page_title: Classic car
section_title: United States
hierarchical_section_title: Classic car / Recognition of Classic status / United States
caption_attribution_description: English: some classic cars in a car museum, including an Edsel Pacer
context_page_description: A classic car is an older automobile, typically 20 years or older, though definitions vary. The common theme is of an older car of sufficient historical interest to be collectable and worth preserving or restoring rather than scrapping.
  Organizations such as the Classic Car Club of America and the Antique Automobile Club of America maintain lists of eligible unmodified cars that are called "classic". These are described as "fine" or "distinctive" automobile, either American or foreign built, produced between 1915 and 1948.
  Post–World War II "classic cars" are not precisely defined and the term is often applied to any older vehicle.
context_section_description: Cars produced in 1915 and older typically fall into the antique class and this includes the "Brass Era car" that are defined by the Horseless Carriage Club of America (HCCA) as "any pioneer gas, steam and electric motor vehicle built or manufactured prior to January 1, 1916."
  The "classic" term is often applied loosely by owners to any car.
  Legally, most states have time-based rules for the definition of "historic" or "classic" for purposes such as antique vehicle registration. For example, Maryland defines historic vehicles as 20 calendar years old or older and they "must not have been substantially altered, remodeled or remanufactured from the manufacturers original design" while West Virginia defines motor vehicles manufactured at least 25 years prior to the current year as eligible for "classic" car license plates.
  Despite this, at many American classic car shows, automobiles typically range from the 1920s to the 1970s.  Recently, many 1980s and even early 1990s cars are considered being "classic automobiles". Examples of cars at such shows include the Chevrolet Bel-Air, Ford Model T, Dodge Charger, Ford Deuce Coupe, and 1949 Ford. Meanwhile, the Concours d'Elegance car shows feature prestigious automobiles such as the Cadillac V16 or pre-1940 Rolls-Royce models. There are also terms as "modern customs", "exotics", or "collectibles" that cover cars such as the AMC Gremlin or Ford Pinto.
  There are differences in the exact identification of a "classic car". Division by separate eras include: horseless carriages (19th-century experimental automobiles such as the Daimler Motor Carriage), antique cars (brass era cars such as the Model T), and classic cars (typically 1930s cars such as the Cord 812). Some also include muscle cars, with the 1974 model year as the cutoff.
caption: Classics in an American car museum
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