Steve Cropley: Mustang fever will survive 2030 petrol ban

We were talking, the Steering Committee and I, about the cars we should buy – old ground in a new context. Better get that Ford Mustang Bullitt you’re always boring on about, said she, but I must confess that I would feel as excited about owning a Mustang Mach-E as a V8 Mustang right now. If I had to choose, I wouldn’t know which way to jump – and I won’t until someone whose opinion I trust gets to grips with the electric model. Which reminds me again (as Autocar passes its 5500th road test) about the importance to car society of testing; it’s a 93-year-old story type that gains in relevance all the time.

Wednesday

It’s probably no accident that the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs has revealed its annual killer statistics about the size and influence of its membership, given that old-car ownership might be in the firing line in the bold new tomorrow. Yet the figures are reassuring. The UK has more than 1.5 million historic vehicles, supporting 4000 businesses that employ 34,000 people and generate £7.2bn per year. There are now 700,000 enthusiasts (40% more than in 2016), so the lobby is vast and growing vaster.

Do such big numbers imply that classics generate lots of pollution and congestion? Not at all. More than 50% of classic vehicles are on SORN, the entire fleet accounts for a minuscule 0.2% of the national annual mileage and more than a third of owners are already contributing to a carbon reduction scheme or keen to give it as go. Important guidance for legislators and unfocused do-gooders: lovers of old cars aren’t the enemy and never will be.

Friday

One of a hack’s pleasures is hearing erudite car lovers talk about their favourite cars, something that happened a lot during my recent meeting with McLaren Automotive boss Mike Flewitt, whose appreciation of all cars, and especially classic Lotuses, is well known.

We were talking about the importance of pure driving pleasure compared with “mere metrics” – in other words, performance against a stopwatch. “Above a certain threshold, I don’t much care how fast our cars are from zero to 200mph,” Flewitt declared. “I just want it to be the most exciting driver’s car we can make. After all, when you lap a circuit, you have no idea of your time until someone tells you. But you certainly know if you enjoyed it.”