Paul Williams is not quite correct in his definitions; to the Vintage
Sports Car Club, a Post Vintage Thoroughbred is not any car made in the
thirties. It is an example of one of the makes and models listed as PVT by the
club. The list controversially lengthened a couple of decades ago to include such
cars as the Wolseley Hornet which is perhaps not quite the sort of car the
original VSCC members had in mind. (Rather like letting a Holdsworth built
Freddie Grubb or Claud Butler in as the equal of the real thing.) Shouldn't the old
bicycle movement be inclusive rather than exclusive? (I've just been
gratuitously rude about someone else's bikes, damn it! Sorry late Grubbs and Clauds.)
People often miss the point of the VSCC which is that it is a club for
people who use their cars. Not all of us do, of course, but a big enough
percentage to keep the cars alive in racing, hillclimbs, sprints and trials.
Surely the only reasons for organising the enjoyment of old bicycles in a formal
way either as a club or on the web is to act as a clearing house for
information, to encourage the regular use of bicycles which would otherwise be neglected
because of age and to enjoy the company of like minded people. That is how the
VSCC started. If you start throwing around categories analogous to the
VSCC's, all the Rudges and Humbers and Raleigh Lentons will be infra dig. Only the
exotica would be eligible. I may not be able to realistically aspire to a
Bugatti car or bicycle (not sure I'd want the bike, actually) but I know what I
like within my price range and I can and do drive and ride what is old and
enjoyable... some machines older than me and others younger. If you see the terms
veteran, vintage, thorougbred or classic used on eBay, take warning! The seller
will be suspect. He will probably also offer to tarmac your drive, prune your
trees and replace missing roof tiles if you let him near your house. If you
sell on eBay, tell it like it is, cut out meaningless adjectives and let a good
photo speak for itself.
Stuart Tallack in West Sussex