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Survey says: Millennials and Gen Z care about classic cars after all

It’s a common assumption that Millennials and members of Generation Z are less interested in cars than previous generations. But according to Hagerty survey results released last week, these younger drivers are more likely—not less—to want to own a classic car than their parents or grandparents.

Of the 10,000 United States drivers surveyed, Gen Z and Millennials were most likely to report currently owning a collectible or classic car. One quarter of Millennials surveyed said they owned a classic car, as did 22% of Gen Zers surveyed. They were followed by Gen X (19%), Baby Boomers (13%), and the so-called Silent Generation (11%).

In addition, members of the Gen Z and Millennial generations who don’t already own a classic car expressed more interest in owning one than older generations. Of the Millennials surveyed, 57% expressed interest in owning a classic car, and so did 53% of the Gen Zers surveyed. About half of Gen Xers (49%) also showed interest in classic cars, while numbers for Boomers (33%) and the Silent Generation (19%) were much lower.

Hagerty said these findings were consistent with previous data. Since 2017, Millennials and Gen Xers have sought classic-car insurance quotes and valuations at much higher rates than older generations, according to the company. Hagerty didn’t provide any details on what constitutes “classic” or “collectible” for the purposes of its surveys, but the past few years have seen cars from the 1990s and early 2000s—those most likely to trigger Millennial nostalgia—attract more attention from collectors.

More broadly, the survey found continued enthusiasm for driving across all generations.

Nearly three of four Americans (73%) surveyed said they enjoy driving, regardless of generation. In addition, 38% of survey respondents described themselves as active “driving enthusiasts,” defined by Hagerty as belonging to a car club, taking part in off-road or track driving, and attending car shows or auctions.

Attitudes toward driving by generation (from Hagerty 2020 Why Driving Matters survey)

“Much of the ‘death of driving’ handwringing by the media in the wake of the Great Recession was based on data showing younger generations were getting their licenses later, buying their first vehicles later, and buying fewer vehicles compared to previous generations at the same age. That conflated buying power with demand,” Ryan Tandler, the survey lead, said in a statement. “The recession hit younger generations harder and delayed a host of major purchases and life milestones.”

Millennials are now catching up and, as the nation’s largest generation, they could become the collector-car hobby’s biggest group in the near future, Hagerty predicts. That is, if the economic fallout from the global coronavirus pandemic doesn’t put them right back where they were a decade ago.

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VW LUPO R: WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

Built as a fitting tribute to his late father, Ray van de Berg’s brought together one of VW’s most potent powertrains with its very smallest of city cars to create this rather insane VW Lupo R.

Feature taken from Performance VW magazine. Words: Sam Preston. Photos: Ron V

How did you first get into the car scene? Our early tales of automotive obsession are all bound to vary wildly, but there’s something that will ring true about a large proportion of them – most will involve your equally-as-passionate old man somewhere down the line.

Whether your father took you to watch your very first BTCC race or even helped you buy your inaugural motor after you passed your test, it’s fair to say more than a few of us wouldn’t be where we are today without taking at least a small chip off the old block.

VW Lupo R

For Netherlands-based Ray here, though, this father–son connection was taken a step further altogether; the duo successfully creating and running the incredibly popular J&R Cardesign wheel shop that ran for over two decades before closing just a few years back.

With Ray’s dad sadly passing away back in 2017, he thought it was only right to mark the immensely strong bond the two were lucky enough to share – especially when it came to their love of VAG metal – by taking ownership of his father’s final car and immortalising it in the most memorable way physically possible. The result is this unassuming-looking VW Lupo GTI here that’s guaranteed to leave a lasting impression on you as you learn more about the frankly unbelievable secrets it now holds…

VW Lupo R

Ray is no stranger to a big modified project. In fact, he’s now the main man behind Stolen Concept – a tuning outfit that thrives on realising some of the craziest automotive ideas the country’s colourful scene can throw at it. He himself has owned his fair share of one-off builds in his time, too; ranging from a 16v KR-swapped Mk1 all the way through to a Polo G40 Genesis, all of which were more than worthy of magazine features of their own.

