So...is the Coop officially a classic car?

Can the Coop be seen as having fully achieved official (or rather, as official as can be) classic status?

I've been on this forum for over 10 years and throughout this time, I've seen articles referring to the Coop as a 'future classic.' The most recent being that Daily Mail one. And I'm sure there are many more articles yet to come in the future.

I know everyone from classic car insurers to classic car clubs have their own criteria as to what makes a car a classic.

From the perspective of a classic car having to be special/different/interesting etc, all Coop models meet the criteria.
Age wise, again, all Coop models meet the criteria.
But then value wise, you're probably only looking at LEs and Pluses?

So being as objective as possible, and putting aside any fondness we have for the Coop in general, I suppose the true question is, is the Fiat Coupe officially a classic car in LE or Plus form?

Not according to HMRC.

HMRC defines classic cars as being over 15 years of age with a value of £15,000 or more.

I've also seen this as the definition...

...a car over 15 years old with a current market value greater than its list price meets HMRC’s “classic car” criteria.

..And what do HMRC know about classic cars bless 'em

There are so many definitions out there you can make one fit the coupe circumstances like this from Wikipedia:

A classic car is an older automobile; the exact definition varies around the world. The common theme is of an older car with enough historical interest to be collectable and worth preserving or restoring rather than scrapping. Cars 20 years and older typically fall into the classic class.


I think this sums up it for me and is certainly not just the preserve for the LE's and Plus's ..

Aye! What is obvious to me is the fact that some "blokey" writing his spiel for these type of magazines is just his slant on things, simple as that. Can't remember the last time I've seen a car mag' & it's certainly a long time since I purchased one. There will always be conjecture in the motor world, personally I don't give a stuff what others think, I'm a selfish git & I'm more than happy with my Coop....

A classic car is one for which you can purchase classic car insurance. You can purchase classic car insurance (i.e. low mileage, agreed value, no no claims discount etc) for the coupe. Ergo... it's a classic.

If you look up "classic" in the dictionary you get these examples...

"judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind."

"a work of art of recognized and established value."

These definitions contain very subjective language such as "judged", or "recognised and established".

So the question of whether something is classic must be defined more tightly so that it specifies who the judge is or who is recognising and establishing that something is classic.

HMRC have their definition and a car insurance underwriter may have a different definition. Others, as we have seen within this thread may have a multiplicity of other definitions.

As our law courts are the ultimate arbiter of civil disagreements in this country, if you want to know the most important definition of a classic car then you should study any case law and relevant tort to find the answer.

I can't be bothered so am happy to consider any sensible definitions offered and we haven't broken the English language just yet.😀

Lol, great post

Oh aye! just what I wrote, but in a different style... .

Take car magazine jorno’s comments regarding ‘classic cars’ with a large pinch of salt. They have no better idea of the future than mystic meg. Who cares, the coop is a fine fun car that offers pleasure in spades, and why should I expect more?