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Posts Tagged ‘Classic Cars’

What constitutes a classic car, Who determines if a car is a classic, when does a car become a classic?

How many times are those questions asked? This classic car debate is a very subjective one and in my opinion there is no right or wrong answer.

There have been iconic cars that attained classic status upon introduction, the Jaguar E type roadster for example is a case in mind, when introduced at the Geneva motor show it stole the show. The model on the stand had been driven to the show over night and had rolled off the production line a day or two previously.

The Aston Martin DB 5 attained classic status as James Bond ‘s choice of car.

Preston Tucker and the Tucker Torpedo became an iconic car and gained classic status from inception due to the publicity and the court case. The interest it created in 1948 has not waned in the intervening years. I was fortunate to see one in the flesh and found it difficult to believe it was created pre 1960 never mind pre 1950.

The majority of us will never get to own any of these super cars however that does not stop us owning and enjoying our own classic cars. For most of us the cars of our childhood constitutes our definition of a classic car. Who would argue the Mini or the fiat 500 are not classics, yet these models were created as transport for the masses, produced in very large numbers, and yet fifty years after their introduction are very desirable.

The cars our parents or other relatives owned often stay in the mind as being a thing of beauty, each time we see one it evokes pleasant memories and perhaps the aspiration to own one. For me it was a Humber Hawk MK VI, my childhood memory of seeing one being driven by a factory owner, it looked so graceful as it glided along and in comparison with other cars of that era it was so silent. I spent many evenings as young boy looking in the showroom window of the local dealer and dreamed of owning and driving such a beautiful car. Forty-four later I realised my dream. To me it is a classic car to others it has no meaning.

We can have a yearning for the car we learned to drive in, again it evokes pleasant memories. When I attend classic car shows and see the cars from each of the decades I also notice the choices of the various generations represents the cars of their youth. So the debate of what constitutes a classic car is often personal to the individual as our memories are personal.

Each decade produces a car that will appeal to almost everyone however due to cost it will be out of the reach of the majority, equally each decade produces cars that are affordable to most and will reach classic status.

Building, restoring and or looking for Classic Cars for Sale, Classic Muscle Cars for Sale, and Classic Cars and Trucks for Sale has be come a tremendous hobby for the baby boomers. They seem not to be able to get enough of those big shiny and in many cases very fast cars of the 50s, 60s and early 70s. Yes American muscle cars of the 60s and the big boats of the 50s are the most popular at car shows and Classic Car Auctions. The Classic Cars for Sale at these Classic Car Auctions number in the hundreds and seem to be growing in numbers every year. These cars are no longer in production but have not lost their value or their appeal. In fact the Classic Old Cars for Sale in today’s market can cost as much as 100 times what they sold for new. I think one could replace a stop sign at many intersections with the words Classic Cars for Sale and get a better response rate. If the Classic Cars for Sale, Classic Muscle Cars for Sale, is any indication the Classic Cars for Sale fever is alive and well in America. It is a major television event in the month of January every year one any Classic Car buff would not want to miss.

The amount of Classic Cars for Sale there number in the thousands and not all are expensive or over priced many are very affordable for the average person. The events and the Vender’s are also very extraordinary to see, every thing from road side memorabilia such as old signs and old fashion gas pumps, to 900%2Bhp Vipers and big block V8 powered motorcycles. So if you can make it to Scottsdale Arizona next January for the fantastic Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction you won’t be disappointed. The whole week of the Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction is a great experience for anyone that grew up in the 50s or 60s it’s very nostalgic just to be there.

This year at Barrett Jackson there was a great show put on by event controllers and that was an exhibition of Drifting. In case you don’t know what that is it is basically when a Driver or Drivers as in this case place their cars in a some what controlled slide. It was amazing to watch these two Ford Mustangs Gets race side by side around just a few feet apart sending up a cloud so smoke from the tires and never collide. The crowd really loved it especially the children in the stands they were on their feet the whole time trying not to miss the action. This was the first time I had seen drifting done live it was really enjoyable.

