No excuse for not seeing clearly

With summer upon us now’s the time to get your classic back on the road, and enjoy some warm trips out, whether near or far.

But – and it’s a but that’s all too often ignored by all-too-many classic owners – what if it starts to rain? It’s likely most classics will become hot inside – this is summer after all we’re talking about – but the concerning aspect of a downpour is how a classic’s windows can mist-up, seriously restricting the driver’s vision.

But there is help at hand, courtesy of Clayton Classics, which offers air-conditioning systems specifically for classics. So far it has supplied systems for seven marques including Jaguar, Porsche and one of The Special’s favourites, Daimler.

“We see the stress that Britain’s ever-changing weather can cause for owners of classic cars, with vehicles having outdated, inefficient or even absent air conditioning. Owners looking to use their classic, whatever the weather, are no longer willing to put with these restrictions and are increasingly asking us to fit air conditioning systems to their cars to make them usable, cool and visible in both the warm and wet weather,” says Clayton Classics director Dean Allsop.

“Some owners who hold originality above everything else are reluctant to make changes to their classics, but we would encourage people to look at the options and see if there is a system for them – you’d be surprised what might be possible, with systems that can be made to look completely in-keeping with the vehicle’s style and history, and even removed without trace at a later date.”

A list of compatible vehicles is available here: www.claytonclassics.co.uk/parts-upgrades/air-conditioning/