Vintage cars

For those ladies who are indeed up-to-speed with the prestige of the classics, forgive us, but you’re in the minority here, so we’re not talking about you right now. Otherwise, it always makes for quite the interesting scene that plays out, doesn’t it, how stopping next to what the ladies typically view to be an old car draws approving hoots, sharp-sharp thumbs-ups, slow nods and all manner of approving gestures. And if the driver of the classic ride you’re admiring happens to have their windows open and is within earshot, the inevitable question of “Is it for sale?” follows.

Of course we’re talking classics here, going all the way back to those iconic and definitive car models which embodied the height of the automotive revolution. What unassuming, so-called “Slay Queens” would probably describe to be something along the lines of “your grandfather’s skorokoro / skedonk” really proves that one Slay Queen’s rubbish is another man’s treasure...Err, so the Saturday afternoon / Sunday morning classic car show and vintage vehicle parade at the show-grounds is not the ideal venue or setting for a date then...

But once the somewhat mystifying anti-dust car-cover is lifted off the classic car industry, what lies in store strikes at the heart of any kind of car enthusiast who knows a thing or two about what is perhaps the country’s most convenient mode of transport. However, it must be said that when you venture into the territory of the classics, you’re not really looking for the kind of practicality contained in a car you drive to work every day, or indeed just what is deployed as your everyday-use car.

Vintage cars are more of a hobby, hence the Sunday afternoon drives to complement the periodic classic & vintage car exhibitions and competitions.

If we discuss some of the obvious dynamics around owning a classic car, nobody must be under any illusions – it’s generally not a cheap exercise. For one, should you require any replacement parts, there’s a very real probability that you might have to have them specially shipped in, and since some of the American favourites jump to mind when we think about the golden era of classic cars, the pathway of those parts which need to be retro-made and shipped in would likely have to go via Germany, where they’d get adapted for fitting into petrol engines and for the right-hand-drive cars we use over here.

Don’t get us started on fuel efficiency...

At this stage along with our development, however, something like a well-kept Merc from as recently as 1993 can not only be legitimately referred to as a classic but looks like it too! So yes, perhaps owning and maintaining a classic can be a lot more practical than you think and you wouldn’t even need to break the bank to find a Convenient Deal 4 U as far as your perfect classic ride goes.

Your vintage baby would be less likely to be the target of the unfortunate reality of hi-jacking too...