Driving classics

[R_U_LOCAL]

Ladies & gents of the classic car forum, I don't know whether or not you ever dip your toes in to the advanced driving forum, but I've just posted a few thoughts on driving classic cars and whether it makes you a better all-round driver.

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Feel free to add your thoughts.

Or not of course - its a free country.

Reg.

[R_U_LOCAL]

Seems very hostile in here this evening.

Fair enough though - I'll take my stringback driving gloves and shuffle-steer back to my beardy mates.

[R_U_LOCAL]

Its all good - its an internet forum, not the real world. I've been around long enough (and probably dished out enough grief to others in the past) not to take offence.

Back on topic though, Does anyone else struggle to get enthusiastic about the cars which were everyday stuff when you started driving, but which are now considered appreciating classics?

I have no particularly fond memories of Capris and mk2 Escorts, but they seem to have a very keen following these days, and the prices are getting shocking.

Must be my age...

[R_U_LOCAL]

One mans classic is another mans shed.

Its the daily use which makes the biggest difference I think. I have a track prepared MX5 in my garage. Its by no means a classic in my view, but its 24 years old now and qualifies for classic insurance, so it probably is considered a classic by some people.

It's certainly got some of the attributes of a classic - no driver aids, mechanical bits you can fix & service yourself, and a level of feedback you don't really get with many modern cars.

I love driving it when I'm in the mood, but would I tolerate it every day for my daily commute? No thanks. I'm quite happy to embrace modern cars for the majority of my everyday motoring needs, but it's nice to have the mazda available for leisure use and trackdays.

My original point was that young drivers would still, to a certain degree, benefit from having to use an unreliable and unassisted car in the early part of their driving careers.

Maybe I do sound like one of Monty Python's four Yorkshiremen.

I used to get up for work at half-past-ten at night, half an hour before I went to bed, and then I licked the road clean wi' me tongue.

[R_U_LOCAL]

lowdrag said:

I'm not sure that "delicacy" is the word I'd use though. We still thrashed them but were aware that before airbags and the rest of the gubbins existed we were playing with out lives, even at 40mph so we were more aware.

I think by "delicacy", I meant that it's more important to operate the controls in an old car with a clear understanding of how your inputs will affect the balance of the car. I was taught to drive smoothly and I teach smooth driving (see some of my other posts) and although the benefits are still obvious in modern cars, they are far more obvious in a car with low grip and primitive suspension.

Experience in older cars translates nicely across to more modern machinery. Experience solely in modern cars probably would not properly prepare a driver for their first experience with an old car.

Love your XKSS by the way. One of my favourite motoring memories is of a passenger ride in a D type replica in the early 90s. Exciting doesn't even come close to describing the experience.

[R_U_LOCAL]

lowdrag said:

I'm sure Spoodler will agree, maybe not all of you, but I have always believed that a few years on two wheels teaches you more about road awareness than any amount of other experience.

I was a police driving instructor for several years. On the whole, motorcyclists would make the better car students due to better observation skills and mechanical sympathy. The only thing they often struggled with was road positioning through corners, which is significantly different for bikes than it is for cars.