Is this the end of the road for classic cars? Does the fight against climate change condemn
these moving pieces of history to the grave?
It's disrespectful and ignorant, the way the reverence for things built in the past is now simply tossed aside.
The only solution is to use perhaps also some fossil fuels.
Or are these seemingly immortal machines an integral part
of a climate-friendly future?
We have to address this issue of sustainability that clearly is of
so much interest to future generations.
Can electric drivetrains or synthetic fuels provide a solution?
I could imagine some niche markets, and the old timers are one of those niche markets,
where e-fuels could play a role.
There is no progress without an understanding of the past.
Is driving a classic car more sustainable than buying a new car?
Classic cars stand for preservation rather than replacement. They are a rejection of the use and throw mentality.
Producing cars has a major environmental impact.
Building a modern EV, for example, produces 26 tons of CO2 emissions. By the time a classic could emit this amount
of pollutants, its owner could theoretically drive it for an average of 2000km a year, for 46 years.
But is this the final nail in the coffin for the classic car?
Of course they can survive easily too, provided one understands what they really are. Classic cars are witnesses
of mobility that have survived the years and have shaped our lifestyles more than anything else.
And things are in motion in the classic car scene. At the last Mille Miglia, the traditional Italian
race for historic vehicles, Mercedes entered cars that were powered by e-Fuel: a synthetically
produced CO2-neutral fuel that can be used in combustion engines.
I think there will be always, also in the future, events or races like the Mille Miglia, because this is part of our culture,
of our history, of our heritage. So therefore we also proved this year - we drove all our
classic cars with synthetic fuel, with e-Fuels - and proved that it is possible even at a long
endurance race like the Mille Miglia. We drove over 2000 kilometers with e-Fuels without any problems.
Can e-Fuels save classic cars and the climate?
Some politicians seem to like this idea.
Historic vehicles should be filled with e-Fuels, so that they have the ability to be used on the street in proper historic conditions.
And even critics seem to agree, seeing e-fuels in classic cars positively.
E-Fuels are super expensive, super inefficient, and they will not be an option for the mass market.
But I could imagine some niche markets, and the old-timers are
one of those markets, where e-Fuels could indeed play a role.
Mercedes left no stone unturned in
their efforts to ensure their historic vehicles were climate-friendly at the Mille Miglia. The
Mercedes 300 SL from the 1950s was accompanied for over 2000 kilometers by a tanker carrying e-Fuel
that the car needed.
E-Fuels aren't the solution for classic cars. Because you'd always have to carry the e-Fuel with you on road-trips.
A specific network of e-Fuel stations doesn't exist, and I don't think it will be built anytime soon.
Are e-Fuels more than just a niche solution for classic cars? It's a discussion that has been dividing Europe at the political level for some
time. Should e-Fuels in combustion-engine cars find a place in sustainable, climate-friendly mobility?
I am convinced that you will find e-Fuels also at a filling station. There will be
a market for e-Fuels, but of course for a higher price. Look at Porsche. They are producing e-Fuels
together with HIF in Chile, with the idea being that roundabout two-thirds of all Porsches ever
produced are still on the road. And Porsche wants to deliver e-Fuels to their customers, so that they can drive with these
historic Porsches in the future as well.
While some people want to hold on to their traditions
others are radically breaking with the creeds of the past. The traditional
classic car rally Mille Miglia now also has an eco-class: the Mille Miglia Green , in which
electric vehicles also compete. As a response to the global electrification of mobility: classics
are being converted e-powered cars. Back in 2015 a German company called E-Cap Mobility
began converting classic cars to EVs by putting electric drivetrains in them.
Which means a 1938
DKW suddenly feels very different to drive.
This car is now 80 years old, and it's having
another revival. One sits in the open, enjoying the scenery, without the noise. I don't believe that
with a converted classic like this, I am likely to influence climate change. But
this might trigger a thought in the general populace that
it s possible to change things if you want to.
Belgian company, Monceau Automobiles, specializes
in turning Mercedes classics from the W107 Series, made in the Seventies and Eighties, into modern
electric cars.
For me it's the combination of the passion for cars and specifically for Mercedes
cars, and passion for the ongoing energy transition.
In Einbeck in Lower Saxony, Karl Heinz Rehkopf still regularly motors through the streets in his Mercedes-Benz Victoria from
1894. It is the oldest registered car in the world. And for him, it's entirely unthinkable
to convert this machine with a switch to electric power.
I would consider this a huge sin. It is a demonstration of disrespect and ignorance, the way the reverence for things created in the past
is now tossed aside. And new technology is mixed in that corrupts the original machine.
