Peter James Insurance Blog
Christmas 2025 Opening Hours
Please see below for our Christmas 2025 opening hours at Peter James Insurance. We would like to take this opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you to all our customers. We hope you enjoy the festive season, and we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New...
Ralph Seymour – A Velocette Legend
Velocette is one of the most revered marques from the glory days of the British motorcycle industry and a name that will always be linked to the brand is that of Ralph Seymour. As well as racing his own Velocette in the early 1950s, Ralph moved on after his...
Britain’s love of classic cars powers £7.3 billion boost to UK economy
Peter James Insurance supports a new national survey that has revealed record numbers of historic vehicles and rising public enthusiasm — but warns of an ageing ownership base and urgent need for future skills. The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs (FBHVC) has released its 2025 National Historic Vehicle Survey...
What is Reinstatement Cover? Avoid the risk of expensive parts and labour writing-off your car
Whether you undertake most of the work yourself on your classic vehicle or send it to a specialist, you’ll be aware of the rising costs of replacement parts and labour. This is particularly pertinent if you happen to own a very limited, rare or even unique model. Or, indeed,...
Yamaha 2-strokes: Why they were supreme in the 1960s (part 2)
In 1964 Yamaha had made its mark by becoming the first manufacturer to win a World Championship with a two-stroke engine. An impressive feat considering that the company had only been making motorcycles for nine years at the time. Yamaha 2-Strokes – Motorsport Six years after that first World...
Yamaha 2-strokes: Why they were supreme in the 1960s (part 1)
When Yamaha pulled its factory team out of racing at the end of the 1968 season it marked the end of a legendary era in the 250cc class. The mid-sixties had been full of exotic machines from three Japanese factories battling to prove the supremacy of their technical approaches....
The BSA Goldstar is back!
As the world of motorcycles recently welcomed back the name ‘BSA Goldstar’ to market, we take the opportunity to look back at one of the motorcycling world’s best all-rounders – Eddie Dow and his story on how one of motorcycling’s legends, the BSA Gold Star, came to be…. In...
Drive It Day 2025
We love Drive it Day (and Ride it Day)! There is no better way to kick-start the historic vehicle season for another year. This year the event is even more special as it is 125 years since the 1,000 Mile Trial, the event that the national awareness day commemorates....
Have your say and shape the future of historic vehicles
Our partners, The Federation of British Historic Vehicle Clubs has launched its major five-year research to the entire road transport heritage community, and needs your help! Please participate in the crucial National Historic Vehicle Survey and keep transport heritage on our roads. Why the survey is vital… The Federation...
The Husqvarna Story – more than just Motocross racers
To most classic motorcycle enthusiasts, Husqvarna has always been regarded as a Swedish dirt bike brand with a stellar reputation forged by the successes of its motocross racers in the 1960s and 1970s. Rolf Tibblin delivered the marque’s first World Championship when he won the 250cc title in 1959....
