Antique (Pre-1920)

Classic car is a term frequently used to describe an older car, but the exact meaning is subject to serious differences in opinion. One school, the broader "antique car club" faction, are very inclusive. Almost any older car in fine condition becomes a classic. more...

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The other extreme are the "Concours d'Elegance" supporters, such as the CCCA, who think that only a few thousand "Classic Era Motor Cars" even exist in good condition. They consider nothing newer than 1948 to qualify.

25 years is generally considered a good cut-off age for such terms because it's extremely rare for a vehicle that old to still be owned or used without special consideration for its classic status — by 25 years old, a car will have exceeded its design life by some considerable margin, 10-15 years being the norm barring accidental loss. It will probably need significant maintenance to keep running, and many parts will be hard to obtain through the usual channels. Thus, a non-enthusiast will sensibly conclude that it is not feasible to continue using a car that old for regular driving.

This is not to say that an enthusiast of classic cars might not drive such an old vehicle daily, but that enthusiast will be willing to live with the greater difficulty of so doing or the high cost of restoring the vehicle to reliable condition. Another reason to drive classic cars is that alternatives are hard to come by, as is the case in Cuba, because before the Cuban revolution many rich US citizens lived there, but after the revolution the influx of cars stopped, at least in part due to the United States embargo against Cuba, so people made sure to keep the cars they had in good condition. As a result, Cuba is in the unique position that pre-1959 cars are the standard, rather than an exception, although that is slowly changing. These cars are generally referred to as yank tanks or maquinas and often used as taxis.

Classic Car Club of America Definition

The Classic Car Club of America "claims" to have invented the term Classic car and thus they believe that the true definition of the term is "theirs". According to the CCCA:

A CCCA Classic is a "fine" or "distinctive" automobile, either American or foreign built, produced between 1925 and 1948. Generally, a Classic was high-priced when new and was built in limited quantities. Other factors, including engine displacement, custom coachwork and luxury accessories, such as power brakes, power clutch, and "one-shot" or automatic lubrication systems, help determine whether a car is considered to be a Classic.

The Club keeps an exhaustive list of the vehicles they consider Classics, and while any member may petition for a vehicle to join the list, such applications are carefully scrutinised and rarely is a new vehicle type admitted.

This rather exclusive definition of a classic car is by no means universally followed, however, and this is acknowledged by the CCCA: while they still maintain the true definition of 'classic car' is theirs, they generally use terms such as CCCA Classic or the trademarked Full Classic to avoid confusion.

Read more at Wikipedia.org