Retro-styled classic cars are back in, you can also maintain one

While most of you, when asked about their dream car, would answer with a name of a fairly recent exotic car with a screaming engine and blistering performance. While you may have a valid reason for drooling over that particular car, some of us have a different taste. What we want isn’t new, fast or flashy for that matter.

Yes, classic car lovers exist. To us, a McLaren P1 may be stunning but a Jaguar E-Type is the pinnacle of automobile perfection when it comes to looks. And it doesn’t end with the looks, there’s the sound, the drive and most importantly, the heritage that makes these so desirable to collect.

Car collection is a common hobby among classic car enthusiasts all over the world. It refers to a person buying a car and keeping it in a mint condition for the time it is owned.

This isn’t limited to just ultra expensive and exotic cars; it can be any car that the person collecting it holds close to his/her heart. As mentioned previously, the car has to be kept in an immaculate condition, which involves keeping it maintained inside out.

While it may not be difficult to keep the internals in proper working order, most collectors are faced with a challenge when it comes to keeping the exterior all new and shiny. Repainting isn’t always an option as you can’t always find the original paint and detailing workshops can be expensive. Your best bet is to do it on your own and here’s how:

Things you’ll need:

1. 3M 813 Tack Cloth
2. DuPont Sontara Polish Cloth
3. Kamikaze Detailing Tape
4. 3M Hand Glaze Wax
5. 3M Finesse-It
6. Forever Black tire gel

Step 1: Cleaning

1. Take the DuPont Sontara Polish Cloth, rinse it with water and squeeze it to the point where its damp but does not drip excess water.
2. Fold the cloth twice and start wiping a part of your car gently using long, straight strokes.
3. Once a side of the cloth gets dirty enough, refold it and start wiping from another side. The dirt caught on the dirty side of the cloth can scratch the paint.

   

Step 2: Scratch Removal

• To remove any scratch or stains from the car surface, use a small amount of Finesse-It on a tack cloth and gently rub where necessary.
• It is important to do this before the polishing step as it removes the effect of the polish.

Step 3: Polishing

1. Mask off all the emblems, mouldings and body panel gaps using the detailing tape so that polish doesn’t get caught in between them. Lay the tape down with one hand while gently pushing it down with the other.

   

2. Squeeze a small amount of the Hand Glaze Wax on a tack cloth and apply gently using a circular hand motion.
3. Let it sit till it starts to look dull. Then wipe it clean using a different cloth until the residue is gone.
4. Apply some tire gel to the tack cloth and wipe the side walls of the tires with it to get shiny black tires.

   

There you have it. Your classic car is good as new. It is recommended that you repeat this procedure twice a year to keep the look maintained without causing any damage to the original paint. Also, note that you can use other brands according to your convenience but do make sure the product used is the same.