Eco-friendly classic cars?

Imagine a world with no new cars. A utopian existence where everybody can balance a pair of carburettors, a welder is on every street corner and nobody makes it to work on time the morning of winter’s first frost. The question is, if we all drove classic cars, could the world be a greener place?

Reducing emissions has become about more than simply cutting tailpipe gasses and it is the lifecycle figures of new cars that have had us thinking. According to independent reports, a standard petrol-powered car generates 23% of its lifecycle CO₂ during production, while a battery electric vehicle (BEV) produces 46% of its share before it has rolled a wheel. Over the course of their lifecycle, based on usage of 150,000 kms, a mid-sized petrol car will produce 24 tonnes of CO₂ compared to 18 for the BEV. This takes into consideration fuel and vehicle production, use and end of life.

So, what if we were to eradicate the emissions produced during manufacture by instead relying solely on classic vehicles? Obviously, we need indulge our imagination by putting to one side the financial implications of effectively ending the multi-billion-pound global automotive industry...

It’s possible to view classic and heritage car ownership as the very definition of sustainable motoring. It is an often-quoted estimation that around 70% of the Land Rover Series and Defenders that rolled off the line during their 68-year production run remain on the road today. A good chunk of the remaining 30% live on by nobly giving up parts to keep their siblings on the road while themselves resigned to a life of decay.

Too utilitarian for many, perhaps, but the global success story of Land Rover is testament to the usability and lasting legacy of many older vehicles. While tailpipe emissions of classics will, in the main, be higher than those loaded with efficient, modern technology, reliance upon classics would encourage more efficient utilisation of public transport. This would help slash commuters’ carbon footprint. In 2017 the average UK commute grew to 1 hour. For even the most ardent classic car fan, the thought of 2 hours driving a 40-plus-year old car either side of a day’s work, 5 days a week, would diminish the original satisfaction derived from classic ownership. In short, the car would become a less convenient choice.

With fewer cars on the road, driving could become more pleasurable once again. Parking spaces would no longer be too small and pedestrians would be safer: the sound of a V8 breathing through stainless exhausts would provide far more warning of an approaching vehicle than the near-silent hum of a BEV. 

A world reliant on classics would invigorate traditional engineering and mechanics’ skills. Oily rag maintenance could replace plug-in diagnostics and a specialist’s tools could once again feature a feeler gauge and a selection of hammers. At the very least, the dreaded call into work to explain your tardiness would follow a lift of the bonnet and a visual inspection of the powertrain, rather than an internet search of common fault codes through a furrowed brow.  

Ultimately all of this is a bit of a daydream but, who would want to live in a world that’s being saved by a Rover V8?

So, what are your views on classic car ownership being an effective route to reducing emissions? Let us know what you think in the comments.