Valentine’s Day And Classic Car/Bike Owners

A recent survey (conducted entirely at the 2009 NEC Classic Motor Show, by Footman James) has shown that almost half of classic car owners would rather spend time with their beloved set of classic wheels than the other half. Does James May come to mind there? Joking aside, for some this is a passion that is lovingly held dear to their hearts. The type of owner that is not only knowledgeable but also understands the real joy to be had in something raw, unique and without all the driver aids that appear on cars these days.

There’s something much more evocative provided by a classic car or bike and it’s something that you don’t find in a modern machine. Perhaps it’s simply down to the fact that it harks back to simpler times, or maybe it is the fact that things seemed far less homolgated back then (notice I don’t put a timescale on ‘then’). It’s the same for super-rare exotica – it’s almost like the ‘essence’ of driving distilled down and waiting for you to take it in, even when stationary.

I can see myself down the line owning maybe a classic car and motorbike – going into the garage on a lazy weekend (not that these exist really!) and pottering about with the tools. At the moment, it’s a pipe dream but I’d love to have an uncomplicated motor that I could look after myself, polishing the nuts and bolts, carefully waxing the bodywork, checking idle speeds etc.

However, would I say it was more important than spending time with a loved one? Well, who can say. For some, sure. If I had my dream TVR, who knows?!