Classic American Magazine 343 November 2019 Edição anterior

This month’s letters page features a message from a reader about coverage (or rather the lack of it) of ‘newer’ classics from the Eighties, Nineties and Noughties. I have to hold my hand up, as it’s true, we do tend to mostly feature cars from the Fifties and Sixties; however, whenever we’ve done reader surveys (three over the past decade) these have always been the eras of cars that readers have overwhelmingly stated a preference for seeing featured.

Yet, some cars from the Eighties at least, are now getting on for being three decades old, surely that must qualify them as being ‘classics’ and worthy of inclusion… I agree, but truth be told, there doesn’t seem to be many show-quality cars of this era knocking about. My personal opinion is that this era of cars have the added complication of electronics and engine management systems, which, once they start going wrong or start playing up, hasten their demise. I could be wrong, but a glowing ‘Check Engine’ light is for many folks the first sign that it’s time to get rid…

Of course, they say we often hark back to the cars of our youth and for me it’s amazing to think that cars such as the Monte Carlo SS, Mustang 5.0 and the Jeep Grand Wagoneer were rolling around as daily drivers when I was living in the US in the mid-Eighties. But they were, and now it’s perhaps their time in the sun. Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing more Eighties, Nineties and even Noughties American cars in Classic American… it is after all, your magazine!