Are e-powered classics still considered real classic cars? For Philipp Batthyány this is a
question of faith. Even though his BMW was only built in the 1970s, to him, removing
the petrol engine would be sacrilege.
Above all, you would take away the heart of the car.
In a BMW, then the engine has always been the focus. As the name BMW suggests - Bayerische
Motorenwerke - if you'd replace the motor you would be gutting the car. You would be taking away its heart and soul.
A faith that won't waver even in the face of potential driving bans.
If internal combustion engined cars are banned
then I would say I'd just let the car stand. And then it will just be a
cultural asset or piece of history that stands still.
The very essence of a vehicle is that it moves. If it simply stands in a museum, then a very important characteristic of the car
is lost. It is important that these vehicles are preserved and remain visible in running condition
as a museum on wheels so to speak.
The museum on wheels concept has found a passionate fan base
all over the world. Classic car events such as the Concorso d'Eleganza or the Mille Miglia in Italy,
Pebble Beach in California or Goodwood in England attract hordes of people. And historic vehicles
have long since become investment pieces that are traded like shares. An electric motor in such a
vehicle would result in a drastic drop in the price.
The car is no longer true to history,
but arbitrarily modified. It's like if you were to retouch a painting by the Old Masters,
for it to conform to modern tastes. The value of a classic car lies in the preservation of the original
technology.
But cars with older technology face other issues. In the Mille Miglia, the original
route has been modified in recent times because an increasing number of old towns have driving bans
on environmentally harmful combustion-engined machines. A problem that also concerns
politicians. The future of classic cars is also important to the European Parliament in Brussels.
We discussed it here in the European Parliament quite intensively. And the first action we did was
to reflect about the definition of what a historic vehicle is. This is really crucial and important,
because if you are asking for exemptions for historic vehicles, you have to be crystal clear
what a historical car or motorbike is. Not all old cars are really historical vehicles. A historical
vehicle demonstrates a history of mobility, but only if it's really in this historic condition.
There is still plenty of discussion when it comes to the question of what a real classic car, or
indeed a real historic vehicle is. In Germany, any car that was first registered at least 30 years
ago is considered a classic car. But even on this rollercoaster of a debate, members of the classic
car scene remains optimistic.
Races like the Mille Miglia will be there in the future as
well. Definitely. For us the classic cars on the roads is our living heritage.
I see the classic
car scene as a scene that has been consolidated, and has a huge following.
Even knowing that, the
historic vehicle movement has also a problem with the average age. The historic vehicle movement
has really a big challenge to interest younger people also.
Lunaz in Silverstone, England,
has focused precisely on this target group. The company converts classic British cars from the
past into electric cars in order to inspire an environmentally conscious young generation.
My daughter, she sings this song, "Go Green, go green, make the planet green" . We are building cars,
passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles for future generations.
And that's why a Rolls Royce Phantom V from the early 1960s, whose 8 cylinders once led to some environmental concerns,
now glides silently and emission-free over lanes in the English countryside.
We have to address this issue - sustainability - that clearly is of so much interest to future generations. We know
that younger people are less engaged with cars in the way that previous generations were. And
we're really proud to provide an answer for them, an answer to the long-term preservation of these
beautiful objects.
But environmental awareness also comes at a hefty price. The incredibly
complex conversion of a car into an electric classic costs 700,000 euros.
Given the low mileage of less than fifteen hundred kilometers per year on average, such a conversion would also
be ecologically completely pointless.
Karl Heinz Rehkopf drives his Mercedes-Benz Victoria into an
uncertain future: an electric conversion would be ecologically pointless. And e-Fuels are probably
not an option either. The engine from 1894 only starts if you fill it with special light petrol,
which is also available in pharmacies under the name wound petrol.Is one of the world's
oldest cars in danger of being banned from the streets?
This is a demonstration of disrespect
and ignorance, that can potentially turn into madness, and might wipe away a reverence for
things that were created in the past.
The only solution is to use perhaps also some fossil fuels,
because on average, and this is well known, the mileage of the kilometers driven by
historic vehicles are quite limited. This is not a major problem for the climate change situation in Europe.
If you look at the entire chain from raw materials to vehicle production, operation and
disposal then classic cars represent long-term products and therefore have a very favourable
CO2 footprint.
It's true, it doesn't get much more sustainable than this.
Classic cars stand for preservation rather than replacement. They are a rejection of the use
and throw mentality.
I'd like to encourage you to look into the future while still keeping an eye on the past.
I always say, there's no future without the past. There's no progress without
an understanding of the past.
Do classic cars still have a future? Can our automotive cultural
heritage stay in motion with electricity, climate-friendly fuels or even fossil
fuels? Or will they end motionless in museums?
What do you think, let us know in the comments.