Dust off the old girl; Classics are back

Classics are back! On May 20th, there was a bit of a change to the MOT rules, across the UK. Yes, there’ll be the usual change of design, constantly confusing folk as to where on earth they have left their MOT certificate, but more crucially, there will be a change to the age criteria.

Until now, any vehicle built before 1960 was totally exempt from an MOT, (so basically anything that puffs steam out of a tall forward facing exhaust). However, the new rules stipulate that any vehicle over 40 years old will not need to be subjected to an MOT, so long as there has not been any ‘major’ changes to the cars’ structure. ‘Major’ changes? Yes, we think that’s a pretty vague statement too. Anyway, we’re missing the point. 

The point is that all those beautiful old wire wheel’ed Triumphs, MGs, Fords, Aston Martins; they’re all exempt from MOT! So all those project cars, sat in the garage, clothing themselves in a dust jumper, can finally come out to play, without that particular plug you couldn’t source, or that catalytic converter that needed changing, just to get that damn thing back on the road. Of course, the VOSA aren’t just going to say ‘Go on then chaps, we know it wouldn’t pass yesterday, but we’ll give you a break – get out there and drive it!’ You’ll still have to ensure that your classic is roadworthy, because if it isn’t, the local officer in their patrol car will most certainly be issuing you with a £2,500 and 3 penalty points.

That being said, we’ve seen vehicles here at our workshop that are pre-1978 that are cleaner, safer and more pristine than a brand new car, rolling off the production line. More often than not, these cars are the pride and joy of their owners, who fastidiously take care of them every spare minute they get – (Whether they’ve fastidiously maintained a steady relationship, is another matter). What do you think of these new rules on MOTs?