Unoffensive - 26 August 2025

GOVERNMENT CUTS RESTORATION RED TAPEFollowing a long campaign from the Historic and Classic Vehicles Alliance and other similar associations, the Government has simplified the red tape around modifying and restoring vehicles. Notifications can be sent to DVLA for ‘significant structural modifications’ and the vehicle can retain the original license plate number and Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). This is a big step forward. Click this Hagerty article link here to find out more. ARIEL DOUBLING PRODUCTION CAPACITY WITH NEW FACTORYAriel, the Somerset based specialist performance vehicle manufacturer, have agreed a deal to buy more land that will allow them to double their production capability. If you want to read more, click this Autocar article link here. HMRC RAISES EV MILEAGE CLAIM RATEAfter lots of complaints were raised over the last announcement of the rate business mileage for electric cars could be claimed back at, HMRC has revised them. Now there are two tiers, home charging and public charging. However, the rates still aren’t great and frankly totally inadequate if you charge via the public network. To find out more, click this Autocar article link here. PLUG-IN VAN AND LORRY GRANT EXTENDEDThe UK Government has extended the plug-in grant for van and lorries, until “at least 2027”. However, the money is coming out of the £650 million we were told was for the Electric Car Grant (ECG), which turns out to also be improving the charging infrastructure across the country. Click this Autocar article link here, to read more. DO NOT HOON YOUR EV FOR MORE BATTERY LIFEA recent study has been misreported, according to Aviloo, battery experts. Many read the results to mean one must be very heavy with the right foot to extend the battery lift of one’s EV. That is not the case. You can find out more by clicking this Carscoops article link here. TESLA DOES HAVE TO FACE CLASS-ACTION OVER SELF-DRIVING CLAIMSA recent hearing, in front of a judge, between those trying to pursue Tesla in a class-action over mis-selling their self-driving system that has yet to make it to market even though they have taken money from people for it, has resulted in permission being granted to pursue the company. If you want to read more, click this Reuters article link here. To read Ed Niedermeyer’s coverage of the hearing, click this link to his Bluesky post. If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST NEW NEW CAR NEWS - BYD Atto 2BYD has revealed details of their Atto 2, a C segment electric SUV. Priced aggressively, at £30,850, it will win fans on that front along. A totally inoffensive design won’t cause people to flock to the brand but equally is not polarising. Click this Autocar article link here to find out more. DS No4DS’s bestselling model to date has been the 4. Hoping to capitalise on this the company has revealed specifications for the new No4, as it is called. There are a variety of powertrains and trim levels. To find out all about this car, click this link to an Autocar article. VW announce new car blitz. Again.Volkswagen has announced, once again, that it is bringing a raft of new cars to market in the next few years. We get to see the production ready ID.2 shortly, at the Munich car show, with some others also being shown for the first time. If you want to read more, click this Autocar article link here. LUNCHTIME READ: THE MYTH OF THE LONE GENIUS CAR DESIGNERAs a society we have this ideal that there are individual designers who create some of the world’s most famous and fantastic productions, art and buildings. This is, of course, not true. Matteo Licata explains how this is not true in the car world too. Click this Hagerty article link here, for more. LIST OF THE WEEK: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE DEUTSCHES MUSEUMPossible Germany’s finest car museum, the Deutsches Museum has a host of fabulous vehicles to gawp over. Autocar has share a slideshow with just a few of them. Don’t forget to tell the chaps if you agree with their choices. Click this link here to view your options. To see the Goliath GP 700 Sport from Weird Car of the Day, that Alan mentioned, click this link here. AND FINALLY: HOW MUCH FOR A BEETLE?To round out the show we share a story about a Beetle project from back in the 1960s, where an American car dealer paid an eye watering amount of money to create the best limo Beetle. It recently sold at the Monterey Car Week auction. Click this link here, from The Autopian to read more.