07-02-2018, 10:56 AM
Fascinating but in line with some of my thinking.
I'm an aviation historian at heart (mainly around WW2) and I notice that this area is in a very similar state, likewise interest in preserved railways, which appears to be on a slow decline.
There is in the preserved railway world, a school of thought that is now tending towards the notion that in reality railway preservation societies are in essence simply temporary custodians, and in Britain we are slowly seeing the disconnected private lines being reconnected to the main system. These re-connections then offer potential new life to the main system truncated by Beeching in the 1960s in the UK.
The point being that the age related nostalgia is potentially moving into a different phase.
Likewise, I sell kit car three wheelers, and most of my clients have been 60s/70s/80s, with very few younger chaps. The UK kit car industry is on the decline and has been for a decade. Fewer younger people wish to get their hands dirty, prefering computer systems etc and with modern cars being ECU controlled this is hardly surprising.
Interestingly, there has been a debate recently about the meaning of nostalgia. It is most fascinating and the theory tends to emanate from the 18th century in Switzerland, when mercenaries felt homesick. It has always been seen as a psychosis of the mind, and was in fact a clinical disposition and still is.
I suspect that the current age related trend for nostalgia and in particular cars, will change, but we also need to take into account potential changes in disposable income. My generation (I'm 62) and the previous generation have lived in an era of progressive disposable income. I do not see this happening in quite the same fashion with latter generations struggling with housing, educational costs, diminishing pensions etc. This will unfortunately trickle down to the values of our cars surely, and potentially seems to be doing so.
One can also see that nostalgia has been a major factor in some people's views on the EU, again perhaps a generational challenge, who knows, but certainly in the interim period and until 2021, we in Britain are likely to see less disposable income.
Of course, not withstanding the above...there are younger people about who can, will and do like our older cars, but it is the same old supply and demand equation, when there's a dearth of anything, expect to pay more, and vice versa.
Arthur
I'm an aviation historian at heart (mainly around WW2) and I notice that this area is in a very similar state, likewise interest in preserved railways, which appears to be on a slow decline.
There is in the preserved railway world, a school of thought that is now tending towards the notion that in reality railway preservation societies are in essence simply temporary custodians, and in Britain we are slowly seeing the disconnected private lines being reconnected to the main system. These re-connections then offer potential new life to the main system truncated by Beeching in the 1960s in the UK.
The point being that the age related nostalgia is potentially moving into a different phase.
Likewise, I sell kit car three wheelers, and most of my clients have been 60s/70s/80s, with very few younger chaps. The UK kit car industry is on the decline and has been for a decade. Fewer younger people wish to get their hands dirty, prefering computer systems etc and with modern cars being ECU controlled this is hardly surprising.
Interestingly, there has been a debate recently about the meaning of nostalgia. It is most fascinating and the theory tends to emanate from the 18th century in Switzerland, when mercenaries felt homesick. It has always been seen as a psychosis of the mind, and was in fact a clinical disposition and still is.
I suspect that the current age related trend for nostalgia and in particular cars, will change, but we also need to take into account potential changes in disposable income. My generation (I'm 62) and the previous generation have lived in an era of progressive disposable income. I do not see this happening in quite the same fashion with latter generations struggling with housing, educational costs, diminishing pensions etc. This will unfortunately trickle down to the values of our cars surely, and potentially seems to be doing so.
One can also see that nostalgia has been a major factor in some people's views on the EU, again perhaps a generational challenge, who knows, but certainly in the interim period and until 2021, we in Britain are likely to see less disposable income.
Of course, not withstanding the above...there are younger people about who can, will and do like our older cars, but it is the same old supply and demand equation, when there's a dearth of anything, expect to pay more, and vice versa.
Arthur