I think that the model info I listed originaly came from the MOT inspectors manual, a forum member whose also an MOT inspector quoted it here a few years ago.Bit more research looks like all SPI's were X or Y engine code so looks like they all need a cat.
& yes, as far as I’m aware it’s only the carb models that don’t require a full catalyst emissions test & therefore don’t require a CAT, or at least that always tends to be the consesus reached when the matter has been discussed here on various previous threads over the years. I’m not sure about the argument about spi models that cal844 is referring to, I’ve never heard of that before.
To clarify my 1994 sprite is a carb car(matching numbers too ?) so gets a non cat test, coppers of the same year were SPI, thus needing a full cat test