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UK looks to change classic car parameters

26 September, 2016

As it stands in the UK, any car built prior to 1960 is exempt from the MOT (the equivalent of our WOF) process. Effectively, the powers that be have entrusted those in the driver’s seat of old cars to keep them in such a condition that they are roadworthy — as one might with their own classic car. 

These same powers have recently announced a move to shift this bracket forward 17 years, and make exempt from MOTs all vehicles over 40 years of age. Let that sink in. All vehicles over 40 years old could be driving around on the roads of England with bald tyres, and featuring rust as the main adhesive between body and chassis. I’m just imagining what might occur in New Zealand if these same rules were put in place — actually, it mightn’t change much. The majority of early and mid-’70s cars that don’t growl or turn heads are on their last legs, being driven on country roads without WOFs in place anyway.

What do you think the impact of these rules will be? Do you agree with them? Tell us in the comments below.

Image: BoostCruising

“Gotcha!’’ The continuing tale of a Nissan/Datsun tragic – part two

8 May, 2026

In 1996, I was on a mission to buy a suitable pavement scorcher and visited the now-defunct Manukau City Car Fair. Unbelievably, among the sea of four-door utilitarian Japanese compacts was the absolute jewel in the crown, my automobile wet dream — a 1985 two-door R30 RS Nissan Skyline FJ20 Turbo five-speed manual in nice condition. The owner wanted $10,000 — a great deal.
But what did I do? I bailed out, paralysed by indecision. The money would have been a stretch, but it was the worst automotive choice I ever made. Instead, I went for a rusty Toyota Sprinter 8 Valve Twin Cam Coupé, which was pretty terminal from the get-go. I know. We’ve all done it, but there was really no excuse for passing up the Skyline, and I was haunted by that for years.

Last Tango in the Fast Lane

30 April, 2026

In the mid ’80s, I locked into a serious Nissan/Datsun performance obsession. It could have kicked off with my ’82 Datsun Sunny, though this would have been a bit of a stretch of the imagination, given its normally aspirated 1.2-litre motor — not the sort of thing to unleash radical road warrior dreams. But it did plant a seed, and it was a sweet little machine and surprisingly quick, in contrast to all the diabolical English offerings I had endured.
I was living in South Auckland at the time and was an unrepentant petrolhead. Motor racing was my drug of choice, and I followed the scene slavishly. Saloon car racing, with the arrival of the international Group A formula, was having a serious renaissance here and in Australia and Europe. There was suddenly an exotic air in local racing that had been absent for 15 years.
I was transfixed by this new frontier of motor racing that had hit our tracks in 1985–87 and the new array of machinery on display. In 1986, the Nissan Skyline RS DR30 made a blinding impression on me. The Australian Fred Gibson-run, Peter Jackson-sponsored team of George Fury and Glenn Seton were the fastest crew of the 1986 Australian Touring Car Championship. But Kiwi legend Robbie Francevic snuck through to win the Aussie Championship in his Volvo 240T after a strong start and consistent finishes.