IN THE TRADE

EXEMPT CLASSICS FAIL MOTS

Bookmygarage.com obtained data from the DVSA showing that 121,204 Mot-exempt classics were submitted for a voluntary test between January 2019 and June 2021. Of those, 18.4% failed. That’s way better than the overall one-in-three failure rate for Mots, but it also demonstrates the value of getting your classic checked regularly. Though cars over 40 years old no longer require testing, owners are still responsible for keeping them roadworthy. Fines can be £2500 plus three penalty points.

BONHAMS TAKES ON U.S.

Last month Bonhams announced the expansion of its online classic auction platform, The Market, into Europe. Now comes the announcement that it will do the same in America in January. The new venture will be headed by Caroline Cassini, the first female graduate from the San Francisco Academy of Art’s restoration programme. Caroline told us, ‘There’s clearly an appetite for this service in the US. Clients want to have choices when working with auctioneers and Bonhams is now able to provide these options.’

BRAND NEW ALVIS

The first car from Alvis’s Continuation Series (CS) has been completed and is on its way to a customer in Japan. The 3.0-litre Graber Super Coupé’s bespoke build has taken two years to complete – delayed by the pandemic. The six models in the CS have been developed from original factory drawings and use stocks of chassis and engine blocks that were saved and carefully stored when the Coventry factory was closed in 1967. Prices start at £295k. thealviscarcompany.co.uk