Never had an MOT in 60 years

[Des]

I've been prodding away at an old snotter for ages, slowly sort of overhauling it, everythings bunged up as it's been off the road since before I was born. I've now done more with it in the last month than the previous decade and I'm loosing the workshop the things been sitting in like tomorrow......ish. This is bad shit and it's sad that time has run out and I'm totally unprepared, I have one car with a towbar for the shunting around of stuff and it's waiting for an engine to be dropped in. but I'll worry about that tomorrow. What's distracting me from my woes is what dawned on me today, registered in 1953 the first MOT would not have been due until 1963 because the early MOT was a 10 year test, 1963 was when it came off the road, in near 60 years it's never been MOTed! I have now just to pop in brakeshoes and connect a couple of pipes, put some lights back, jigger about with some panels and a dozen or so silly little jobs to get to the point of scraping through its first test of evah.

Or sould I wait a few months, when it becomes MOT exempt, and the thing could well be the only car to have been legally on the road in this and the last century having never seen the inside of a testing bay. Very tempting, only I wonder if getting insurance would then be straightforward, underwriters may develop reservations on witnessing hordes of derelict old snotters being dragged out of hedgerows and returning to the road.

I'll maybe see how I get on and toss a coin to decide.

[HillmanImp]

Hey, leave it and see what happens. I for one would be interested to see what the insurance company says when you try and put it back on the road. Will they ask when it was last MOT'd etc, will you need to sign a disclaimer that you have looked at the car and that it is roadworthy etc.

[CortinaDave]

I'd leave it as well. Its very cool that its never been MOT'd and seems a shame to break a 60 year record for the sake of a few months. Wait and see what the insurance requirements will be...

[AeroNautiCal]

From a purely historical perspective, I'd be inclined to wait for the MOT Exemption to kick in.

[FredTransit]

Agreed, don't test it, BUT get a qualified tester to give it the once over.

[Des]

I agree also, would love to let it avoid the 3 triangles, but there's a short term problem in that I'll need to move the thing and at the moment the easiest way is under its own steam, also itching to give the thing its first blast in half a century. I'll ring the company I have another old thing insured with, and ask them if they forsee any problem, and maybe if I was to just chance it for now with no MOT or tax the police or whoever might not be bothered with me evading free tax and an MOT it would only require for a few months.