13-01-2023, 11:10 AM
(This post was last modified: 13-01-2023, 11:21 AM by Martin Prior.)
The biggest single problem in attracting and retaining young enthusiasts is the near-impossibility of obtaining insurance to drive a classic car solo below the age of 25, or at best 21. Who would want to drive their car only with Mum or Dad in the passenger seat? They'll find something else to do in those years.
In 1975 I took my driving test in my RP 17 days after my 17th birthday and it immediately became my daily transport. At 19, the then girlfriend and I took it to France, clocking 2,000 miles in three weeks without any support.
By the time my own children were old enough (2007 and 2009) to drive, mainstream classic insurers wouldn't provide solo cover until they were 18 or 19 and we had to use some fairly questionable (and expensive) methods to get them insured at 17.
Are the risks of driving an Austin Seven at 17 really so great? What are the statistics to support this policy?
In 1975 I took my driving test in my RP 17 days after my 17th birthday and it immediately became my daily transport. At 19, the then girlfriend and I took it to France, clocking 2,000 miles in three weeks without any support.
By the time my own children were old enough (2007 and 2009) to drive, mainstream classic insurers wouldn't provide solo cover until they were 18 or 19 and we had to use some fairly questionable (and expensive) methods to get them insured at 17.
Are the risks of driving an Austin Seven at 17 really so great? What are the statistics to support this policy?