Nearly 4,000 old cars were traded in under Britain’s 2009 scrappage scheme, with people jumping at the chance to trade in their old vehicles for a £2,000 discount towards a new car. But pictures have emerged showing that thousands of classic vehicles are still awaiting their date with the crusher. The revelation has caused outrage amongst classic car enthusiasts, who are petitioning to the Government to let them save the rusting relics – some of which are increasingly rare and desirable.
Jake Dormer, the classic car fan who set up the petition, said: “Many of the vehicles bought under the scrappage scheme are still sat on unused airfields abandoned. In this state they are of no use to anyone. I propose that the cars are auctioned off to the public, or at least used for parts.” Cars traded in under the £300m scheme had to be more than 10 years old at the time, and owned for at least 12 months.
The photos throughout this article were taken by a man who broke into Thurleigh Airfield in Bedfordshire, and show rows of classic Minis, a Peugeot 205 GTi and a rare Toyota Sera, among thousands of other vehicles.
Dormer points out that the current low price of scrap metal makes it ‘pointless’ wasting iconic classic cars.
He added: “Many of these cars are a huge part of British motoring history. Cars such as Minis, Triumphs, Rovers and Jaguars amongst many others are iconic cars and shouldn’t be scrapped for a pittance. I believe if we acquire enough support we may be able to make a difference.”
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I don’t know how the scheme worked in the UK, but here in the States, under the “Cash for Clunkers” program, the vehicles that were traded in had to have their oil drained out and replaced with a chemical that would seize the motor after running about 10-15 minutes. And crushing was a requirement, they absolutely could NOT be salvaged for parts.