Americans have a love affair with classic cars. From James Bond’s Aston Martin to Thomas Magnum’s red Ferrari 308 GTS, some were iconic in their time and have since gone on to become famous classics. Consider the ’69 Chevrolet Camaro SS, the ’66 Ford Mustang GT or the Pontiac GTO Judge. These and others have more than stood the test of time.
As anyone who is a classic car aficionado knows, this is not a hobby for those with small wallets. Some well-known gearheads include Jay Leno, Reggie Jackson, Tim Allen, David Letterman, Mark Harmon, Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top), James Garner, Steve McQueen, Jerry Seinfeld and Paul Newman. Leno even hosts a show now about restoring classic cars.
So what makes a car a classic? The short definition according State Farm is that a classic car is any “vehicle 10 or more years old, which is rare or of special historical interest because of exceptionally fine workmanship or limited production.” So just because you have an old clunker sitting in the driveway that is more than 10 years old doesn’t mean it’s valuable. Classic vehicles that are 25 years or older are considered antique automobiles.