I was recently reading an old joke about European heaven and hell. In European heaven, the English are the Policemen, the French are the Cooks, Germans are the Mechanics, Italians are the lovers and the Swiss organise everything. In European hell, the Germans are the Police, English are the Cooks, French are the Mechanics, Swiss are the lovers and the Italians organise everything!

Cars had characteristics of the nations that built them
It got me thinking back to the days when this was such a true statement – days when I got into my cousin’s Citroen 2CV and would have felt safer going to Helston in a wheelbarrow. Traveling back from Cornwall in my dad’s Jaguar felt like we had stepped into a different age, a sea of wood trim, the patina of real leather – like a stately home. Cars had the characteristics of the nations that built them – a stiff upper lip with a sense of fun from the British, and the French always had an air of nonchalance to their car building.

Modern cars have lost some of that peculiar sense of knowing, that back of the mind thought of “it’s going to be a pig to own, but I’m buying it because I love it”. That nature made a car special. A bond you can only get by sitting next to a vehicle on the side of the A419 whilst it enjoys itself puffing steam into the night air. Yes, they were a needy companion back then, but that is what made us love them.

Owning or experiencing a classic car is the way forward for many people
More manufacturers are realising that owning or experiencing a classic is the way forward for many people to relive those days. BMW Group now have a Classic division, which caters for parts and servicing for older vehicles (bmwgroup-classic-heart.com); Land Rover have the same and parts can now be sourced for your MK1 Land Rover or Discovery from your local dealership. Jaguar offer a range of historic driving experiences at jaguar.co.uk/classicdriving.

Peugeot have also recently built up an historic division, after seeing prices of models such as their 205 GTi rocket in the past year. Considering how coveted their vehicles are, the Italians have been playing catch up in this area. Lamborghini has launched its PoloStorico historic division, and Ferrari North Europe are now teaching their new apprentices about multiple carburettors, a points ignition system, magnetos and ballast resistors.

Talking about Ferrari, expect to see some special cars out on the road this year. 2017 is the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Prancing Horse, and it means many owners will get these special cars out of storage to join the summer celebrations. In his memoirs, Enzo Ferrari divided people who bought his cars into three categories; sporting types, men who won’t see their 50th birthday again, and exhibitionists. See if you can tell which are which!

The car you buy can reveal a lot about you
Going back to what I was originally saying; the car you buy can reveal a lot about you, and years ago when cars had a lot more character you were making more of a conscious and even sub-conscious statement with the car you owned. The most special motoring experiences I have had are due to a classic, and with manufacturers starting to support the owners a bit more, don’t dismiss one if you get the chance to purchase.