[MV] Historicals, Classics, and snobs
jeepers@online.no
Thu, 13 May 1999 21:53:31 +0200
The main Norwegian MV Club is called HMK, being the Norwegian words for
Historical Military Vehicle Association. We are a member of the national
union for veteran automobiles. Our vehicles, and yours, are all
classics. This applies especially to vehicles produced during WW2.
Nobody driving a WW2 vehicle, be it British, US, German, or whatever,
should accept any form of discrimination or 'snobbism' from owners of so
called classics. If some idiot claims a jeep isn't a classic, then he's
an ass (as in rectum, not donkey). If someone driving a civilian veteran
auto gives you cause, just remind them that our vehicles were produced
by the same factories that under other circumstances produced their
vehicles. Ford, and Chevy, Morris, and Humber, etc. did not ask to
produce military vehicles. They were forced to in order to contribute to
the fight against a fascist madman. If they had continued to produce
fancy sportscars or classic sedans, then none of us would probably be
enjoying our hobbies today - mv-ers and civilians alike. What can give a
negative impression of mil-vehs, is how we present ourselves and our
vehicles. A jeep isn't a jewel, it's not a 1930 model Bentley. It should
however be presented to the public in as original a state as possible.
No one expects a mil-veh to be perfect in its paint finish, altho' I
have seen some examples in the UK which appeared to be transported to
shows under wraps on trailers, rolled off, shown off, and rolled on
again. I've also seen mil-vehs here in Norway and elsewhere which were a
disgrace and am embarrasment to our hobby. A jeep is like a dog - it
needs some exercise now and again. Don't go the either extreme, please.
The world of veteran autos should be big enough for us all the have a
rightful place. Don't let any one faction think that they are better
than anyone else. That's what happened back in the 1930's, and that's
what ultimately resulted in someone else having to produce a jeep.
David Hammond
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