By EWAN KENNEDY
26 April 2010

I do love cars. Just about anything with wheels gets me interested and I rejoice in the fact that I have the good fortune to work in the industry.

Car shows in particular really interest me. I was at one this morning and enjoyed examined everything from hotted up Holdens, Fords and Chryslers to a restored De Tomaso and stunning Chevrolet Cameo pickup. I seriously looked at an Austin Healey Bugeye that was on sale for an almost reasonable price – but I have nowhere to park it, so...

Last week I was at a mate’s place looking at the progress he is making on the major restoration of his Lancia Fulvia. Then another friend wanted to show me the FJ he is dreaming about buying – he also loved the quick trip around the block in the Jaguar XK R I was road testing at the time...

Aren't there some great machines out there? Good looking examples of automotive design with plenty of styling flair, these classic machines capture bygone eras perfectly.

It's not just the cars themselves, because they are part bygone eras and show the rapidly changing lifestyles in general.

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 40 years ago, such as my mate’s FJ, can produce as much as 40 times as much pollution as a current car. And there are some shockers on the road, pouring huge amounts of garbage into the atmosphere due to a complete neglect of service and/or repairs.

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. And 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 nowhere near 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 one that had been in a prang? 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.

Memo to many owners of new cars: perhaps you should drive in the same careful and considerate way as do the owners of the fine oldtimer cars.

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 Cadillacs. 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. When you see them on the road, respect them. And if you hear of any do-gooders who say that all old cars should be scrapped, or at least taken off the road, point out the error of their ways to them.

ewan@marque.com.au

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