diff --git a/premailer/__init__.py b/premailer/__init__.py
index e831baa..570b55c 100644
--- a/premailer/__init__.py
+++ b/premailer/__init__.py
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 from __future__ import absolute_import, unicode_literals
 from .premailer import Premailer, transform
 
-__version__ = '2.11.0'
+__version__ = '3.0.0'
diff --git a/premailer/premailer.py b/premailer/premailer.py
index de9839d..fc157ee 100644
--- a/premailer/premailer.py
+++ b/premailer/premailer.py
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ class Premailer(object):
                  exclude_pseudoclasses=True,
                  keep_style_tags=False,
                  include_star_selectors=False,
-                 remove_classes=True,
+                 remove_classes=False,
                  capitalize_float_margin=False,
                  strip_important=True,
                  external_styles=None,
diff --git a/premailer/tests/test_premailer.py b/premailer/tests/test_premailer.py
index 42213d8..5cdf6a7 100644
--- a/premailer/tests/test_premailer.py
+++ b/premailer/tests/test_premailer.py
@@ -170,6 +170,37 @@ class Tests(unittest.TestCase):
 
         compare_html(expect_html, result_html)
 
+    def test_remove_classes(self):
+        """test the simplest case"""
+
+        html = """<html>
+        <head>
+        <title>Title</title>
+        <style type="text/css">
+        .stuff {
+            color: red;
+        }
+        </style>
+        </head>
+        <body>
+        <p class="stuff"><strong>Yes!</strong></p>
+        </body>
+        </html>"""
+
+        expect_html = """<html>
+        <head>
+        <title>Title</title>
+        </head>
+        <body>
+        <p style="color:red"><strong>Yes!</strong></p>
+        </body>
+        </html>"""
+
+        p = Premailer(html, remove_classes=True)
+        result_html = p.transform()
+
+        compare_html(expect_html, result_html)
+
     def test_basic_html_shortcut_function(self):
         """test the plain transform function"""
         html = """<html>
@@ -1088,7 +1119,7 @@ b
         <head>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <div style="color:red"></div>
+        <div class="example" style="color:red"></div>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
@@ -1118,7 +1149,7 @@ b
         <head>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <div style="color:green"></div>
+        <div class="example" style="color:green"></div>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
@@ -1148,7 +1179,7 @@ b
         <head>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <div style="color:green"></div>
+        <div class="example" style="color:green"></div>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
@@ -1178,7 +1209,7 @@ b
         <head>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <div id="identified" style="color:green"></div>
+        <div class="example" id="identified" style="color:green"></div>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
@@ -1195,7 +1226,7 @@ b
             color: blue !important;
             font-size: 12px;
         }
-        #identified {
+        #id {
             color: green;
             font-size: 22px;
         }
@@ -1205,17 +1236,17 @@ b
         </style>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <div class="example makeblue" id="identified"></div>
+        <div class="example makeblue" id="id"></div>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
         expect_html = """<html>
-        <head>
-        </head>
-        <body>
-        <div id="identified" style="font-size:22px; color:blue"></div>
-        </body>
-        </html>"""
+<head>
+</head>
+<body>
+<div class="example makeblue" id="id" style="font-size:22px; color:blue"></div>
+</body>
+</html>"""
 
         p = Premailer(html)
         result_html = p.transform()
@@ -1285,7 +1316,7 @@ ration:none">Yes!</strong></p>
         <title>Title</title>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <h1 style="color:green">Hi!</h1>
+        <h1 class="foo" style="color:green">Hi!</h1>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
@@ -2395,7 +2426,7 @@ sheet" type="text/css">
         <head>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <div style="color:green; font-size:10px"></div>
+        <div class="color example" style="color:green; font-size:10px"></div>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
@@ -2453,22 +2484,22 @@ sheet" type="text/css">
         </head>
         <body>
         <p><img src="/images/left.jpg" style="float: left"> text
-           <img src="/images/right.png" class="floatright"> text
+           <img src="/r.png" class="floatright"> text
            <img src="/images/nofloat.gif"> text
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
         expect_html = """<html>
-        <head>
-        <title>Title</title>
-        </head>
-        <body>
-        <p><img src="/images/left.jpg" style="float: left" align="left"> text
-           <img src="/images/right.png" style="float:right" align="right"> text
-           <img src="/images/nofloat.gif"> text
-        </p>
-        </body>
-        </html>"""
+<head>
+<title>Title</title>
+</head>
+<body>
+<p><img src="/images/left.jpg" style="float: left" align="left"> text
+   <img src="/r.png" class="floatright" style="float:right" align="right"> text
+   <img src="/images/nofloat.gif"> text
+</p>
+</body>
+</html>"""
 
         p = Premailer(html, align_floating_images=True)
         result_html = p.transform()
@@ -2498,7 +2529,8 @@ sheet" type="text/css">
         <head>
         </head>
         <body>
-        <div style="color:green"><span></span></div>
+        <div class="color" style="color:green"><span class="nocolor"></span>
+        </div>
         </body>
         </html>"""
 
