Switching off is easier than restarting (even with classic cars)
05/10/2020
Anyone who owns an old (perhaps even very old) car knows that it is often much easier to switch off the engine than to restart it. Depending on the situation and the heat in the engine compartment, it may be necessary to accelerate more or less, adjust the mixture to a richer level or take some other precautionary measure to ensure that the engine starts up again without any problems, does not stall and hums away healthily.
In our world and in the classic car industry in particular, restarting seems to be at least as challenging at the moment.
After around seven weeks of a so-called "lockdown" phase, things are now more or less tentatively reopening. Under strict precautionary measures, museums are once again allowed to receive visitors and dealers are welcoming customers to their showrooms. Handshakes are a thing of the past, but social distancing is still being practiced. And as with the relaunch of an old car, the relaunch of the classic car industry will not go completely smoothly, some will act too timidly, others too briskly.
So let's be patient with the museums, dealers, specialists and event organizers and support them in their efforts to find the right compromise between compliance with the law, safety, commercial conditions and pleasure. And let's be happy that at least some of the things we were used to just a few months ago are working again.
