What Makes A Car A Classic Car? There’s More To It Than Age!

If you want to get technical about it, then a car becomes a classic car somewhere between the age of 15 and 40 years old (depending on who you ask!) However, classic cars are more than just old cars. They are special cars. Classic cars are timeless cars, and it seems unfair to label them purely based on their age.

They Were Designed With Greater Freedom

You only have to look at classic vehicles such as our 1987 Lotus Excel or our 1970 MG C Roadster to see how impressive they are to look at. It doesn’t take an expert to see that they look quite different from some of the modern cars we see on the roads today too.

A big part of this is because classic cars were designed and built in a time when there was less of a focus on safety, emissions, and alike. Instead, it was all about making the car look good and giving the driver an experience they would hold on to anytime they got behind the wheel.

Modern car manufacturers have to compete with other leading car manufacturers. As a result, you get a lot of similar-looking cars. Back when classic cars were built though, designers could break the mould and let their imagination and creativity run wild.

You Can Look After Them Yourself (Sometimes)

This isn’t always true as, sometimes, you will need the assistance of a classic car technician. This is particularly the case if you are trying to restore a classic car. If this is something you are thinking about, it’s well worth working with the highly trained and highly skilled technicians at Bridge Classic Cars to give you a helping hand with your latest restoration project.

However, If you have some level of mechanical knowledge, you might be surprised at how much you can repair, replace, or improve on a classic vehicle. Modern cars tend to be full of complicated electrics, and manufacturer-specific parts. This usually means that nothing can be replaced without plugging the car into a laptop first. Classic cars don’t need any of that.

With traditional tools, a skilled classic car technician can strip and rebuild most components of a classic car. They will be able to do this without a laptop or specialist tool in sight.

They Were Built By Hand

Perhaps one of the most important factors to consider when deciding if a car is a classic or not is whether it was built by human hands or by a machine.

True classic cars would have, at least in part, been built by hand. This is something that can never be replicated by machines. As every hand-built car will have minor differences, each one will be as unique as the people who own them.

When we are working on restoring classic cars, our technicians don’t just rely on made-to-order parts. They fabricate their own to make sure everything fits perfectly and things look exactly how they should.

What Makes A Car A Classic Car?

Sometimes, a car will be deemed a classic or not based on its age (for insurance purposes, etc). However, true classic car enthusiasts know that there is much more to it than that.

Classic cars feel different, look different, and give you an entirely different driving experience. Some modern cars are great. There’s just something about classic cars that makes you want to get back behind the wheel time and time again.