Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

My visit to the local classic car show today was limited by a horrible summer cold.
I spent only 30 minutes there because I felt so rotten and did not even take my camera this year.

The number of entrants was down even on last year and the majority of visitors were middle aged or older and fewer in number.
Young people, ie in their 20s, were few and those that were there were really only interested in the sporting Fords.

I overheard one conversation by a young couple accompanied by their infant children and the gist of the lady's question to her husband was ".....what's the relevance of these old things in a modern world?"
I heard the word "dinosaurs" and "not very green".

This was the first time I have heard of old cars being referred to so dismissively. Derogatory remarks yes, "..it'll be nice when it's finished"but I was quite taken aback by the disinterest I witnessed today.

Was it just this one classic car show or is interest in ever advancing modern technology by young people leaving us and our hobby behind?
People playing with drones were the centre of attention today.
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1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Keith D]

I belong to the VCC of Western Australia and I attended a country section meet last Saturday in my 1926 Chrysler. The next oldest car present was a 1961 Studebaker. Most members turned up in their moderns.

Our Club is organising Rally West 2017 for next year. This is our contribution for a Rally that's held each year by the various VCC's in each State. It was originally planned for pre 1940 cars. Due to lack of enthusiasm that shut-off date has been lifted to include any car 25 years old or more. I have very serious doubts that I shall bother entering a ten day rally that is catering for cars with much higher performance than the Chrysler.

Over here interest in older cars seems to have waned considerably with the exception of 1960's and 1970's muscle cars. The prices of these have shot up unbelievably! Perhaps the public have been swamped with far too many Show and Shines. In Western Australia alone there are quite a lot of All British days and American marques such as Ford, GM and Chrysler all have their own days.

Thirty years ago a run by the club would result in families standing in their driveways to wave and photograph as we went past. Sometimes they even pulled out chairs to sit on! Now we are lucky to get a few hostile stares as we hold up traffic on busy roads. I for one am very disappointed at the way things are progressing towards old vehicles. Veteran (up to 1918) and vintage (1919 t0 1930) cars are worth far less than they were thirty years ago with perhaps a very few exceptions. (Bentleys etc.)

Keith

[Rootes75]

We have noticed many of our local shows now have many more 'modern' classics than cars from the 30s/40s/50s/60s etc.

Its a shame but I suppose shows have to try to encourage a wider audience these days?
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[MikeEdwards]

[peppiB]

Our parents probably yearned for cars of their youth - hence the collection of 20's and 30's vehicles. The next generation yearned for their 'classics' from the 50's and 60's, and modern youth have affinities with cars they remember from the 70's, 80's and 90's. As we 'oldies' put on the years and can no longer manage to get to shows as often (especially when some now charge an over the top amount for the pleasure) it is the younger guys and their 'classics' that prevail, hence to many of us the Escorts, Cavaliers etc now on show appeal to this new generation

[norustplease]

Technology is a big thing for most younger people these days, especially in cars where even humble Vauxhall Corsas have Wi Fi, and features such as self parking are becoming must-haves. This of course all serves to numb the brain and enhanced reliability (initially at least) removes the need to understand the machine that you are operating, and even if you try, the need for electronic diagnostics kills many aspects of home maintenance stone dead. So, upcoming generations will have less knowledge and ability to restore or maintain an old car, for the simple reason that they have never had to!
I too see a trend away from pre war and early post war cars, and I am sure that some of this is down to the escalating values of these cars, which puts them out of reach of a lot of younger fans, who have family commitments such as kids, mortgages etc. Quite a few of these cars have, over recent years been bought as investments, often by people who have few mechanical skills, and who prefer to keep them in cotton wool, so as to speak, which does not involve sitting out in a wet field with them at a show.
I suspect also that older returnees to the hobby are attracted by the cars that they remember from their youth. So, if you are, say 50, then the cars that you will remember and may have envied, will be those that were around in the late seventies/early eighties, hence an enthusiasm for hot Escorts and Cortina GT's. as well as seventies and eighties cars like the Mercedes W123/124 models which are fast becoming regarded as classics.
Nevertheless, there are a lot of classic cars around and a surprising number of events most summer weekends and retro is fashionable these days.

I wouldn't worry just yet, the level of attendance at most shows in this area, doesn't imply that we are a declining species.
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1953 Citroen Traction
1964 Volvo PV544
1957 Austin A55 Mk 1
Boring Tucson SUV

[BigJohn]

I think I've put this tale up somewhere on here before, but, about 10 years ago I was at a small show parked next to a 50's MG Magnette. a 23yr old Ford Fiesta came in on L plates, speaking to the driver, he was 17 and his mum was his qualified passenger. Later the retired MG owner was having a right bitch about the Fiesta. I asked him how old his car was when he was 17, as the Fiesta was 6yrs older than it's driver! Food for thought.
Our hobby evolves and you start off with what you like and can afford, then if you are lucky, maybe you can afford something you lusted after when you couldn't afford it. This unfortunately is usually from your youth and that means the "fashionable" classic cars get younger.
I have friends who have applied this to blondes and marriages but that's a totally different expensive hobby.

[Penman]

Hi
Bigjohn: my daily driver, an Austin Ten/Four, when I was on L plates was at 17 was 25yrs old, mind you we didn't think of it as a classic back then it was just what we had.
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[Dipster]

It is simply a generation thing.

Not just in classic cars. My sons grew up with computers. I have kept some of the early ones I had (at my sons` insistence!). To me they look "normal". To my sons they are antique curiosities!

I think it is simply that what we grow up with in youth interests us in later years. It might be music or whatever. As the generations die off (us in the classic car case!) the interests they had, with a few exceptions perhaps, also wane.

Sad, eh?

[BigJohn]

Dipster, my youngest son kept some of his vast trainer collection from when he was at Uni, apparently they are now worth a fortune. If I had kept any of my old trainers and sold them they wouldn't need postage, they were so ripe they would trot along on their own.

[Dipster]

[BigJohn]

No, he wore them, bought another pair, wore them, bought anot...... you get the idea. Designers Eh? Got to walk the walk as well as talk the talk. Maybe we should have cut his allowance.

[Rick]

On the wane? not sure tbh, I think the average age of "classic" car owners may be nudging higher slightly, no doubt fuelled by increasing prices for many older cars, coupled with high debt levels that many younger people have, say on leaving higher education etc leaving them with less to spare for indulgencies such as spare car(s). People with savings are getting into old cars just to do something useful with their spare cash, maybe these buyers are older rather than younger also.

Shows around here get booked up quickly (I tried booking big Dodge into a large two-day show near here recently and couldn't get in with it). Visitors to these events seem quite numerous too, the public turnout for the local road run that forms part of the Audlem transport festival was as great as ever, loads of spectators, people sat on deckchairs outside their homes waving and smiling, suggest that there's no lack of interest in these parts at least

RJ
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[Ashley]

A not totally original 250 GTO Ferrari has just sold for $52,000,000 including buyer's premium and prices of nineties supercars are rising fast. This filters down and younger people who buy what the can afford as a result.

As far as I know the classic car business is growing and very busy although prices might be up and down a bit.

However, the London luvvies and the BBC don't like us, so try not to say anything about us or make dramas as they used to that we're full of old cars.

I think there is less interest in the pre war stuff because the current generation don't remember it, most is slow and the sporting stuff hugely expensive.

[Rootes75]

I agree with a point Rick makes, spectator numbers seem to be very good at our local shows. So, obviously people are still interested but maybe another point made, that being the high price of classics restricts those wanting to join the classic movement?
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Various Rootes Vehicles.