On April 5, 2025, I was invited by the young mechanic Marijke de Vos to the open day of the Pioniers Gilde. There, old crafts lived on - in the hands of young people. You will soon read more about the open day, but I can already tell you that I was very impressed by the fact that there is also a considerable enthusiasm for old-fashioned craftsmanship and a love for classics among a group of people (all younger than thirty).
It may sound strange. It is a strange bridge. And rest assured: the Volvo will come into the picture soon. I have had a Miele vacuum cleaner for years, we bought it in 2012 and it has proven to be a very strong device. The vacuum cleaner nozzle was at its end, and a rod did not click into place properly either. But the technology was unperturbed, not least because the build quality was fine and I always replace the air and motor filters on time. With an old household appliance, you can choose not to replace parts and buy a new one. I ordered replacement parts, provided the Miele with new filters, mounted the parts on the vacuum cleaner and… it runs like a charm.
I did the same thing with a defective washing machine door. Don't buy a new machine, the old BOSCH works fine. Order a new door and that is a guarantee for extending the lifespan. And the derailleur of my old Batavus had already given up the ghost a while ago. "No longer available new, that will have to be a different bike", was the verdict. Until I decided to have a wheel with a coaster brake installed. "Yes, we hadn't thought of that yet". No, exactly. The Batavus, it is far too good to throw away. And it saved me hundreds of euros. Although I am not a stickler for money, that is always nice.
I thought about it this weekend. In Alde Leie I got talking to Tys, a young biology teacher and the owner of a car that is about twice as old: a Volvo 144 S from 1968. This one is in the Kultuurfabriek with the beautiful Volvo 142 from generation three, and the driver and owner of this classic Swede is also at least half as young as her car. You can bet that Ruchama is very wise with the Volvo.
Back to Tys. He tells us that he uses the car for daily use, and that he has made some adjustments for this. The luggage compartment of the two-tone Volvo houses an installation that supplies relatively clean gas as fuel for the B18 engine. To make this function work better, Tys amputated one of the two carburetors. The 144 S was equipped with this from the factory.
In this way, the engine runs more balanced and a bit more economically in combination with the chosen fuel. Furthermore - for an even more comfortable driving experience - Tys mounted furniture from a Volvo from the eighties. The car is old, and is getting old beautifully, as it is called among patina enthusiasts. The 57-year-old Volvo covers the kilometers whistling and without problems in the hands of its owner. Fifty-seven years. With headwind from others, who still believe in the framework of electric driving and solar panels. Tys' choice to travel with the Volvo does not fit within that image. I understand Tys completely. I involuntarily think of the Starlet, which, thanks to the necessary care and the right maintenance, touched the three hundred thousand mark. Until it really could no longer, but did actively show its Dutch license plate for thirty years.
On that Saturday I went out with more young people, and one of them is Jitse. He is also taken in by the Volvo virus, and has a first series 245 DL. This has not had the B21 engine in the front for a long time, but a B230 exchange engine. That all works excellently, and the B230 engines are still known as excellent, and compared to the original engine, this power source had adjustments that improved the friction level. Less resistance, better consumption. And that later piece of Volvo technology is therefore housed in a first generation 240 version. Earlier, Jitse's car also had a later mounted B230 under the hood, and this power source is being overhauled to get a role as a spare block later.
These examples are - regardless of the age of the cars - a wonderful proof of how it can be done. And of course: this happens more often. But the fact that young people are also aware - contrary to the image of many - of the true meaning of sustainability, puts all reflections on 'environmentally responsible' electric driving in a shady perspective. Not to mention A-labels for electrical appliances.
