How much attention do you attract?

[Billy Hunt]

Or more accurately, how much interest does your classic draw?

I don't feel I get a lot of interest in mine ('77 B GT).
Usually just from friends and people I'm on the same course with at college.
I have however had 2 people ask to sit in it one being a friend of my boss who used to own one and one person from college asking today (I obliged on both occasions as I trusted them).
Other than that just the usual nosing around and college tutors looking underneath for rust (the cheeky bds! ).

I don't seem to get much attention from strangers though, although I have exchanged the odd wave / flash of lights with other B drivers

[PigFilth]

Lots.

Mine's a bright blue Mk2 Escort 2-door - quite often come out of petrol stations after paying and find people looking at the car.

I took it along to the Porsche breakfast meet at Malton last year - before I'd even got out, a swarm of chaps (OK, about 5) gathered round to look at the car. "You can have any amount of Porsches, but as soon as an old Escort turns up, everyone wants to look at it," was what I heard as I wandered away. How true.

[iva cosworth]

Sorry if you consider my car not a classic [yet ?]

But some of the yoof of today have no clue what i am driving ,some even think its a

Max Power make over ,and stare at me/it

Presumably they cannot read the badges on the back either

[Alfachick]

I get a fair bit of attention in the Alfa, people at petrol stations commenting on what a nice car it is, passengers craining round in their seats as they over take me on the dual carrageway. Folk tend to let me out of junctions a lot more in town as well, which is nice Its nice to see other people appreciating my car I have to say

[ewenm]

Lots in the Caterham or Mustang, obviously none in the new Volvo

[anonymous-user]

There were only about 6000 Interceptors made, but from the number of people who come up to me and say "I had one of those", I conclude:-

(1) that every Interceptor had 97 owners, or

(2) that there are a lot of bullshidders around.

I have to allow extra time when filling up Jensen or Lotus, as people like to chat at the garage. When driving, small boys notice the Lotus, women do not, but they like the Interceptor.

[Spitfire2]

Bright yellow Spitfire - seems to get lots of attention.

An annoying one was a car overtaking me and slowing down just ahead (when I was about to pull out to overtake car ahead in lane 1) forcing me to stay in lane 1 - so the passenger could lean out the window and take fking photos.

Lots of toots and thumbs ups - kids waving and shouting "nice car mister"(great kids) in fact its rare on an evening spin not to get a comment like that from a youngster somewhere along the way - also kids bursting out laughing (wee stes ).

Older chaps wanting to chat about the one they used to own (or the Heralds they used to own).

I think its the bright colour, the noise (its loud but sounds nice and fruity) and the fact that its a rare sight.

[ROOODBOY]

I don't consider mine a proper classic, it's a 1989 TVR 350I, but it does get a lot of attention.
Mostly from neighbours, work colleagues and friends.

Young lads sometimes give it the thumbs up and people talk / ask what it is in petrol stations etc.

But last summer I was cruising along a road near my work, roof down, when three or four teenaged girls crossed the road a little way in front. As I drove by a work colleague was also walking along the pavement and he later told me that one of the girls looked at me, looked at her mates and said "Tosser!"

[MDT]

Breadvan73 said:

There were only about 6000 Interceptors made, but from the number of people who come up to me and say "I had one of those", I conclude:-

(1) that every Interceptor had 97 owners, or

(2) that there are a lot of bullshidders around.

I have to allow extra time when filling up Jensen or Lotus, as people like to chat at the garage. When driving, small boys notice the Lotus, women do not, but they like the Interceptor.

Many a time have I filled the MK2 and it goes like this

old boy - "what engine is in that"
me - "oh a 3.4"
old boy - "ah I had the 3.8"
me - "oh ok then"

every one of them had a 3.8 mmmmm

[dbdb]

Someone came up to me in a petrol station a couple of years ago and told me my Jag was the most beautiful one they had seen for years and they simple had to have it! This doesn't happen very often and I beamed from ear to ear.
They then ruined it by offering me three hundred quid.

