Are classic cars important cultural assets that ought to thrive on our roads? Are they better for the environment than newly manufactured EVs? Or are they relics that spew out pollutants, and so must be put in museums?
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00:00 Is this the end of the road for classic cars?
00:04 Does the fight against climate change condemn these moving pieces of history to the grave?
00:12 It's disrespectful and ignorant.
00:14 The way the reverence for things built in the past is now simply tossed aside.
00:23 The only solution is to use perhaps also some fossil fuels.
00:30 Or are these seemingly immortal machines an integral part of a climate-friendly future?
00:38 We have to address this issue of sustainability that clearly is of so much interest to future
00:43 generations.
00:45 Can electric drivetrains or synthetic fuels provide a solution?
00:52 I could imagine some niche markets, and the old timers are one of those niche markets,
00:56 where e-fuels could indeed play a role.
01:02 There is no progress without an understanding of the past.
01:06 Is driving a classic car more sustainable than buying a new car?
01:12 Classic cars stand for preservation rather than replacement.
01:15 They are a rejection of the use and throw mentality.
01:19 Producing cars has a major environmental impact.
01:22 Building a modern EV, for example, produces 26 tons of CO2 emissions.
01:27 By the time a classic could emit this amount of pollutants, its owner could theoretically
01:31 drive it for an average of 2,000 kilometers a year for 46 years.
01:36 But is this the final nail in the coffin for the classic car?
01:41 Of course they can survive easily too, provided one understands what they really are.
01:46 Classic cars are witnesses of mobility that have survived the years and have shaped our
01:51 lifestyles more than anything else.
01:54 And things are in motion in the classic car scene.
01:57 At the last Mille Miglia, the traditional Italian race for historic vehicles, Mercedes
02:02 entered cars that were powered by e-fuel, a synthetically produced CO2-neutral fuel
02:07 that can be used in combustion engines.
02:13 I think there will be always, or also in the future, events or races like the Mille Miglia
02:20 because this is part of our culture, of our history, of our heritage.
02:25 So therefore we also proved this year we drove all our classic cars with synthetic fuel,
02:32 with e-fuels, and proved that it is possible even at a long endurance race like the Mille
02:38 Miglia we drove over 2,000 kilometers with e-fuels without any problems.
02:45 Can e-fuels save classic cars and the climate?
02:53 Some politicians seem to like this idea.
02:56 Historic vehicles should be filled with e-fuels so that they have the ability to be used on
03:05 the street in proper historic conditions.
03:11 And even critics seem to agree, seeing e-fuels in classic cars positively.
03:17 E-fuels are super expensive, super inefficient, and they will not be an option for the mass
03:21 market.
03:22 But I could imagine some niche markets, and the old-timers are one of those niche markets,
03:26 where e-fuels could indeed play a role.
03:29 Mercedes left no stone unturned in their efforts to ensure their historic vehicles were climate-friendly
03:34 at the Mille Miglia.
03:36 The Mercedes 300 SL from the 1950s was accompanied for over 2,000 kilometers by a tanker carrying
03:42 e-fuel that the car needed.
03:44 E-fuels aren't the solution for classic cars, because you'd always have to carry the e-fuel
03:49 with you on road trips.
03:51 A specific network of e-fuel stations doesn't exist, and I don't think it will be built
03:56 any time soon.
03:59 Are e-fuels more than just a niche solution for classic cars?
04:03 It's a discussion that has been dividing Europe at the political level for some time.
04:08 Should e-fuels in combustion engine cars find a place in sustainable, climate-friendly mobility?
04:14 I'm convinced that you will find e-fuels also at the filling station.
04:24 And there will be a market for e-fuels, but of course for a higher price.
04:33 Look to Porsche.
04:35 They are producing e-fuels together with HIF in Chile, with the idea behind that about
04:45 two-thirds of all Porsches ever produced are still on the road.
04:50 And Porsche wants to deliver e-fuels to their customers so that they can drive with these
04:57 historic Porsches in future as well.
05:03 While some people want to hold on to their traditions, others are radically breaking
05:06 with the creeds of the past.
05:08 The traditional classic car rally, Mille Miglia, now also has an eco-class, the Mille Miglia
05:13 Green, in which electric vehicles also compete.
05:16 As a response to the global electrification of mobility, classics are being converted
05:21 into e-powered cars.
05:23 Back in 2015, a German company called e-CAP Mobility began converting classic cars to
05:28 EVs by putting electric drivetrains in them.
05:32 Which means a 1938 DKW suddenly feels very different to drive.
05:42 This car is now 80 years old and it's having another revival.
05:45 One sits in the open, enjoying the scenery without the noise.
05:49 I don't believe that with a converted classic like this, I am likely to influence climate
05:54 change.
05:56 But this might trigger a thought in the general populace that it's possible to change things
06:00 if you want to.
06:05 Belgian company Monceau Automobiles specializes in turning Mercedes classics from the W107
06:11 series made in the 70s and 80s into modern electric cars.
06:21 For me it's the combination of the passion for cars and specifically for Mercedes cars
06:26 and the passion for the ongoing energy transition.
06:32 In Einbeck in Lower Saxony, Karl-Heinz Rehkopf still regularly motors through the streets
06:37 in his Mercedes-Benz Victoria from 1894.
06:41 It is the oldest registered car in the world.
06:44 And for him, it's entirely unthinkable to convert this machine with a switch to electric
06:48 power.
06:54 I would consider this a huge sin.
06:57 It's a demonstration of disrespect and ignorance.
07:00 The way the reverence for things created in the past is now tossed aside.
07:04 New technology is mixed in that corrupts the original machine.
