Crammond Automotive Specialities

Why do we own the cars we do? Is it some sort of vehicle-karma that attracts us? The answer to this question is an indefinite yes and no.

I have spent tonight looking through old copies of Thoroughbred & Classic Cars; most are about twelve years old. I am often questioned as to why I keep them… most people fail to see my wisdom, thinking of me solely as a magazine pack-rat. So why do I do it? Those magazines have a quality I love, nowhere, on any of the pages can you find something build within the last Twenty years. New cars are nice…. But older cars are better. Allow me to explain this. New cars are nice, but it is only their newness that appeals to me. Time has a way of sorting out cars. The older, needy cars that make funny little rattles, and can only be entered from the passenger side may seem sad, but they are more a testament to time, to build quality, to that cars character. Yes, my 924 is waiting to be painted, and though the ’44 is much more refined, I miss the bad synchros, and the powdery carpet of the ’24… it’s all a part of character. Aged cars show a different beauty, a kind of roadmap of ownership (I was putting skis in the hatch there….that’s from when I replaced the struts) - Marks of distinction.

To answer the question poised at the beginning, obviously, the initial purchase is decided by your preference (possibly remnants of a miss-guided youth), but why keep it after that? For the character it has. What’s character? Simply put, it is a mix of impression and history.

So though I may not have the fastest, nor the newest, I definitely have the nicest 1970 TR 6 with fiberglassed floors, chipped paint, worn seats and non-functioning door locks. Doesn’t sound too nice? Well, I can call it the nicest because there is no TR6 that has aged in exactly the same way. So take pride in the age of your car, it may be one of 150,000 produced, but none are quite like yours. Restore if needed…. Otherwise maintain!

-Scott Lawrence