Roadblocks remain for classic cars, but rally rolls on

Hosters brought one vintage car to the rally in 2012, and sold it after.

He took two historical cars to China this year and has already signed a contract for one.

"And another purpose is that we believe our new car sales are also directly linked," said the Brabus sales director.

The tuning company now provides service to its vintages cars in China, with its flagship store for contemporary cars in Beijing and technicians flying from its professional department Brabus Classic in Europe.

"For vintage car showrooms and official local businesses, we still have to wait and see the market, and it also depends on regulations on the legal side," said Hosters.

Chen Yudong, president of Bosch (China) Investment, told China Daily that even Uwe Raschke, a board member of Robert Bosch GmbH in Germany, has mentioned the increasing potential of the niche market.

"He asked me to pay attention to the trend and see if we can do something to help promote vintage car culture in China, such as providing parts and service for vintage cars, which certainly is important for Bosch," said Chen.

Chen said Bosch's automotive aftermarket division is currently offering these services in Germany and some other European markets.

"Seeing the potential for this segment in China, we are evaluating the possibilities to support repairing and maintaining vintage cars in the future depending on the local conditions," Chen said.