Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

Evening folks,

Many people buy old cars to re-live their youth, or re-kindle memories of a particular time in their past that they remember with fondness. As the days of pre-war cars being a regular sight on our roads draw ever further away, is ownership of pre-war cars likely to dwindle to levels that perhaps the early veterans now enjoy - ie more niche than they are already?

Is the future for pre-war car preservation still looking rosy? ie outside of the glamour/sporting types, which will no doubt continue to attract interest. I'm thinking of pre-war Ford, Hillman, Singer, Austin saloons and the like - normal road cars.

RJ
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[peter scott]

When I was a kid in the 1950s my sister and I had a competition when traveling anywhere. We would choose a colour for cars seen on the journey and the one with the largest number would win. Black was always banned because there were more black car than any other colour.

A large majority or the cars seen were pre-war and black. I like looking back to that period but I can understand that younger members have no such memories.

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[misterbridger]

Funnily enough I've been hankering for a late thirties Morris 8 or similar for a while, and am watching a couple of them on ebay. I was born in '59 so they've never been a common sight to me. Been into Minis for a long time but am seriously considering parting with the '61 for such a car.

[alastairq]

On becoming a Not-work, I had the impression I was going to get myself a nice Model Y Ford....which didn't need too much work.

Seeing as how I am very familiar with the inner workings of Ford and the sidevalvers....

I have absolutely no idea why I have ended up with a '67 Mustang, in sound order...??????

I mean, it's not really me, and it's a lot 'larger' than I would have wished for......

But, my daughter thinks it's the D's B's, she could never understand the Dellow....

A very simple car indeed, all mechanics and trim & stuff easily available...

But then, so is a Y !!

[old iron]

Outside of the die hard enthusiasts it appears to me that interest in pre war is dying. I enjoyed vintage cars for about fifteen years until earlier this year. Young people are, in the main, simply not interested in them and as those that are interested are a dying breed (literally) the game is up. Young people go to shows and look at stuff from 1950 onwards in the main.
I decided to sell my vintage car and caravan earlier this year in favour of more modern. I purchased a Volvo 123gt and a Romini micro caravan.

[mikeC]

I don't think it's so much that young people have no interest in pre-war cars, it's just that they have no experience of them.

I take every opportunity to give young enthusiasts a ride in my Austin Seven, and without fail they all say things like "I had no idea they were like this" and "I thought they would be so slow" ...

They are slow, of course, but the driving experience needn't be!

I have managed to convert two young 'GTI hod-rodders' to the pre-war scene, one is now rebuilding an Austin Ruby, and the other has just bought an MG P-Type!

It's up to us: if we want the pre-war scene to survive, we have to promote it.
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[colwyn500]

You could say that I have literally lost interest in pre-war cars now that I have sold my old Austin.
The thing that drew me away is that although restoration and maintenance of them is very absorbing, it's difficult to get much real and practical use from them.
From experience, my 1969 Fiat 500 is a very old car to most people, even though it is ten years younger than me, but it has the benefit of being a more more realistic option for long journeys and almost daily use.

[Keith D]

My interest in the old car movement is firmly on the prewar cars (although one of mine is 1950)
However, I must say that it is getting harder and harder to use them safely. Our roads are becoming more and more crowded and suburban driving is such that acceleration seems to be the most important thing. I often hear the squealing of brakes behind me as I sluggishly pull away from traffic lights and change gears.
In Western Australia vintage cars are definitely becoming scarcer on the roads. Many vintage owners getting on in years, prefer to use their newer, post war vehicles that are easier to drive.

Keith
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1926 Chrysler 60 tourer
1932 Austin Seven RN long wheelbase box sedan
1950 Austin A40 tourer
1999 BMW Z3
Its weird being the same age as old people.
You are either part of the problem or part of the solution

[emmerson]

[Ellis]

I believe that I have posted on a previous occasion that my late father had a passion for Austin Sevens and owned ten or more over a twelve year period.

He was a competent self taught mechanic and he used to explain to me the differences between the various models and the changes over the years.

The last one he owned was a Big Seven, this one in fact :

[img]

but his favourite was this or so my mother informs me :

[/img]

Now, having been indoctrinated into the world of Austin Sevens, why don't I have one?

I have never even been in one for a start and despite their still being an affordable way into a pre war motoring, the one car I have admired for years is one of these and would love to own even in deference to a MG PA for example :

[img]

A Riley Merlin.

But, if one came up for sale at an affordable price, would I buy one?
I honestly don't know - fear of the unknown perhaps?[/img]
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Rootes75]

I have always loved prewar cars, I am in my early 40's but when I was younger my grandfather had a village scrapyard and in the sheds were some of the better vehicles.
He used to tell us lots of stories from his youth in the 30's etc.
Round here now most shows you will only see a couple of prewar cars, the numbers are dwindling.
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Various Rootes Vehicles.

[mikeC]

Ellis, your father's favourite Austin Seven looks like a Morris Eight tourer!
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in the garage: 1938 Talbot Ten Airline
Recently departed: 1953 Lancia Appia, 1931 Austin Seven, 1967 Singer Chamois, 1914 Saxon, 1930 Morris Cowley, 1936 BSA Scout, 1958 Lancia Appia coupe, 1922 Star 11.9 ... the list goes on!

[Ellis]

[Rich5ltr]

It's a difficult one to answer. YOunger enthusiasts are definitely more interested in the cars they hankered for as kids. This is evidenced by the rise in interest in cars like Ford Escorts and Cortinas, that to me are everyday cars. That said, I always wanted to get into pre-war cars and last year bought my Lagonda. No way were these around when I was a kid, I'm 60 and grew up with cars from the early 60s. So there must have been something that made me want to get into pre-war and vintage cars. Hopefully whatever that was will spark enthusiasm in the 20 & 30 year olds now and some will go from their Minis and Cortinas back to older cars.

[andycars]

I currently have classics from the late fifties through to the early seventies (I was born in 65). Having been an enthusiast for 30+ years, I would like to get a just pre- or post-war model of reasonable quality/comfort and one I could use to go to a show say 80-100 miles away. Models that come to mind from that era are Rover P2's, Triumph Renowns, Riley RM's and Standards. I often hear they don't sell easily but that is not necessarily reflected in their prices.