[slomax]

More than you would believe! Most drivers on the road point at us. Quite a few flash, beep, thumb up etc etc. In a car park or petrol station there has never been a single occasion where someone hasn't asked what it is or looked around it from what i remember. People on the pavement stare, kids wave. It's simply a delight to go out in! It's nice that people apreciate something that they dont see every day! Can you tell this makes me happy?

[lowdrag]

They wander round it, they surreptitiously feel the wing edges to see if it is fibre or alloy, they peer inside, they note the stained and worn steering wheel, they peer through the louvres at the carbs and engine, all to see if it is a fake or real. Then some tw*t will always pontificate as to how one knows it's real/fake because of - and out comes the most incredible load of drivel you have ever heard. Always a laugh a minute owning a good replica!

[srob]

The old motorbikes attract huge attention, all of which is positive. As mentioned, if you're fuelling up you need to allow plenty of time

Bump starting a bike always seems to get the biggest crowd though. I mean the proper back on compression, run, bump on side saddle then swing the other leg over once it's running, old TT style. I don't do it very much in public any more though, after following my old man as he did that on a busy quayside, then proceded to drop the bike mid 'leg-over'. He didn't look so cool

[anonymous-user]

Driving around the West End late one night in the Fabboceptor, one young chavette observed that the car was "lush", but her friend pointed out the child seat in the back. A passing bloke observed "that's a whanquy car".

[Moikey Fortune]

Nope

[epoch911]

I have recently sold my 911 2.7RS - its levels of attraction were always varied.
The noise attracted quite a few people in the first instance. It immediately marked it out as "something old" often before people could even see it. Modern cars just don't sound the same.
Most people assumed it was a replica (it wasn't). Everyone was an expert. Despite having never owned one.
Outside of car fans and Porsche cognoscenti, it was just another 911, the natural byproduct of an evolutionary design philosophy, I guess
Kids loved it. Plenty of thumbs up as it went by and my kids loved to be taken to school in it - plenty of playground kudos and they thought that smelling of old cars and petrol for the day was sort of cool.

But as a lesson to us all, and to keep my hubris in check..
I drove in convoy from the UK to Monaco last May for the Historic Grand Prix. A fabulous journey through France. I was in my 911. My friends, who were racing in the event, were both in original Type 35 Bugattis.
France and Bugattis? The free drinks were flowing (for them) but I was invisible!

Edited by epoch911 on Wednesday 16th March 08:36

[danger mouse]

Billy Hunt said:

I don't feel I get a lot of interest in mine ('77 B GT).

My '71 get's loads of attention, probably because it loud, scruffy, has chrome bumpers so looks "classic" not "old" and usually moving sideways.

Problem with MGs here is they aren't considered special.

Over in Germany last year I could not believe the reaction to it. My friend there said it was because the younger generation love old English cars, especially in what was East Germany, and due to its novelty an MGB GT is just as cool as an 'E' type out there... so he said anyway.

I wasn't going to argue as he was talking about my car.

[VetteG]

Mine gets too much attention for my wife such that she doesnt like going out in it.
The most frequent comment is "you wont get many miles to the gallon with that!" To which they get the standard reply "Funnily enough I didnt buy it for its economy"

G

[Yertis]

Breadvan73 said:

There were only about 6000 Interceptors made, but from the number of people who come up to me and say "I had one of those", I conclude:-

(1) that every Interceptor had 97 owners, or

(2) that there are a lot of bullshidders around.

I have to allow extra time when filling up Jensen or Lotus, as people like to chat at the garage. When driving, small boys notice the Lotus, women do not, but they like the Interceptor.

I get a similar thing with the Quattro. Nearly everyone who sees it either has owned, or has a 'mate' who has owned, 'the short version'. TR6 always gets positive attention and thumbs up etc.

[hal 1]

We've had the photo taken from moving car thing also, we were on the M60 when a car passed us and pulled over onto the hard shoulder, when we'd passed they pulled up level with us and fired away, of course we smiled

Also got two kids shouted at us when we were at traffic lights
" YOUR CARS SH*T " then i shouted back " i'd rather be walking too " they didn't find it so funny then