John Slavin From November this year, cars registered before 1960 will be exempt from the MoT test – although owners will still be required to maintain their vehicles in a roadworthy condition. According to the announcement from the DfT, owners of classic and historic vehicles tend to maintain them to a high standard, and a public consultation ...

The Mk1 Vauxhall Astra GTE might be one of the underrated hot hatches of the 1980s, but that certainly doesn't mean it's not up there with the best. Keith Adams drives one along the Route Napoléon in the South of France and comes away smiling. Star in ascendency For those old enough to remember the hot hatch wars of ...

Words: Keith Adams Photography: Julian Reynolds Range Rover management clearly took the decision last week to show just a little bit more of next year's Range Rover, codenamed L405, to the public. The Midlands was flooded with test and development prototypes of its new flagship wearing far less disguise than before last week, and more of ...

Just when you think you have created a reliable car, a small problem comes along to remind you otherwise, which thanks to some laziness, became a major headache. Friends and neighbours to the rescue! Words and Photography: Mike Humble Guilty and not charged It’s a well known fact that both Keith Adams and I along with a few AROnline ...

Keith Adams Never, ever underestimate the ability for our classic car market to turn up some amazing barn find cars. We recently told you about a Rover 200 with 12 miles on the clock which was up for sale and this Morris Ital will seem positively mileagey in comparison, having covered 300 miles – but, for those who feel ...

Everybody likes a good deal on a new car, but sometimes a customer by their own fault can end up driving not quite the hard bargain they thought. Mike Humble Letting the customer do the legwork Buying a new car can be a stressful experience and even a sales person will vouch for that. Walking into a showroom ...

The Swindon-made Honda CR-V and the recently facelifted Jaguar XF from Castle Bromwich have both picked up prizes in last night's Honest John awards. The British-built pair both scored well with the site's 1.4 million monthly readers – the prizes of Most Popular 4x4 and Most Popular large executive car are both packed with talented ...

Vauxhall car company staff have voted by 94% in favour of a new pay and conditions deal, clearing the way for investment in the Ellesmere Port plant. Owner General Motors will confirm this morning that a new Astra model will be built at the plant, securing about 2100 jobs. Many people had feared that the Ellesmere ...

...reach for the SD1 keys! Ben Adams The eighth of May 1987, a pretty ordinary day for most of us, in fact anyone living outside London may not have even know what had happened. Remember this was before things like Twitter and Facebook and if you had seen it you wouldn't have text messaged your mate because ...

Keith Adams You've got to hand it to Direct Line. As insurance claims go, this one has been very painless indeed. Regular readers might recall a careless young lady ran into the AROnline Rover 75 and drove off without stopping. Slightly annoyed, I reported this and told my insurers. The next day, they took the car ...

Jaguar Land Rover sales have surged forward in April, showing that its current range is hitting the spot in the sales charts. The Evoque and XF are both making a strong impression on the market, but JLR is confident for further gains, notably in growing export markets, such as China. The Tata Motors Group global wholesales, ...

Once again we fondly pay homage to the one time past masters of motoring in this popular section. This one offered a more restrained image over its arch rival Ford Capri but also went on to make a huge impact in motor sport. Words: Mike Humble Photography: Keith Adams More Old Boy... Less Del Boy If like me you're ...

Sometimes it's good to get an alternative perspective about things we're familiar with - and this Car & Driver blog makes rather uncomfortable reading for anyone feeling positive towards the MG6. We'll let you make up your own minds. Inside the New Chinese-Owned MG Motor Co. In the town of Longbridge, just outside of Birmingham in the U.K., ...

Once again, we delve into the toolbox of tales from the sharp end of the motor trade. We share a ramble about some sorry practices even the established garages will play on the motorist... Words and photography: Mike Humble Karmic Rover Only recently, I was rummaging through my trusty filing cabinet that protests with creaks and groans under the strain ...

Warren Loveridge, New Zealand What's with the Rover 75? It has plagued my dreams for years. Those sweeping lines, that unparalleled interior, the element of tragedy about what must surely be one of the best saloons the British have ever built. I've gazed at them admiringly ever since they first appeared. I sat in them at ...

Billed as the car that was totally equipped to Triumph, the Acclaim was really the marque's last chance saloon. And in the end, the Acclaim failed to bolster Triumph enough after its launch in 1981 to save it from oblivion. And as Keith Adams explains, it was through no fault of its own. The end of the ...

Keith Adams Just like in 2006, when the Cooper John Cooper Works  GP was rolled out as the ultimate MINI towards the end of the R50's life, history seems to be repeating itself with the unveiling of the  Works GP II close to the end of the R56's lifespan. Although the power and performance figures have ...

Keith Adams In association with Honest John, AROnline has been given exclusive access to UK MoT test pass data, and we'll be publishing some of the more interesting league table before going live with a full MoT app later in the year. We'll be concentrating on pre-1990 UK manufactured and badged cars – the bread and ...

The Evoque has been a massive hit for Land Rover – as soon as it was launched, demand for the stylish mini-SUV-crossover with concept car looks outstripped supply, and a waiting list has built up. But despite that, it seems that we're seeing Evoques everywhere – and good British design on our roads is back ...

Keith Adams If you're in the market to re-live a prime slice of 1980s motoring (or indeed 1990s BBC sitcoms), then this Rover 213S, which  has just popped up for sale on Car and Classic will be right up your street. Claimed by the seller to have a mere 12 miles on the clock, it's the ...