I still have the adorable Italian car but haven’t been using it much
due to... commitments. Well, insurance specifically: I hadn’t
bothered to upgrade the cover to ‘agreed value’. I went through
all the hoops and took photos, but sometimes I wonder about
valuation departments. I know it’s a difficult one, but we agreed
on what I paid for the car in euros plus what I’ve spent to fix it.
Anyway, I got sent the fantastic badge pictured above by
Steve Bennett. He had it lying around and posted it on. That
wonderful fellow car enthusiast gesture is more important
to m e t h a n w h a t t h i s s t y l i s h l i t t l e M i n i m a y b e w o r t h.
8 APRIL 2 020 AUTOCAR.CO.UK 65
MILEAGE 7235
INNOCENTI MINI
READER’S RIDE
TALES FROM RUPPERT’S GARAGE
Rover enthusiast John recently acquired this
wonderful 1997 200 Vi with only 52,000 miles. One
family had owned it from new, looked after it very well
and kept it garaged. When the son took on the car from
his father in 2008, he added some of the then-available
M G ZR p a r t s , su c h a s 17i n w h e e l s , h a l f- l e a th e r s e a t s
and larger front brakes, as well as a BRM mesh grille.
The plan has been to restore the car to its original
condition, using all the parts removed and carefully
sto r e d. T h e V i i s ra r e n ow, w i th o n l y 3 0 o n U K r o a d s.
Rover 20 0 Vi
SEND YOUR USED CAR TALES TO [email protected] AND READERS' QUESTIONS TO [email protected]
B e i n n o d o u b t : a n o l d t a x i i s s l ow,
noisy and, aside from its tight
turning circle, not much fun to
drive. But there is a lot of room
for passengers and luggage –
and if the kids get too noisy, you can always slide
the glass partition closed. Anyone can buy and
run a black cab, but you should remove any
operating signage. If it gets hit, spares and
repairs are cheap. Insurance is reasonablethrough a specialist such as Adrian Flux. JE
Try Skoda’s live tour service at
skoda.co.uk. Click on the ‘take a
tour’ button against the Superb iV
and then enter your phone number
i n th e p o p - u p s c r e e n to th e r i g ht.
A Skoda expert will call you back and relay images
to your computer from a handheld camera as
they walk you around the car. I tried it from home
and didn’t sneeze once. JE
ANSWER
ANSWER
QUESTION
QUESTION
READERS’ QUESTIONS
I’ve seen a 2004-
reg London taxi on
sale for just £1250.
It would seem to be a great
family car, but are there
any laws against private
owners driving a black cab?
Ken Jones, via email
I’d like to see the new
Skoda Superb iV
but, being an elderly
gent, am concerned about
catching a certain bug.
How can I go about it?
Doug Scott, Chepstow