I hope I'm not being rude...

[Alpine 1789]

We actually did an online member survey almost 4 years ago and I can provide a answer to that question, albeit an old one. Here is a quote from the first article I wrote on the results:

The average age is about 51 years. Just over half of us are between 40 and 60, with almost a third over 60. Since internet users tend to be younger than the general population, those numbers are probably an underestimate of the general club population. And they make sense, since people frequently gravitate towards the classic cars of their youth. But a good chunk of our members weren’t even born when the last Alpine rolled off the assembly line in 1967, which bodes well for the future of the club.

I know we've lost some members and had lots join, but suspect the general make-up of the group hasn't changed dramatically. So, add four years to the 51 we calculated in 2005, round up a bit to account for the fact that this was presumed to be a little younger than the reality, and the average age of the group is probably around 56-58.

Oh, and I turn 57 in a few months.

 

[chris]

I'm one of the youngsters in the forum, Approaching 38.

 

[slippery_biscuit]

Looking at 54 this summer. I think. Have to do the math every year when someone asks. So still relatively young... just under 8 in dog years!

 

[puff4]

What I want to know, is who is going to take over this hobby when we old f*rts are gone? There are so few young folks that are interested and/or capable. *sigh*

 

[alpine_64]

What I want to know, is who is going to take over this hobby when we old f*rts are gone? There are so few young folks that are interested and/or capable. *sigh*

kevin,

You got it.. i am one of the youngest members on this board and in our local club.. there are a few young-ish alpine owners, very few young tiger owners. I see the problem as being the cars dont get much PR compared to other marques like MG, Healey.. but that said they to are suffering a lack of interest from younger people.

Another issue is the attitude of older members towards younger members.. an issue that i know happens globaly, to often i have seen younger people turned off by the "what do you know kid" attitude. I have to say that this board is probably the best place worldwide for alpine or tiger owners due to support from fellow posters, and the fact that it probably allows the limited number of younger enthusiasts world wide to get in contact.

 

[mackzknife]

I am 38.

I noticed at the Old English Car Club show this weekend that most of the members are past retirement age. Makes me wonder if the Old English part refers to the owners or the cars . Most of them were Brit ex-pats, but there are a lot of them here in Victoria.

 

[Bill Blue]

I'm 66. I am not particularly concerned about the future of the Alpine. Our youngest son (23) and his girlfriend are in love with the Alpine and I think he (perhaps they) will be future owners. But lets face the truth. Ownership of a 40 year old car that was never really popular is pretty well restricted to the 30 up crowd. The car is no longer a good high school or college driver. It is a toy and few people are in a condition financially to take on such a toy until their adult life has settled down.

I suggest that owners concerned about where the next generation of owners are going to come from be free with rides and even allowing others to drive their car. While our son likes the idea of the small open car, what really grabs him is the pure mechanical nature of the beast. It is the only car he has driven that has no power steering or brakes. He loves the feedback and the human/machine bond the car creates. I think there are a lot of people that would get hooked on that experience.

Bill

 

[MikeH]

Must be a British car thing. At 53, I'm among the young guys in my MG club.

 

[mikephillips]

And remember too that the British have been out of the small inexpensive sports car business for around 30 years now. The high priced Jaguar Sedans and "sports" cars for example, are not entry level autos. They require a certain level of income to comfortably afford and that generally means someone established in life.

 

[puff4]

It's not just Sunbeams or British cars... my concern is really for the whole hobby in general.. even within US-make car clubs, it's all old guys, with precious few women or younger guys. Plus, those making parts for them are the same - just old guys and in 15 years or so they'll be out of that business. Indeed, a couple of years ago I purchased an entire interior kit from Martha Wheat even though I didn't need it yet - primarily because I didn't think she'd be in the business much longer and I'd never be able to get that sort of quality merchandise when I finally did need it.

I see not only the hobby declining in the next 15 years, but with it the value of these cars, too.... because without a following, parts, knowledge or experience, our cars will be virtually worthless.

 

[Jim E]

49 soon to be 50

 

[Series6]

57->58 too soon.

I met a gentleman a few years back in Tucson who had a stable of cars he rescued. When I looked at the restoration records of each car I was stunned at the finished car vs. the condition he got the car in. He was fast approaching 90. I had the same fear. When he's gone, all the knowledge and skill goes too. I wish people had USB ports...

 

[Eleven]

58 in a month. My wife also thinks I am 12ish. She is wrong, closer to 17.

 

[mikephillips]

Read an article once on a car magazine that felt that all cars go through cycles where the majority of demand comes from the guys, and gals, who rememberr them from their youth or young adulthood and associate them with those times, family and friends. I think back to the shows my dad took me to when I was young when 75% of the entrants might be Model T Fords costing in the mid to upper teens in the 60s. Inflation adjusted I bet most don't come near than now since the largest pool of collectors, the folks who remember them new, has passed on. For the last few years things like 57 chevys, 60's muscle, and to a lesser extent LBCs. While there will always be some people who desire grandpa's old car or the truely high end exotics like 60s and earlier race cars I suspect that when we're all gone and the kids of today are the 50 year olds wildly modified coupes, particularly Japanese, may be the big thing in old car shows. Look at Doug Jennings son, that's what he prefers working on.

 

[John W]

I'm 52. If your Alpine "declines," there's always alpine yodeling.

http://www.sc.edu/library/newsfilm/qt/alpine.html

 

[Chuck Ingram]

I'm 71 years young.My boys tell me I should stop acting like a 40 year old.
I still can out work them but nowhere near as long as I used to do.Now 4 or 5 hours is enough.Two boys will get the sunbeams.The eldest boy wants the 29 ford.
I don't think for sometime yet.They might get my bike first.I still try to put about 5 miles every morning on it.Although some mornings I can almost talk myself out of it especially when the temperature is 28/30 F at 6 AM.
Ah but the coffee smells so good when I get back and open the door.

 

[Nickodell]

Read an article once on a car magazine that felt that all cars go through cycles where the majority of demand comes from the guys, and gals, who rememberr them from their youth or young adulthood and associate them with those times, family and friends. I think back to the shows my dad took me to when I was young when 75% of the entrants might be Model T Fords costing in the mid to upper teens in the 60s. Inflation adjusted I bet most don't come near than now since the largest pool of collectors, the folks who remember them new, has passed on. For the last few years things like 57 chevys, 60's muscle, and to a lesser extent LBCs. While there will always be some people who desire grandpa's old car or the truely high end exotics like 60s and earlier race cars I suspect that when we're all gone and the kids of today are the 50 year olds wildly modified coupes, particularly Japanese, may be the big thing in old car shows. Look at Doug Jennings son, that's what he prefers working on.

Here's some to either drool or giggle over:

http://www.billsretroworld.com/cars.htm

 

[Series6]

If we ever have another caption contest we can start with some of these ridiculous situations in thees ads. Like the one where tha lady is telling the driver of the Imperial "Try not to park it in the pool while you back it up! This barge won't float."

 

[tony perrett]

Good to see such superb images from the days when car makers had their own individual styling characteristics and flair, compared to modern wind-tunnel designed cars, all looking like jelly moulds. Nick, do you have a link to a similar set of Brit cars from the same era?

 

[Bill Blue]

Individual looking? For some, yes. At the same time, some seriously ugly cars, all in the name of "style".

Bill