Renault move raises risk of classic scrappage

Renault has warned classic car clubs they won’t be allowed to save parts of any car submitted under its new scrappage scheme.

The scheme, which will run until 7 January 2019, offers owners up to £5,000 for any eligible classic, as long as they have owned it for at least 90 days.

But the move to block the saving of parts has led to concern from enthusiasts that the classic car market of the future will suffer.

Al Worsley, editor of the Renault Owners Club magazine, said it’s possible the scheme will hoover up future classics that are currently around 10 years old.

Petition

The news comes after government officials ruled out a move to protect classics from scrappage schemes, as reported by Footman James earlier this year.

This was despite a petition of over 14,000 signatures being delivered to the Department for Transport which called on the government to legislate for the protection of classic vehicles.

But the petition failed, leading some commentators to accuse the government of passing the buck by putting the onus on the manufacturers to decide which vehicles get scrapped.

Owner’s decision

On making the announcement Renault said that the firm is proud of its heritage, but ultimately the decision to scrap a car rests with its owner.

A spokesperson for the firm said: “We do have to scrap the car if the customer would like to take advantage of the scrappage offer.

“But in instances where there is value in the car, then the customer is advised to take advantage of one of Renault’s other offers.

“It’s worth noting that Renault is proud of its heritage and we wouldn’t want to scrap a car that we considered to be of potential interest to owner’s clubs.”

The impact of Renault’s decision on classic cars of the future remains to be seen.