One more thing I have to mention was the side by side drag racing on a stage. This was accomplished by chaining two Ford Mustangs to portable dyno machines with huge three foot tachometers and speedometers for the crowd to watch. Then two driver’s names are drawn from several hundred names of the drag racing hopefuls and the race is on. Each driver is given instructions on what he is allowed to do then the starting lights flash down and away they go. The cars hit second gear the tires chirp and the speedometers climb. The event is held every hour and is exciting to watch as the crowd cheers on their favorite driver. In all of the races that I witnessed the speeds reached well over 100mph in the Quarter mile that each car was driven on the imaginary track Barrett Jackson you really know how to throw a party.

So before you go running off to the nearest Classic Car for Sale auction to pluck your hard earned money on your favorite Classic Car, here are a few things to remember. First remember UN-restored Classic Cars are cheaper but you have to be ready to spend a lot of time and or money to restore the car to 100% original condition. Second those parts can be hard to find, thank heaven for eBay, although there a great number of company’s that have started making new parts that look and work just like the original ones. You can sometimes find Classic Car Parts at some of your local junkyards but the chance for finding a rare Classic Old Car or undiscovered Muscle Car for Sale are very slim. Some of these automobile Bone yards may have few vintage cars but they will be the four door models and will have small block V8′s or six cylinder motors in them and not desirable collectibles. The third thing that I highly recommend is when you go to view any Classic Car for Sale that you have available some way of checking engine numbers and VIN numbers.

There are a variety of definitions for what actually is considered a classic car. One of the most popular definitions of a vintage automobile is the one supplied by the Classic Car Club of America. The Classic Car Club of America insists that a vehicle cannot be a classic if it was manufactured after the year 1948.

Also, the club defines a standard automobile as a “fine or distinctive automobile, either American or foreign built, produced between 1925 and 1948.” Also, a classic vehicle was high-priced when it was brand new and they were built in limited quantities. Any member of the Classic Car Club of America can petition for the club to add a automobile to their list of what they consider vintage cars but the petition will be placed under a large amount of scrutiny before any decision is made.

Individual states within the United States have their own definitions and requirements for what is a classic vehicle for the sole purpose of antique vehicle registration with those individual states. Most states’ definitions include that a time-honored vehicle is one that was “manufactured 15 years prior to the current year and has been maintained or restored to a condition that is in conformity with manufacturer specifications and appearance.”

The Classic Car Club of America was founded in 1952 by a group of auto owners that were being excluded from vehicle shows because they were told that the cars they owned were too modern. The list of cars that have been deemed time-honored by the Classic Car Club of America looks like this: A.C, Adler, Alfa Romero, Alvis, Amilcar, Armstrong-Siddeley, Aston Martin, Auburn, Austro-Daimler, Ballot, Bentley, Benz, Blackhawk, BMW, Brewster, Brough Superior, Bucciali, Bugatti, Buick, Cadillac, Chrysler, Cord, Cunningham, Dagmar, Daimler, Darracq, Delage, Delahaye, Delaunay Belleville, Doble, Dorris, Duesenberg, du Pont, E Icar, Excelsior, Farman, Fiat, Franklin, FN, Graham-Paige, Hispano-Suiza, Horch, Hotchkiss, Hudson, Humber, Invicta, Isotta-Fraschini, Itala, Jaguar, Jensen, Jordan, Julian, Kissel, Lagonda, Lanchester, Lancia, LaSalle, Lincoln, Lincoln-Continental, Locomobile, Marmon, Maserati, Maybach, McFarlan, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, Mercer, M.G. Minerva, N.A.G., Nash, Packard, Peerless, Pierce-Arrow, Railton, Raymond Mays, Renault, Reo, Revere, Roamer, Rochet Schneider, Rohr, Rolls-Royce, Ruxton, Squire, S.S. Jaguar, Stearns-Knight, Stevens-Duryea, Steyr, Studebaker, Stutz, Sunbeam, Talbot, Talbot-Lago, Tatra, Triumph, Vauxhall, Voisin, Wills Ste Claire and Willys-Knight. Not all models of the makes mentioned above are accepted by the Classic Car Club of America as classic cars. To check if a model is considered a vintage automobile by the Classic Car Club of America you will have to check their list of approved classics. They are listed in alphabetical order by the make and then divided into the models that are acceptable.