/90s the aspiration was for a Porsche, leaving the British cars less desirable.
There is no doubt that the quality of British cars did go into decline but I think one of the greatest failures was not to recognise the significance of design quality. In the 70s VW was a failing company. Their most brilliant idea was to commission Giugiaro to design a whole new range. The Golf became the car to have especially in GTi form. VW is now the biggest car manufacturer in the world. Peugeot had Pininfarina as its consultant and the cars of the 80s and 90s are legendary.
Stupidly British Leyland in the 60s had exclusivity of Pininfarina outside Italy but lorry manufacturer Lord Stokes only saw that as an unnecessary expense. Leonardo Fioravanti, who was Pininfarina’s most talented designer and creator of the Dino 246 and 308 GTB, had worked alongside Issigonis on some projects.
British Leyland also employed Michelotti. There were also some talented designers working within British companies - Issigonis obviously, Malcolm Sayer for Jaguar and David Bache for Rover. However the newly recruited Austin Drawing Office team came out with some real horrors (Marina, Allegro, TR7, Princess).
A true British classic is now likely to be of an age that makes it rare and unaffordable for young buyers. Only the Mini was able to see off the upstarts and remain in production until quite recently, making it plentiful and affordable (for the time being).
John Parnell (author of ‘Original Mini Cooper and Cooper S’) writing in the December issue of CooperWorld makes an interesting observation that in 26 years of buying and restoring Minis he has noticed very recently that adverts now talk about investing rather than buying. His short article was focused on John Cooper ’S’ conversions, particularly the RSPs, “the nearest things to the Cooper S of 1964-71, offering the same level of power and performance”, which makes me feel quite smug.
The problem for the very young is that these are very expensive to insure.
Edited by minidizzy, 03 December 2014 - 11:39 PM.
#18
Montytom
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Posted 04 December 2014 - 01:40 PM
Not quite mines the v6 a British engine.I think classic cars have pockets-ie on the Isle of Wight you see loads of them.
Me personally I use my Rover 75 as a classic on a classic policy even though its a 99 on a V plate.
When I have the space in the hopefully near future Id like a Mini (even if i dont have the space a mini could fit somewhere)
Also maybe a Rover P6 as a daily driver.
We need to be proud of what we have built rather than be sheep and buy the latest German tat(in my opinion)
The British car industry is currently very successful and back to 1970's production levels......its just that most of it is now foreign owned and run more efficiently with investment in development of new models.
Don't a lot of Rover 75's have latest 'German tat' under the bonnet?
All design work was complete before BMW took on rover and the only things that BMW made rover change was the sunroof and it has a zt axle arrangement.
Still thourally british
#19
mab01uk
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Posted 04 December 2014 - 07:47 PM
Not quite mines the v6 a British engine.
I think classic cars have pockets-ie on the Isle of Wight you see loads of them.
Me personally I use my Rover 75 as a classic on a classic policy even though its a 99 on a V plate.
When I have the space in the hopefully near future Id like a Mini (even if i dont have the space a mini could fit somewhere)
Also maybe a Rover P6 as a daily driver.
We need to be proud of what we have built rather than be sheep and buy the latest German tat(in my opinion)
The British car industry is currently very successful and back to 1970's production levels......its just that most of it is now foreign owned and run more efficiently with investment in development of new models.
Don't a lot of Rover 75's have latest 'German tat' under the bonnet?
All design work was complete before BMW took on rover and the only things that BMW made rover change was the sunroof and it has a zt axle arrangement.
Still thourally british
Sounds similar to most people thinking the original 2001-2006 R50 & R53 MINI's were designed by BMW, when actually most of it was designed and tested at Longbridge & Gaydon by Rover engineers with BMW funding the project.
Former Rover Engineer on the new MINI Development
"A Former engineer is furious at BMW's claims that Rover had no involvement in the New Mini. It was, he claims, a very British affair........."
More:-
http://www.theminifo...1997/?p=1297947
Edited by mab01uk, 04 December 2014 - 07:49 PM.
#20
Tamworthbay
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Posted 04 December 2014 - 08:04 PM
The manufacturing process is what will kill modern cars, not the lack of interest. The amount of electronics will make almost any twenty year old car impossible to maintain. My mate is an electronics engineer and designer and pulls his hair out at his wife's Peugeot. If he can't keep one on the road without hassle what chance have we got? Add to that VWs announcement that future chassis will be developed range wide and made of a riveted steel/ aluminium subchassis with lengthening panels where needed and different upper structures the the chance of being able to repair/ restore one will be about zero. One or two may survive but even cars that were on sale ten years ago are virtually unseen on our roads now.
#21
tomgale
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Posted 12 December 2014 - 12:43 AM
I dont think the mini is completely unique, my girlfriend loves her minor, and we're both 20. in sixth form I knew a guy with an MGB, it were lovely. so I think a decent amount of classic owners are fairly young. I'd love to see a breakdown of the age of owners of classics vs regular cars
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