Classic and historic cars to become exempt from the UK MOT test!

The UK government has just announced that vehicles manufactured before 1960 will no longer be required to pass the annual Ministry Of Transport (MOT) test.

The new rule comes into force on November 18th 2012 and was announced today by Roads Minister Mike Penning. He said “The government is committed to cutting out red tape which cost motorists money without providing significant overall benefits. Owners of classic cars and motorbikes tend to be enthusiasts who maintain their vehicles well – they don’t need to be told to look after them, they’re out there in all weathers checking the condition of the engine, tyres and bodywork. Owners of classic vehicles will still be legally required to ensure that they are safe and in a proper condition to be on the road but scrapping the MoT test for these vehicles will save motorists money.”

The vehicles affected make up just 0.6% of the total number of licensed vehicles in Britain but they are only involved in 0.03% of road casualties and accidents. This new ruling follows a campaign by the all-party Parliamentary Historic Vehicle Group which was led by East Yorkshire MP Greg Knight who said he was “delighted” by the announcement.

I’m sure this news will open up a can of worms. For instance, what will happen to classic car insurance for pre 1960 vehicles? Will you need to prove your car is road worthy to get it insured? This would make the new rule redundant if you need to supply an engineers report or similar to your insurance company! I’d be very interested in hearing your views on this…

(Photo by Richard Oakley)

Department of transport news article…

Smiths of Cornwall

Smiths VW specialise in pre-1967 Volkswagen campervan restoration & offer full or part restoration work, including interiors, body work, and paint. With over 17 years experience ‘classic vehicle restoration’ qualified Matt Smith runs a Volkswagen workshop in Wadebridge, Cornwall – building & restoring specialist classic busses for customers.

Smiths VW work with the best possible suppliers to deliver the finest job throughout your custom project. With factory standard welding, fitment & finish. No restoration aspect over-looked as we work with Kustom Interiors and AirKraft – supplying a complete one-stop-shop restoration service.

In addition to restoration Smiths VW can find/source and supply any vehicle for you – with strong international contacts and shipping – so if you are looking for a left or right hand drive bus do not hesitate to call.

Visit Smiths…

Reaching the parts…

A large stash of new old stock VW spare parts discovered in Paraguay is heading back to Volkswagen’s classic parts centre in Germany.

The parts have been unearthed in a warehouse near Asuncion, Paraguay’s capital city. Diesa SA, the local VW importers, were founded in 1953. Due to nine-month shipping times from Germany and predicted VW sales figures they decided to stock pile spare parts for all the Volkswagens sold in Paraguay. As Volkswagens proved to be very reliable cars there wasn’t as much demand for spares as had been initially envisaged so the 3500 square-foot warehouse has remained full ever since!

The parts haul includes some rare early Beetle spares including gearboxes, crankshaft bearings, steering parts and front axles. Some of the parts have already been returned to Germany where they are recorded, tested and made available for sale through vw-classic parts.

Photos by Stefan Warter

New home

Photo of the week #23 – My 1955 Oval window beetle is now finally in its new home after 3 months in storage. It’s nice knowing it’s now safe and sound next door at last, the final bit of my move is complete.

Rust in peace

One of the most interesting photo opportunities for me would have to be a visit to a vintage auto graveyard, full of rusting classics waiting peacefully to be discovered and captured on camera. Rust and decay seems to lend itself as the perfect subject for HDR photography and there are many excellent examples on the internet. Perhaps one day I’ll make a trip to one of the few places that still exist like this and  come away some pictures of my own. In the mean time I’ll feature some graveyards around the world and some of my favourite VW photos.

Autofriedhof, Kaufdorf – Switzerland

Autofriedhof, on the edge of Kaufdorf near Switzerland’s capital Bern was, until recently, one of Europe’s biggest vintage-auto graveyards. It contained more than 1,000 vintage vehicles including rusting Wolseleys, Ford Prefects, Porsches and several vintage volkswagens. Vehicles with ages ranging from the late 1920′s right up to the 70s.

Walter Messerli opened the brakers yard in 1933. A part time racing driver, Meserli’s collection numbered 2,000 vehicles at it’s peak and it was his intension to open a museum which would cover the history of modern motoring. His son Franz took over the graveyard in 1975 and planted trees  due to complaints that the site was an eyesore.

In 2009 the authorities declared that the collection was an environmental hazard and ordered the site to to be cleared. A campaign was stared to preserve the site with over 10,000 people attending an open day. The aim was to preserve it as a ‘national work of art.’

An auction of the vehicles was held in September 2009 and as far as I can establish, the site has now been cleared.

www.autofriedhof.ch

Photos by www.mth-fotografie.ch

BBT

BBT Limited, managed by Arlette van Dijck and Bob van Heyst, has a team of more than 20 enthusiasts – each with their own speciality. With a range of products dedicated to rear wheel drive air cooled Volkswagens and Transporters, BBT is one of the biggest companies in the world in the Vintage VW parts business.

With more than 300 suppliers and many more customers from Tokyo to Los Angeles, BBT delivers with their expanded network throughout the world. By visiting customers and suppliers and by attending meetings around the world, the company’s philosophy and passion stays true: to help the Volkswagen fans and/or users to find the desired parts in the quickest way and at the best price.

Visit BBT’s website..

Voltswagen

Photo of the week #21 – Photographed at Brighton Breeze in 2004, this split screen camper is parked on the sea front by the oldest electric railway in the world, the Volks Electric Railway which was opened in 1883.

Super Sixty

Brian O’Kelly from the Central Coast Chapter of the CA Vintage Volkswagen Club of America has recently posted on www.pre67vw.com about an amazing find….

“A friend of mine has recently extracted his grandfathers Bug from a barn in Orange County in Southern California. It has 48,000 original miles and was stored in the barn for 30+ years. It was parked in running condition when the grandfather could no longer drive. I have looked at the car and it appears to be very original.

He has been doing a lot of cleaning, lubing and buffing. The motor has been started and runs nicely. I’d like to share this remarkable car with you.”

After a lot of work buffing and cleaning. Yes, this is the same car!

Just a few small dings and dents, no bad rust

The kind of dash we like to see in an old bug

RCA Radio

All four door panels look like this

No rips or holes in the headliner, just a bit of staining

The rear seat is excellent along with the dash wire cover and trunk liner

5 original tires

Nice under the hood. The wiring cover and liner are in the back seat

Original Engine

The front seat could be restitched

VW Hoodie

Photo of the week #18 – A split window beetle sporting a very rare flying-VW hood emblem. Bonus points if you can tell me what country these hood emblems originate from…

The roaring 40s

Photo of the week #13 – A Beautiful 1940′s VW Beetle photographed on the streets of Hessisch Oldendorf, Germany in June 2009.