When is a car a classic car? (2024)

When does my car qualify as a classic car?

A classic car (UK) is one where the car's age at the end of the year of assessment is 15 years or more and the market value of the car for the year is £15,000 or more.

The above is taken "word for word" from HMRC and it involves a calculation that considers capital investment and market value before arriving at the value.

However, "when is a car a classic ? " is a hotly debated topic.

As a rough guide, accepted in some circles and, yes indeed, disputed in others, the following categories are defined by the period within which the car was built,as opposed to the exact age of the car:

Post-Vintage cars:manufactured between 1931 and 1945
The Vintage category:vehicles produced between 1919 to 1930
The Edwardian car:manufactured from1905 - 1918
The Veteran:for all cars built before 1905.

Example A
A car of a certain agekept in a garageand only taken out for a spin at the weekend, perhaps registered with a car enthusiasts club, with a low annual mileage of 2,000 to 3,000, will be regarded and insured as a Classic Car.

Example B
In contrast, a much older car kept in the garage and well maintained, but isthe owner's principal mode of transport used for getting to and forwork may not.

Club Membership
Incidentally, being a member of a classic car enthusiasts club could well contribute to reducing the cost of your car insurance premium.

Classic Cars in America

The state legislationimpacts whether you must have anannual safety check, are compliant withemission standards, need toretrofit sear belts,and if you register your car as an antique and pay a reduced fee, you may only be entitled to driveexhibitions and special events, which deters many people from registering.

This is separate from any insurance conditions, such as a maximum of 2,500 miles per annum.

The sales tax and car tax can vary as well.

In some states, to register a vintage car, you need to have another vehicle registered as the car you drive day to day.

According to Hagerty (Insurance company), cars from 1900 to 1979 are considered either Antique or Classic. If the car is manufactured in 1980 or later, it is considered a collector car.

As an example, in Texas, there are 3ways to register aclassic car:

1. Register it normally and pay a normal registration fee
2. Register it as a Classic ($40), which is for cars 25 years old or older with no driving restrictions.
3. Register it as an Antique for $10 per year with the “entitled to drive the vehicle toexhibitions and special events only” restrictionthat many states have.

So, Clear as mud so far?

The Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) formed in 1935, introduced additional "classes" as time progressed, including in 1953 the inclusion of the early Model A Ford cars in a new Class 18, "Antique Cars w/four-wheel brakes."
In 1975 and current to date, it includes"vehicles 25 years old and older into the classifications, effective February 1st, 1975.

The Classic Car Club of America (CCCA)"is about vintage automobiles and the pleasure of the sport. Since its beginning in 1952, the Members of the CCCA have been dedicated to the collection, preservation, and enjoyment of the world’s finest cars. Automobiles manufactured from 1915 to 1948 remain the primary focus of the club today."

How many classic cars are there in America?

Stemming from a conversation in 1996, Jon Lee, the Classifications Chairman of the CCCAattempted tocount the number of classic cars built that theCCCA considers Full Classics.

Initially, he decided to focusonly on American classics and then foreign classics separately,though interestingly, 1,874 Rolls-Royce of America vehicles produced from January 1925 were included, whereas Classic Buicks made for export and commercial chassis were not.

His findings,listingclassic carsin descending order of production volumes, makes for interesting reading and some obscure models get a mention.

His summary published in 1997 (verified) was that the total of American produced Classic Cars was "give or take a few" 1,366,843.

Some statistics derived from his report:

• US factories produced 61,513,967 passenger cars between 1925 and 1948
• In 1965 (the model year), Chevrolet assembled 558, 449 Impala 2 door hardtops.
• In one year (1929), Ford built 1,715,100 Model A's

In 2016 The Uk produced a total of 1,722,698 passenger cars which was the highest output between 2003 and 2020, with the latter being negatively impacted by Brexit and the Coronavirus pandemic.

In 2020 China led the world in passenger car manufacturing producing 21.4 million units.
(passenger cars, in this instance, are "motor vehicles with at least four wheels, used for the transport of passengers, and comprising no more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat).

Thecommon thread running through the "classic car status" regardless of location is anageingcar of sufficient interest to be valued and sought by collectors and worth preserving or restoring rather than sending off to the breakers yard.

Invariably the value of the classic car is inherently linked to the manufacturer's original design, and every element of the vehicle’s history, pedigree, alterations, remodeling, or remanufacturing will affect the overall valuation.

This, in turn, relates to the sum for which the vehicle is insuredin the event of a claim for loss or damage.

In 1957 Mercedes built a special, very lightweight variant of the 300 SL Roadster (W198) called the 300 SLS (Super Light Sport)reducing the kerb weight of the 300SLSto just over 900kilograms. The standard 300SL roadster was1330 kilograms.

Just two of these open-topped units were builtspecifically for racingin the 1957 American sports car championship. Paul O’Sheaclearlydefeated the competition,to win in Category D following his previous two successes racingthe Gullwing.

