CARS AS ART? CARS AS CLASSICS?

This issue contains stories on a Japanese classic — “is there any such thing?” I hear you calling. A French classic from Citroën, a company that has made many classics — still

I hear some of you calling. A V12 American — surely almost anything with a V12 motor must be a classic? I still hear the occasional voice; and an MG from the era when everything they made is now a classic — finally, the last voice dies away. As an aside, I would add, don’t hold your breath for anything from today that now wears that MG badge to enter the list of classics. We also have an interview with a fellow who is a classic himself. In short, something for everyone.

But what is it that makes a ‘classic’? ‘Classic design’ is one of those things that can be intangible; that is, you can’t always logically explain and decipher it. Even so, we can nail down some reasons for some cars becoming classics.

Much classic design always looks good, even when fashions and fads have moved on. The bestlooking pieces of a particular by-now-outdated design remain as icons of that particular design era. Alfa Romeos are a good example of that when you think of even recent examples of that marque’s body shapes. Cars that looked excellent at the time of their market launch usually still stand out as goodlooking among their contemporaries today. Cars like the Jaguar C-, D-, and E-types seem to get even better looking as they age.

Another aspect of a classic motor vehicle is the excellence of its technical competence. For example, the early Mercedes classics are still exceptional when compared with many modern-day cars and were simply head and shoulders beyond their contemporaries when they were new. Handling, power, steering, ride, and comfort are areas where they excelled.

Many cars that are classics today managed to combine stunning aesthetics with impressive

mechanics, and thereby guaranteed their place among the classics. The Citroën SM featured in this issue is an obvious example.

However, those features aren’t the only reasons that cars become classics. The Porsche 356 was relatively expensive when it was new, but then, years later, there was a period when you could have bought one almost from the scrapheap. A few years ago — about a decade, actually — I could have taken you to a shed in Wellington where there were two of them quietly decomposing; they may still be there. Today, you’d have to part with a lot of money to buy a 356; not because it represents outstanding design or technical competence, but because it represents something that was to become. These cars make wonderful boulevard cruisers, fabulous to park outside the cafe, but, really, there’s not a lot to enjoy in the driving thereof — oh, hold the brickbats... you know what I mean.

Then we come to another group of classics: those that make their way onto the list because they used to be common and were therefore a part of our landscape, both literally and figuratively. At the time, it was hard to imagine that one day they’d be present only in our memories. Once that has happened, these cars — the EH Holden and the Cortina are good examples — become bona fide entries onto the classics list.

So, in this issue, hopefully you’ll enjoy the nostalgia, marvel at the technical competence of some of the manufacturers of the various eras, wonder at the imagination that enabled some of the vehicles or parts of them to be created, and enjoy the art that at least some of these cars are. A friend who owns a couple of absolute classics told me that he likes to sit and look at them, and that’s just fine. Enjoy the articles; enjoy the photos.

Enjoy your cars. Terry Cobham