| An old-timer is a vintage and rare car.
Is owning an old car a hobby or a capital investment?
The real men love weapons and cars. But then there are discrepancies – some prefer everything new and modern, and there are others who love the classical forms, which have been out of fashion for a very long time. However, these days vintage cars are coming back onto the roads more and more, gaining popularity in Europe. Unfortunately, not all the old-timers can move on Russian roads.
Old-timers are the people, collecting the vintage cars, and also the cars that are more than thirty years old are called old-timers. At the same time, the most valued cars are not only the ones which are old, but which also have a nice history or had been produced in limited editions.
Similarly, Horch 853 Sport-Cabriolet’s are highly valued, as only 1024 cars of the model were produced from 1935 to 1940. And the owner of each car was documented by August Horch in the sale book (the record is still available), and there is a legend that the very first Horch 853 Sport-Cabriolet, manufactured in Zwickau, was owned by Reich Marshal Herman Hering.
Mercedes 190 SL is also considered to be a symbol of the old-timer movement, and only 1800 cars were produced from 1955 to 1963. This two seat model had great demand amongst the ladies. Its “sports victories” began in 1956, in the Grand Prix races in Macau, where it overtook the Ferrari Mondial and some Jaguars and Austin-Healeys. And already in retro-rallies, this “Mercedes” maintains its position.
A real old-timer is considered to be only that car, which has retained all the original parts right from the assembly line. That is the cars whose parts have been replaced by later generations, fall sharply in price. Ideally, the old-timer should be assembled only from the parts of the same year, because it is very rare to see a vintage car in excellent condition that is not for collection. By the way, restoration of a car may take anywhere from one to six years, and for some rare models, whose parts haven't been produced for ages, the restoration may take much more time. The expenses for restoration are much more than car purchasing. At the same time, the price of a good old-timer increases approximately by 100% a year, so these days, the purchase of a vintage car is considered to be a very good capital investment.
So as to estimate the beauty of cars, which have got a second life, many exhibitions and rallies of old-timers are arranged. The main role is played not only by the speed of the car, but also the completeness of assembly, year of manufacture and the history. Cars do not even move at the speed limit, but only in second gear, and they wait at the base point for the jury for up to half an hour. More often, such “races” are conducted in Europe or the USA where the well developed roads do not pose a threat to the fine parts of the vintage cars by jolts. For example, the rally “Mercedes classic day” or the race “Mille Miglia” (1000 miles), which was conducted for the first time in 1927 on normal roads, connecting Brescia and Rome.
Also, absolutely any fan of vintage cars can visit the exhibition of old-timers, which are regularly shown. Or you can visit a museum of vintage cars and technology where a skilled guide will tell you about the history of each car exhibited at the stand. After all, when the car passes from one hand to another, its owners change, the character of the car also changes, becoming faster or softer, obedient or capricious, which is reflected in each scratch on the vintage car. |
