Queen’s Birthday Honour For Club Member John Lowe

Many congratulations to Club Member John Lowe on being awarded a BEM in the Birthday Honours List 2018 for services to STEM Education. John was a Trustee of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers but has recently been elected to the “council”- the trustee board consultation body. He is also a Trustee of the Museum of Power in Langford ,Essex.

Driving an Austin Seven during his university days, John bought his beloved “Matilda”, a 1929 Morris Cowley 2 seat tourer, in 1964 upon returning from National Service abroad. Matilda was tired and in need of restoration but this had to wait for 30 years when total restoration was completed and John joined The Bullnose Morris Club. John has always been a stalwart supporter of Club activities and Matilda, a well known Club car. The Bullnose Morris Club sends its very best wishes to John and his wife,Sally and, of course,to Matilda, and hope they have many many more years and miles together.

Facebook Group

The Club Technical Advisor,  Andrew Smith has set up a Facebook Group on behalf of the club.

Andrew has set up the Group so he has to APPROVE ALL MEMBERS, to restrict it to known Club Members only.

For Members request, the link to get there is – https://www.facebook.com/groups/BNMC.official/about/

Posts can be made by email to — BNMC.official@groups.facebook.com

This will work as a Members Only Forum untill  we have a Members Area on the website.

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FBHC — HISTORIC VECHICLES MOT’s — UPDATE FOR 2018.

Department for Transport (DfT) Guidance on Substantial Change of Historic Vehicles.

1. The Guidance sets out the definition of a Vehicle of Historic Interest (VHI), vehicles which will, from May 2018, be entitled to be exempt from taking a vehicle (MoT) test.
2. The Guidance reflects the outcome of intensive discussions between the DfT and the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC). FBHVC wishes to express its appreciation of the open and collaborative manner in which the DfT approached these discussions.
3. In the discussions FBHVC was careful to take account of all possible members of the historic vehicle family.
4. The Guidance supersedes all previous potential criteria released for discussion by DfT.
5. The Guidance makes clear that it does not in any way affect DVLA’s registration criteria and processes which remain unchanged.
6. The Government included motorcycles in the Motor Vehicles (Tests) (Amendment) Regulations 2017. As the Guidance implements the Regulations, DfT could not accept FBHVC’s representations, based upon the requirements of the EU Directive, regarding historic motorcycles, so they are included in the Guidance.
7. Following STRONG representations by FBHVC, a vehicle may generally be a VHI if relevant changes were undertaken more than 30 years previously. This will be a rolling 30 years and replaces the fixed 1988 date previously proposed by DfT.
8. Major points of note are:
   1. The process is one of self-declaration.
   2. Owners will only be required to declare their vehicle to be a VHI if they wish to be exempted from an annual MOT Test.
   3. All vehicles will still be able to be tested if their owners wish
   4. The criteria are generic and permit changes made, less than 30 years prior to the declaration, which improve efficiency, safety, preservation or environmental performance.
   5. Those vehicles registered on a Q plate, as kits or built up classics are not entitled to be declared as VHIs until forty years after they were registered.
   6. For motorcycles only the criteria of Q plates, kits and built up classics prevent declaration as a VHI.
9. The Guidance refers to “a marque or historic vehicle experts”. A list will be published on the website of the Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs by 30th April 2018. Vehicle owners wishing to confirm if they may declare their vehicle as a VHI, may choose to contact the appropriate nominee from this list
10. FBHVC will be explaining the Guidance in full in its first Newsletter of 2018 and as soon as possible on its website at www.fbhvc.co.uk.
11. Text of the Guidance is at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668274/vehicles-of-historical-interest-substantial-change-guidance.pdf