What makes a car a classic?

Just wondering everyone's opinion on what makes a car a classic.

Age, Style, Performance, Design Innovation??

Those are all factors but it comes down to opinion...some people think only cars like Duesenbergs are classics, others think AMC Pacers are classics.

individually, because it connects you to a fond memory.

collectively, because it broke new ground or was the best of its era.

It can depend on where you live as well. In PA, anything older than 25 years is eligible for Antique registration.  PennDOT seems fairly lax these days about what they'll issue those tags to (they used to be rather restrictive). 

When a 16 year old driver has never seen a brand new one.  I grew up thinking of cars of the late 70's as classic because I had never seen a new one.  Going to coffee and cars get togethers I'm seeing younger drivers talk about cars of the late 90's as classics for similar reasons.  In my head it's a little more complicated because if a body style is around for a long time, it takes longer for the early ones to become classic.  It's kind of fun to see cars I grew up with being classics to a new generation of drivers, wouldn't have guessed it when I was younger.

stuart in mn said:

Those are all factors but it comes down to opinion...some people think only cars like Duesenbergs are classics, others think AMC Pacers are classics.

The word Classic has been so abused it’s pretty meaningless. 

To me what’s important is was it a great car when new and has it aged well?  Jaguar SS100 XK120 XKE series1 & 3  3.8 mk11 sedan. Mk 9 XJS are all classics the rest may be similar but not Classic. 

Just like the MGTC is a classic. While the TD&TF are similar. 

Not just specific to cars, and just my opinion, but in order to become a classic, an object must pass the test of time.

Specifically, it must survive a Generation of time ( aprox 25 years) and come out the other side as still being an object of value/status/desire.

I don't think that it is a coincidence that 25 years is also the norm for a car to be considered a "Classic" for insurance purposes.

Pete

In my opinion, it is a combo of age, rarity, styling, and condition. Cars that are long-lasting and common such as a Honda Accord or Toyota Camry take longer to become classics due to large volume still seen on the road and relative "common-ness". For example, my 97 Accord LX sedan with 249K miles and peeling paint isn't really a classic cuz it's kinda rough and I still see dozens of them around, but I would consider a 97 Accord LX wagon in similar condition to be a classic since I very rarely see one and they look cooler since they're not as common and the wagon model didn't carry over to the 98 models.

I also think that once a car hits 30-40 it's pretty much a classic, due to age alone.

Whats classic to you? Dont collect classic cars for an investment.

On a side note, I saw 90s Camry with collect plates the other day. I guess it was a gold trim version...

What makes a car a classic?

I can't afford it.

Agree that the DOT version of classic is meaningless when it is just based on age.  I think in our collective minds, the term is really more based on was the car significant in it's day. That does not mean it had to be expensive, but was it a sports car (Datsun 240Z),  was it a trend setter (think BMW 2002), or limited production (Alfa GTV or GTV6)? All the American classics and  European classics as well as some Japanese cars (finally) are there by default, but as the numbers have decreased and the values have risen, you are starting to see some of the less desirable versions of some of these cars being offered as classics, as the more sporting versions have appreciated beyond the reach of many of us.

It makes me mad when I see some crappy car driving around with classic plates here in Maryland. Crappy meaning, is a pedestrian car that was manufactured by the hundred thousands, has no collector value and is not appreciating. That Camry mentioned above is a perfect example. But an RX7, MR2, 300ZX, CRX, Prelude, Civic SI, M3-5, NA Miata, sure those are classics, even if they are not particularly old.

Given that we are now living in the last days of the internal combustion engine days (and the current cars are producing power levels unimaginable 25 years ago), there will be a whole bunch of future classics coming 25 years from now, with the Boss 302, ZL1, ZR1, HellCats, ND Miatas, BRZ's, Boxsters, Alfa Guilia and so many more.

You'll know it when you see it.

Old school: a Classic is a non mass produced automobile made between 1926(?) & 1948. That's close but not an exact definition used by the Classic Car Club of America which was a bigger deal 50 years ago when I was young. Now it may mean old & unusual as a classic Yugo. Meh, there's no hard & fast definition any more.

Like I said above. In order to be a classic, it needs to appeal to the next generation.

How many they made or how it performed is immaterial.

