Alfa Romeo Spider Classic Car Hire
driving a classic
We have chosen classic cars to hire that are easy to drive. But our cars are still old classic cars. The main difference between our classic cars and modern hatchbacks and saloons is in their driveability and response to driver inputs. On this page you will find some advice and tips on driving a classic car like a Jensen Interceptor or Alfa Romeo Spider.
Modern cars tend to disguise errors and help the driver out of sticky situations. Classic cars don’t. Some of the common differences that our customers experience when they hire a classic car for the first time are:
- Rear drive: Rear drive cars tend to be much more communicative and entertaining than front wheel drive cars, but they also break away more easily on bends and roundabouts.
- Traction control: Classic cars don’t have this feature and as a result will spin and slide much more readily.
- Brakes: Forget ABS. When you switch from modern to a classic car please factor the lack of ABS into your braking distance and general comfort margin when driving our cars.
- Acceleration: When you put your foot down in our cars, they’ll accelerate immediately, without the lag often associated with 16V petrol and turbocharged diesel cars.
- Ride: Classic car suspension is simple and rudimentary – our cars will be knocked about by potholes and road imperfections.
- Speed humps: Our Alfa Romeo Spider wasn’t designed for speed humps. It’s very low and the nose can be easily damaged by kerbs and humps
- Attention: It’s very common for other road users to swerve or slow down to catch a better glimpse of our cars. Be wary of them!
Above all, please take care – for your own safety as well as our classic cars. Classic car hire is great fun, but the real enjoyment is usually in the slower, simpler pace of life in which they excel.