DVLA Plans - This is serious

[Robbo SPS]

Your car is what H?

A pimp Mobile from the 60's.

True Gangster is H

[Steve Pyro]

Your car is what H?

A pimp Mobile from the 60's.

True Gangster is H

A latter day Inspector Morse to boot!

[BigH]

Your car is what H?

Steve, it's an early sixties model with halogen headlamps, polybush suspension bushes and Koni dampers, modern brake calipers, stainless steel exhaust, electronic ignition, electronic fuel pump, a heated rear screen and a CD player. There's also a Snickers stuck behind one of the seats, and I can't get it out. All done in the best possible taste but not OEM. I'm not sure how modifications that do not include the actual changing of parts fit in with this new wheeze either, things like lightened flywheels, gas flowed heads etc.

Pretty much like it's owner really, teeth have been re-bored and lead loaded, ears uprated, bollocks replaced with a carbon chain material synthesised under license by a sheep farmer in Merthyr Tydfil and my poor old a*se has been the victim of far too many 'extras' down at the Tadge Mahal. Does this mean that when I next visit my GP he'll tamper with my SVA's and send me packing with a Q-plate?
H

Oi Robbo, less of the pimp, we're talking sixties, so for me at least it was more 'pimply'....
H

[Steve Pyro]

Your car is what H?

Steve, it's an early sixties model with halogen headlamps, polybush suspension bushes and Koni dampers, modern brake calipers, stainless steel exhaust, electronic ignition, electronic fuel pump, a heated rear screen and a CD player. ..............

It also has quite a thirst for premium petroleum spirits.

[Lorry]

This depends on how they define "major components" etc for the cars identity.  We don't know yet.  Something like a recon gearbox with a new casing might cause problems.  I hope they'll ignore lights brakes dampers pump etc, but quite a lot of this classic is new isn't it.  However, the snickers bar is an MOT fail.  Reminds me of the "Pimp" with the live rat in the dashboard.  Has it gone hairy yet

I suspect that this is also a dodge to make people pay road tax, as an exempt 63 car could become a 2005 kit car. 

[Steve TTTD]

OK...
A little test, under the proposals, which of these would not lose their identity and have to undergo SVA?

1) A Land Rover body on a shortened Range Rover chassis
2) A Mk 1 Escort with World Cup X member and Capri struts , 5 link Capri 3 litre rear axle and a Cosworth engine,
3)  VW Beetle with narrowed and dropped front beam,
upgraded rear suspension and transaxle and non OEM engine specification.
4) Morris Minor with Marina brake upgrades and Marina
axles running a K series engine

[Barry]

Probably all of them.
The bike world is not happy about these rules either, as it would cause problems with restorations, and specials.

[Steve TTTD]

Yup, they would all fall under the new rules, all need SVA and ALL probably fail...
It's nice to see that people are wakingup to this issue and taking their heads out of the sane.
As the title says "This is serious"...

[BigH]

As the title says "This is serious"...

Well then, are you going to tickle my fifty quid or not?
H

[Steve TTTD]

H...
Decide for yourself...
This is the proposed regs as worded

A. Vehicles that have been rebuilt using a mix of new/used parts.
In order to retain the original registration mark:

Cars and Car-Derived Vans must use:

The original unmodified chassis or unaltered bodyshell (i.e. body and chassis as one unit - monocoque); or

A new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original supported by evidence from the dealer/manufacturer (e.g. receipt)

And two other major components from the original vehicle - see list below

Suspension (front & back)
Axles (both)
Transmission

Steering Assembly
Engine

Touch nothing else on your's and you'd be OK, but don't make any other changes, or uprate anything else...

[jpchenet]

Again Steve, from my perspective IMHO all four of your examples should need to be tested! Why should someone be allowed to take half of one car, half of another car, put them together themself and (a) It be deemed safe and (b) keep the original registration when it is obviously not the original car.

Restoration is a different issue. But then most restoration projects (that I have seen or been aware of) use mostly original parts. Therefore would be OK to keep the original reg. However, I believe that once it is restored, a vehicle should again have to undergo some sort of test as well.

[Steve TTTD]

JP, I'm not saying that they should not be tested...
What I'm saying is that they should be tested for what they are i.e. one off 'specials' which may include components that would not pass SVA, but have nothing to do with the cafetly and construction of the vehicle.

As I gave in a previous example I can pass SVA with an axle held in with U-Bolts so lind as the radius of my dash swithches is within spec.

[Steve TTTD]

Probably all of them.
The bike world is not happy about these rules either, as it would cause problems with restorations, and specials.

The bike world will fall under even worse regs...
The DVLA say "Unmodified, original frame"

[Steve TTTD]

(b) keep the original registration when it is obviously not the original car.

Restoration is a different issue. But then most restoration projects (that I have seen or been aware of) use mostly original parts. Therefore would be OK to keep the original reg. However, I believe that once it is restored, a vehicle should again have to undergo some sort of test as well.

So far as B goes H.
I, personally have no problem with a Q plate if that is what it takes, my problem is with a Q plate and requiring SVA which is a totally inappropriate test, because it would be impossible to pass with anything built before 1998 because nothing that early is designed to get through.
Side repeaters, fold back mirrors, etc.

The restoration issue is even more complicated, see my previous post about a Lotus Elan. The new chassis and engine would improve the car and make it safer, but it would not pass SVA, therefore it would never hit the road..
And what happens when the supply of NOS parts dry up?
Remanufactured parts make the Identity of the car suspect and therefore the risk of SVA comes up again.

This is not the time to bury your head in the sand and say "Everything should be tested", Everything is tested, It's called the MOT.
But this is a test that pre 1998 stuff cannot pass, therefore it will never get to an MOT.

I'll accept an Engineer's report on my Zodiac any day, Done by someone who knows what he's looking at and can tell the difference between a well enginered car that is built to RACMSA specs, which allows it to run 13 seconds on the strip, and a car that doesn't have  fold back mirrors,  side repeaters and nicely shaped headlamp dip switches.

[Lorry]

I don't fancy the engineers job.  If you certify a car as roadworthy, and a year later its totalled in a fatal accident, they'll be blaming the engineer, amongst others.  So they'll introduce a "tick the box" system, which like the SVA will be pretty worthless.