Pete

Is it a older car you would rather see saved than scrapped?

It's a classic. 

NOHOME said:

Like I said above. In order to be a classic, it needs to appeal to the next generation.

 

How many they made or how it performed is immaterial.

 

Pete

In that case, the current crop of "classic" cars may be in trouble.

In reply to Toyman01 :

That's as good a definition as any.

In reply to Ian F :

They are. You cant give away Brit cars anymore unless they are perceived to be an investment.

But then again, Classic status is akin to "God" status. once attained, it is forever. i.e. People may not worship or pay tithe to the old Norse Gods anymore, but they get to keep the title for as long as they are remembered. I believe Neil Gaiman covered the topic in "American Gods"

Pete

In reply to NOHOME :

I don't think the Brit car market is quite that bad yet, but I definitely don't count on any of my cars financing my retirement. Quite the opposite, in fact - I have to enjoy during my retirement (assuming I live that long).

The fact that they need to appeal to the next generation is a very true statement. I loved and still appreciate the MG T-Series cars, but they have never appreciated beyond a certain point and are now going back down in value as all the older generations that loved them are dying off. Sad to see, as they were the start of the British invasion, makes me feel like the rest of the pack might have the same problem. I know my old Triumph club in PA is all up in their years now and many are selling off their collections.

My only hope is that e-Types start moving in the right direction again, as they were $1,000 junk cars behind repair shops in the 70's and early 80's and are now priced way beyond my pocketbook........  I would be happy to pick one up when the cycle comes back around (wishful thinking!)

In reply to dherr :

In my opinion.....

E-Types have made the leap to investment vehicles. I don't see them falling off that perch unless we have an economic collapse.

You don't own a Jag cause you want to drive one ( cause objectively they really are not that great to drive) you own one because you expect it to go up in value and there is status ( value) in being able to claim you own one.

There are few enough good E-types left that they wont saturate the market as the owners cash out of the game. Unless of course something happens that reverses the world population growth. Pretty sure you will get a good deal on one then.

Some make it on their own merits (I am probably one of few who have attained top speed in a Mk 9 Jaguar  to determine if it qualified for all the attributes of their advertising -  Grace, Space, Pace - one of my favourite larger British cars of the grand touring variety - looks and reasonable performance gets you part was to being a classic).

Getting into a movie helps too - who would give a second glance at a Pacer or a Delorean had they just subsided into obscurity instead of appearing in movies?

I think to truly be classic it has to do with a combination of factors:

Production numbers/import numbers

Rarity or how many do you see on a regular/daily basis?

Is there a car culture for them that transcends generations, i.e. do people want it? lust after it? no matter their age vs the age of the car?

So to me a classic is different than an antique.  Antique = an old car of any kind, those ones can get a state tag just for being old. Classic = people desire to own one.  25 years just makes a car an antique or old, just because its old doesn't make it a classic. Classic cars also don't have to wait 25 years to be cool.  They just are.  

octavious said:

I think to truly be classic it has to do with a combination of factors:

Production numbers/import numbers

Rarity or how many do you see on a regular/daily basis?

Is there a car culture for them that transcends generations, i.e. do people want it? lust after it? no matter their age vs the age of the car?

 

So to me a classic is different than an antique.  Antique = an old car of any kind, those ones can get a state tag just for being old. Classic = people desire to own one.  25 years just makes a car an antique or old, just because its old doesn't make it a classic. Classic cars also don't have to wait 25 years to be cool.  They just are.  

I agree completely with your statement. However you need to think of things from a personal age perspective as well.  

At 70 my perspective is going to be different than someone in their 20’s&30’s.  To me, a lot of what they think of as classic cars  is just a no longer new car. 

My Classic cars are from the  60’s &70’s Vintage cars are the 40’s & 50’s  and antique cars ended with the start of WW2. Before that was Brass era and pre 1900 Edwardian. 

frenchyd, yep I agree.  That's why to be a classic it has to go over multiple generations.  What it does in my mind is make the list of true classic cars a lot smaller.  I'd also wager that not all cars from the 60s and 70s are classic to you.  Simply being from that era doesn't make them classic, some of them are just old. 

I also agree with fasted58 and that you know it when you see it. 

Maybe it should be that if you have to ask "is that a classic?" then the answer is no.  Ha!