Skrotning arbejdet vidundere for den nye bil på markedet, men til hvilken pris til sport i at spotte halv-død klassikere på vejene?Det er et mindretal fornøjelse, men en, der skal appellere til et par bil nødder, og særlig behageligt, når forfulgt i Frankrig og Italien for nogle grund. Og det er glæde for at spotte døde biler blandt de sceneri, når du er på farten. På trods af mange års ikke kan-hjælpe-det tilsagn om at denne omlægning, jeg har endnu ikke arbejdet ud af, hvorfor en død gammel bil i underskoven er mere interessant end den samme gamle bil parkeret på gaden og i live, men det er. Måske er det muligheden for at planlægge en redning. Alligevel, var jeg kører gennem Frankrig for nylig, og var en bekræftelse af, hvad jeg har længe frygtet - at skrotningsordninger, miljø-clean-ups og ønsket om at være mere ryddeligt, måske, har renset det franske landskab af mange døde vraget. Blandt de få mouldering biler som jeg så, var en af 80'erne Peugeot 305 saloon (ingen redning veer er der, selv om den anden-generations version havde en strålende chassis), den bageste halvdel af en Opel Kadett ejendom, der syntes at have været brugt som en form for agri-opbevaring og utroligt, et par af Austin 1300-tallet i scrapyards, som ville have været mindst 30 år gamle. Som helt sikkert satte undersøgelsen i trang, men der var ingen tid, frustrerende, selvom det er nok så godt. Så et par gode spots, men i forhold til for ti år siden, dette er en aktivitet af sjældne belønninger. Mest vel-afbalanceret medlemmer af offentligheden vil være glad for denne udvikling, men for mig er det en skam. Scrappage worked wonders for the new car market, but at what cost to the sport of spotting half-dead classics at the roadside?It's a minority pleasure, but one that must appeal to a few car nuts, and particularly enjoyable when pursued in France and Italy for some reason. And that's the enjoyment of spotting dead cars among the scenery when you're on the move. Despite years of can't-help-it commitment to this diversion, I still haven't worked out why a dead old car in the undergrowth is more interesting than the same old car parked on the street and alive, but it is. Perhaps it's the possibility of planning a rescue. Anyway, I was driving through France recently, and had confirmation of what I have long feared - that scrappage schemes, environmental clean-ups and the desire to be tidier, perhaps, has cleansed the French countryside of many a dead wreck. Among the few mouldering cars that I saw were an '80s Peugeot 305 saloon (no rescue pangs there, although the second-generation version had a brilliant chassis), the rear half of an Opel Kadett estate that appeared to have been used as some sort of agri-storage and amazingly, a couple of Austin 1300s in scrapyards, which would have been at least 30 years old. That certainly triggered the investigation urge, but there was no time, frustratingly, though that's probably as well. So a couple of good spots, but compared to a decade ago this is an activity of rare rewards. Most well-balanced members of the public will be pleased at this development of course, but for me it's a pity.