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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

The motor car as an art form

12 March, 2026

We have certainly come a long way since the exhibition entitled 8 Automobiles, shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the autumn of 1951, the first exhibition concerned with the aesthetics of motor car design.
It was here that the often-used term ‘rolling sculpture’ was coined by curator Philip C Johnson, director of the department of architecture and design, when he said, “An automobile is a familiar 20th century artefact, and is no less worthy of being judged for its visual appeal than a building or a chair. Automobiles are hollow, rolling sculptures, and their design refinements are fascinating. We have selected cars whose details and basic design suggest that automobiles, besides being America’s most useful objects, could be a source of visual experience more enjoyable than they now are.”

More to the point

6 March, 2026

This Daimler SP252 is so rare, few people know it exists. It’s one of a kind. It’s the only surviving, in fact the only SP252 ever completed; the would-be successor to the SP250 Daimler Dart. It is also the last sports car to have been designed by Jaguar’s legendary founder, Sir William Lyons.
Perhaps one of the original Dart’s biggest problems was it’s somewhat-divisive looks. It certainly went well enough to win fans, although Sir William wasn’t among them. It crushed the opposition in the Bathurst six-hour race, finishing five laps ahead of anyone else, and it was snapped up by police forces in Britain, Australia, and New Zealand, as it was the fastest thing on the road.
So you’d think a stunning new body with the magic Lyons touch would have been a surefire success. Why this car never made it into production is still something of a mystery, as the official explanations barely stack up.