When does Plastic become Classic?

[P6LTD351]

I'm a big believer that everything is 'relative'.

Working on this principle, when does plastic become classic?

It's long held that we classify Australian cars as 'classic' if they have big metal chrome bumpers, i.e. pre 1979.

Time doesn't stop though. People that were young in the 80s are getting older. There has got to be a time when plastic becomes classic.

I guess when it comes to the forums, there is the 'Post Classic' section which takes care of cars in the plastic era. But at some stage, this criteria needs to shift as both the cars and we all get older. It's not as if we think of cars of the 30s and 40s as classic. We directly think of the cars of 60s and 70s.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that a 50 + year old's view of classic may be different to a 20 year old's view of what is classic.

What do you all think? What do the younger generation on here think? If you're 18, do you think that an XE ESP is classic?

[Ford_The_Win]

I think a car becomes a classic when they start to get your attention when you see one. Take the XF as an example - growing up in the nineties, I used to see XFs everywhere. They didn't really stand out at all because they were so common. Then about six or seven years ago they pretty much disappeared and you very rarely see them getting about these days, with the exception of a few XG and XH utes. A few days ago I came across a mint dark blue XF Ghia, not unlike yours eb2monty. A really classy looking car, not my favourite model of Falcon, but it stood out in a sea of smiley faced imports and other weird looking newer cars. Yes, it had plastic bumper bars, and no, it didn't have a big V8 under the bonnet, but it was still a classic in my opinion.

Of course, there are always tools out there that think anything that isn't a GT or an XU1 Torana isn't a classic.

[Franco Cozzo]

I guess its all relative to your age, give it 20 years and to Gen Y, an R34 Skyline will become "classic".

If I was going to have a project car instead of my EL, it would have been an XE Falcon, I love the old 80s square look, I'd have an XF Fairmont old school all digital dash in it.

Asking people, its like the 80s everything tried to go "super modern", and a lot of concepts that in theory sounded awesome, didn't work well at all, like that digital dash, VDO got burned hard on that and its the classic text book case at trade school for auto elecs.

Another thing is I can't ignore the last 40 years of technology advances in the auto industry I've experienced, example my first car was a 2009 WS Fiesta, which has electric power steering and of course EFI so for example if my old man still had his first car, a XU1 Torana, I'm sure I'd think its pretty crappy if I drove it, but for someone who was actually around then and driving cars, it would feel different and still "fast" like it was back in 1971. There would be a lot of nostalgia value in it also.

[Nikked]

Well, considering the corvette has always been plastic...

[chrisfpv]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

I guess its all relative to your age, give it 20 years and to Gen Y, an R34 Skyline will become "classic".

Maybe to 40 year old Muzzas.

[In Focus]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

I think a car becomes a classic when they start to get your attention when you see one.

That's a pretty good definition for me. I would add that when you see people starting to restore them, rather than just driving an (increasingly) ancient car until it dies, then it is definitely a classic in the making.

[GhiaEB]

Being born in the early 80s, I think the XD-XF falcons are starting to become classics and to a lesser extent the EA-EDs.

XD-XF's are nearly non existent on the roads these days and EA-EDs are becoming rare.

XD, XE still had the mighty Clevo and with the EB got the return of the V8 option.

Try to find a nice XD-XE Falcon with a V8. The price people asks reflects how rare they have become.

Cheers

[Bushbasher]

As a rule I reacon the time frame seems to be about about 25-30 years. At that point cars seem to pick up a label and/or can be considered as a "classic".

My personal labelling system runs something like this:-

Antique - 1880-1916
Vintage - 1917-1930
Veteran - 1931-1946
Post war- 1947-1960
classic - 1961-1979
post classic - 1980-2000
modern - 2001 - ?

Others will have other ideas and I'm sure somewhere some organisation or other has decided on different criteria but I reacon I'm in the ball park. What do others think?

Bushbasher

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by Bushbasher

As a rule I reacon the time frame seems to be about about 25-30 years. At that point cars seem to pick up a label and/or can be considered as a "classic".

My personal labelling system runs something like this:-

Antique - 1880-1916
Vintage - 1917-1930
Veteran - 1931-1946
Post war- 1947-1960
classic - 1961-1979
post classic - 1980-2000
modern - 2001 - ?

Others will have other ideas and I'm sure somewhere some organisation or other has decided on different criteria but I reacon I'm in the ball park. What do others think?

Bushbasher

Yes, that's a good summary of the timeframes as they stand currently, however, it seems that we keep adding new sub groups rather than keeping the same sub groups which work on a sliding scale. e.g. surely what is modern now will move to post classic, then to classic in the years ahead; rather than creating another sub group such as 'ultra modern' etc.

[Bushbasher]

True, and it makes you wonder what label they'll come up with next. Personally I think "modern" will always move with the time and at some point when the latest car is far enough removed, technology wise, from what has come before, a new label will be put on the previous generation, (as it were), so what is now modern may become, for example, "pre-digital" or "pre-wireless" perhaps, but some term to reflect the era in history as pertaining to automobiles and what is the current evolving generation will remain "modern".


