The Big Picture

Classics invade as the FBHVC flags daily use problem

Drive it Day is great, but why not drive your classic every day?

Drive it Day, the Federation of Historic British Vehicle Club’s sponsored day on which classic owners are encouraged to go out and use their cars, was, in its 15th year, really well-supported. Dozens of ‘drive in’ events were packed with cars proving, once again, the popularity of the classic hobby in the UK.

The success of Drive it Day comes at a time when classic car use in general is under some scrutiny.

FBHVC Legislation & Fuels Officer, Bob Owen,

confirmed in the latest FBHVC

News that daily use might compromise a classic car’s historic credentials. He said: ‘The Federation cannot really support the use of vehicles claiming to be historic, if they are in fact in daily use as transportation.’ This comes as a response to the FBHVC’S work with government, securing exemptions from the planned Ultra Low Emissions Zones in big cities.

‘Much of our approach to Government… on environmental matters, has to be based upon the argument that historic vehicles are no longer a ‘means of transportation’ as such. They are rarely on the roads, do limited mileage, and when in use, the purpose is to move the vehicle itself, not the passengers or goods it carries, from place to place.’

In seeking to help classic owners avoid ULEZ charges, the FBHVC appears to have added a caveat to its stated objective to ‘Maintain the freedom to use Yesterday’s Vehicles on Tomorrow’s Roads’. The caveat being, ‘as long as it isn’t every day.’

However, FBHVC Communications Director Geoff Lancaster denied there had been any change: ‘There has been no change in the Federation’s position regarding universal access to the highway for historic vehicles.’ He went further to distance the FBHVC from the European classic body FIVA: ‘FIVA have chosen to make a distinction for ‘daily drivers’ but, as is well-known, the UK has chosen not to adopt this.’

When Practical Classics asked the FBHVC whether or not it supports the many

owners who decide that they want to use their older cars every day, or not, it explained that: ‘If and when there is pressure in the UK that might affect the small minority of enthusiasts who use historic vehicles daily, we might find it impossible to resist this were it to jeopardise the movement as a whole, through some form of controlled access. There has been no suggestion of this to date and we believe that, although this is a distinct possibility in the future, it is still a long way off currently.’