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Latests new in the world of classic cars and restoration.

Pictures from VSCC Silverstone April 2019

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Here are Two Pictures from a Great Day Out at the VSCC Formula Vintage Festival at Silverstone, 13th April 2019

Firstly, TIGOSE Vice President, Peter Stephens, presents the Patrick Lindsay Memorial Trophy to Mark Gillies ERA R3A.

On the podium

1st – Philip Walker – Lotus 16 winner of Amschel Rothschild Memorial Trophy

2nd – Frederick Harper – Kurtis Indy-Roadster

3rd – Mark Gillies – ERA R3A winner of Patrick Lindsay Memorial Trophy

Secondly, this picture shows the Lindsay Family at Silverstone for the race

As always, VSCC was a great day out. Thank you top all members and friends who came along.

There are still plenty of events for Tigose members this year. Click here for full details.

How to Insure a Customer’s Vehicle – Properly

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We’re grateful to one of our preferred partners, Aston Lark Limited, the Independent Insurance Broker, for this article

In the classic motor trade sector, this question is probably the one we’ve been asked about most, particularly when the vehicle in question is worth millions of pounds. A car may stay at a classic car garage for weeks or even months being worked on, something which almost never happens in the mainstream motor trade.

When you have someone else’s vehicle in your custody, you have a common law duty to take reasonable care of it. If something goes wrong and it can be proved that you have failed in this duty of care, then your business is exposed to the loss and you can be held legally liable for any damage suffered as a result. Our clients often tell us: “But my customer has insured the car – why do I need to?”

Here’s why…

The customer’s insurance will be in the name of that individual and in most cases will cover the vehicle wherever it is used or taken for work. If anything happens to the vehicle, their insurer will pay them. All motor insurance policies will include a condition which then allows the insurer to look at the possibility of pursuing anyone they consider may have behaved negligently and caused the damage or loss of the original claim. This process is generally referred to as subrogation and the owner of the vehicle has no control over this process at all. The customer’s policy therefore protects them only.

It is possible for the owner to approach their own insurer and request that they agree to remove their right to seek recovery, waiving the above subrogation process. Most insurers will agree to a variation of this but not where it can be proved that the motor trader has behaved negligently – which in reality is the only time when they can successfully recover whatever they have paid their own customer anyway. If the motor trader has not behaved negligently then no recovery can be made.

Where waivers are provided, they need to be reviewed properly and correctly as otherwise they leave the motor trader exposed to the risk of being proved to have acted negligently.

So, while the motor trader does not have a legal obligation to insure their customers’vehicles, we strongly recommend you do, as regardless of the vehicle’s value, not insuring at all means that as a business you become completely liable for any damage, whether or not you have behaved negligently in the first place. In short, we recommend insuring your customers’ vehicles, even if you have waivers in place with your customers.

This is where working with specialist insurance broker can help. They can identify your exposures correctly and produce a cost-effective solution. They can correctly review any waivers produced and advise you whether there remains a need to arrange insurance cover for the vehicle.

This is what Aston Lark offers. By adopting a proactive approach, we can identify the risks before they become a claim and make sure that your business is not exposed to what could be a very large and uninsured bill.

We have worked hard for our clients for many years to deliver a working solution. Where the motor trader and owner are both insured by Aviva through Aston Lark, the motor trader will not be charged any premium at all to fully insure the vehicle(s) while they remain in their custody.

For a no-obligation review of your insurance, please call a member of the Classic Motor Trade team on 01252 377 546, or request a call back.

Visit to Ivan Dutton

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A Superb Visit to Ivan Dutton’s Bugatti Workshop

On Thursday 28th March, about 20 TIGOSE and 96 Club members enjoyed a fascinating and enthralling visit to Ivan and Tim Dutton’s Bugatti workshop, in Buckinghamshire. Tim warmly welcomed us and we were given a full tour of the Bugatti collection, along with the restoration and repair shops.

TIGOSE was represented by our President Tony Southgate, our Founder Scottie and the immediate past Chairman Eddie Hoare, along with distinguished members David and Kate Cottingham and Raphael Caille and some of our 96 Club regulars.

Tony Southgate and Tim Dutton

Tim showed us a unique collection including a Type 35 that raced at Le Mans, various Type 57s and Brescias and a very pretty Type 73…we think! In addition, we saw engines in production, a Bugatti speedboat under repair and a Capri acquired especially for 96 Club events…still in production!

Tim’s passionate description of all things Bugatti was only surpassed by a later visit to his father’s workshop. Ivan’s tales of a lifetime looking after Bugatti’s were enthralling.

The visit gave members the chance to meet and talk cars while being afforded a unique opportunity to visit one of the world’s foremost Bugatti specialists. It was  a pleasure indeed. Our Thanks go to Tim and Ivan for a truly inspiring evening.

Scottie in his element

A Bit of History About Ivan and Tim Dutton

Ivan Dutton’s career in the motor trade began when, upon finishing his apprenticeship in pattern making, he joined the workshop of the Chequered Flag. The enthusiasm of the Bugatti marque nurtured by his father whose stories of Brooklands between the wars led to the formation of the restoration company in 1979.

Ivan began racing Bugattis 1983 in a Type 51, followed by years of racing a succession of Type 35B models. He now owns a Type 51, which he runs in significant historic racing events. Upon the arrival of the millennium and Ivan’s sixtieth birthday, he felt it was time to retire and pass the reins to his son, Timothy.

Tony Southgate looks on

Tim has spent the last 20 years working on every type of Bugatti, so is now considered an expert in his own right. Years of ‘indoctrination!!’ from Ivan mean that Timothy appreciates all areas of Bugattis from the touring models through to the Grand Prix cars.

The Dutton workshops include a dyno cell, body shop, tool-room and car stores occupying nearly 20,000 square feet of buildings on their farm in rural Buckinghamshire.

The workshop ethos essentially follows two distinct policies. Firstly, they invest as necessary in patterns and tooling for high quality new parts which exactly match the originals. Secondly, they keep abreast of developments in materials and manufacturing processes which allow them to produce superior parts which do not affect the cars visually and significantly improve the longevity and driveability of Bugatti cars.