The term „classic or collector’s car“ is often used as a collective name for older or historical vehicles. But not every older vehicle is automatically a collector’s car due to its age. Individual and emotional aspects also apply in this area in particular. A true collector’s car is a model that either has pioneering technical or stylistic features for an era or is characterised by a significant unique selling point. Considered in this light, there have always been collector’s cars.

Many years ago, the „Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens“ (FIVA), the international umbrella organisation for the collector’s vehicles, classified the cars according to their year of construction, which is the orientation of both the national umbrella organisation and the organisers of collector’s car events.

Classification

• Class A: Ancestor: Vehicles up to the production date 31.12.1904
• Class B: Veteran: Vehicles up to the production date 31.12.1918
• Class C: Vintage: Vehicles up to the production date 31.12.1930
• Class D: Post Vintage: Vehicles up to the production date 31.12.1945
• Class E: Post War: Vehicles up to the production date 31.12.1960
• Class F: Vehicles up to the production date 31.12.1970
• Class G: Vehicles up to the production date according to the definition by the FIVA

The FIVA defines a historical vehicle or a collector’s car as a mechanically driven road vehicle, which

• is at least 30 years old,
• is preserved and maintained in a historically correct condition,
• is not used as a means of daily transport,
• is kept for its technical and cultural value.

What are the differences between the construction year and the model year?

For all American and most European brands with a regular model facelift, there may be differences between model year and construction year. In most cases, the new model year started after the plant holidays in the summer of the previous year. Therefore, especially in the second half of the year, the model year and the construction year can differ by up to six months. This means that a car produced in August 1955 (=construction year 1955) already belongs to the model year 1956.