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The car is a bit like the record and the analog camera: the more tangible the future becomes, the more some cling to the past.
Just as vinyl is once again very popular with music lovers and amateur photographers are again inserting films instead of memory cards, young and old timers are also enjoying growing popularity.
But you don't always have to get a vintage car to get nostalgic feelings.
It is true that old cars always have their charm, says Hans-Georg Marmit from the KÜS expert association.
And if they are actually registered as vintage cars, you may save on vehicle tax and insurance and you can also avoid driving bans for certain pollution classes.
But at the same time there are a few tangible disadvantages for everyday use.
“It's not just the comfort features that are usually much poorer than in modern cars, but especially when it comes to safety you have to make dramatic compromises,” says Marmit.
Airbags are still an absolute rarity in classic cars and electronic assistance systems are a complete nuisance.
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Not to mention the increased maintenance effort and more frequent repairs.
“Day in, day out, just get in and drive off - that only works with very few classic cars,” says Marmit.
Today's cars make use of yesterday's design
Against this background, many customers are looking for so-called retro models with which the manufacturers want to capture the spirit of the good old days with the design and philosophy of a new model, to preserve it or to transfer it to today's era.
"There are many examples of this," says Frank Wilke from Classic Analytics, the classic car price evaluation, "but so far this has rarely been successful." In many cases, the parallels are limited to little more than the name, and the rest are empty promises of marketing, he breaks a lance for the originals.
But the wallet is hardly a decision-making aid, he admits: the old originals are often just as expensive as the new copy.
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The transfer seems to be quite successful with new microcars like the Swiss Microlino and the very similarly knitted check from Artega, both of which cite the Isetta from the 1950s: “Of course there are no technical parallels and instead of the two-cylinder now an electric Motor, but back then it was all about minimalist mobility and lots of space in a small space, ”says Wilke.
“Two requirements that the new interpretations also meet.
And also want to offer fun and a clear conscience. "
The pairing is less clear in terms of price and the original is significantly more expensive than the reinterpretation: Where there is an original Isetta, according to Wilkes market figures, in condition two for almost 20,000 euros, according to the manufacturers, the successors at Artega will cost just under 14,000 euros and at Microlino 12,000 euros when they go on sale during the year.
Icons of the automobile industry: from the mini to the 911
On the other hand, Wilke is less satisfied with the successive generations of the Mini.
Legends like the Finnish racing driver Rauno Aaltonen, who won the Monte Carlo Rally with the original, praise the agility of the new model and rave about the same go-kart feeling.
But for Wilke, the current Mini has little more in common with its predecessor than the name and the bulging eyes.
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“If you want that real mini feeling, you also have to buy a real Mini,” says the expert, putting the average price of a first-time Cooper S at 31,500 euros, while the British start their price list at just under 18,000 euros.
Mini-Me: When comparing the size with the new edition, the classic mini (rear) almost looks like a toy car
Source: dpa-tmn
Speaking of googly eyes: The expert does not allow the Honda E as the retrospectively drawn successor to the Golf 1 to pass: "Even if the face and the basic shape seem familiar to us, the Japanese cannot match the ingenious Giugiaro design," says Wilke.
"And with an electric car for the urban elite, you can hardly speak of the democratization of mobility that the Gulf stood for at the time."
Wilkes' judgment of the Porsche 911 is similarly critical - even if it is actually not a retro model, but has been continuously developed over the decades.
Yes, the type code, silhouette and face have not changed, the expert admits.
Porsche still has its iconic 911 in its range.
But of course it doesn't have much in common with the first classic models like this 911 S Coupé from 1970
Source: dpa-tmn
“But a light sports car that offered a lot of fun with little power has now become a heavy sports car that has even more power and scores points according to the motto 'a lot helps a lot',” says Wilke.
Still a great car, just not the old idea anymore.
They tend to live on in models like the Cayman 4.0 GTS.
Even with this pairing, however, the price speaks in favor of the new model, Wilke has to admit: He has a 911 S from 1967 for 148,000 euros, a comparable 911 S from 2020 for 118,751 euros.
The dream of a cheap athlete
The generation maintenance at Ford is more successful. "Of course, the Mustang has also developed significantly, from which you benefit not least from better technology, more loving workmanship and a more sophisticated chassis," says Wilke: But the idea of a shirt-sleeved sports car with a lot of performance for little money has been preserved over the years, the expert judges.
The prices are as close as the cars are: 46,000 euros for a Mustang GT from 1965 compared to 49,300 euros for a current GT.
Ford has always wanted to combine sportiness with relatively low prices for the Mustang
Source: dpa-tmn
How far apart two cars with the same basic idea can be seen in the BMW Z4 and the Morgan Plus 6. Both even use the same drive train and refer to the idea of the classic roadster.
However, they don't have much more in common than the two seats and the fabric roof.
Is every roadster retro?
If you look at this modern designed BMW Z4 Roadster, you will see that this is not the case
Source: dpa-tmn
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The latter is still assembled by hand at Morgan like a boy scout tent.
Because where the Bavarians are proud to have transported the idea into the 21st century, Morgan boss Steve Morris knows about his conservative clientele and builds his new car as old-fashioned as the registration rules allow: “Many are already doing that fourth wheel on the car is hopelessly superfluous. ”The British, who started their story in 1909 with a tricycle, a so-called threewheeler, have been doing this since 1936.
Classic cars with new technology
Those who cannot decide between old and new are increasingly offered a clever way out: brand-new classic cars that have not only been professionally restored but also modernized - including the latest engines, xenon headlights and even airbags or assistance systems.
In Reichertshofen near Ingolstadt, for example, the Memminger company has gotten to grips with the VW Beetle, mechatronics from Pleidelsheim is bringing old Mercedes models into the modern era, and David Brown from England is taking the Classic Mini to his chest.
Modern crawling animal: Beetle specialist Memminger not only restores true to the original, but also equips VW Beetles in new car quality with modern technology
Source: dpa-tmn
With these cars you can enjoy the spirit of yesterday without having to forego modern achievements, admits vintage car specialist Wilke.
But in addition to the questionable handling of history, such a pleasure also has its price: Because men like Georg Memminger or David Brown pay dearly for the bending of the timeline and charge significantly more for their revenants than any other dealer.
But then there are basically two cars in one: a classic car and a new car.
The Mechatronik company equips classic cars like this Mercedes Pagoda with the latest technology and new engines
Source: dpa-tmn