The story of this unlikely VW Lupo R, however, begins back in 2007, with Ray’s parents snapping up the relatively sporty micro-hatch to perform their day-to-day duties in – a task it carried out faultlessly for the following decade. “I used to drive Lupos back in the day, but every time I drove this go-kart-like GTI I was impressed with its sportiness and maturity from such a small package,” Ray reminisces.

VW Lupo R

Following the passing of his father, it was a no-brainer for Ray to take over the reins with the beloved Lupo rather than see it being sold on to someone else. “I decided I’d keep it as a lasting memory of that connection we shared,” he puts it.

The plan was never to merely maintain the car in its pristine original condition (which his father meticulously stuck to throughout his ownership) – Ray already had much bigger ideas formulating in his head by the time he picked the little GTI up. “I never had much luck with turbo conversions or built engines in the past, so knew if I wanted to add more to the car, it would have to come in a more OEM-style format,” he explains, with engine conversion plans soon littering his desk at work as this rather epic project began to take shape.

VW Lupo R

But what motor would best suit this tiny hatchback? Soon settling on a variant of the winning 2.0-litre TSI lump used in several sportier VAG-group cars over the years, it was then simply a case of choosing exactly which version to go for. “It was much easier to find a K03-spec GTI engine, but I knew that I’d always just end up regretting not going all-out if I did that,” Ray keeps us up-to-speed, eventually sourcing a beefier, K04-adorned unit from a SEAT Leon Cupra R to get the ball rolling with.

Both car and engine were then promptly taken over to Germany-based tuner, Car Creativ, for the custom conversion to be performed. Following a plain-sailing job by the company’s talented team of getting the substantial new unit sitting pretty in the bay, Ray soon got to work whipping up bespoke parts like a custom exhaust system and driveshafts to suit this rather unusual application once the VW Lupo R was back in his workshop.

VW Lupo R

Since the conversion, the BWJ-coded engine has gone on to produce just shy of 350bhp thanks to some more subtle breathing mods that’re all tied together with a custom remap. The six-speed manual ‘box that’s attached to it has also been adapted to help the Lupo become as driveable as possible, with a Quaife LSD and longer gears to match the car’s dinky rolling radius; all of which adds up to a machine that’s unsurprisingly all sorts of hilarious to pilot.

Talking of wheels, some matte black 17” Rota Recces now prop up each corner thanks to Ray’s five-stud hub conversion all-round. This also allows him to run the much beefier braking system from a Beetle RSI – a vital upgrade now the car has well over double the power it’s used to. The chassis is topped off with KW coilovers and some sumptuous Wiechers carbon fibre strut braces that give it the handling characteristics of something much larger and more grown-up as a result.

VW Lupo R

This grown-up approach continues as you enter the Lupo’s cabin, which has steered clear of the uncompromised, stripped-out vibe that could’ve been justified with the savage powertrain it now boasts. Instead taking another leaf out of his father’s tasteful and reserved book of car modifying, the interior is a beautiful blend of various components from other VWs in the range that work together to create an extremely tasteful and reserved package.

It all revolves around the plush leather and Alcantara reclining buckets taken from none other than a Mk6 Golf GTI Edition 35, which themselves are complemented with a modern Polo GTI steering wheel and Mk7 Golf GTI gear knob. Ray’s even incorporated the ambient lighting system from a range-topping Passat that forms the icing on the cake to what has become one of the classiest interiors for miles around. “It’s surprisingly comfortable now,” he gleams. “I wanted to strike the balance between performance and luxury – two things you wouldn’t expect from a VW Lupo.”

VW Lupo R

Retaining a largely stock black GTI body aside from the aforementioned girthy rims, Ray certainly has something of a sleeper on his hands these days. “Unsurprisingly, it’s insanely fast, but does it all in a predictable and effortless manner,” he enthuses. “It’s caught more than a few people off-guard…”

Now proudly wearing its trick VW Lupo R engine cover atop of its potent TSI lump that looks like it was always designed for this car, it’s clear Ray has undoubtedly succeeded in developing the very ultimate incarnation of his father’s beloved run-around VW Lupo GTI.

