The report, by automotive PR and communications agency, loop, also shows that the total CO2 emissions for all classic cars in the UK represents just 0.22% of the emissions from the entire UK transport sector.
Drawing on years of data from official sources such as the DVLA and Department for Transport, the detailed report also offers insights on the make-up of the country's classic car sector, how fuel efficiency and car use have changed over time, and the part global events have played in shaping the motoring landscape.
Alex Kefford, loop's technical writer and author of the report, said: "Assigning a figure to the carbon footprint of the UK's classic cars has long been a challenge. By taking a data-first approach that included developing our own software, delving into decades of dusty archives, and crunching our way through millions of datapoints, we've been able to shed some light on this particularly tricky topic."
"Along the way we've discovered that the humble MGB is the most popular classic with Brits, that there are more classic Ford Escorts and Volkswagen Golfs declared as SORN as there are registered on our roads, and that average passenger car fuel economy has doubled since 1956."
Based at Bicester Heritage, the heart of the UK's classic automotive scene, loop delivers a full service for clients stretching throughout the automotive, engineering and technology sectors. With a unique understanding of the classic car market and unparalleled connections within the automotive industry, loop produces award-winning work for clients across Europe and internationally, from compelling story-telling to complex whitepapers, launch events to press office support.
The full report is available to download here.