Vintage and classic car enthusiasts can breathe easy with hope over their future

The recently announced vehicle scrappage policy has put an end to the ambiguity over the fate of vintage and classic cars in the country. Contrary to fears that cars over a certain age would be sent to the scrapyard, the draft policy has made it clear that the scrappage scheme would be voluntary. This has eased the worries of vintage and classic car owners to a large extent.

• A scrappage policy was recently announced at the 2021 Union Budget
• The scrappage policy will be voluntary for both private and commercial vehicles
• Private vehicles older than 20 years will have to go through fitness testing

Autocar India recently got a chance to speak to Viveck Goenka, president of the Western India Automotive Association and the Vintage and Classic Car Club of India. Goenka, who has for long been has been central to the classic car movement, has been pushing for clarity on the future of vintage and classic cars in India.

Goenka, who has been in touch with the officials of the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways for the last year and met transport minister Nitin Gadkari in December 2020, said that he is optimistic about the future of vintage and classic cars in India. “I feel optimistic that we will find a way forward to keep vintage and classic automobiles on the road for many years to come. Shri. Gadkari has assured me that the ministry would take all the suggestions that were proposed by us and do their best to incorporate them in the government's future policies.”

Viveck Goenka, president of the WIAA and VCCCI, is a doyen of the vintage and classic car community of India

Goenka added that his suggestions to the ministry also concerned modern classics or “Young Classics”, which refers to cars less than 50 years of age. “Young Classics are an important part of not just automobile history, but also humanity’s history. Cars from the 1980s and ’90s in India have played a significant role in making our country the global automotive hub it is today. No stone will be left unturned to preserve their history,” he said. 

The voluntary nature of the scrappage will come as great encouragement to classic car community in India. The fact that there will always be a provision for historic cars should also provide a boost to the growing modern classics scene. Modern classics have been gaining popularity globally as they resonate with today’s new generation of enthusiasts. These cars — and their owners — will play an important role in taking the heritage car movement forward in India in the years to come.