Bushbasher

[Falcman0o7]

Any car over 20 years is a classic IMO not many around after 20 years!

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bushbasher

As a rule I reacon the time frame seems to be about about 25-30 years. At that point cars seem to pick up a label and/or can be considered as a "classic".

My personal labelling system runs something like this:-

Antique - 1880-1916
Vintage - 1917-1930
Veteran - 1931-1946
Post war- 1947-1960
classic - 1961-1979
post classic - 1980-2000
modern - 2001 - ?

Others will have other ideas and I'm sure somewhere some organisation or other has decided on different criteria but I reacon I'm in the ball park. What do others think?

Bushbasher

That's a very good summary and I think most people would generally agree with those accurate and non-offensive titles.
May adjust the last entry:

Antique - 1880-1916
Vintage - 1917-1930
Veteran - 1931-1946
Post war- 1947-1960
classic - 1961-1979
post classic - 1980-2000
modern - 2001 - 2015
new era - 2016 -

[Jim Goose]

There is/was a time frame for each category ...

Classic is around 20yrs and older..

EB2Monty has it right for the Veteran, Vintage and Antique.

[302 XC]

To answer the question , when does plastic become classic ???
Never !!!

As in reletive to the question,as mentioned its a new classification retaining to the cars age
Classic stopped at the chrome steel bumpers(1979)
You can get a mid 90s nissan patrol with a chrome steel bumper from factory (import model) as well as some toyota 4bies,but they certainly aint a classic

Yes there are and were rare models after that period, XE ESP, Brockadores,factory turbo hotties, but its different

[Nikked]

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by 302 XC

To answer the question , when does plastic become classic ???
Never !!!

As in reletive to the question,as mentioned its a new classification retaining to the cars age
Classic stopped at the chrome steel bumpers(1979)
You can get a mid 90s nissan patrol with a chrome steel bumper from factory (import model) as well as some toyota 4bies,but they certainly aint a classic

Yes there are and were rare models after that period, XE ESP, Brockadores,factory turbo hotties, but its different

So by your logic, an XE will never be a classic? An XB in 1974 was not known as a classic then. It became a classic with time.

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by Nikked

image

Ha ha ha ha

[Legit290]

never....it's just a good feeling that mine can eat them for brekkie

[Bushbasher]

"Classic" can and does have more than one meaning just like, for example, "hot". How many definitions can you come up with for hot? As a temp descriptor, to describe an attractive person or item, to describe a stolen item, etc,etc.
In the case of automobiles, classic describes an era of vehicles but it also can and is used to describe a quintessential variant of any model from any era, ie. "that is a "classic" example of a Willys Jeep". It relates to any vehicle, essentially unmolested, and not necessarily the top shelf model of it's type, that represents everything a particular model is known and remembered for. I would suggest any "classic"of any given model would be the volume seller of it's marque, not the most optioned or performance model and not necessarily the base model so, for example, a classic XE or XF would probably be a GL and GLi respectively.


Bushbasher

[pottery beige]

Originally Posted by clarkey117

never....it's just a good feeling that mine can eat them for brekkie

what are you trying to say.. old doesnt mean slow.. ffs..

[pottery beige]

plassic not classic......

[Geez Louise]

Well there ya go. I thought a car automatically was classified as a classic once it turned 25yrs old.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

plassic not classic......

I wanted to say it I just didn't have a the testicals

[Legit290]

always say it mate...free speech is a good thing

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Ford_The_Win

I think a car becomes a classic when they start to get your attention when you see one.

I will go with this as well... also, when there is a degree of scarcity to them, or if they have been the basis of countless 'replicas'.

Many of the 'newer' commy's would be a classic in my books, the VL Walkinshaw springs to mind (IMO of course).

X-series falcons for sure, especially special editions and upper spec models.

Wouldn't say the E series as much, unless it was a GT model.

[davenl5l]

classic = i probably can't afford!

[Legit290]

classic = there's one in the shed

my point wasn't about a contest of who owns what.
I don't think that cars after xb are classic in the classic sense

[Stefan]

There are a few plastic classics coming along now.

1. The first MX-5s nicely maintained unmodified.

2. The first WRX's, especially STI's as above maintained and unmodified.

Two cars that are cool, have a cult following and as such many have been hacked up...

To be a clasic it takes more than just being 25 years old it actually needs have been a good car at some point .........

[XP6]

Originally Posted by Geez Louise

Well there ya go. I thought a car automatically was classified as a classic once it turned 25yrs old.

Yep that is correct classic= 25yrs and over, ask your insurance company

[Nikked]

EA SVO, Fairmont ghias and XR8 Sprints and the like are classics, the prices show it. Even the most plastic of plastic cars, (the plastic pig its self) VL SS Group A SV is a classic.

And you can count on the FTE falcons becoming classics in the future.

I think "classic" has a dual meaning. Classic defining a period of time when that cars were produced...and Classic referring to a cars status among enthusiasts.