Not content with merely dropping in a much more powerful engine, he instead used this as a starting block to carry out a raft of further work that would ensure he was left with not only a fast VW, but one that would make you feel special whenever you go anywhere near it…

VW Lupo R

Tech Spec: VW Lupo R

Engine:

2.0-litre TSI engine conversion (BWJ-code with K04 turbo from SEAT Leon Cupra R), Injen cold air intake, custom 70mm stainless steel turbo-back exhaust system, Forge Motorsport coolant hoses throughout, Forge Motorsport oil catch can, ECS Motorsport throttle pipe, custom ‘Lupo R’-adorned Audi TTS engine cover, Audi R8 coil pack and oil/coolant/power steering caps, 02Q six-speed manual gearbox (from Mk6 GTI) with custom longer gearing, Quaife limited-slip differential, uprated shifter bushings

Chassis:

8×17” Rota Recce alloy wheels in matte black, 195/45/17 Hankook Ventus S1 Evo tyres, full five-stud hub conversion, KW V1 coilovers with Silver Project adjustable top mounts, Powerflex bushes (all-round), H&R front sway bar, Whiteline rear sway bar, Wiechers Sport carbon fibre strut braces (front and rear), Beetle RSI brake conversion with 312mm (front) and 256mm (rear) discs, Audi RS3 brake ducting

Exterior:

Factory black GTI body, custom side skirt lips/spats, pop-out rear window conversion, Polo 6R stubby aerial

Interior:

Mk6 Golf GTI Edition 35 leather/Alcantara interior (with retro-fitted heater function), Polo 6C GTI steering wheel, Polo 9N GTI handbrake gaiter, Mk7 Golf GTI gear knob, Passat W8 ambient light conversion, 320km/h speedo, digital monitoring system for oil temperature/oil pressure/exhaust temperature

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The Mercedes-Benz 500 E turns 30: Respect your elders

Virtually every Mercedes-Benz model gets a performance variant these days, but that never would have happened without the Mercedes-Benz 500 E, which turns 30 this year. To commemorate the sport sedan’s birthday, Mercedes released a retrospective on its development.

Unveiled at the 1990 Paris International Motor Show, the 500 E was a W124-body mid-size sedan (which would get the E-Class designation for the United States in 1995) with the M119 5.0-liter V-8 from the R129-generation 500 SL. A twin-turbocharged racing version of this engine won the 1989 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Sauber-Mercedes C9 prototype.

The initial 500 E made 326 horsepower and could do 0-62 mph in 5.9 seconds, according to Mercedes. Top speed was electronically limited to 155 mph.

The 500 E wasn’t the first Mercedes to follow this muscle-car template. In the 1960s, test engineer Erich Waxenberger shoehorned the 6.3-liter V-8 from a 600 limousine into a W109-body sedan (predecessor to today’s S-Class) to create the 300 SEL 6.3. And before it was absorbed into Mercedes, AMG built its own V-8 W124—the Hammer.

Mercedes-Benz 500 E

While it set a precedent for future Mercedes-AMG sport sedans, the 500 E wasn’t developed by AMG. Mercedes brought in Porsche for development work, and partnered with the firm on assembly, a complicated process that involved sending cars back and forth between Mercedes’ Sindelfingen factory and Porsche’s in nearby Zuffenhausen.

In Mercedes’ home market of Germany, the 500 E initially cost about twice as much as a base 300 E which, along with the low-volume production arrangement with Porsche, meant only 10,479 cars were built through the end of production in April 1995. In 1993, the model was renamed E 500 as part of a change in the W124 nomenclature. In March 1994, Mercedes launched an E 500 Limited version with special trim, and production limited to 500 units.

The 500 E/E 500 also spawned other V-8 W124 models. In 1991, Mercedes launched the 400 E (later E 420), which was less powerful (it made 279 hp) but ultimately sold in larger numbers, with 22,802 units shifted. The E 60 AMG arrived in 1993, with a 6.0-liter version of the M119 V-8 making 381 hp.

Mercedes retired the W124 model line in 1995, but the spirit of the 500 E lives on in today’s AMG E63 S sedan. Its 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 produces 603 hp, allowing for 0-60 mph in 3.3 seconds, with a top speed electronically limited to 186 mph. You can even get it as a wagon.

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