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Classic Car or just junk
The A380 Airbus has been described as the most perfect airliner flying, it doesn’t actually need a pilot, it flies itself: it bristles with modern technology.
So may it be, but flight 447 from Brazil to Paris managed the unmanageable by falling out of the sky over the Atlantic, killing all on board.
The accident was blamed on the pitot tubes freezing up, however recovery of the black boxes threw more light on the situation, frightening and unbelievable, the crew were bombarded with bells and warnings of how the plane was flying.
The problem appears they had no idea where the plane was going, up or down, fast or slow, it came out that at one point it was in perfect trim, the crew had no idea, one pilot was trying to put the nose up and another down, whilst this was happening the plane was falling like a stone at an alarming speed, that is until it hit the water.
So what has this to do with cars, since the 1980’s technology has been progressing at a rate of knots that many find hard to keep up with. The proud owner who just loved tinkering with his beloved steed suddenly found that under the bonnet was a nightmare of electronic gizmo’s, each progressive year the situation escalated.
What have we now achieved, cars that park themselves, cars that can stop without driver input, parking sensor’s are old hat, there are model’s that shut the engine off if you stop for a traffic light, and so it goes on and on.
The dashboard isn’t there to tell you just the speed and mileage, oh dear no, you can switch from miles to kilometres, how long or far you can go with the amount of petrol, the brake pads need changing, a service is due, ambient temperature inside and out, and of course Sat Nav’s which are so necessary to go shopping down the road.
The back street garage cannot cope with these monster electronic wonder’s, I watched the other day, a Merc which was less than a year old having a technician sorting out a non operative parking sensor, virtually all the boot, bumper’s had to be removed to even start putting wrong right so to speak.
These are the Classic cars of the future, or are they? Who is going to maintain them? Or are they destined for an early exit?
We come to the real point of this story, Classic Car’s, I would suspect the last true classic built was the Caterham Seven, I say that because the cost of building a car today, with all the regulations that abound would be prohibitive to the would be entrepreneur.
We will never see the likes of Cecil Kimber, Wm Morris, Wm Lyon’s and a long list of automobile maker’s, many didn’t make it, but some are still household names. Perhaps there is one little exception, Morgan, though I expect it has it’s fair share of electronic wizardry.
One of my favourite outings was the London to Brighton run commemorating the freedom
from having to have someone walk in front of the car with a red flag, the first Sunday in November, the cars leave Hyde Park at 8am, the occupants suitably dressed in period costume.
The road to Brighton is lined with spectators, all looking for the best vantage point, the road by the time they reach Croydon is chock a block with sightseers also driving to Brighton, some do not make it, but they usually have a trailer handy close by in the traffic for just such a happening, crashes are far and few between.
These cars some a hundred years old are still running, in fifty years even how many of today’s cars will still be with us? A fifty year old Hyundai or even a Roewe, go on what;s a Roewe, did I not tell you some time ago we would be driving Chinese cars, well a Roewe is a Chinese Rover apparently, it seems these companies are turning out something like 3.5 million vehicles a year, and there are other’s, the automobile industry of the world now centres around China, India and Korea.
We know the MG is a truly iconic vehicle treasured by enthusiast’s the world over, there is so much interest in the early models still, and they command a price for that, but the great attraction is they can be taken to pieces and put back together by the enthusiastic owner, spare parts can be sourced, it is simple technology, were they as safe as today’s cars, now that is a point for debate.
We will keep with the MG for the moment, given the quality of the roads, and not just surface but signage, warnings etc, do you not agree the driver’s were far more capable than someone who jumps into one of today’s cars? How many are aware of what is going on under the bonnet?
Today’s car’s are safe, very safe, regulations have seen to that; but alas people are still being killed, because they are led to believe it cannot happen in a car with airbags, seat belts, crumple zones, ABS brakes, electronic suspension set up, better tyres, superior lighting, they are lulled into a sense of false security, and of course, the ultimate killer; speed.
With speed limits covering every road, speed should not be a factor, our classic’s could go as fast as the engine would let them, okay we didn’t have motorway’s so pile up’s didn’t occur.
Okay jump out of the MG, what about the Austin seven, basic, one could get the engine out and repair it on the kitchen table, the same applied to the gearbox, crumpled wings were easily fixed, if the battery was dead, the starting handle was just the job, that is a point, how many people today could even contemplate swinging an engine.
The little seven was family car, runabout, sports car all rolled into one, the various seven clubs all over the world can coo and woo a seven as much as a Lambo, probably more so.
The Riley, another iconic classic, beautifully made, easily repaired or even built from bit’s, we have a friendly chemist who is a dab hand at Riley’s, the engines go on for ever, there are specials made from riley part’s, can’t be done today with what we have on the roads.
Ever tried getting a spare part for one of to-day’s wonder cars, go to the main dealer pay a fortune, hard luck.
Singer another lost cause, so many, we have also seen the entrepreneur who wants to make a name, remember Gordon Keeble, then the Welsh Gilbern, Marco’s, even my beloved Bristol gone but never forgotten.
The company responsible for the NCT tell us that of course older cars have a greater failure rate, making it necessary to test them every year, true or false, well if we could test he figures I think they are talking about cars from the eighties and nineties on, because they are driven by people and not enthusiast’s, there is a difference, take my son in law, one morning he is on the way to work, there is a noise coming from the front of the car. He pulls in, something not quite right.He calls the garage out, wise move? The problem the wheel nuts were lose and one was going to depart very shortly, no, he is not an enthusiast, he no doubt represents much of the younger generation.
The scrappage deal rid the roads of some dangerous vehicles, the first of the electronic wonder’s. A true story I had a 250 diesel Merc which failed the NCT due to an airbag light not going out, I never did find out why as I decided it was costing too much to find the fault, instead I did a deal on a 190E 2litre Merc, beautiful to look at, first impression a great drive.
Until you went to slow down for light’s, roundabout’s in fact anything where one had to brake, the engine would without warning die, no power steering, no power brakes. It went back to the dealer, I went out on the test, not a problem, the car was left running for two hours, not a problem, it has to be your driving, after more than a million miles I did not take too kindly to the suggestion. It seems one had to keep the rev’s up and not really take your foot off the pedal, would have been a delight in the snow.
So will to-day’s cars be Classic’s or just recycled scrap, the speed of change is so rapid can we keep up, will electric car’s be the thing of the future? Eventually perhap’s so what will the oil countries do with all the oil they can’t sell?
Only time will tell.
Ted Lay
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