As the drive to electric gains pace, is it the end of the road for classic cars?

Even with environmental pressures and the move away from fossil fuels, there are plenty of ways enthusiasts can keep historic vehicles on the public road where they belong, says Martin Gurdon

Every summer I hear strange noises. They come from the road outside my house and they’re made by old cars, lorries and buses.

Not only old, but also interesting. Everything from clattering Volkswagen Beetles to basso vintage Bentleys rumbles past, en route to regular oldvehicle gatherings at the South of England Rare Breeds Centre, a local charity that hosts such events. But for how much longer, given environmental pressures combined with the mass adoption of electric cars?

Some people think the rot is already setting in, literally, thanks to E10 petrol. This is a fuel blend containing 10 per cent renewable ethanol – up from the 5 per cent content of the relatively old engine-friendly E5 – which means the fossil fuel content is reduced. According to the Government, this could cut CO2 emissions by 750,000 tonnes every year. However, that extra ethanol can eat at an older vehicle’s rubber fuel system parts, and if E10 is left for lengthy periods in a little-used classic’s fuel tank it will sweat water, causing corrosion. Costlier E5 “superunleaded” with a higher octane rating (a measure of the quality of petrol, the higher the number the better) will continue to be sold for the next five years but, like leaded petrol in the 1990s, its days are surely numbered.

Wayne Scott, communications director for the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC), is phlegmatic about this.

“I came across an old book that suggested the end of leaded petrol would spell the end of classic cars. Twenty years on and the sector is booming,” he said. “There’s a lot of hype around ethanol, which I don’t think will be a problem for classic car owners.”

His federation reckons replacing vulnerable rubber parts, such as fuel lines, on a period car would cost a little under £300. There are also E10 fuel additives available, but these have corrosioninhibiting qualities and won’t protect non-metal parts.

Scott thinks the real problem will lie with low-income drivers of non-classic older cars that will suffer similar problems, but who lack the funds to replace or upgrade their vehicles.

The long-term availability of fuel in a world dominated by electric cars will be an issue for classic vehicle owners, but petrol and diesel cars are likely to be around for a while yet.

Garry Wilson, CEO of the Historic & Classic Vehicles Alliance, a lobby group for old-car owners and the businesses that look after them, doesn’t see petrol gurgling into the history books.

“As long as you make kerosene for aviation you naturally get gasoline as a by-product,” he said. “There will be a longer lead time for aviation fuel. For net zero by 2050 you will want synthetic fuels.”

Scott also speculates that synthetic fuels, as being developed by Porsche and Audi among others, and which are allegedly carbon neutral, could save the day, but the jury is out on this, and if synthetic fuels are mass produced they’re likely to be used in sectors such as shipping, which is currently a major polluter.

What about long-term fuel supply? AA spokesman Luke Bosdet speculated that classics could end up being kept at storage hubs close to fuel supply points, something that might exclude lower income owners. Wilson suggested that classic vehicle centres, such as the Bicester Heritage complex, could also become fuelling areas for old cars.

Sir Greg Knight MP, chair of the AllParty Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group, said: “There will be change, and access to fuel will become more difficult, but I think the use of classic cars will continue. The biggest threat is unintentional; when changes are made to regulations and civil servants don’t realise the impact they will have on older vehicles.”

He thinks both government and opposition are not unsympathetic to classic cars, seeing them as a relatively benign hobby “that touches all ages and backgrounds”.

Both Wilson and Scott think old cars should have the same status as listed buildings, and agree with Sir Greg that the direction of travel for environmental legislation hasn’t actively threatened them. Wilson cites a recent government consultation on proposed vehicle “antitampering” legislation, designed to protect factory-fitted emissions and safety settings on recent cars from DIY modification. Old car restorers and DIY-practicing owners feared this would outlaw their activities but, after lobbying, the Government indicated that any regulations wouldn’t be retrospective. The Transport Select Committee has also taken evidence on a continued fuel supply for historic cars.

What about converting historic vehicles to electric power? Sir Greg Knight is not a fan, saying this “destroys their heart and soul”, but there are plenty of specialists and the best conversions are beautifully realised (if eyewateringly expensive). Electrified classics will gradually become part of the old car mix.

As for urban clean air zones, many will be managed on a local level, so the exact charging criteria will vary, but registered, road-legal cars that are 40-plus years old are exempted in the existing London clean air zones. Socalled “modern classics” (cars manufactured from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s) are more problematic.

The FBHVC thinks the environmental impact of the 1.5 million vehicles looked after by its members – including steam trains and traction engines – is negligible, as old cars cover an average of only 1,200 miles each year. It claims that looking after them sustains 3,820 businesses with about 34,000 employees, and that doting owners spend £7.2 billion annually on pampering them – allegedly contributing more to Britain’s annual GDP than the fishing industry.

Danny Hopkins, editor of seminal old car nuts and bolts magazine Practical Classics, rejects the idea that historic vehicles are only for nostalgic older males.

He referenced over-subscribed classic vehicle apprenticeship schemes as passing on specialist engineering skills. Hopkins has no argument with climate science or the spread of electric cars, and thinks the presentation of his hobby should reflect these things. “We’ve got a fantastic future, but some people have got to stop behaving like a bunch of angry old men who think life was better in the 1950s. Shouting at people will come back and bite us,” he said.

“Classic car ownership is about recycling and upcycling, and it’s attracting young people. There are very few ways people can get involved with hands-on engineering and this is one of them. We’re not harking back to another age, but we want to be inspired and enthused by our forebears.”

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