Where have all the classics gone?

Mekon

Mekon

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My late father was a petrol head, as am I. My dad restored a few cars in his lifetime and I as a kid helped him. My first car was a 1970 Ford Capri that in 1986 at the age of 16 I started to rebuild the Capri. So by the time I had a drivers license I had a Capri that looked brand new. We also went to a lot of car shows, breakfast runs with various car clubs, concourses etc. There were often cars I would see time and time again.
There were also a lot of cars I saw once and never again. a yellow Countach, a red countach. seen a few black ones, a metallic blue Ferrari 308, a Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer 512, a white Lamborghini Muira then a gold and a maroon Espada. A Matra Simca, Lotus Elite and a lot more that I saw once and never again. After a few years I just never saw any of these cars that frequented shows and clubs anymore. At a car show in Vanderbijlpark in 2011 was the first time I saw a De Tomaso Mangusta.

I go to the Classic car show that is held at nasrec sometimes and often go to the Piston Ring but all those old cars from my younger days aren't around anymore. So one of you must know where they've all gone? Capetown maybe?
 
There has been a surge in private collectors, enormous sheds filled with very special cars going nowhere.
Extremely unfortunate.
 
its almost impossible to look after a car in this country. times have changed. I also used to be pedantic about my cars. But I had to let it go. People just open their door into it. bump it ad drive away. Irreplaceable or not. Nobody gives a **** anymore. I buy cheap cars and make them fast now, hardly even wash em.
 
WorldWarII said:
its almost impossible to look after a car in this country. times have changed. I also used to be pedantic about my cars. But I had to let it go. People just open their door into it. bump it ad drive away. Irreplaceable or not. Nobody gives a **** anymore. I buy cheap cars and make them fast now, hardly even wash em.
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Classics or normal cars? There was a time when cars weren't very common but that has since changed. People tend to have a bit more respect for classics or really expensive exotics but eveeything else is just "another car".
 
ForceFate said:
Classics or normal cars? There was a time when cars weren't very common but that has since changed. People tend to have a bit more respect for classics or really expensive exotics but eveeything else is just "another car".
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Exactly this, in the last few years i have seen many more old cars being restored, some very nicely and some just to a usable state.
Perhaps it is just the circles I move in.
The American stuff seems to be the most popular. The prices have risen dramatically but only really for specific models and years.
 
Stacks of cars exported to the UK too. I see lots of VW Kombis and old volvos tarted up shipped out.
 
ForceFate said:
Classics or normal cars? There was a time when cars weren't very common but that has since changed. People tend to have a bit more respect for classics or really expensive exotics but eveeything else is just "another car".
Click to expand...

i suppose you could call them normal cars, most classic thing Ive had was probably a 2000 model Subaru GT. Still rare though and I babied that car. Others would notice it was cared for and have a bit of respect. These days i come back to my STI to find grubby finger marks on the windows where people let their kids rub their snot face on the window to look inside. About 20 years ago i did some restoration wirk for a guy that collected Karmann Ghia's , and I remember driving them, people would treat them like gold. Last time I saw him he had sold them all, said same thing. people just done care anymore.
 
WorldWarII said:
i suppose you could call them normal cars, most classic thing Ive had was probably a 2000 model Subaru GT. Still rare though and I babied that car. Others would notice it was cared for and have a bit of respect. These days i come back to my STI to find grubby finger marks on the windows where people let their kids rub their snot face on the window to look inside. About 20 years ago i did some restoration wirk for a guy that collected Karmann Ghia's , and I remember driving them, people would treat them like gold. Last time I saw him he had sold them all, said same thing. people just done care anymore.
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Yeah, I've seen parents do that. Disrespectful.
 
I think most classic cars in SA have either been shipped out to Europe, Japan, US, etc or fall into the hands of the 50 or so SA collectors.

I know of a few SA collectors here, and their collections have been growing for the past few years.
 
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