Love is the air – or is it?

As Valentine’s Day comes and goes it’s the time of year when love is in the air for many people, but not for classic vehicle owners!

According to a recent survey by specialist insurance broker Footman James, over 40 per cent of enthusiasts asked revealed their favourite way to spend time was behind the wheel of their pride and joy.   Spending time with their partner was rated less important than driving their classic, with less than 30 per cent of respondents preferring to be with their loved ones.

In fact, respondents generally rated their classic hobby as more important than any form of socialising, with enjoying a pint with their mates and watching their favourite films hardly featuring at all as a pastime of choice.

The survey, of nearly 4,500 classic vehicle owners, was conducted in November 2009 via database web survey and also at the NEC’s Classic Motor Show.

Paul Matthews, Footman James’ managing director, said: “This year’s survey revealed some fascinating results.  Taking in a much larger sample than in previous years it is interesting to note that, for many classic vehicle enthusiasts, their classic remains their pride and joy and in many cases, at the expense of their partner, their hobby is still their number one priority.”