Hundreds Of Amazing Modern Classics Are Waiting To Be Crushed And It’s Illegal To Save Them
BMW E24s/E28s/E30s, classic Minis, Jaguar XJSs, Porsche 924s, 944s and 928s - all can be found in droves sitting on a disused airfield in Bedfordshire. Some probably won’t take much to get back to good working order, all will have valuable parts, and none of them can be touched.
We’re talking about the results of the UK Government’s 2009 scrappage scheme, which enabled people to trade in their old car to be crushed - so long as it had a valid MOT - to get a £2000 discount on a new one. The motivation was to breathe some life into the then-troubled UK car industry, and replace old, polluting vehicles with much cleaner new ones.
The problem? Many of the 392,227 cars scrapped simply did deserve to die. A full list of the cars taken off the road for the scheme was published a year and a half ago, and while that was depressing enough then, seeing images of a lot of the cars in question is pretty hard to take. Thousands of vehicles have not yet been crushed, and an urban explorer recently snuck into a disused airfield in Bedfordshire where many are kept, posting what he saw on Facebook.
While you look through the set - and this additional one here - just remember: by law, these cars, many of which will have been perfectly roadworthy upon arrival, have to go to the crusher. Not a single part can be saved. And all so a bunch of people could get a moderate discount on a boring econobox (apparently Kia did quite well out of the scheme…).
Given the explosion in classic car prices over the last few years, a lot of the vehicles you see here gathering moss and rusting away have become extremely valuable, making it seem like even more of a waste. But there is something we can do. A petition has been launched on Change.org, calling on the government to auction off surviving cars to the public, or at the very least saved for parts. It could end up being futile, but for the sake of a few moments of your time, it’s damn well worth trying…
Source: Pistonheads
Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.
Comments
I was thinking, since this is a Government issue, they are trying to get rid of all the polluting old cars right? How about exporting them to other countries? Buy a lot of them, like 20-30 vehicles or something, the ones that are in good condition and export them to other countries that have an ok regulation for this kind of vehicles. I’d love a mini and a jag from that lot. Hell, even an old bm would do.
Don’t forget, most of these cars are right hand drive cars, so unless you are looking for an RHD car for “fun”, or because it is extremely expensive or non existent in LHD version, you won’t get a lot of money for them. Unless you ship it to other LHD countries, but those are pretty far from the UK
I don’t see why the government wouldn’t want to make money by having auctions weekly for like fifty cars or so. I’m sure with some publicity the 25+ yr old cars could be snapped up by American importing companies. Probably could get deals as well since the Government rarely has an idea of how to take advantage of potential cash flow.
I know right :’ ( , Im sitting here in America crying over the prices for my Austin Healey parts when I could buy a donor car from the junkyard with all the parts I need/want, have it imported, and be on with my life with my beauty…but NOOOOOO the British government has to be “economical” and good for the enviorment by crushing old cars. Cars that can very well be projects or donors.
So much potential bla bla bla. How many of you bought older cars? Older than 15 years old? Ha? 5-10%? These cars are there because noone ever bothered to buy them at decent prices. You wanted an old smart? Pay 1500 bucks, but no, you want it for less, so you go to 1000, owner says forget it so he “donates” it to the government for 1500 bucks and buys the car he was gonna buy it anyway.
I bought old cars, but I don’t live in the UK. Actually the problem is that younger folks don’t have money to buy cars, and many older people is afraid of buying old cars because then their wife will constantly whine about safety and other boring stuff.
Ok so as much as it says it’s illegal what if we (aka me and my best friend and our friends bf) found said airbase. Pick three cars and with fake trade plates try and smuggle them very fast back to surrey
They are illegal to be sold as whole cars.. it says nothing about parting them out.. which while it sucks that some will be crushed, what really sucks is needing parts and having the only parts available being unobtainable.. that’s the real killer..
I would NEVER trade an old car for a new one. IDGAF if it’s polluting.
Whyyyyyyyyyyyyh
My heart is screaming for these machines.. y u crush dem? ;__;
So…I think i´ve got a plan…anyone helping?
I was thinking of hiring Vin diesel and his team, Nicholas Cage will probably dent the mustangs
If you own one of these cars, this sight is good news for the value of your car.
I wish there were more mk1 mx5’s there!