Vintage and veteran cars provide an absorbing hobby for many people. The terms vintage and veteran are used in the United Kingdom to refer to old automobiles built during specific periods. Vintage and veteran car enthusiasts collect, preserve, restore, and drive these beautifully designed older cars.
Enthusiasts make a strict distinction between veteran and vintage cars. A veteran car is any car built in the period up to Dec. 31, 1918. A vintage car is one built during the period between Jan. 1, 1919, and Dec. 31, 1930.
Many veteran cars date in design from before the 1900’s. For example, the earliest Cannstatt-Daimler appeared in 1894. Other models (types) of veteran cars include the earliest examples of makes whose names are still familiar today, such as Peugeot, Renault, Mercedes, Ford, and Rolls-Royce.
Vintage cars include the post-1918 versions of many models carried over from the veteran period, such as the Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost. Models first designed in the vintage period include Alfa-Romeos, Bugattis, and the Austin Seven.
Many people interested in veteran and vintage cars belong to clubs, which organize rallies and other events. The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run, in the United Kingdom, is one of the best known of these events.
