Well, once again I wish I could remember where I read things so I could point
to the
source, but I'm fairly sure it's not as simple as what Elijah quotes makes it
sounds. For
example, not ALL the cars built between 1925 and 1948 were included-- some
were,
some were not. In other words, there were criteria that went into picking the
cars from
that era, and I know I've seen those criteria published . . . somewhere!
But here's something I was able to google up from Wikipedia which helps:
The criteria Classic car is a term frequently used to describe an older car,
but what
exactly is meant by that varies from person to person and organisation to
organisation.
The Classic Car Club of America claims to have invented the term Classic car
and thus
they believe that the true definition of the term is theirs. According to the
CCCA:
A CCCA Classic is a "fine" or "distinctive" automobile, either American or
foreign built,
produced between 1925 and 1948. Generally, a Classic was high-priced when new
and
was built in limited quantities. Other factors, including engine displacement,
custom
coachwork and luxury accessories, such as power brakes, power clutch, and
"one-shot"
or automatic lubrication systems, help determine whether a car is considered to
be a
Classic.
The Club keeps an exhaustive list of the vehicles they consider Classics, and
while any
member may petition for a vehicle to join the list, such applications are
carefully
scrutinised and rarely is a new vehicle type admitted.
This rather exclusive definition of a classic car is by no means universally
followed,
however, and this is acknowledged by the CCCA: while they still maintain the
true
definition of 'classic car' is theirs, they generally use terms such as CCCA
Classic or Full
Classic to avoid confusion.
More common usage, however, fundamentally equates Classic car with the
definition of
Antique car as used by the Antique Automobile Club of America, who define an
Antique
car as one over 25 years old. Thus, popular usage is that any car over 25 years
old can
be called a 'classic car'.
25 years is generally considered a good cut-off age for such terms because it's
extremely
rare for a vehicle that old to still be owned or used without special
consideration for its
classic status - by 25 years old, a car will have exceeded its design life by
some
considerable margin, 10-15 years being the norm barring accidental loss. It
will probably
need significant maintenance to keep running, and many parts will be hard to
obtain
through the usual channels. Thus, a non-enthusiast will sensibly conclude that
it is not
feasible to continue using a car that old for regular driving.
This is not to say that an enthusiast of classic cars might not drive such an
old vehicle
daily, but that enthusiast will be willing to live with the greater difficulty
of so doing.
Mark
> Their requirements are actually pretty simple:
>
> "The Club defines CCCA Classics or Full Classic? Cars
> as '...fine or unusual motor cars which were built
> between and including the years 1925 to 1948. (Some
> cars built prior to 1925 that are virtually identical
> to a 1925 model that is recognized by the Club are
> currently being accepted on a "Please Apply" basis).
> All of these are very special cars which are
> distinguished by their respective fine design, high
> engineering standards and superior workmanship.'"
> (from http://www.classiccarclub.org/CarList.htm)
>
> The list of Chrysler automobiles recognized by the
> CCCA includes the following:
> 1926 -1930 - Imperial 80, 1929 Imperial L
> 1931 -1937 - Imperial Series CG, CH, CL, and CW
> Newports and Thunderbolts
> 1934 - CX
> 1935 - C-3
> 1936 - C-11
> 1937 - 1948 - Custom Imperial, Crown Imperial Series
> C-15, C-20, C-24, C-27, C-33, C-37, C-40
>
> Elijah (who also plays a reference librarian in real
> life, too)
>
>
>
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