Youngtimers: the rise in Gen Z owners

Insurance stats prove that youngsters are interested in classics-and their favourite marques might surprise you

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MANY TIMES OVER the past few years I've attended trade meetings, visited shows or held an impromptu conversation with someone else in the classic car world to discuss the same subject: how do we encourage greater numbers of young enthusiasts to join us? It's a tricky subject; when I was in my twenties and thirties, 105/115-series Alfa Romeos (then my models of choice) were plentiful and cheap. I remember buying a cracking 1600 GT Junior for £2000 in the early 2000s, driving it daily for a couple of years, fixing the head gasket after a particularly spirited track-day at Goodwood, and then proudly selling it on for about double the original purchase price, the costs of my motoring having been covered.

Another time, I bought most of a Sprint GT (including engine, suspension, interior but minus the actual bodyshell) on the fledgling eBay for £50.

Today, things are very different: young adults are facing unique financial challenges and there's a perception that there just aren't as many cheap classics available as there were in the past.