Welcome to the list, Greg!
The 1983 date doesn't really relate to anything specific to the bicycle industry. It's really a floating date that makes anything 20 years old and older "classic." Next year the cut-off date will be 1984--which means my '84 Schwinn (National / Panasonic) Peleton will be a classic!
Maybe someone else can expound on whether 1984 had Orwellian consequences for the bike industry. . . . <g>
nath dresser
spring green, wi