Is the classic car scene doing enough to attract young people?
The 2022 Footman James Indicator Report is packed full of insights on the current classic vehicle scene – but you can find one of the most important on page five. Following a survey* of 2,943 UK residents, we found that almost half (49%) of our Gen Z respondents were interested in owning a classic car or bike in the future.
Generation Z, which typically includes those born between 1997-2012, are a hugely important group to our community. It’s a regular topic of conversation at Footman James – we’re always trying to do more to start the conversation with younger generations, whether online or at our regular Coffee & Chrome meets.
Charlotte Moseley, Head of Marketing at Footman James, shared her thoughts on the current situation: “As a sector, we need to ensure we’re more inclusive… From talking to enthusiasts and holding meets like Coffee & Chrome, we can see that the audience is slowly changing, and we know we need to continue to appeal to a wider spectrum of owners.
“This includes not only how and where we promote the FJ brand, but also in the way we support the community as a whole. We also need to look at our product offering to ensure we’re able to cover vehicles, that are more appealing to a broader range of enthusiasts.”
In the Indicator Report we also heard from David Murphy, founder of Retro Rides – a diverse car club which began as an online forum. The group now organises ‘Gathering’ and ‘Weekender’ events, which continue to be hugely popular with younger enthusiasts.
“The general classic scene really needs to work out how to attract young people, but it’s in a great position to do that,” said David. “Young people like things that are different to the norm, and there’s nothing more ‘different’ than old cars – they’ll bring in their own influences, tastes and attitudes to the scene.”
“People have been modifying cars since they’ve existed, it will always carry on and evolve. Someone who was hot-rodding in the 1940s would still have plenty in common with enthusiasts today.”
“Family-friendly events are the key,” he continued. “We want to talk to people about buying your first retro car, how to look after it. They’re not scary, but it’s easy to be intimidated if you don’t know how… Some scenes can be a little insular, but that only creates barriers for the next generation. We want to democratise classic ownership – we believe that’s the only way.”
Craig Blake-Jones, founder of Paddock Life, also offered his perspective. “The biggest observation, which is staggeringly obvious, is the age of the classic car driver/ enthusiast/collector. Unless the industry welcomes, embraces and encourages a new generation of enthusiasts, our world will diminish very quickly.”
You can hear Craig discussing this subject with FJ ambassador Gary Mavers at the final Coffee & Chrome event of 2022. Our Managing Director, David Bond, also shares his view in the latest Classic Obsession YouTube video.
How do you think the classic vehicle scene should be attracting young people? Let us know in the comments below.
Click here to download your free copy of the Footman James Indicator Report.
*Driving the Future Survey – commissioned in partnership with 7th Sense Research.
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