Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

There's no hard and fast rules as to what is, or is not, a classic anyway, but based on their enthusiastic following, what modernish cars are set to be hailed as classics in future??

Obvious sporting jobs spring to mind, such as:

Honda S2000
Mazda MX5
Audi TT
BMW M3

but what bog-standard, run-of-the-mill, cars will be collected in future? Austin 1100s, Ford Pops, Hillman Minxes and Vauxhall Victors are collected now but were nothing more than bog standard cars in their day, to be seen in their thousands up and down the country. Will any boring modern also find their way into becoming collectable?

BMW Mini? well its stylish in its own way, but with its trendy-ness soon pass? same goes for the modern Beetle, S-Type Jag etc etc

Are cars popular with the young tuner liable to be collected one day, I'm thinking Saxos, Corsas and the like???? the 'hot' ones might be, but what future for the plodding 1.1s and (shudder) diesel economy jobs?

I can't think of any 1990s-2000s saloon that will light the fire in the belly of future enthusiasts - will anyone give a stuff for Rover 600s or 800s, Vauxhall Vectras, Honda Accords, Peugeot 405s, Mitsubishi Galants and so on??? I doubt it, or will I be proved wrong in years to come....perhaps faceless far-eastern saloons will be preserved and nurtured in years to come along with other merit-less cars from Europe, the US and the rest, in the same way that we cherish old Minors and Crestas now?

Perhaps the sheer complexity of modern cars will render their survival into 'classic-ness' deeply unlikely, or will a whole new support industry sprout up, enabling people with outmoded ECUs and other black box trickery to get their circuitry re-juvenated?

Can anyone suggest any modern cars, other than performance and sporty versions of boring cars, that might/should be collected in future??

Rick.

[Rivet_101]

I drive a 100E; utterly commonplace and bog standard in their time. But now it has all those sweet "classic" lines.

I also have a Rover 100 (or a metro, if you like!). Funny seeing the metro featured in Practical Classics! I bought it seven years ago to be my regular run-about.

[buzzy bee]

Non popular cars, or cars that seem to be rubish and don't last very long. There will be few around in years to come which will probably make them have a following in my oppinion. Also as you know minis are close to my heart and have got to be collected!

[admin]

when was the last time you saw a Yugo around?? pretty crummy cars, but must be scarce by now, and I bet someone somewhere is hoarding a few low mileage examples!!

Rick.

[Carl La Fong]

Rover "Tomcat" Coupe? They already have something of a cult following, and when you see one these days it's usually in pretty good condition.

I'd like to say the Rover 200 "bubble" too, but perhaps that's stretching a point. But as years go by, and as Rover as a manufacturer becomes just a memory, people will start to realise that this was a very under-rated car. OK, I'm biased - I own one. It's my second 216 and the nearest thing I have to a classic, as my other car is modern (despite having an old name).

[admin]

I have to say there aren't many recent Rovers that I'd want to collect, now or in the future - but what is the Tomcat Rover? is that a codename for a recent model???

thanks
Rick

[Carl La Fong]

[admin]

Ah right yup I know the one you mean, yeah I've heard that they did put rather a lot of bhp through the front wheels!! do they get through headgaskets like the other K Series cars, or did it use a different motor?

Rick

[Uncle Joe]

I've said this before somewhere on the site, but I'm guessing that as the Chrysler Voyager was a forerunner, that is going to be a classic.

There is one thing that I do wonder about though. When we look at the cars that we call classics today, could it be that its because thinking about travelling in them with parents / grandparents and so on meant status and conjours up happy memories?

Members of the jury, I put it to you that because modern family cars are so easy to buy and lacking in status, they will never be the same as the classics of yesteryear?

[Carl La Fong]

[Uncle Joe]

I thought about some of the more modern cars that I would never give a home to. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, anything french. Then came to the conclusion that there are many, many people that would disagree with that. So therefore I agree. There IS always an excuse to love some cars.

Then I thought about some of the modern vehicles that I have memories of. The Yamaha that got me a speeding ticket on the Autobahn (trophy!). The VW that slid its rear end out, again on the autobahn, and so on. But could I think of them as a classic? No. Why? Because I cant really see that it will even be possible to restore one in 30 years, due to the fact that we cant buy the electronics! But maybe that fact will make them scarce, and therefore valuable classics.

I'd better stop thinking now, I'm getting confused!

[Carl La Fong]

[admin]

Thanks Carl, wasn't sure on the engine!!

As for moderns, well I guess examples will be preserved in future, if only for a person's nostalgic reason(s) as already mentioned. Some 'classics' now have no obvious redeeming features as far as I can see (just my humble opinion of course ), but there will always be people to whom they have a special place, a parent's car, or whatever. People are now restoring Mk3 Escorts for heavens sake, so I can only think its a nostalgia thing, even though they aren't too scarce as yet.

I'll stick to my rule of only hoading stuff that was built prior to me



Rick.

[Uncle Joe]

The way I feel today, I cant hoard stuff that was built prior to me, they didn't have cars then!

[admin]

hehe surely steam was around then if not the internal combustion engine????

R