Some people buy a car so that they can re-live a fond memory with someone they hold dear in their hearts. “It was my first car.” Ah that smell of burnt clutch, the car we learn how to drive, the car that we went on the first date. Buying back the “first car” is definitely a top reason to pull the trigger on an old beat-up classic car.
「驅使人們去購買經典車的原因有很多，例如希望尋回昔日的歡樂時光、惦念至親、跟愛侶的相識紀念，甚至回首在學習駕駛期間，幾乎燒掉『師傅車』離合器的尷尬情境等，而且回憶絕不能以金錢去衡量，所以能夠買回人生第一款擁有的汽車，對很多人來說都是一件挺有意義的事。」
Published in APRIL 2020 Classic & Sports Car Magazine | Written by Kenneth E Y Wong
KENNETH WONG 黃恩揚- Classic insider 創辦人，經營高級經典及跑車買賣。對處理高檔車種擁有豐富經驗。曾是香港首間經典車拍賣行的營運總監。經常參與高端古董及跑車的相關活動，貼近市場脈搏
在先前的專欄中，我曾經跟大家分享過四個為何要購買經典車的理由，而今趟討論關於「回憶總是最浪漫」的課題，便成為了箇中的第五個原因了！
不論是男是女、是老是幼，大家總是希望尋回昔日的美好時光，故有人會常把「我爸以前曾擁有過這款車」、「這款是我人生擁有的第一款車」等說話掛在咀邊，甚至會用盡一切辦法，讓自己能夠再次擁有昔日的心頭好。其實，驅使人們去購買經典車的原因有很多，例如希望尋回昔日的歡樂時光、惦念至親、跟愛侶的相識紀念，甚至回首在學習駕駛期間，幾乎燒掉「師傅車」離合器的尷尬情境等，而且回憶絕不能以金錢去衡量，所以能夠買回人生第一款擁有的汽車，對很多人來說都是一件挺有意義的事。
此外，當你能夠開着一部經典車馳騁於蜿蜒的山路間，又或在夜深獨自驅車外出時，眼看到的錶板跟手握着的軚盤都是舊式設計，而座位設計跟車廂裝潢都散發着濃厚的古典氣息時，必定會予人一種懷緬過去的感覺。藉着駕駛經典車所帶來的那份加速感，甚至是煞車時的感覺，都跟新車截然不同。而引擎的呼吸聲亦截然不同，進氣系統的呼吸聲、排氣喉傳來的氣味，又或是昔日卡式帶年代音響所播放的樂曲，如今全都再難於新車上找得到。
談到這裏，我認為有幾種車，人們都會因為童年回憶而購買，而第一種就是前文提過，人生擁有的第一款車。很多人的第一部車，都是透過節衣縮食、把一分一毫儲起來才購買得到，但人生中有很多歡樂時光都是與它渡過，不論它是透過自己勞力賺回來，還是哀求父母贈送舊車也好，畢竟它都是自己擁有的第一部車。故此，不少人認為第一部車在自己的人生中，有着一個不可替代的崇高地位，並且希望能夠再次擁有，重溫舊夢。
第二種就是前輩介紹給你的車。我們兒時一定會有爸爸、哥哥、祖父、表哥或好朋友，擁有過一部對你很有意義的車，並且經常帶你遊車河，感覺非常開心。所以無論它是一部寶馬、平治或法拉利，甚至是一部售價便宜的二手車，其實都沒有多大分別，因為當時年紀輕顯的你，會覺得它就是全世界最好的汽車，而這種回憶亦有很多人想尋回的。
第三種就是兒時見到就會開心的車，可能是在汽車雜誌見到，甚至乎是一部模型車，或者是自己見到那部車的外形經已開心不已。當然，每個人對汽車的喜愛程度各異，所以每個人的選擇都會有所不同。
第四種便是在電影中見到的車款。猶記得在《Bullit》戲中出現的福特Mustang Fastback、《鐵金剛》裏頭出現過的阿斯頓馬田DB5、甚至乎占士甸曾經駕駛的保時捷356。你在銀幕見到這些車不斷在路上穿插、你追我趕，的確有型，甚至在你眼中已成為電影主角。正因如此，很多人都會視出現於電影的汽車，為自己夢寐以求的Dream Car。
最後就是在電視劇出現的車款。有些在電視劇出現的車，確的令人畢生難忘，例如在《The Saint》亮相的富豪P1800，以及出現於《Magnum PI》的法拉利308 GTS，這些經典的電視節目時，至今天仍為人津津樂道。當我們觀看這些電視節目時，能夠欣賞到自己心愛的名車，又可以重拾睇電視的樂趣，何樂而不為？
Why we collect car? Reason #5 Nostalgia is priceless.
One of the main reasons why we continue to love classic cars is because driving and owning them can make us feel young again.
Out on an empty mountain road or driving at night, all alone, the daydream is visually enhanced by looking out over the hood catching a glimpse of the old instrument panel and interior. The vintage tactility of the steering wheel, seat, shifter, and dashboard controls are realised, as are the sensations of acceleration, braking, and lateral forces through the curves. Engine induction roar, the tone/ smell of the exhaust, and music emanating from a decades-old radio contribute a soundtrack to the time travel vibe. In short, everything looks and feels different than it would in a new car, it takes you back in time. Maybe a happy past.
Why do we buy old cars, I can think of several examples:
Your First Car: Most of us who worked and scrimped and saved to buy our first car, be it old or new at the time, still recall the memories made with it, so it’s understandable that we would either want to keep it or find a replacement for it later in life. Even if your parents or grandparents bought a new car and gave you their old one, it was still your “first car,” so the same reasoning above applies.
The Mentors: Friends and Family: Parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and neighbors have served as mentors to countless next-generation car lovers over the years. Thanks to their kindness, many classic car fans experienced their first ride in the coolest, quickest, loudest, or most beautiful car in their town, be it a BMW, a Mercedes, a Porsche or even a Ferrari economy or luxury car. In some instances, those memories left impressions so deep that the young protégés later bought examples of those same cars.
It’s a Looker: These designs belong to a previous age—an age that many people fondly look back on, where designers were unencumbered by constraints such as crash tests, or aerodynamic drag coefficients, and instead created shapes that reflected the mood and trends of the time.
Though we won’t all agree on the same models, many of us know of a certain car, which possesses the power to stop us in our tracks to just stare at it. We appreciate its styling to such a degree that it actually makes us feel good inside just to look at it. Somehow, in that moment the problems of the day recede to the back of our minds and we feel more optimistic than we had just minutes before. earlier car’s styling and exclusivity, and again, nostalgia, ensure that most examples remain highly collectible.
Movie car: Some movie cars were already desirable in their own right, but their commanding presence in certain films contributed to making them legends. From the Mustang in Bullet, DB5 in James Bond, 356 driven by James Dean. Through their high-speed, tire-frying exploits on the screen, they became extremely popular and must-own vehicles for some moviegoers.
As Seen on TV: The desire for a star car is not limited to the silver screen, however. Television parked some of the most recognizable cars of their respective era right in our living rooms. Who could forget The Saint’s Volvo P1800, Magnum PI’s 308. There are many more examples for TV as well, but you get the idea.
