FILL IN THAT FBHVC SURVEY!

Sparing 10 minutes now could help the classic car cause for years

There’s a fortnight left to have your say in a survey that will impact on Britain’s classic owners for years to come.

The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs wants the National Historic Vehicle Survey to be used to prove to lawmakers how important classics are to Britain’s economy – but since its launch in March it’s only had 9500 responses.

Communications director Geoff Lancaster says the response has been disappointing compared to the FBHVC’s last survey in 2011, considering there are more than one million historic vehicles on the DVLA’s records.

He says: ‘The survey is hugely important to the historic vehicle movement because its results will be the basis for all our lobbying over the next five years, including the discussions we’ll be having in Westminster over the European Roadworthiness Directive. With good data, we can represent the interests of the movement and show evidence to justify concessions [for the historic vehicle movement]. We all know that more is being spent on historic vehicles and that more people are going to shows than five years ago – we just need the figures to prove it.’

The first part of the survey was published in March and revealed that half of the nation’s over-16s – a staggering 24.5 million people – would like to see classics being preserved for future generations to enjoy, and that more than two million people go to classic events every year.

Where the Federation needs your help is the second part of its research – an online questionnaire where classic owners can reveal more about the cars they own and the events they go to. While the survey focuses primarily on pre-1985 vehicles, the FBHVC would also like to hear from anyone who owns a pre-1995 vehicle.