PAPHOS Classic Vehicle Club is preparing to celebrate its tenth anniversary this year proud that its numbers of old car and motorbike enthusiasts now top 80 with membership constantly growing.
Classic cars are now a popular sight at social events and rallies in Paphos since the first meeting of the Paphos club was organised by Yiorgos Koutsides in 2003. He is now the clubs’ honorary president.
“We would welcome new members who are owners of classic or antique cars and motorbikes; we’re a very social group of people,” says club chair and Paphos resident John Barnacott.
Barnacott, originally from Plymouth in the UK, has been a classic car enthusiast for as long as he can remember.
“I was brought up with classic cars, I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t tinkering about with one with my dad. I love them. My grandfather had what was then referred to as a ‘taxi business’. Not many people had cars back then, or knew how to drive them, so when you hired a car, it came with a driver,“ said Barnacott who moved to Cyprus seven years ago.
The definition of what constitutes a classic vehicle can vary around the world. In the US, a car must be between 20 and 40 years old to be classed as a classic while vehicles of 45 years or more are viewed as antique. In the UK, there is no fixed definition of a classic car, although for company taxation, UK customs define a classic car as being over 15 years old with a value in excess of £15,000.
Barnacott joined the club about three years ago but was just 19 years old when he owned his first classic car which cost him 120 pounds.
“I retired to Cyprus and as well as my double cabin truck, which is a pretty standard vehicle here, I have a 40-year-old MGB which I bought in Cyprus,” he said. “I have done a fair amount of work on it myself.”
On top of the purchase price of his current MGB, which he says he doesn’t want to divulge, he’s spent about 4,000 euros on restoring it, as well as “countless pounds over the years on other vehicles he owned in the UK”.
According to the club chairman, all sorts of cars are part of the club, the greatest number being MG owners, as there were so many of these popular vehicles produced.
“If you look after these models and preserve them they go on and on. We also have a few Landovers and cars from the late 1950s and 1960s.”
In addition, members also collectively own a couple of Rolls Royce’s and vintage or antique motorbikes.
Barnacott hasn’t ruled out owning more collectors’ cars in the future, including his lifelong “dream machine”.
“There are several cars which I’d like to own, but my dream machine has always been a 1950s Jaguar XK150. One of our club members has one. It’s got classic lines; it looks good and has a good engine.”
There are a number of factors to consider when purchasing and driving a classic or collector’s vehicle.
“You have to drive according to the vehicle and be aware that the brakes aren’t the same as a modern, newer car,” he said.
Cyprus roads don’t seem to pose a problem to the car enthusiast.
“I’d rather drive in Cyprus than in the UK where traffic is at a standstill most of the time. Also here, it’s great to drive a convertible in the countryside, although it can get hot in the height of summer.”
PCVC currently meet once a month at a taverna in Anarita in Paphos and members often bring their vehicles with them.
The purpose of the monthly meeting is often social but it is also an opportunity to discuss any problems they face, such as FIVA Registration ( Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens, the international body for owners of historic vehicles throughout the world) – and rising road tax costs in Cyprus.
The club members and their vehicles attend numerous events during the year, including the September fete at Episkopi.
During the winter Barnacott’s car is kept inside his garage most of the time, but he says he regularly uses it as a second car.
“I often go shopping in it as well using it for all the usual day to day tasks.”
The club also offers assistance to classic vehicle owners wishing to move to Cyprus, helping them with the bureaucracy involved in importing classic vehicles from their countries of origin. They also organise social events and local rallies, and participate in rallies organised by the other classic car clubs all over the island.
Barnacott added: “We are currently looking for someone who is computer literate to run our website and is genuinely interested in classic cars.”
For further information visit www.paphoscvc.com or contact: 99799233
