VHI and all that - some of the wailing and gnashing of teeth that led up to the implementation of the latest changes.
September 2015: I've only just become aware of a proposal to extend the current exemption from needed an MOT for cars built before 1960, to cars built 40 or even 30 years ago following an EU rule-change. What is surprising is that the government website for discussion of these proposals closed nearly a year ago. The results of formal consultation are to be published in 'the second half of 2015', to be available for comment (February 2016: No sign of them yet).
Brake pipe corrosion is probably the biggest single risk given that most potentially exempt British classics only have single circuit brakes. I was aware of one of the V8 pipes corroding and had been keeping an eye on it, when I got an advisory. That spurred me into changing it, and while carefully removing it trying to keep the shape as near as possible to use as a former for the replacement, it fractured at the point of corrosion.
It's one thing if we kill ourselves through inadequate maintenance, quite another if we kill a child while emergency braking/steering trying to avoid it. If we aren't prepared to spend £35 per year on what is actually a not very stringent safety check we shouldn't have the cars. The statistics may be on our side, but that's no comfort to the family of an innocent victim. Witness calls for airshows to be banned following Shoreham, despite the very stringent checks and controls on aircraft, particularly historic and display aircraft.
The proposals are said to be in part connected with an expected significant revamp of the MOT to cover electronic safety systems in much more detail. But surely the very fact our cars don't have those means that those tests simply wouldn't be applied. And whilst visible corrosion is very rarely seen on cars built in the last 20 years, surely structural corrosion, brake pipe damage, steering and suspension component wear, leaks from brake and fuel systems, seat-belts, wipers, lights, horn and tyres and still going to be checked on modern cars.
October 2017: Outcomes regarding the proposal to extend the MOT exemption for historic vehicles to be the same as for road tax i.e. a rolling 40 years were published in September, to be implemented from 20th May 2018. This is despite a majority of respondents to the Government's survey being against it. Legislation is still being drafted but the consultation process states that 'substantially altered' (their words) vehicles will still need annual testing. Guidance on what constitutes 'substantially altered' is expected in November 2017. The existing guidance document (updated in December, see above) confusingly contains information on "The process for vehicle keepers declaring an old vehicle is exempt from testing.", most of which relates to when a vehicle first becomes exempt from road tax, not where it already is exempt and will now become exempt from testing. However there is a section on online renewal, which only applies to vehicles that are already in the Historic Vehicle tax-free class, as follows:
The Government Response to the consultation Para 13 Page 8 states:
December 2017: The document on Vehicles of Historical Interest (VHI): Substantial Change Guidance has been amended, but surprisingly it contains no date or issue information. The second half of page 1 is headed The criteria for substantial change and contains the following:
For axles and running gear the document goes on to say "in respect of axles and running gear changes made to improve efficiency, safety or environmental performance" are considered acceptable.
As V8 versions of the MGB were available from the factory these conversions are probably OK, unless perhaps the original manufacturer is completely different. But then you can probably argue 'environmental' benefits for any modern low-emissions engine.
If you are in any doubt then the simple answer is NOT to attempt to register it as a VHI, and continue to have the compulsory annual MOT as before.
See also the latest information from the FBHVC.
January 2018: This months Enjoying MG contains a copy of a letter from the Department of Transport to the Beach Buggy Club who were querying historic status as applied to their heavily modified cars. The reply includes: "I should say that we are no longer proposing to use the DVLA's 8 point rule for determining whether a vehicle should be designated as 'substantially changed'. We are working on an alternative version in discussion with the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs and other stakeholders. We hope to issue final guidance soon. Any VHI (vehicle of historic interest) that is substantially changed will merely be required to have an MOT test". So on the face of it vehicles 40 or more years old will not require re-registration or Q-plates no matter how extensively modified. Also further indication that VHIs are not automatically MOT-exempt as some have said.
Also after consultation about delaying the first test to four years, it will remain at three. But given that 15% fail and most of those do so on tyres, lights and brakes maybe it should be brought forward!
May 2018: Having said all that, come the day and the upshot seems to be that only the most outrageous modifications involving structural bodywork are likely to be considered a substantial change, as the 'upgrades' typically talked about can probably all come under "changes made to improve efficiency, safety or environmental performance are considered acceptable", including more powerful engines when the emissions are lower. And even then if you don't attempt to declare it VHI and MOT-free then no one will know about it anyway ... except, one presumes, your insurance company for road-going cars.