As our house moving process rumbles on, it hasn’t left much time for doing anything exciting with cars. But the Christmas and New Year period did allow for a bit of reflection. No, I’m not about to start a personal fitness or wellbeing drive (though I wish anyone attempting such a thing the best of luck!). But I have had the opportunity to reflect on the classic/retro cars I’ve owned, and why they appealed. This is not least of all because I’ve finally sold, donated and otherwise removed unneeded spare parts and boxed up many tools from the garage.
Over on social media platform ‘Mastodon’, which I’m now a member of in an attempt to ween myself off Twitter, I’ve been musing about the history of the British and German car industry:
It’s probably of niche interest, but I believe there is some tangible value to studying the history of car manufacturing in the 20th Century and the interplay between international relations and social change. Many of the mistakes, and some of the unexpected successes, we could do well to learn from.
As we consider ourselves increasingly sophisticated, chasing the promise of a high wage- high skill economy, manufacturing and the automotive industry are worth keeping in mind, and not repeating the same mistakes of the past made in these industries in others.
Part of the reason I’m drawn to owning and learning about old cars is their connection with people’s lives. Certainly the cars I’ve owned are fairly recognisable and illicit a response amongst the many people who remember them. Ultimately as cars become classics, the failures of the political and economic environment they were constructed in, as well as individual faults of the specific model, fade away in the face of nostalgia and historical relevance. Then no matter how big or small that particular car’s following will be, there is value in preserving and showing it.
When people see an old car they remember, it makes them stop and think, and that is something we could perhaps all benefit from doing more of.
If you’re interested in the history of the British motor industry, check out the book I mention - https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/british-leyland-motor-corporation-1968-2005/9780750961448/
Or if you want to know more about the tumultuous history of Volkswagen, the Wikipedia page actually gives a decent account https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen
Probably more radio silence to come for a while from me, but hopefully by the Spring I’ll be back to doing more car stuff. If you want to be updated by email you can subscribe below: