Classic car insurer ClassicLine Insurance has revealed some classic British cars on the verge of extinction and as much as I find this sad, I find myself asking a question - is it really a bad thing? Cars such as the Austin Allegro and the Morris Marina are deemed to be truly awful cars so the fact they are dying off isn't necessarily a bad thing if you ask me.
I'm surprised the Marina hasn't already been killed off due to the amount of pianos that got dropped on them in Top Gear. I may sound like I'm being harsh but these cars are obviously dying off for a reason, surely? The Morris Ital - never heard of it - is at the greatest risk as there were only 35 examples were registered in 2015. That's 150 less than 2005 and a mere fraction compared to the 175,276 that were produced in the 80s.
This makes Morris' last ever produced car rarer than the Javan Rhino as is now one of the cars in ClassicLine Insurance's 'Save Our Classics' campaign. The Austin Maxi and the Austin Allegro make up the 2nd and 3rd place in the top 10 with 140 and 170 registered respectively. Two classic Fords also make the last places in the top 10 - the Ford Sierra and the Ford Cortina which can also be classed common in comparison to the Ital.
“Once common 1970’s and 80’s cars are disappearing at an alarming rate and this new list is evidence that a serious extinction crisis is mounting”, said Ian Fray, managing director at ClassicLine. “Tens of thousands of Itals were built during the 1980s, they are a proud part of our British manufacturing heritage so it is very sad to hear that so few now remain”.
The 'Save our Classics' campaign launched earlier this month by ClassicLine Insurance who is looking to reduce the UK road tax exemption from 40 years to 30 to owners to protect the surviving models. Owners can also pledge their support to the campaign via the ClassicLine webpage and they can also join the community of the 'spotters' who are encouraged to share photos of the endangered cars when they see them on the road.