Are classic cars/youngtimers no longer welcome on the roads of the future?
In our reader survey in November 2012, we also asked, among other things, what the greatest dangers and risks for the classic/young car industry are.
Not entirely unexpectedly, the respondents see the greatest risk (59.1%) as a lack of skills in workshops and a loss of repair/repair knowledge.
In second place (54.4%), however, is the fear that classic cars and youngtimers may no longer be welcome on the roads, whether due to environmental legislation or other changes in the framework conditions (e.g. lack of cross-vehicle assistance systems).
The lack of available spare parts or materials is seen as a problem by a clear margin (39.2%). The lack of young talent, young people with an interest in classic/young cars and excessively high fuel prices rank further down the list of risks. The progress made with 3D printers in particular gives us hope that it will be possible to reproduce spare parts at a reasonable cost in the future. However, only time will tell whether future generations, some of whom are not even enthusiastic about modern cars, will still be able to get excited about their grandfathers' vehicles.
Another risk for the popular classic car, however, is the constantly rising prices for the vehicles themselves and the speculation that is being carried out with them. Some survey participants were also skeptical about the future of classic cars, where a high proportion of plastic in particular could cause problems. Some respondents see a completely different kind of risk in the fact that we will be overwhelmed by a flood of new classic cars in the coming years, as the "baby boomers", so to speak, are now reaching the appropriate age.
It remains exciting, we'll stay tuned. Here are the results of the survey:
