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Gen I Prius and Insight as classic cars?

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by hkmb, Oct 27, 2014.

  1. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    There was an interesting - if superficial - article in the UK Telegraph this week, examining the possibility of the Gen I Prius and Gen I Insight becoming classic cars.

    Classic green cars - Telegraph

    I can certainly see that it makes sense. Both cars were something different when they came out, and they are both now a bit special. I think the Prius, in spite of being very, very clever, might struggle to gain classic status because it looks a bit ordinary. But the Insight.... I would have thought it was a classic car already.

    What does anyone else think? I would have thought the high production volumes would count against my Gen II Prius ever being a classic, but on the other hand, it did look different to everything else on sale at the time; it was the mass-market pioneer of hybrids; and it features in every film or TV series where a director wants to get across a quick shorthand message.
     
    #1 hkmb, Oct 27, 2014
  2. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The high production volume of the Beetle didn't stop it from being an icon (and possibly a classic) :).

    I would say icon vs. classic for the Gen 1 (like how the Model T is an icon and not necessarily a classic which in my head means something that is desirable vs. an icon which is something people recognise as a game changer or a significant in the timeline of the automobile).

    The 1G Insight might end up being a classic, if not for its aerodynamic shape but also for its aluminium monocoque body and lightweight design. It's also a bit rarer than the 1G Prius.

    Also, there's a bit of a clash when referring to the 1G Prius. Do you mean the original 1997-2000 version or the updated Gen 1.5 Prius that the rest of the world received in 2001 (and lasted to 2003) or both in general? Cause there were drivetrain updates (possibly significant) between the two versions.
     
    #2 Tideland Prius, Oct 28, 2014
  3. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Excellent point.

    Ah, yes. I'm kind of lumping 1G and 1.5G together, because I think of 1.5G as 1G for most of the markets I've lived in (although 2G was 1G in Mainland China).

    If I follow your icon v classic logic, I'd say I definitely agree with your views on the 1G insight. It has something of the Citroen DS about it, I think, in terms of its futuristicness (NO, FIREFOX SPELLCHECKER, THAT IS A WORD. MAYBE ONE I'VE JUST MADE UP, BUT IT'S A WORD NONETHELESS), and its unusual styling and its ahead-of-its-time features.
     
    #3 hkmb, Oct 28, 2014
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Yeah I don't know the automotive definition of a classic vs. an icon (if there is a distinction between the two).

    Ahh ok. It's just that the 1G was limited to Japan (except for a few that made it abroad in RHD markets as used vehicles)
     
    #4 Tideland Prius, Oct 28, 2014
  5. Trollbait

    Trollbait It's a D&D thing

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    The Insight will likely end up a collectable, maybe a classic. It has to be at least 20 to 30 years old to be a classic, depending on who you talk to. It is unique in style and construction even without being a hybrid.

    I don't know about gen1ish Prius even being iconic. Car history buffs will value it to a degree, but most people could confuse it for an Echo. I think the Gen2 has a better shot because that was the one that went mainstream with the now iconic shape. I'm thinking along the lines of the Corvette. 1955(pulling dates from memory) was its first year, but the '57 is the first year with a V8.
     
    #5 Trollbait, Oct 28, 2014
  6. hkmb

    hkmb Senior Member

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    Yes, I agree with you on the Insight.

    And I think you could well be right on the Gen Iish Prius: it does look too much like an Echo (and indeed like several other small sedans) to really stand out.

    If you asked someone to draw a picture of a Prius, or even to draw a picture of a hybrid, I reckon most of them would draw something like a Gen II Prius. It was really the first properly-mainstream hybrid, and I think that could push it towards classic status.
     
    #6 hkmb, Oct 28, 2014
  7. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    Hmmmm.....

    I'm thinking that just because a car is old doesn't necessarily make it a "classic."

    upload_2014-10-28_17-15-46.jpeg Classic?
    upload_2014-10-28_17-17-52.jpeg Classic?
     
    #7 ETC(SS), Oct 28, 2014
  8. GrumpyCabbie

    GrumpyCabbie Senior Member

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    There are few of the original JDM gen 1 Prius left over here. Many have succumbed to HV battery failure and being a grey import and weird battery arrangement, they're scrapped. At least the gen1.5 can use the gen2 HV battery.

    I wish I had a couple hundred quid spare to buy one now before they become collectable, at least to someone somewhere.
     
    #8 GrumpyCabbie, Oct 28, 2014
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i do not know, to me, classic/collectible means value. the beetle is not a valuable car. i don't know if it's because there are so many of them, or some other factors.
     
    #9 bisco, Oct 28, 2014
  10. tochatihu

    tochatihu Senior Member

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    If classic only means surface-sheet-metal design then NHW11 Prius hasn't a chance. Although in the day, there were plenty of detractors who described its look in negative terms. So it must have been different! However, if classic means "set the stage for a new way of making cars', then it should certainly be considered so. It gave Toyota enough confidence to produce the NHW20, and both have propelled other manufacturers into making hybrids.

    There are still plenty of gas (diesel)-only cars, but since 2000 there are hybrids and electric-only. If we are (oddly; inappropriately) constrained to choose only one hybrid as 'classic' to herald this transition, it pretty much has to be the NHW11.

    The trick is to have some NHW11s still rolling at age 30 to cash in on their classicness. Toyota did not do great favors by under building the CVT and HV battery. But here at PC there are a few trying to patch those holes.

    What fun.
     
    #10 tochatihu, Oct 29, 2014
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