Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

Hi all-
Sign of the times I guess, but reading the latest Practical Classics, front cover is a whole load of classics that have been electrified- or turned into washing machines (?)

Now I know its coming no matter what-Jaguar announced last week its all electric from 2025 etc, but I'm sorry I just don't think you can retain the original 'feel' of an older car with an electric motor, you just can't. It's a facsimile. It's like a Western town film set, with nothing real or relatable to the façade behind. It's clever, yes, but ultimately, soulless, eg there's no way you could compare they experience of a Rover SD1 V8, with one with an electric motor.

Second to convert, its hellishly expensive, and I think an awful lot of the more 'real' or 'bread and butter' type cars, which I feel does include ours, just aren't going to get that kind of money spent on them....are they?
I think this will mean an awful lot of good older cars will be scrapped in the next 10 years or so, and the classic world will become a preserve of the wealthier.

Better get out (when we can again) and enjoy our cars as much as possible while we can!

Banning new internal combustion engines doesn't mean that existing ones will all have to die.

We were told that the end of leaded petrol would be the end of classic cars - it wasn't, nor were any of the other scare stories.

People are already producing the gear needed to convert cars. Currently it is too expensive, but like all tech it will get cheaper every year.

Personally, I think that hydrogen is a more likely saviour for classics, but lets just wait and see, as we have at least a decade to enjoy our cars

If someone has deep enough pockets, we’d build one...*laughs*

A definite NO! In my view, they cease to be Classics if converted!

In the overall scheme of things, Classic vehicles contribute virtually nothing to Climate Change and, like Preserved Railways, are part of our Industrial Heritage.

We can all do our part environmentally, by driving sensibly (99% of the time ) and carbon offsetting in other ways.

My daily driver is a Nissan Leaf and about 60% of the charging is via my solar panels. Apart from driving around town, I don't really like it to be honest, but it does reduce my emissions........or at least some of them........

Frog and Ogy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 17, 2021 10:05 pm I'm sorry I just don't think you can retain the original 'feel' of an older car with an electric motor, you just can't. It's a facsimile. It's like a Western town film set, with nothing real or relatable to the façade behind. It's clever, yes, but ultimately, soulless, eg there's no way you could compare they experience of a Rover SD1 V8, with one with an electric motor.

I completely agree.
Whilst I am all for electric vehicles and they are here and are the future, you cannot really compare the driving experience of an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) to an electric drivetrain.
The main issue that I can forsee would be the petrol itself, as once the electric vehicles really start to be the norm in the next 5-10 years, the petrol will become (as we are seeing already) more and more expensive.

richard moss wrote: ↑Fri Feb 19, 2021 9:43 pm Personally, I think that hydrogen is a more likely saviour for classics

Or even more likely, synthetic fuels.

I really don't like it, especially iconic cars, e.g. E type, Healey 3000, Ferrari Daytona keeping their soul is critical and protecting that. Synthetic fuels will keep that and it could mean petrol cars can still be relevant still.