What Makes A Car An Antique?

There is a lot of debate over what makes a car anthe vehicle. Among these car shows you will often
antique and what just happens to be an old car.find that the most popular are the Concours
There are few hard and fast rules as to what makesd’Elegance that take place throughout the USA. 
the difference, but there are certainly variousThere is another school of thought that terms
groupings who will swear blind that a car cannotantique cars as any developed between the years of
qualify as an antique unless it meets certain1880 and 1916. Motorized travel began as a realistic
requirements. This leads to accusations of elitismconcept in 1880 and by the latter of the two dates
– some of which are perfectly justified to bemuch of the world’s car production had all but
entirely honest – and also of specious reasoning,stopped, allowing for the production of military
with some people feeling that there are many peoplevehicles such as jeeps and tanks in the same
to whom an antique car’s definition is anyfactories. As with many other industries, the
definition that describes their own car. Being able toattentions of the automotive industry were directed
define your car as an antique is seen as something oftowards winning a war, and frivolity was discouraged
a claim to fame, and therefore there are manyat most levels. Cars from between 1880 and 1916,
people who may seek to describe their car in suchtherefore, will be markedly different from those
terms with little justification. which were developed post-war. As we all know,
However, the main body for recognition anddespite the horrors of war, it still teaches us a great
appreciation of antique cars, the Antique Automobiledeal beyond the subject of diplomacy – chances
Club of America define an antique car as any carare we still wouldn’t have been to the Moon
over 25 years of age. The reason for this is that thewithout what we learned from the World Wars. 
average design age of a modern automobile isIn the end, as there is no overall body to prevent
roughly half of that – about twelve and a halfyou from calling your car an antique, your own
years – and at such an age, any car that is stilldefinition will really suffice for a final definition of
operational is quite a rarity. If a car reaches the agewhat makes an antique car. If you have a car from
of 25, the likelihood is that it will be uneconomical to25 years back or older, then you may very well have
run and will find it hard to stand up to every day use.an antique. But if it is held together with string and
The main use of an antique car is in car shows whichhas an old clothes-hanger in place of a radio antenna,
demonstrate the quality of the design and build ofdon’t expect it to win any contests.