It probably comes as no surprise that I love being amongst old cars. Car shows are great fun as I get to talk to owners and restorers who are doing an excellent job of maintaining our automotive history. I thoroughly enjoy going to a mate’s place where, slowly but surely, he continues to work on resurrecting an FJ Holden.
Shannon’s auction are another favourite haunt of mine, with those attached to the Sydney and Melbourne motor shows being particularly impressive.
Aren't there some great cars out there? Good looking examples of automotive design with plenty of styling flair, these classic machines capture bygone eras perfectly. Not just long-gone eras of cars, but of rapidly changing lifestyles that see cars move with the rest of the world as fashions come and go.
Yet there are those who would like to have old cars taken off the roads. Their arguments are many and, on the surface at least, often valid.
Pollution is a big one, there's no doubt that older cars cause far more damage to the environment than new ones. Even a well-tuned car built 50 years ago, such as my mate’s FJ Holden, probably produces 40 times as much pollution as a current car. And there are some poorly tuned shockers on the road, pouring huge amounts of garbage into the atmosphere.
The latter I don’t have a problem with, those uncared-for bombs should be removed from the scene as soon as possible – preferably to be restored, not scrapped, of course. But the well-cared for old cars often do very little running. If they are used one-fortieth as often as a new car (which is pretty common) doesn’t that cancel out the extra pollution they are creating?
Old cars are nothing like as safe as new ones, either in avoiding crashes or in minimising injuries to occupants and/or pedestrians.
But, when was the last time you saw a restored old car that had been in a crash? They are invariably driven with a great deal of care and attention by owners who have lavished a huge amount of time and money into their restoration. So they are driven correctly, almost obsessively carefully and very seldom hit anything. Just ask the insurance companies who specialise in older cars.
Perhaps if the owners of new cars drove in the same careful and considerate way as those behind the wheel of fine old cars the roads would be safer and happier...
These fine old cars don’t have to be of great historical significance to be kept on our roads. It’s just as important to have old Fords and Holdens kept in perpetuity as it is historic Rolls-Royces, Maseratis and Corvettes. And they should be on the road, not stuffed away in museums where only the full-on enthusiasts generally see them.
Old cars are as much part of the historical social scene as old buildings, bridges, artworks and even national parks. Treat them as such and they have a very valid place in our society.
ewan@marque.com.au
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