Today’s cars have wonderful capabilities, like powerful fuel-efficient engines and increasingly more intricate electronics. As it happens, we may even see some self-driving cars in the very near future. And yet, people turn to classic cars again and again. Why is that?
Engineering
Today’s cars for the common person are more affordable, fuel-efficient, and have greater passenger survivability when it comes to crashes. They are also products of more than a century of engineering.
With that in mind, there is still a lot that can be said of the mechanics of the olden days. Some cars had engines made in a way that is not suitable for today but was a piece of history back then.
Something similar can be said about the design of the car. The car was designed to portray luxury, strength, or economic space management. They don’t build them like they used to, which brings us to our second point.
Nostalgia
Classic cars are much like classic watches in that they were perceived as a symbol of style, elegance, and luxury. Some people look to find vintage cars to recreate this feeling in themselves and/or their loved ones.
Old movies often featured some of these cars, like James Bond with the Aston Martin, so the cars are also the symbols of their respective eras.
Smokey and the Bandit made Pontiac famous, but this failed with Back to the Future and the DeLorean since the car failed to show any remarkable performance.
Restoration
What do you do when your car breaks down? You take it to the shop or fix it yourself, often trying to find a universal part that has become an industry standard at one point or another. This is efficient. This is also boring.
A few decades ago (okay, many decades ago), car companies were as diverse as the gaming consoles and computer hardware are today, with a few exceptions for universal usage. You could not get a Ford part and put in on a Porsche.
Secondly, vintage cars are not made anymore, meaning that if the part is broken beyond repair, it is likely that you are not going to be driving that car anymore unless you manage to track down an original part still in working condition.
Troublesome hard work? Definitely.
However, this is what contributes to the worth of the car – its rarity. Restoring a vintage car can be a very rewarding experience.
Demand
Finally, one of the reasons for the popularity of these cars is the supply and demand for them. They are rare and people want them for the reasons listed above, or to make a profit. There is a lot of money to be made in flipping vintage cars and to sell them, the owners often showcase the engineering, the nostalgia, and the beauty of these cars. Classic cars are never going to go out of style.