Classic Cars

When we talk about 'classic cars' we are generally thinking about a car which has existed a many decades ago and has become thought of as a 'classic' or iconic design. It may well continue to influence car production today, though the vast majority of the 'classic' car manufacturers no longer exist in production today.

The key period for the british classic car was between 1950 and 1980 and many models were seen at the Earl's Court motor show during this period. It was at this time that British car manufacture has its 'hay day'. Britain was a world leader in car design and a lot of british families were in a position to own a car for the first time. Many classics were born, one of the more notable designs being the E-type Jaguar, and cars at this time had real individuality and 'character'.

Jaguar was a leading car manufacturer in Britain for many years in the 1900's and set up business in 1922. In 1948, the company introduced their speediest car to date (at that time) a 3.4l XK120 sports car, at the Earl's Court motor show. It was light years ahead of its time, featuring a maximum speed of 120mph and new twin overhead camshaft in the engine. Jaguar continued to have many triumphs in motor sporting during the 1950's in addition to producing stylish, fast and beautiful saloon automobiles. Jaguar then took over the Daimler company and during 1961 introduced what was possibly one of the most well known cars on earth - the E-type Jaguar.

Another classic and well loved car of the time is the Mini. The idea for the mini came about in the 1950's as a small and economical addition to the Austin & Morris range of cars. Throughout it's 41 years of manufacturer many versions of the mini came out including the Countryman and the Mini Cooper. 5.3 million models of Mini had been made by the time production came to an end in October 2000, and the name has since been revived by BMW who now make cars using the Mini name.