Some people I am reliably informed have fairies at the bottom of their garden; others frequently have what can only be described as piles of junk and unspeakable rubbish.

Roy Salvadori who died on 3 June, began racing in 1946 and carried on until 1962, so most of his racing career falls with the ambit of “The Automobile”.

Basket case cars are the ones that always seem to find me. Over the years I have lost count of the number of these cars that I have had the pleasure of rescuing from oblivion.

I renewed the insurance on one of my cars recently. In the light of the currently rising market I raised the value. This brought discussions about supplying a valuation, but eventually the revised value was agreed.

A friend is currently negotiating for the purchase of an up-market British sports car of the mid-30s with some mild competition history. He has been told by a well-known dealer that if a car is “Mille Miglia eligible” this can increase the value by up to £100,000.