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We often hear the terms "vintage car, antique car and classic car" used interchangeably by car lovers, but I believe most people really don't know what those classifications mean and use them incorrectly when they try and describe a vehicle. I'd like to make clear what each type of automobile is, so when you speak about the rides that strike your fancy, you will sound informed and knowledgeable!

A vintage car is commonly defined as a car built after World War I, between the years of 1919 and 1930. World War I is a nice hard date to start a timeline by. It's a bit arbitrary, as no notice was sent to auto makers to start building cars that would be "vintage", but the date helps define the nature of this period in auto history. It's when the car became part of our culture. The car in 1919 was still something of a novelty. By 1930 it was well on the way to being down right common! In fact, American automobile production numbers (by 1930-ish) were not matched again until the 1950s. The British definition is strict on 1930 being the cut-off - those Brits are like that, don't ya know. American sources are looser about the matter and prefer 1925-ish because it is the pre-classic car period as defined by the Classic Car Club of America. Some experts even consider the start of World War II as the end date of the vintage period.

So this fact brings us to the definition of the classic car period. Some authorities see the classic period as overlapping the vintage period while others don't. In part, the reason stems from the vintage designation covering all vehicles of the period, while the official classic definition does not. Strictly defined, classics only include high-end vehicles of that period. The Classic Car Club of America defines a CCCA Classic car as a fine or distinctive automobile, either American or foreign built, produced between 1925 and 1948. Generally, a CCCA Classic is expensive and limited in production. Other factors, including engine size, custom coachwork, sophisticated technology (for the time) and luxury accessories, also help determine whether a car is considered to be worthy of the title of "classic".

So then what is an antique car? This definition turns out to be really loose! The Antique Automobile Club of America defines an antique car as a vehicle which is 45 years old or older. To them, a classic vehicle is 20-45 years old. In the UK, "antique" often refers to any item more than 100 years old and cars of this age are generally termed "vintage". Basically the definition attempts to quantify the fact that 20 years is about twice the average design lifespan of most modern vehicles. Therefore, a car that's reached 25 is considered a classic, mainly because it's a little "long in the tooth" by then. These and antique cars are often not economical or easy to maintain as regular transportation. They tend to demand more of the driver, as well, due to less current technology being incorporated to share the burden of vehicle operation.

So there you have it! Vintage cars are different than classic cars. Here in America, at least, vintage cars are also antique cars. Elsewhere in the world, maybe that isn't as true. One thing is for sure, whether vintage, classic and / or antique; the terms refer to vehicles that catch our eye, stir our imaginations and capture our hearts. They are more than just simple transportation. They are "vehicles" to a different place and time that we just can't forget or not yearn to experience again.