Originally Posted by
Road Fan
One point implied by Kon's definitions is: Not everything old is classic. Much of it is just plain old, and not worth paying further attention to.
Even the criterion of "influential" is in the eye of the beholder. One could look at the earliest Ti frames which were arguably not made of the best alloy, as a pathfinder project that showed the industry the way to better technology, or as a dangerous travesty that should never have been released to the public. Is it classic, under both interpretations?
That's a great question - I have no interest in them, but some do. I could see the argument for them, and classic is definitely subjective. There is a market for Speedwells, teledynes, etc. I don't find them classic because they were known for cracking, breaking...etc. Also, I don't think many were really aware of them, or really desired them, when they were around. Did Merlin and the other early functional ti frames really build on these?