What makes a car a classic? Ask any enthusiast and you’ll elicit a furrowed brow, the sucking of air through teeth, a long sigh – or all of the above. It is, in short, subjective. Ask the Government, though, and it will tell you it’s very simple. If a car is 40 years old or more, it’s classed as historic for the purposes of vehicle excise duty (VED) and is therefore exempt. But some car owners say that it excludes them and their motor. Some of the finest “classic” cars are little more than 20 years old – for example, the first-generation Ford Focus, the original Audi TT or early incarnations of the Renaultsport Clio. Many others sit within the 20 to 40-year-old age bracket: the Saab 900 Turbo for example, or the Mercedes-Benz 190, not to mention countless Ford Escorts and Fiestas, for years some of the UK’s best-loved cars. Thousands of people have signed a petition that’s been submitted to Parliament suggesting that VED should be reduced for cars aged between 20 and 40 years old, too – if not exempting them entirely, then at least giving them a preferential rate. That would benefit owners and collectors of...