THE classic car cult is set to go large as more and more British drivers home in on the advantages of owning a car that is cheap to insure, does not attract road tax, and has an easy-to-maintain engine.

Even the country's biggest vehicle auctioneers, British Car Auctions (BCA), is forecasting huge demand for classic wheels and has rebranded its Classic and Historic Automobile Division to reflect the changing attitudes and interest in classic cars.

BCA is also predicting increased demand for 1980s models, now that Ashes To Ashes, the BBC sequel to retro cop show Life On Mars, is on UK screens. The show has brought the return of DCI Gene Hunt, but this time the action takes place in the 1980s, with Hunt swapping his Ford Cortina for an Audi quattro.

Robin Lawton, head of BCA's Classics department, said: "We've seen a rising interest in cars from the 1980s in recent sales, and we expect this new BBC TV series to fuel this even further. People are beginning to feel a sense of nostalgia for 1980s fashions, and this includes cars like the Golf GTI, Rover SD1, Ford Cortina, BMW and Mercedes models of that era."

Mr Lawton said: "Today's classics are as likely to be from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and even 90s, as from the early 20th century.

"We are seeing a much broader range of cars at our auctions, and the demand for cars from the 1970s and 80s has developed as new collectors and enthusiasts enter the market."

And if you think these motors will be too pricey, then heed Mr Lawton's opinion: "It's not just the supercars from those years - there is a genuine and growing interest in the defining cars from those decades such as the Mini, Ford Cortina, Rover SDI, and Vauxhall Viva, the family cars of their day."

BCA Classics has a new website - www.bca-classics.co.uk - which, besides giving sales information, also features a forum for visitors to share information and knowledge on caring for their own classic car.

More importantly, it also includes a free online valuation service. Owners can submit details of what they own, and receive an estimated value of their pride and joy.