The Petrolhead Curse – Is One Classic Ever Enough?

We’re sure most of you reading this would love to be the curator of your very own classic car collection. That is if you’re not already of course, we do have quite a wide audience after all. Whether it be a dream garage with a few choice, hand-picked beauties that you’ve lusted after since childhood or a more eclectic and spontaneous ‘see something cool and buy it’ type assortment of modern classics akin to Paul Cowland’s medley of metal the idea of having a selection of vehicles to pore over, tinker with and more importantly, drive, is an incredibly attractive one but alas, it’s also one that can be prohibitively expensive, not to mention impractical.

It serves us right really. We could have chosen myriad other hobbies; from stamp collecting and geocaching (remember that?!) to upcycling furniture and playing golf, all of which are cheaper and more practicable, but where would be the fun in that? This is the petrolhead curse – forever burdened with that aching longing for another classic car or bike, but it’s a curse that we all bear with open arms and open hearts. The question is, do we stick with just the one long termer, giving it the full focus of our attention (and bank balance), maintaining and improving it year after year or do we operate more of a revolving door mentality, constantly chopping and changing to drive and enjoy as many different models as possible? Alternatively do we have the means to fully commit and amass a whole fleet to sate our classic car desires?

Personally speaking I started out with the revolving door approach back when I was a bit younger and maybe a touch more reckless. My goal was to continually upgrade my classic until I reached a point where I thought I would be content. Not that I wasn’t always happy with every car I owned, it’s just that I was on a trajectory, always looking for bigger and better (and faster). Beginning what I call my ‘proper classic’ journey with a Volkswagen Scirocco GTII, this would make way for a Nissan Skyline R32 GTSt, then progressing to its R32 GTR big brother until culminating with a BMW E39 M5. This was peak. I thought that would be it and the Beemer would be my car for life. Well, piston slap had other ideas and so my hand was forced to sell up.

It was at this point a Ford Capri entered my life as a rolling project and again, I made a decision that this would be my sole car to learn and grow with, one that I could make my own, always striving to improve it. Unfortunately I lost the Capri to vandalism and I now drive a Volvo 940 Turbo estate. It was a car meant as a stop gap, a temporary fling before picking up my next ‘proper classic’ but here we are, almost three years later and once again, this big Swedish brick has become my sole steed that I have no plans to sell, with an engine currently being built for big power.

When it comes to making decisions like these there are numerous factors to consider, with the main issue for most of us being money. Cold hard cash. Owning and maintaining one classic is expensive enough, let alone multiple models but running just the one allows you to give it your full attention, ensuring that any repairs or servicing are carried out effectively and in a timely manner, whether doing all of the work yourself or letting a garage handle it. It’s manageable.

Another thing to consider is space. If you don’t have access to a lock up, garage or even a driveway then you’re going to be severely limited to how many vehicles you can practically store. If it’s a case of one small space on the road outside then your hands are tied and the decision has already been made for you – you’re going to be a single classic family, but that’s OK – see our previous point about expense.

Time is going to play a big part, too. For me it’s almost a full time job looking after the Volvo and a Triumph Speed Triple. I couldn’t imagine how stretched I would be taking any additional classics on. But then I’ve made that rod for my own back by stubbornly insisting that I do all of my own servicing and most of the repairs. For many people this isn’t an option or it’s something that they simply don’t want to have to deal with, instead letting their local garage handle that side of classic ownership. And that’s fine, it can certainly take some of the burden away from owning and running classic vehicles, freeing up time to perhaps enjoy an extra car or bike or two, or three, or…

Whatever your poison, however, classic car ownership should be fun. If a certain car or bike is beginning to grind your gears and get you down then move on. Sell it and pick up something different. You could even make a little money in the process. Or perhaps you have a particular itch that needs scratching. A Jag maybe, or a V8. A change is as good as a rest, so the saying goes and that’s what’s so great about this hobby of ours; it essentially remains the same whatever you’re driving, allowing for that level of adjustment and variety and Car & Classic is the perfect place to allow you to do just that, so get browsing and pick your next classic. Whether you’re starting your classic journey, swapping out entirely or simply adding to your collection we no doubt have just what you’re looking for.

We’ll just leave this video of Gordon Murray talking about some of his collection here for inspiration…