POLL SHOWS INTEREST GROWING IN HISTORIC VEHICLES

A new poll carried out by The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs indicates that interest by the British public in historic cars, motorcycles commercial, vehicles and buses has grown since last polled in 2016. Back then the survey indicated that just over eight million people had an interest in historic vehicles, but this new survey shows that number has grown to nearly 10 million.

More people now claim to own a historic vehicle, 2.5 million regularly read about them and the number of interviewees who know someone who owns such a vehicle has grown by half a million to almost eight million. This is all good news for our hobby and for the businesses that support it and generates £5.5 billion for the UK economy. However, it only scratches the surface in terms of explaining the dynamics of a hobby that is so important to the clubs, businesses and museums that rely on its sustainability in the long term.

This national omnibus survey carried out in association with the polling organisation, Kantor TNS, delves deeper into the demographics of this market growth and provides some insights into some of the issues facing clubs and businesses. For example, clubs often complain of the difficulty in recruiting younger members. However the survey shows that an increasing number of younger people are interested in owning a historic vehicle but that they do not think they can afford it. As with previous Federation research, this national poll is really just the scene setter for a much larger survey which was launched at last year’s Classic Motor Show. If you would like to take part in the research, go to the Federation's website (www.fbhvc.co.uk) and click on the link.