At dinner parties in the city, it is said that modern cars are reliable, comfortable, clean, safe and economical.
However, in spite of this, the classic car is a safe and rising value in the eyes of the insiders and enthusiasts. Why is that?
There is no simple answer, but rather a combination of factors that each play a role.
First, there is the design of the car itself. Classic cars were created largely in an analog world where designers used pencil and paper to create elegant shapes and flowing lines that simply wouldn't be possible with the computer design used for modern cars. Take the front spoiler of a Jaguar XK120 or the profile of a Ferrari 250 GTO, for example.
These designs are beautiful in every way, but they are shapes that no modern designer would create today.
This belongs to a time when designers were not constrained by such things as crash tests or aerodynamic drag coefficients and instead created shapes that reflected the mood and trends of the time.
Modern production techniques have also removed much of the character of new cars. Mass production processes with computers and mindless robots on production lines producing identical parts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, are focused on one thing: meeting targets and quotas set by car manufacturers to maximize efficiency and output.
Classic car production, on the other hand, was largely a manual process performed by craftsmen using simple tools supplemented by decades of experience creating assemblies by hand and by eye.
Mechanically, everything is also very different. Modern car engines include a whole armada of electronic equipment that is supposed to dictate exemplary driving. All of these systems are designed to improve efficiency, safety and emissions, but at some level they often rob the car of its feel and character. Older machines, on the other hand, have a real personality. Their delicately balanced mechanics are an assembly of parts tuned to work in harmony. The driver is a direct extension of the machine, one with the machine, without a filter, resulting in an authentic experience that is simply not possible with the modern equivalent.
Classic car owners don't usually embark on a journey to reach a destination, but the journey is the destination.
Nostalgia also plays a big part in the appeal of vintage cars. They all have a history, whether interesting or not. Some have achieved great things, such as participating in and winning races, expeditions or endurance events, while others have overcome much more mundane but no less important challenges for their owners. These cars were great catalysts for a better life and offered mobility and freedom in an era when such qualities were rare. They accompanied their owners on major life events and therefore became indelibly associated with these events.
Classic cars all have a story to tell about what they've accomplished in their lifetime, where they've been, and why they're still in service. Cracks in the leather or scratches in the paint are considered by some to be imperfections, but to classic car aficionados, they are a testament to the car's history, adding to its character and telling its story.
Then there is the pragmatic aspect of it. Owning a new car is easy, you just have to go and choose it at the dealership. Whereas classic cars are no longer in production and are therefore necessarily limited in supply, which gives them a much greater level of exclusivity, and this becomes even more pronounced with the passing of time. No amount of money will get you a new Ferrari Daytona, for example, and even if you want an old one, you still have to find someone, somewhere, who is willing to sell you theirs and then know how to maintain it.
Modern car buyers generally calculate their ownership period between 6 months and 5 years, before moving on to something newer. In the world of vintage cars, even when the owner wishes to part with his property, it is more in a perspective of passing on, of transmission, between enthusiasts or members of the same community, even in the family circle. The passing of time on vintage cars does not lead to obsolescence, quite the contrary.
So will this craze continue or is it just a passing trend? New cars are likely to get better every year, so the 3-year-old car you have today is probably already outclassed by the new model that just came out.
Vintage or exceptional cars, on the other hand, compete on a completely different level. It's not about efficiency and speed, but about experience, style, exclusivity and craftsmanship, all of which are universal and timeless. Cars with character appeal not only to car enthusiasts, but also to lovers of engineering, design, art and history.
It is for all these reasons that it is a fantastic financial and pleasure investment, as long as you are well guided and advised, surrounded by competent professionals. Cars-Up is able to help you seize the right opportunities, and will know how to make your investment profitable in the best way, with that little bit of madness that we read in the eyes of all enthusiasts!
N.Z
