A few months ago we were doing some insurance work on a 1985 Porsche 944 that had suffered rodent damage. (Mice or rats this time, not foxes!) 

The little blighters had eaten through a number of wires and pipes under the bonnet. I rang the parts manager at our local Porsche centre and was able to order EVERY bit that we needed. 

It’s worth mentioning that these weren’t standard service items like an oil filter. They were rare and car-specific parts like:

944 injection wiring loom
Various shaped hoses
Header tank etc

Not only were they reasonably priced, they were all delivered in 3 days from Germany. 

I was amazed, I only expected to get a few bits and got them all. Bear in mind this was for a 37 year old car that hardly sold in massive numbers. It is heartening to see manufacturers standing behind their classics. 

Today I read that JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) have launched official parts stores on eBay. 

EBay has fast become the go to place for all your car parts, so it is good to now have the choice of official parts if you want. 

There are also plenty of classic parts specialists like Rimmers, SC parts, Robeys, Moss and Barretts to name a few. 

The classic car market is booming, so is restoration and you can rest assured that the oddest and fiddliest parts are available for whatever project you are planning. 

My earliest memory of this was the ring bound Morris Minor Traveller parts book you could get in the late 70s.  Enterprising souls have been buying up warehouses full of parts when manufacturers give up. 

Lots of these UK parts are exported all over the world. 

We are firmly in the golden age of classics.