Anyone and everyone with an
interest in old cars has a favourite; maybe one that was in the family or they
owned themselves many years ago, or one that was totally out of their reach
financially but they always dreamed of owning. We often hear these folk talk
about classic cars and some enthusiasts also use the term, so what does it mean?
In the conventional sense it
can mean any car which a person might regard as something unique or special,
memorable in its time. Hence the word may be used to describe the Citroen 2CV;
the VW ‘Beetle’; a Jaguar XK120; an Alvis Lagonda or a limited edition car
whenever it was built, even one built in the last few years or so as there is no
time period for the use of the word; therefore, it is a rather vague depiction
and more to do with the opinion of the speaker.
So what description might we
give our cars? The DVLA classifies cars produced before 1st January
1973 as ‘Historic’ and they qualify for the ‘Zero’ rated road fund licence.
Hence the word ‘Historic’ is now the colloquial word for any car built before
then, whether post-war or pre-war. However, we can be more accurate as the
Vintage Sports Car Club Ltd does have definitions for various periods of
production.
Cars built on or before 31st
December 1919 are ‘Edwardian’;
Cars built on or before 31st
December 1931 are ‘Vintage’;
Cars built on or before 31st
December 1941 are ‘Post-Vintage’,
Cars built on or before 31st
December 1961 are ‘Historic’.
Unfortunately in the USA and
Australia their definitions are slightly different; well they would be, wouldn’t
they!
Inevitably at any rally we
will be asked when our ‘Sevens’ will be eligible for the RAC ‘London to
Brighton’ run. Well, the straight answer is they never will as that annual
event on the first Sunday in November is solely for cars, classed as ‘Veteran’,
which were built before 1st January 1905, with the option for the
organisers to invite a small number of vehicles out of that period. Several
marques have organised London to Brighton runs, and one of our members has
completed the three ‘Austin Seven’ events held in 2000, 2005 and 2009.
It is always a joy to see so
many different makes of pre- and post-war cars still on the road and displayed
at rallies. Whichever model you own you still appreciate the other marques
which were on the road when we were children, even perhaps learned to drive in
one of them. By driving and displaying them we evoke memories and occasionally
meet someone who wishes to buy one, it is a friendly and rewarding hobby and is
not so expensive as some people may think. But do not leap in to buy the first
car you see, take advice from knowledgeable members in a club like the CA7C and you will be able to make a sensible purchase and have the
support and encouragement of like-minded enthusiasts.
This article, written by Doug Castle, first
appeared in the North-Cornwall Advertiser on 5 Nov 2008 and the Mid-Cornwall
Advertiser on 19 Nov 2008. It was reproduced in
CA7C Seven Focus in Jan 2009 pp8-9.
