A word of warning to classic car wannabe’s

Hot on the heels of the end of the internationally famous Scottsdale annual auction, where the world’s uber rich fought it out to own some of the world’s hottest classic cars, comes a sobering announcement from the Automobile Association (AA) of Britain. The revered UK organisation is warning the owners of such classics as the 1964 Ferrari 250 LM by Scaglietti - which sold for a whopping US$9,625,000 and is one of just 32 ever built - that they could be driving a death trap after a teacher was killed when the hired 1963 MGB GT that he was driving “folded like a penknife” after it was rear-ended by a taxi.

The MGB GT is the quintessential British sports car, much loved by petrol heads the world over and thought to be the inspiration for many other cars, in particular the Mazda MX5 and Porsche Boxster.

Ian Crowder from the AA said, "These cars simply do not have the damage resistance of modern vehicles.

"Classic car owners and users really need to be aware of the risks when they take the road in a less resilient vehicle.

"This was obviously a terribly tragic episode for which a driver has been convicted and jailed."

Crowder said that most other road users often drive more respectfully when they are near to classic cars, but the owners and users of older cars need to take extra care when they take to the road. "They need to drive in a manner which respects modern vehicles and they need to know the risks," Crowder was quoted as saying.

The minicab driver, Kugannesan Balasubramaniam, 34, who had worked 90 hours over seven days and was speeding at the time of the offence, was jailed for just nine months after he was convicted of causing death by careless driving; he will be banned from driving for 18 months and must take an extended driving test if he wants to drive again.