Slick 60's

I found only two other reports of antique car accidents in The Morning Call's archives since 1992, with neither mentioning a cause.

I'm sure your mailbox is filling up with angry tirades. I'll try not be one of them.

However, I will generally disagree with your story, which is (I hope) an opinion piece and not journalism. A news story by a journalist it ain't.

You were inspired to write this story based on an accident with a tire blowout on a vintage motorcycle. Yeah, tires never blow out on regular vehicles. Oh wait; what about those Ford Explorer tires a few years ago? They weren't exactly antiques, were they?

Yes, it's possible the poor sap was driving on a too-old tire that simply failed. I doubt it was 'worn out', more likely aged out. Tires get brittle as they age and harden. This would have been a good story, as many collector vehicle owners simply may not pay attention to the age of their tires vs the appearance condition. But, a state inspection mechanic isn't going to notice it either. They measure tread depth, look for obvious flaws, and move on. I've never met one who looked at the date codes on a tire. There's a story.

Your piece is more a whining "why are they special?" complaint that we get to avoid annual sticker applications and tag renewals. Lots of reasons for this. One big one is that many inspection mechanics are unfamiliar with very old cars. They may not even be able to drive them, as the controls are completely different. These cars can't just be dropped off with the keys tossed in the night slot. The exemption is a convenience for the hobbyist, and the vast majority of us respect it and keep our vehicles in exceptional shape. We've all got far too much money and time invested in these things to risk an accident, particularly one from preventable mechanical failure. Does it happen? Probably, but I've never heard of it. That you did not find any evidence either sort of makes the whole story non-existent. I guess creating hysteria to get attention is more important than factual reporting. Nice bias, too, not bothering to interview any hobbyists or mechanics while creating your hypothesis that they are all deathtraps.

I did appreciate your final sentence though. If the average latte sipping, cell phone chatting, SUV piloting soccer mom gives our cars a wider berth because she thinks they are dangerous, that's a wonderful thing for us, the collector car owner.

Dwight Varnes
Elizabethtown, PA