An antique car is an

automobile A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, peopl ...

that is an

antique An antique () is an item perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance, and often defined as at least 100 years old (or some other limit), although the term is often used loosely to describe any object that i ...

. Narrower definitions vary based on how old a car must be to qualify. The Antique Automobile Club of America defines an antique car as over 25 years of age. However, the legal definitions for the purpose of

antique vehicle registration Antique vehicle registration is a special form of motor vehicle registration for vehicles that are considered antique car, antique, classic car, classic, Vintage car, vintage, or historic. The specific term used and the definition of a qualifying ...

vary widely. The antique car era includes the Veteran era, the

Brass era The Brass Era is an American term for the early period of automotive manufacturing, named for the prominent brass fittings used during this time for such features as lights and radiator (engine cooling), radiators. It is generally considered to ...

, and the Vintage era, which range from the beginning of the automobile up to the 1930s. Later cars are often described as

classic car A classic car is typically described as an automobile 25 years or older, although a car's age is not the only requirement it must meet before being considered a "classic." However, a standard criteria for recognizing cars as classics does not ex ...

s. In original or originally restored condition antiques are very valuable and are usually either protected and stored or exhibited in car shows but are very rarely driven.

History

The Veteran car era, Brass car era, and the Vintage car era, are part of the Antique car classification as all automobiles produced prior to World War I are considered to be antiques.

Europe

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

Eve in 1801

Richard Trevithick Richard Trevithick (13 April 1771 – 22 April 1833) was a British inventor and mining engineer. The son of a mining captain, and born in the mining heartland of Cornwall, Trevithick was immersed in mining and engineering from an early age. He ...

of England demonstrated a steam-powered carriage, the Puffing Devil, that is considered the first horseless carriage, but

Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot (26 February 1725 – 2 October 1804) was a French inventor who built the world's first full-size and working self-propelled mechanical land-vehicle, the "Fardier à vapeur" – effectively the world's first automobile. B ...

has the claim of the first steam-powered vehicle with the '' Fardier à vapeur'' in 1770. The first production of automobiles was by

Carl Benz Carl (or Karl) Friedrich Benz (; born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929) was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent-Motorwagen from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automob ...

in 1888 in Germany and, under licence from Benz, in France by Emile Roger. The time line is not exact but Thomas Davenport as well as Robert Anderson (of Scotland) built a battery electric car between 1832 and 1839.

United States

The era of automobiles began in the U.S. when George Selden of Rochester, NY filed a patent on May 8, 1879, but the patent was not approved until November 5, 1895. This was the first U.S. patent for an automobile. By the time a patent was approved many automobiles were in production.

Charles Duryea Charles Edgar Duryea (December 15, 1861 – September 28, 1938) was an American engineer. He was the engineer of the first working American gasoline-powered car and co-founder of Duryea Motor Wagon Company. He was born near Canton, Illino ...

built a three-wheeled, gasoline-powered vehicle in 1893, and his company built 13 cars of the same design in 1896. Gasoline automobiles were produced by

Elwood Haynes Elwood Haynes (October 14, 1857 – April 13, 1925) was an American inventor, metallurgist, automotive pioneer, entrepreneur and industrialist. He invented the metal alloy stellite and independently co-discovered martensitic stainless stee ...

in 1894, by

Ransom Olds Ransom Eli Olds (June 3, 1864 – August 26, 1950) was an American businessman and executive who was known as a pioneer of the American automotive industry, whom the Oldsmobile and REO brands were named after. He claimed to have built his first ...

in 1895, Charles King and

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

in 1896. Automobile races stirred the public interest and bicycle and buggy manufacturers began to convert to making automobiles. Plakat za 6

Racing

Racing began shortly after the production of the automobile. The first official auto race in the world was a 732-mile, round trip race, in the

Paris–Bordeaux–Paris The Paris–Bordeaux–Paris Trail race of June 1895 is sometimes called the "first motor race", although it did not fit modern competition where the fastest is the winner. It was a win for Émile Levassor, who came first after completing the 1,1 ...

race. The first race in the U.S. was the six car, 54.36 mile race, from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

’s Jackson Park to

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

and back. Racing helped spur inventions that assisted in improvements to the automotive industry.

Automobile production eras

United States

Veteran Era

The Veteran era began with the invention of the automobile and continued up to 1896.

Brass Era

The Brass Era is considered from 1890 to 1919. Periods of the Brass Era are referred to as the Horseless carriage era. The Horseless Carriage Club of America (HCCA) defines this era as "any pioneer gas, steam and electric motor vehicle built or manufactured prior to January 1, 1916".

Antique era (before 1920)

The era of antique cars actually covers a specific time period from the beginning up to 1920 or prior to

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The time period for antique cars includes the Veteran Era as well as the Brass era.

Vintage Era

The vintage era followed World War I from 1920 to 1930. There were over 500 automotive companies in 1910 but by the time of the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

of 1929 only 60 had survived, and twelve years later there were fewer than 20.

United Kingdom

In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, the Brass era is split into two eras; the Veteran era and the

Edwardian era In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...

Veteran Era

The veteran era includes cars produced before 1905.

Edwardian Era

The Edwardian era includes cars produced between 1 January 1905 and 31 December 1918. This is considered pre-World War One cars in the United States.

Vintage Era

The Vintage era is considered to cover cars made between 1918 and 1930.

Post Vintage Era

Post vintage cars are those made from 1 January 1931 to the start of World War II (September 1939).

Antique Era

Antique cars are all cars made up to September 1939 which marked the beginning of World War II.

Modern Era

Modern cars were made after 31 December 1959.

References

External links

The History of the Automobile
from

The Smithsonian The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, education and research centers, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trus ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antique Car Cars by period Conservation and restoration of vehicles

History

Europe

United States

Racing

Automobile production eras

United States

Veteran Era

Brass Era

Antique era (before 1920)

Vintage Era

United Kingdom

Veteran Era

Edwardian Era

Vintage Era

Post Vintage Era

Antique Era

Modern Era

See also

References

External links