07:11 Are e-powered classics still considered real classic cars?
07:15 For Philipp Batiani, this is a question of faith.
07:18 Even though his BMW was only built in the 1970s, to him, removing the petrol engine
07:23 would be sacrilege.
07:24 Above all, you would take away the heart of the car.
07:29 In a BMW, the engine has always been the focus.
07:32 As the name BMW suggests, Bayerische Motorenwerke, if you replace the motor, you would be gutting
07:39 the car.
07:40 You would be taking away its heart and soul.
07:43 A faith that won't waver even in the face of potential driving bans.
07:53 If internal combustion engine cars are banned, then I would say I just let the car stand.
07:59 And then it will just be a cultural asset or a piece of history that stands still.
08:05 The very essence of a vehicle is that it moves.
08:08 If it simply stands in a museum, then a very important characteristic of the car is lost.
08:13 It's important that these vehicles are preserved and remain visible in running condition, as
08:17 a museum on wheels, so to speak.
08:23 The museum on wheels concept has found a passionate fan base all over the world.
08:28 Big car events such as the Concorso d'Eleganza or the Mille Miglia in Italy, Pebble Beach
08:33 in California or Goodwood in England attract hordes of people.
08:38 And historic vehicles have long since become investment pieces that are traded like shares.
08:44 An electric motor in such a vehicle would result in a drastic drop in the price.
08:52 The car is no longer true to history, but arbitrarily modified.
08:56 It's like if you were to retouch a painting by the old masters for it to conform to modern
09:00 tastes.
09:01 The value of a classic car lies in the preservation of the original technology.
09:10 But cars with older technology face other issues.
09:13 The Mille Miglia's original route has been modified in recent times, because an increasing
09:18 number of old towns have driving bans on environmentally harmful combustion engine machines.
09:23 A problem that also concerns politicians.
09:26 The future of classic cars is also important to the European Parliament in Brussels.
09:32 We discussed it here in the European Parliament quite intensively.
09:38 The first action we did was to reflect about a definition of what a historic vehicle is.
09:46 This is really crucial and important because if you are asking for exemptions for historic
09:52 vehicles, you have to be crystal clear what a historical car or motorbike is.
09:59 Not all old cars are really historic vehicles.
10:02 A historic vehicle demonstrates the history of mobility, but only if it's really in this
10:10 historic condition.
10:13 There is still plenty of discussion when it comes to the question of what a real classic
10:17 car or indeed a real historic vehicle is.
10:21 In Germany, any car that was first registered at least 30 years ago is considered a classic
10:26 car.
10:27 But even on this rollercoaster of a debate, members of the classic car scene remain optimistic.
10:36 Races like the Mille Miglia will there be in the future as well, definitely.
10:41 For us, the classic cars on the roads is our living heritage.
10:47 I see the classic car scene as a scene that has been consolidated and has a huge following.
10:56 Even knowing that the historic vehicle movement has also a problem with the average age, the
11:03 historic vehicle movement has really a big challenge to interest younger people also.
11:13 Lunas in Silverstone, England has focused precisely on this target group.
11:17 The company converts classic British cars from the past into electric cars in order
11:22 to inspire an environmentally conscious young generation.
11:31 My daughter, she sings this song, "Go green, go green, make the planet green."
11:35 These are building cars and passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles for future generations.
11:41 And that's why a Rolls-Royce Phantom 5 from the early 1960s, whose eight cylinders once
11:46 led to some environmental concerns, now glides silently and emission-free over lanes in the
11:52 English countryside.
11:54 We have to address this issue of sustainability that clearly is of so much interest to future
12:00 generations.
12:01 We know that younger people are less engaged with cars in the way that previous generations
12:06 were.
12:07 And, you know, we're really proud to provide an answer for them and provide an answer to
12:10 the long-term preservation of these beautiful objects.
12:15 But environmental awareness also comes at a hefty price.
12:20 The incredibly complex conversion of a car into an electric classic costs 700,000 euros.
12:30 Given the low mileage of less than 1,500 kilometers per year on average, such a conversion would
12:36 also be ecologically completely pointless.
12:40 Karl-Heinz Rehkopf drives his Mercedes-Benz Victoria into an uncertain future.
12:45 An electric conversion would be ecologically pointless, and e-fuels are probably not an
12:49 option either.
12:50 The engine from 1894 only starts if you fill it with special light petrol, which is also
12:56 available in pharmacies under the name "Wundpetrol".
12:59 Is one of the world's oldest cars in danger of being banned from the streets?
13:06 This is a demonstration of disrespect and ignorance that can potentially turn into madness
13:12 and might wipe away a reverence for things that were created in the past.
13:20 The only solution is to use perhaps also some fossil fuels, because on average, and this
13:28 is well known, the mileage of the kilometers driven by historic vehicles are quite limited.
13:35 So this is not a major problem for the climate change situation in Europe.
13:47 If you look at the entire chain, from raw materials to vehicle production, operation
13:53 and disposal, then classic cars represent long-term products and therefore have a very
13:59 favorable CO2 footprint.
14:08 It's true, it doesn't get much more sustainable than this.
14:14 Classic cars tend for preservation rather than replacement.
14:17 They are a rejection of the use-and-throw mentality.
14:24 I'd like to encourage you to look into the future while still keeping an eye on the past.
14:33 I always say there is no future without the past.
14:36 There is no progress without an understanding of the past.
14:41 Do classic cars still have a future?
14:44 Can our automotive cultural heritage stay in motion with electricity, climate-friendly
14:49 fuels or even fossil fuels?
14:51 Or will they end motionless in museums?
14:54 (dramatic music)