CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?

TWO YEARS AGO, when the UK classic car market was just starting to come to terms with Brexit, only to be plunged into the small matter of a global pandemic, I concluded this intro on what I hoped was a jocular note: ‘What’s next?’ I wondered, adding that my money was on an asteroid. Well, clearly I lost my shirt. Obviously I should have said ‘Russian invasion’ or ‘cost of living crisis with a side order of rampant inflation’.

It’s a good job the owners of classic cars – and those who make a living from them – are a phlegmatic bunch. The market has shown remarkable resilience in recent times, all things considered, and there’s every reason to believe it will evolve and adapt to counter any fresh challenges.

Meanwhile, we are once again indebted to the network of market analysts, specialists and marque gurus who have helped us update the values of more than 1000 classics. Unsurprisingly, given the various factors at play and the general mood of uncertainty in the current geopolitical climate, it’s a mixed picture out there. But certain key trends are emerging, and we’ll explore them in the following pages.

What’s certain is that the passion for classics is as strong as ever, and with the electrification of everyday transport now an apparent inevitability, the rather more visceral thrills of internal combustion – combined with nostalgia for a more analogue age – should continue to fuel that passion. If you’re like me, you’re enjoying every drop of petrol – after all, at current prices every mile is to be savoured!