Are classic cars doomed?

exactly. I am against MOT exempt. Of course most Classics are well cared for and rarely get driven,but rubber parts do perish. I have had my Cortina fail on rot,although I could have driven it like so,but no thanks. Hopefully,the fresh metal that I have welded in will get it a pass

As an owner of a classic car (now 43 years old), trust me its an achievement to get to 40 years. I would welcome a tighter definition of “classic car”, I don’t think 25 year old Rover 200s are classic (but I guess some people do). We don’t need loads of them left, there will always be a few that actually make it to 40 though.

Are there any cars which WERE popular (or at least, semi-regular not rare/exotic/one offs from the day they were born) and are now extinct?

The example I always think of is the Scirocco Mk1, when did you last see one of these? I had one, and it was weird trying to get parts. I was in the club/forum and literally about 5 of us exchanged parts which were more and more worn out/broken, they were so rare there wasn’t really any hope of getting some bits. I just did a search now and there’s 1 1980 Scirocco Storm, and none 1981-1983. Look for a GLi and fortunately there’s 43 of them left.

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Don’t see much difference between any poverty spec front wheel drive regardless.
I usually start with the premise front engine rear wheel drive and go from there.4 cylinder so so but wouldn’t bother trying to save one.
6 cylinder is much more in the ball park.
8 cylinder better.
12 cylinder it doesn’t get better than that although no chance of easy to work on and fix pushrod design.
The parts situation, no doubt control freak legislation and massive maintenance and fuel costs will probably be the end of the scene sooner rather than later.
The younger generations seem to have swallowed the public transport and bicycle narrative so that ‘developing countries’ can now have western living standards.
Glad I’m 65 but wish I was 85.

It makes you wonder what if any of today’s ICE cars will be classics in the future after the ICE ban! BEV’s certainly won’t be.

What will even happen to the legacy auto industry after 2030/5 Because they won’t be around for very much longer as we know them today. They haven’t a hope in hell of competing wiuth the Chinese EV manufacturers tariffs are not.

The ECJ is already looking at ways to kill off Euro 5 & Euro 6 emission standards testing to replace it with RDE (Real Driving Emissions) sooner rather than later.

“The European Court of Justice (ECJ) is looking at whether emission tests should no longer be limited to laboratory tests. However, vehicles with the Euro-5 and Euro-6 (pre-Euro-6d-temp) emissions standards were only developed for emission tests on the test bench, not for tests under real conditions. When measured on the road (Real Driving Emissions, RDE for short), these vehicles do not comply with the pollution values.”

What does any of that have to do with classic cars.With the exception of the few marques like Mercedes which have relatively better factory product support.
The fuel cost issue alone followed by parts and maintenance is enough to put any of the worthwhile classics beyond use for anyone who isn’t rich and a waste of cash if they are.
To the point now where I’m thinking what’s the point of going to a classic car show driving a couple of years old VW Touran.It defeats the object.
But might replace it with an approved used big engined hybrid late JLR Discovery or Range Rover if can find insurance, doubtful.
There is a lot of money tied up in the classic car scene and the inevitable coming crash will create total havoc for the banks and with it the economy.

that is a sales ban,not a ban from using them

each generation deems a Classic when they were 10 years old…so,someone who was born in 1990 would remember their parents owning a Rover 200 and might be drawn to restoring one

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Yeah that’s what I meant. They will still be around for decades to come but at what price to run them?

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Well if they implement DRE how many petrol stations will say sod this for a game of soldiers & close down because they make begger all selling the stuff…

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Sales ban of new from 2030.Tightening quotas on new sales before that.
Absolutely nothing to do with the existing fleet of used and classics.
But effectively numerous other issues as described putting classics beyond use. Including my own sorned example the gas axe and crusher and furnace seeming the only viable future for it.That’s even without further inevitable legislation like mileage rationing being applied to it.

We all will have to pitch in on an oil drilling machine :grin:

Clientearth has been busy on that front again too. The laws have been changing with Clientearth’s recent high court win again in July 24 against the UK government.
All drilling licences & fossil fuel projects now have to access all the emissions downstream that will result from burning the oil, gas & coal to keep in line with NetZero.

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Paris Agreement is about keeping “efforts to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels”…over centuries the earth has experienced climate change way before the ICE engine. There has been 5 mass extinctions on this earth. Volcanoes spew ou loads of emissions that might be causing high levels of carbon

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I see where you’re coming from. I guess, the cars I consider “classic” (for example Mk1 Golf, due to my age) is just ‘old’ in someone else’s eyes. Fair enough.

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Kinda proves my point, that only the exceptional can make it to 40 years old. Many dream of having a classic car, some even waste money on a garden ornament.

How about a photo of your Jaguar, coz we all love Jags. Got anything else interesting?

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Well Carryfast, don’t tell us you’ve misplaced it.

We all know where SDU is, but no need to put the photos upside down, mate.

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