I've never understood the fascination some people have for Corvettes. The earliest ones, where they sort-of looked like Jaguars or Ferraris, looked ok. The rest -- meh.

I've ridden in a few, and my impression was the same - meh.

I periodically ponder: is every Porsche a collector car? In analyzing this, one must define 'collector car'. Every Hyundai Stellar and AMC Pacer that is in nice shape is worthy of showing and protection. Being of interest to a collector and to a general audience at a weekly car show is one criterion. Being fairly rare now is another. If there were once many Pacers or 1951 Pontiacs, but no one at a weekly show has seen one in years, then its appearance will draw a crowd. That is the primary way that an individual decides when buying, or fixing an old car. The 25 year idea need not be a rule.

If the car has outstanding performance, so much the better for audience reaction. Corvettes and Mustangs are generally in this category. The most sluggish Vettes, Mustangs and Porsches do not necessarily excite. If they are still plentiful, they become ordinary cars, not loved by anyone rich enough or competent enough to prevent their decline and disposal. They then sit around, decay, get cannibalized for parts, and are eventually shredded. That is what happens to the worst Vettes, Porsches and Mustangs. Even a rare performance car can become junkyard fodder if it has an Achilles heal. It might be the computer on a newer car, or a water pump or transmission on an older one. A car has to be awfully attractive to justify anyone bringing it back to life if all the cars in that model year suffer from a common fatal flaw.

If the average car-enthusiast would be proud to drive the car to a weekly show, it is a collector car, in my opinion. Any car with remarkable rarity or performance, which is also in good mechanical condition, and looks good as it drives by in traffic (it need not be a flawless example) is worthy of being in someone's car collection. If it needs cosmetic or mechanical work, it is still a collector car. It just may not be practical to bring it to 'weekly show condition' if it is too rusty or too mechanically degraded.

I believe that a 1965 station wagon, a Datsun Fairlady, or a Pacer in decent shape will get far more positive crowd attention than a Corvette of some vintages. In spite of this, I believe that all Corvettes should be saved from final destruction. On the other hand, the loss of so many old cars has made the remaining population more valuable.

As a result of an underhanded deal between new car dealers and a few badly informed green activists, Manitoba has declared that any pre-1995 vehicle in the possession of the monopoly insurance company will be scrapped. They say that this will save the world from CO2 emissions, even though new cars use more fuel on average than early 90s cars. (They are hundreds of pounds heavier and a bit more powerful. Without road salt, our car bodies last 20-30 years.) They have sent to the shredder a nice 1994 Cadillac, and several nice BMWs, and V8 Mustangs. They have also scrapped a few really shiny 60s cars. Between 50 and 100 cars per week, that would have been repaired before the rule change, are now being cut up for scrap. This is a million $ a month mistake.

This is a big outrage to local car enthusiasts, but the local media have ignored this completely. I believe this is a problem inherent to backwater places: media get so cozy with politicians, that they filter their news coverage to please the ones that invite them to semi-political events. This same insurance company has also begun to refuse to repair pre 95 vehicles even if the damage is slight. If a keyscratched, but otherwise nice 1967 Plymouth is owned by a collector, and he knows all the rules, he can prevent it from being scrapped. If the same car were owned by a 'little old lady', it will most certainly be scrapped. They have scrapped a 1987 Porsche and a 1988 Vette in recent weeks, both in drivable if flawed condition.

This hurts the non-collector community because a few hail dents or a bit of broken headlight vandalism and a nice 90s car is not available for use as a second car, or as the primary car for a low-income family.

The 'rule' is being carried out without any political debate or any sanction in law. If you are a car guy, and this happened in your locale, what would you do?

Is every Corvette a classic car?

The answer is the same for EVERY car.

Older than 25 yrs.?

Then it is a classic.

Is it then, also a collectible?

Depends on who you ask.

EVERY car has someone who does, or wants to, 'collect' it. Classic or not. (and whether you or I think it is worth it or not).

In my book, a collectible car is any that has a value greater than its original market price due to rarity and/or demand. This is true for classics or non-classics alike.

I would love to own a pre '70s Vette, and would have nothing to do with one later.

Just look at the blog post from the 22nd for the perfect answer.

http://cr4.globalspec.com/blogentry/14724/How-Ugly-Cars-Become-Movie-Stars?frmtrk=CR4digest