Classic cars are some of the finest vehicles ever built, but they could become a thing of the past, according to the CEO of Highways England. Speaking to The Telegraph, Jim O’Sullivan said vintage cars could disappear from the road within 30 years because of the emergence of high-tech autonomous cars. O’Sullivan believes that self-driving cars will become the dominant road vehicles of the future.
“Do you know what? Classic cars are not a lot of fun on a motorway if you have ever driven one. Does a 1907 vehicle belong out on the motorway network for significant distances?” Despite his comments, O’Sullivan feels that people will still be able to enjoy classic cars for a long time. “I think that classic cars are something people will continue to enjoy for many years to come. I can’t see a problem with continuing to operate classic cars. I think 30 or 50 years from now, but then of course 30 or 50 years from now a fully autonomous vehicle that gets built tomorrow may be a classic car anyway.”
The government are planning to change driving legislation ahead of the introduction of autonomous cars. The three-year review is going to address the obstacles that are opposing self-driving cars. Britain has been marked as an ideal location for autonomous technology development.
Even though the technology is still in its early stages, transport secretary Chris Grayling expects it to be on the roads by 2021. In his opinion, it could reduce delays by up to 40% and make the roads safer by getting rid of human error. Grayling claimed human error is responsible for more than 85% of British road accidents.
The possibility of classic cars disappearing in the UK is debatable. There has always been a dedicated following that will fight to keep historical vehicles alive. A future alternative may be restomods, as they combine modern technology with the look of a classic car. Restomods combine the best of both worlds, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens with the legislation review.
