Newslink September 2021

Vintage cars
A classic
muddle
Rod Came
MSA GB South East
I like classic cars. 1950/1960 motors
had personality and charm and I have
owned and sold quite a few over the
years. As a lad I could identify the make
and model from a distance away, they
had distinctive shapes when seen from
the front, side or rear. There was no need
to wait until they were within spitting
distance to have to identify them from
the logo on the front, as is now the case.
I will agree with you that they were
lacking in creature comforts. Power
steering, air con, ABS, electric windows,
climate control, road holding and
reliability were as imaginative as the
adventures of Dan Dare in The Eagle.
Having to adjust the brakes, change
the engine oil and spark plugs ever few
thousand miles, climbing underneath
with a grease gun to lubricate the joints
every 500 miles, oh, how I miss those
little tasks – not!
Even after several decades from the
date of manufacture, parts for the most
popular classics are still readily available
and there is a thriving pattern parts
market for most cars built in the last
50/60 years, including those newer ones
which are just out of warranty.
But as with all systems that are
working well, officialdom has to poke its
unwelcome nose in; that is a response,
as regular as night following day. Those
who would govern us just cannot stop
themselves meddling in areas of our lives
that are none of their business.
Those people our Prime Minister insists
on calling our ‘friends’ in the EU are
consulting (and we all know what that
means) to make a change to their rules
which currently allows independent
garages and do-it-yourself mechanics to
use pattern parts to maintain vehicles.
Instead the EU wants only parts
produced/supplied by the manufacturer
of the vehicle to be available.
The first and obvious disadvantage is
that there would be a dramatic increase
of price for every single item, from oil
filters to windscreens.
This is apparent when having to renew
headlamp units and complete door
mirrors today. These have to be replaced
when damaged, are vehicle specific and
cost a fortune for what they actually are.
Do you remember the sealed beam
headlamp units which were used instead
of bulbs? They were available from most
motor factors at a reasonable cost. ‘A
wing mirror, round or rectangular, there
we are, £2 please.’
Recently I was out in a minibus when
the offside door mirror was removed by a
passing Transit – the replacement was
£800 inc fitting and VAT! You can buy a
Nissan Micra 2009 (59 reg) with
49,000 miles for that money. The EU
want all parts to come from the vehicle
manufacturer; who is ripping off whom
round here?
If this ‘consultation’ becomes enacted
not only would the vehicle owner be
fleeced but it would have a knock-on
effect on the pattern part makers in this
country, the multitude of motor factors
who supply such parts, small garages,
self-employed mechanics and many
others employed in the motor trade.
Currently, vehicle manufacturers supply
spare parts for 15 years from the end of
production of a particular model, but
classic cars are generally much older
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NEWSLINK n SEPTEMBER 2021