The classic cars at the brink of extinction
CLASSIC British cars of the 1980s and 1990s that were once the backdrop to our everyday lives are now on the brink of extinction.
The Austin Metro, Maestro and Montegos are among ten of the most endangered cars on UK roads whose numbers have declined most over the past 25 years — all suffering falls of more than 99 per cent — according to new research by Uswitch which analysed Department for Transport and DVLA data.
Of the 205,283 Austin Montegos in 1995, just 34 remain today. Similarly, of 231,824 Austin Maestros there are just 90. And of the 572,974 Austin Metros, there are just 289 left.
But all is not lost. n THE new Great British Car Journey museum opens at Ambergate in Derbyshire from Saturday, May 22, and will showcase over 100 nostalgic cars from the Austin Allegro and Morris Minor to the Ford Cortina and Capri and Rolls-Royce Silver Spirit.
There’s also a ‘Drive Dad’s Car’ feature which hopes to transport visitors down memory lane with a trip in a classic car.
There are 30 British classics to choose from — including a Morris Minor convertible and a 1966 Mini — which you can take for a 20-minute spin with an instructor on a private road. Visit greatbritishcarjourney.com. n A CELEBRATION of vehicles that were once a common sight but are now a rarity on UK roads is planned for the postponed seventh Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional.
The show takes place at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire on Saturday, July 31, to ‘showcase the best examples of some of the most mundane cars ever built’.
The ticket-only event sees the first batch of 1,000 tickets offered free to cars that fit the ‘unexceptional’ bill, and a further 1,500 available at £5.75 per person for spectators. Children up to the age of 12 go free.
Owners of classic cars, motorcycles and light commercial vehicles built between 1966 and 1996 can also apply for their unexceptional cars to be displayed in the Concours de l’Ordinaire. Visit