Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Car-Nut]

No doubt the questions been done a 100 times before......

But what makes a car classic and what makes it vintage

My E has been called vintage when I know its classic....
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Car-Nut
'62 S1 Jaguar E-Type 3.8 FHC
'70 420G - 13th from last RHD
'70 420G - 17th from last RHD

[Phil - Nottingham]

Cut off date is early 1930's - 1931 I think eg the real Bentley's pre Rolls Royce days
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2

[Jeeves]

I believe the vintage cut off date to be 1931, therefore, a WO Bentley would be vintage, whereas a Derby Bentley would be post vintage thoroughbred.

Classic tends to relate to the earlier post war cars. However, classic is pretty much in the eye of the beholder.

[xtriple]

According to the insurance co it's 15 years old. According to the woman next door, anything over three years old is junk and shouldn't be on the road.....

Shame really as our "new" car just clocked up the three years this month and as it's done 10,000 miles seems a waste to scrap it but I suppose we'd better.

I consider my Metro (1984), my Mazda (1996) and my Merc (1996) to be classics or future classics or oldtimers or something similar.

Surely anything is classic if it's rare(ish) and desired by at least one person?

[Phil - Nottingham]

I agree but terms Vintage and Veteran are defined and have immovable dates - classics are soley in the eyes of the beholder only and are far too subjective but at least there is a wide variety
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2

[Roger-hatchy]

Bit of a mute, and sore, point
Classic?
More and more we see cars that have two letter prefix registrations (how old is that) at classic car shows.
Tesco car parks have a wider veriety some times.

PS. I must be going to the wrong shows

[peter scott]

As already stated 1930 is the cut-off for Vintage. The next category is Post-Vintage but the cut-off here is a little less well defined but I would take it as all post-1930 cars that were first produced pre-1940. (I say this because many post war cars are actually prewar designs)

Cars that were first produced after 1945 are Classic.

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

[Phil - Nottingham]

Post vintage is a good definition but not "official" and of course could be anything from 1940 to early 1950's depending on car make.

Does anyone know the last pre-war production car that made it to the 1950's?

My 1938 P2 was made until 1948 albeit with some differences through shortages/cheapening with few real improvements but still a design progression so this was the last post vintage Rover
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Rover P2
Rover P4
Rover P5 & P5B
Land Rover S2 & S3
Morris Mini Traveller Mk2

[Roger-hatchy]

[scott_budds]

I think the word Vintage has become more recently used in more trendy junk shops and even on ebay by a certain age of person. Many think pre 1990 is often now termed as being vintage! If you search ebay for Vintage mens clothes you will get lots of 60s 70s & 80s stuff even shell suits. I think its just as langugae chenges the old term can have a similar but different meaning. Thats what I think any ways.

Buddsy
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Im looking for an Elan plus 2 for my next resto project...if you see one think of me please!!

[lowdrag]

It's very simple; I am vintage, my car is classic

[websnail]

[roverdriver]

I joined the Veteran Car Club of Australia in 1959. At that time the accepted date for 'veteran' was built by the 31st December 1916. The Vintage Driver's Club accepted as 'vintage' any car built from 1st January 1919 to 31st December 1930. This left a gap- 1917 and 1918, which later the Veteran club extended into, to make Veteran pre- 1919.

In New Zealand a similar situation existed, but all under one club. Veteran was up to the end of 1918 and Vintage to end of 1931.

In both cases the dates are fixed, and one would assume, ever will remain so. 'Classic' cars are generally accepted as after the Vintage era but at least 25 years old.

I am not sure how things stand in the UK now, but Veteran used to refer to pre 1905. i.e. cars eligible for the Brighton run. The 'Edwardian' period, as far as cars were concerned used to be to the end of 1916, hence the Australian date originally ending 1916.

None of the words, 'veteran' 'vintage' or 'classic' have any strict or legal meaning, it is just what car clubs have allocated to them.

The word 'antique' used to mean an object at least 100 years old. If that were strictly adhered to today, then there would very little to see, especially here in Oz, at any so-called 'Antique Dealer's' premises.
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Dane- roverdriver but not a Viking.

[Geoffp]

I think that the definitions are
Veteran - up to 1904
Edwardian - 1905 up to 1918
Vinatge - 1919 up to 1930

The Vintage Sports Car Club also classes these cars as Post Vintage Thoroughbreds and they are eligible for their events:
http://www.vscc.co.uk/vsccweb/membership/default.jsp?PageID=115

Classic appears to be anything else that you can get away with, although some steam fairs regard classics as anything that could have been on the road when steam finally fell out of use, normally about 1968.

As far as I know the only legal definition would be the one where pre-1973 cars are eligible for free road tax.

Anyway, I'm just starting to look for a classic and I'll be going for something that appeals to me and I can get classic insurance on, and never mind anything else.

Geoff