To MoT, Or Not To MoT.....

To MoT, Or Not To MoT.....

As I'm sure most people reading this will be aware, the MoT guidelines underwent a complete overhaul in May 2018. Beyond the aesthetic changes to the certificate, the tightening up of rules on diesel emissions and the way faults and advisories are reported (we won't go into this too much here - that particular minefield is for another blog, perhaps!) it is also now possible for any historic vehicle to opt out of the annual roadworthiness test.

As we regularly deal with classic Italian cars, we've researched the ins-and-outs of these labyrinthine new rules and gone through the hidden, headache-inducing small-print so you don't have to. Read on for what we've discovered...

Auction Report - ACA 16th June 2018, Classic Car Sale

Auction Report - ACA 16th June 2018, Classic Car Sale

While perhaps not as bountiful for us Italophiles as their sale back in April, ACA's June auction still boasted seventeen various Italian cars for us to peruse. This wealth of choice covered six decades of Italian deisgn and engineering, ranging from a 1947 Fiat Topolino right up to a 2007 Alfa Romeo Brera. Standing out for us when first flicking through the catalogue were the Fiat 128 CL, a very unusual RHD 3.0 12v V6 916 Spider and a 12k-mile Fiat Panda 1000CL.

Storm In A GTV Cup

Storm In A GTV Cup

With the Alfa Romeo 916 GTV and Spider models now rightfully recognised as modern classics, their values have suitably strengthened over the past few years. At the pinnacle of this rocketing trajectory is their very rare spin-off, the GTV Cup. This striking limited edition appears to be the car any Alfa-ccionado wants to add to their collection right now.

Having sold three examples ourselves in 2017 (#27, #45 and #89), #80 living two doors down from us with Nick Harper and several other owners entrusting the maintenance of their Cups to the specialists here in Norwich's Little Italy, we're in an unusually fortunate position to know these sought after cars inside-out.

We explain below the myth and mystery behind the GTV Cup and give a few pointers for any potential purchaser to look out for.

Fiat Coupe Buyer's Guide

Fiat Coupe Buyer's Guide

While manager of a main Fiat dealership in the 1990s, our father sold one of the very first Fiat Coupes seen in the UK. A Broom Yellow 2.0 16V NA, it was delivered bright and early on the official launch day to a lady in London who stipulated that all badges and any mention of 'Fiat' be removed from the exterior of the car - so her jealous neighbours could speculate exactly which model of Ferrari she had splashed out on! Before it was sent out though, we were allowed to quietly slip into the dealership and very carefully peek under the cover at this exciting new sportscar. We were smitten straight away.

Fast forward (a frightening number of years!) and we've since owned, sold and worked on countless Coupes of all varieties and hues. In fact, at the time of writing we've got two 20VT's in stock, just sold a 20VT6 a couple of weeks ago and potentially have a 16V NA coming in shortly for no small amount of work. As such, we're often asked for advice on buying one of these timelessly stylish cars, so here are a few of the tips we've picked up over the past twenty-four years of dealing with these underrated, guaranteed future classics.