DVLA letters

[NATONEIL]

Hello everyone,
I hope you all enjoyed my article in this months magazine. Although I have sold my Suffolk, I still hold these cars in high esteem to the extent that I was seriously considering buying another.
I was at Helmingham in Suffolk on Sunday where Roger had brought along two SS100's plus a beautiful "C" Type.
The reason I say "was" is my concern with the DVLA ( see article in this months mag ) I think that with all that is going on, it is not the time to invest over £80,000.00 ( or £113,000.00 if you want a new one ) in a replica SS100. Typical of our "leaders", everything is very vague with no clear cut parameters to which we can work and so it's buyer beware !!!
I have had conversations with Neil who is quite well informed but ultimately he knows about as much as I do so, is there anyone out there who can add some light?

Reg

Ladies and gentlemen

Many of you will by now have seen the article in this months club magazine and also read about the DVLAs letters asking owners of historic vehicles to justify why the DVLA database should allow them to have a historic plate. I have quoted Reg's message from the General section of the replica BB into a new topic and hope that BB users will add detail as they hear about it.
My SS100 is registered as a 1978 but I am aware that it is a bitsa and suspect that many replicas will be prime candidates for redating. If the car goes through/has gone through an IVA then apart from paying the road tax for 40 years and having to use acrylic plates I see no problems. It certainly would not be a reason for me to get rid of mine.

[lowebird]

Chaps,
Further to my post about the DVLA, in this months "Classic & Sports Car" on page 12 there is a lot more information, still not an official definition but it starts to show the way things are progressing. We need a revolution to tell these people to leave us alone and go and do something useful instead of wasting their time and our money.

Reg, " The first angry voice?"

[RoyC]

That C&SC article is probably the most accurate precis of what appears to be happening at the moment. There is a serious problem with Bugattis, as even the "genuine" cars have had so many component swops and upgrades that it's had to tell if their identities are true. The underlying issue is with value (money) and fraud (lawyers).

There is of course no question of one of our cars being passed off as an original and the DVLA don't seem to be too interested in replicas produced from other cars at the moment. But there doesn't seem to be much (apart from vague policy statements to the FBHVC) to stop them opening the whole "can of worms."

I know there was a lot of concern within the VSCC by the owners and constructors of Replicas and Specials, and indeed there are situations where a car with an otherwise genuine identity has been refused a V5 on the grounds that it's replacement wooden body is not the rotten unusable original that would not pass an MOT anyway!

[thomas45]

When I think about the row i had with DVLA some years ago over their seizure of my Green Log Book belonging to my then XJ 40 I am now convinced they are all about making everything as difficult as they can. So therefore now in the light of this latest twist of what may be about to be imposed upon owners of restorations I think owners should plan ahead. That is to say, hold tight to all historical documents and number-plates. In the event of new registrations being imposed, the original plates could then be displayed (albeit temporarily) at shows and events off the public road.
DVLA are interfering with historical records while at the same time demanding that vehicles must be original. But obviously no vehicle of any age can be maintained in original condition without the necessary replacement of whatever it requires. So DVLA continues onward with their nonsensical view.
Thomas45