Words: Craig Cheetham
Photography: Craig Cheetham/Dhira Lane/Jude Currie
Young enthusiasts are embracing modern classics. Here’s why…
A quarter of the way through the 21st century, it’s almost impossible to escape being online. From your smartphone to your TV, from home appliances to your daily transport, we live our lives in a digital sphere – an app for everything, and very few ways to escape being connected.
For those of us born in the previous decade, it has been a massive transition. But among younger generations, connectivity is the norm – and it’s leading to an unlikely boom in car nuts owning vehicles who are older than they are, who view their vehicles as a welcome escape from their digital lives.
At the recent Hagerty Festival of the Unexceptional, for example, the winner was 22 years old. Simon Packzowski owns two old Skodas; his concours-winning Favorit and a 1996 Felicia.
But he’s not alone. Simon’s enthusiasm is echoed by so many others of his generation, who are finding that an analogue driving experience is a welcome diversion in an increasingly connected world.
“We’ve noticed cars from the 1990s are bringing more and more younger people into the community,” said Adam Sloman, events manager at Hagerty UK, which runs the Festival of the Unexceptional. “Firstly, for a lot of them, they give a real hit of nostalgia. They might be cars they got taken to school in, for example.
“The barrier to entry is lower than your traditional classic, too. For less than £2,000 can buy you a car in show-winning condition.”
19-year-old Dhira Lane, from Lincolnshire, is a youngster who is amassing a collection of nineties classics, his passion driven by a love for an unlikely hero in the form of the Phase One Renault Mégane. He has three – a hatchback and two coupés.
“I’m really into cars from the nineties,” he says. “They all have their own unique identity, no two cars are the same. That’s where new cars have gone wrong. The simplicity and use of buttons makes them more driver-focused with no big digital screens and warning aids. They’re more fun to drive as a result.
“I also love the many vibrant colours from the era and the quirky designs. It’s nice to try and keep these cars on the road, especially the ones that people don’t tend to care for. You can really stand out on the road.”
Oli Maddock, 22, from Milton Keynes is another young enthusiast with a love of old cars. He drives a Toyota Carina E as his daily, while his girlfriend has a 1998 Starlet.
“I love them as they are simple to work on and, perhaps surprisingly, still generally reliable. I also find they make lots of people smile when I’m driving them about in day-to-day life.”
His passion is shared by his friend, Martiño Naveira-Young, from Southampton. The 20-year-old currently owns a Hyundai Pony, a Vauxhall Corsa B and a Fiat Punto, which he took to the Festival of the Unexceptional.
“My love for cars of the nineties is partly influenced by memories of my early childhood, when these cars were still everyday street furniture,” he said. “As time has moved on and I have grown up, I’ve come to appreciate these cars more for their simpler mechanics, more elegant and cleaner designs and, moreover, their sheer usability as everyday transport.”
One of the heroes of nineties car preservation, though, is 23-year-old Jude Currie from Surrey. Jude has been buying cars since he was 15, many of them rescued from inside the expanded London Ultra-Low Emissions Zone.
“I think I’ve so far saved about 45 cars in total,” he says. “I love nineties cars because they are old enough to have character and are easy to maintain, yet are new enough to still use daily. They can be both a functional car and a weekend toy.
“More than that, I also love the design language of the period and the social history intertwined with the cars.”
In a world where we find it hard to escape the pressure of constant connectivity, it’s refreshing to see a growing band of youngsters who see older cars as a tonic – the freedom of motoring transcending generations.
Classic car insurance from Hagerty
Keep your classic on the road with expert classic car insurance built by car lovers, for car lovers. Rated ‘Excellent’ on TrustPilot.