Contemplate the Jaguar E-Type, the Austin Mini Cooper S, the Fiat 500 (Cinquecento), VW Beetle, the DB5, DB4 and of course the Aston Martin DB4 GTZagato, the 300SL,the Alfa RomeoGiuliettaSpider, the Austin-Healey 3000 Mk1, and the Ford Escort mk1, the Citroen 2CV, Lotus Elan, the ShelbyCobra, Ford Mustang GT, Dodge Monaco, theFord Gran Torino, the Capri, the Alfa Romeo 33Stradale, theDeloreanDMC-12 and in contrast theCitroënDS 21.

Then binge-watch the Dukes of Hazard,Starskyand Hutch, Back to the Future, FerrisBueller'sDay Off (would that be the Ferrari 250 GT or the ModenaSpyder?), The Love Bug,Goldfinger,Bullitt, Day of the Jackal,Thelma and Louise, The Italian Job, and Fast and furious.

OK, I hear cries of "but what about the Chevrolet Corvette and the Volvo P1800"?

I have also failed to mention theFacelVega Excellence, the Volga Station Wagon GAZ-2402, and the Bavarian Motor Works.

In fact ( or in fact not actually based on any facts), if you asked anyone what their top ten classic cars is, the responses would, shall we say, vary enormously.

In 1956 the Mini thenknown only asXC9003 was the smallest of three cars that had been on the drawing board at BMC (British Motor Corporation Ltd)since 1955 but,was on the back-burner, the larger two with prototypes already developed.

The BMC was formed in 1952 when competing companies Austin and Morris agreed a merger.

The great thing about this classic car is that it has been so accessible as an affordable economy carin comparison to other prestige icons which such as the E - Type Jaguar which are beyond the purse strings of the majority of us.

The 1969 film "TheItalian Job" used14 Mini Cooper Sportsto make the classic drivingfilmstarring MichaelCaine and Noel Coward as seen in the following extract:

Petrol Rationing

Designer of the Morris Minor assigned to the Mini.

AlecIssigonishad previously led the design of theMorris Minor, which was the first British car to exceed 1 million sales.

The Morris Minor would go on to nearly 1.7 million salesand still be in production10 years after the launch of theMini with production taking placeatCowley, Oxford, England,Malaysia,Australia, andNew Zealand.

The Brief

The chairman of the BMC,Leonard Lord, who was apparently more than just a little irked about the bubble cars being imported to the UK defined some basic parameters for the design that included theuse ofanexisting engine unit to keep costs down and becontained within a box that measured 10×4×4 feet, and the passenger accommodation should occupy 6 feet of the 10-foot length.

Why was the Miniconsidered a success?

The Mini was radical in that the passenger and luggage space occupied80% of the car's footprint.
The innovative design that AlecIssigonis (later SirAlecIssigonis) introducedwas the adoption of Front Wheel Drive (FWD), so there was notransmission tunnelgoing to the rear wheels taking up space down the middle of the cabinand, of course, a reduced car weight without the prop shaftand rear-wheel differential.

The required engine bay length wasreduced by mounting the small engine transversely compared to a longitudinal position.

The 848 cc engine was a water-cooledfour-cylinder, and because the engine andthe transmission were so tightly associated, they shared the same lubrication.

Other aspects contributed; the windows slid horizontally, allowing single skin doors and contributing to that extra elbow room. Door hinges and the car's seams were on the outside, which benefitted the interior space and the assembly.

So the attributes of small vehicle size, thususing less raw materials and a significantly enhancedpassenger/luggageto engine space ratio combined withan economicalsmallengine, was of great appeal and all for£496 for the working classes to use.

Not only that but it was a joy to drive, with enough power, great for parking and a unique suspension system that combined with the positioning of10 inch wheels at the four corners of the car gave it great stability but with handlingof a Go Kart.

When the The Austin Mini Cooper and Morris Mini Cooper debuted in September 1961 with larger 997 cc engines increasing power from 34 to 55 bhp giving it a performance car status which was reflected on the racing circuit, it was the perfect catalyst to catapult it into the public consciousness.

The legacy of the Miniis that itestablished the now-commonly adoptedtransverse engine, front-wheel drive layout as an entirelypractical proposition in nearly all compact cars seen today.
It wasvoted in 1999 asthe second most influential car of the 20th century, the No. 1 spotgoing to the Ford Model T.

The Morris Mini-Minor and the Austin Seven, which soon became known as the Austin Mini, were launched in 1959.

The best-selling British car of all time

The car was marketed undertwo main brand names, Austin and Morris, until 1969.

It wasn't until5.3 million cars and 41 years later thatthe last Mini, a Rover Cooper Mini Sport, rolled off the production line atLongbridgeon 4 October 2000.

Now that is a classic car!