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Auto restoration enthusiasts love to rejuvenate old cars using their original auto accessories to make them look like new again. However, repairing an older vehicle doesn’t necessarily make it a “classic.” Your automobile could fall under one of three designations: classic, historical, or vintage. The category affects the license plate you can get and what car enthusiast groups you qualify for, so it’s important to understand the differences.

Historical Cars

For a car to be historical, it must be older than 25 years old and owned as a collector’s item. However, an important qualification for this category is that you need to use the original parts during the custom car fabrication process.

That often requires working with specialty dealers who carry out-of-commission parts, but the goal is to recreate a vehicle to make it as similar as possible to the first time it came off of the assembly line. Historical cars also represent the various eras of car manufacturing.

Vintage Cars

Auto RestorationA vintage car needs to be at least 45 years old, but unlike a historical vehicle, it can be used for transportation. It’s more restrictive, though, since most experts only define vintage cars as ones that were originally manufactured between 1919 and 1930.

Since the cutoff is more specified, you often don’t need to use only original parts during its auto restoration. Slight modifications from the initial design don’t necessarily mean you won’t get the vintage designation, but you should still try to keep it as close as possible to how it was originally built.

Classic Cars

The classic category is the most fluid, but most people agree that the vehicle must be between 20 and 40 years old. While it’s recommended to use as many original parts as possible during the auto restoration process, it doesn’t lose the classic designation if newer parts are needed.

This category is the least stringent because classic cars are important due to their historical impact. Different generations may disagree on what qualifies as a classic car because that vehicle may have been more prominent during a particular decade.

 

No matter what kind of vehicle you own, the auto restoration experts at Lo-Man Rods LLC in Tipp City, OH, can help you make it look like new again. For almost 20 years, their talented team of technicians has provided car enthusiasts with professional repairs using custom auto parts. They also offer high-level auto detailing to make your vehicle stand out. Call (937) 679-5140 to schedule an appointment or learn more about their services online.
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