UK registration laws...

SorenR · 05-12-15, 02:23 PM

A guy from one of the FB groups I'm in, bought a Lotus Super 7 S4 last registered in UK... 1'st Registration on documentation (?) says 1997 but it also states "declared manufactured 1972"... Why ?
Has the car been rebuilt after accident ?

He has some kind of documentation stating the car had it's first registration on January 15. 1972 but it's not the official documentation. VIN: S43215AM442

Anyways... Lotus passed everything to Caterham in 1972 and Caterham says they did not receive anything until 1973...

Danish tax services are calculating registration tax based on 1'st registration... Price in Denmark 1972 was 65.000 DKK, price in 1997 was ca. 400.000 DKK... So... TAX services are asking for 87.000 DKK...

1 GBP ~ 10 DKK

What to do ??

Mellis46 · 05-12-15, 02:41 PM

Probably nothing as sinister as crash damage - the "unofficial" document probably pre-dates the centralisation of records into the DVLA away from local authorities in the 70's. The DVLA may have only become aware of it much later ( if it stayed with the original owner for example, or lay unused perhaps). Sounds like it was eventually re-registered in the 90s, generating that spurious first registration date....?

SorenR · 05-12-15, 02:57 PM

Ok... Well, it turns out the car was "rebuilt on original frame" in the late 90's... Is there a limit to how much of the car that can be replaced before you classify it as a "new" car?
Could that be the issue?

Mellis46 · 05-12-15, 03:11 PM

Sounds like it may well have been parked up and then restored...

From gov.uk:

"

Keep a vehicle’s original registration number
A rebuilt vehicle can keep its original registration number if you can prove you’ve used:

the original unmodified chassis or bodyshell (car or light van)
a new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original (car or light van)
the original unmodified frame (motorbike)
a new frame of the same specification as the original (motorbike)
You must also have 2 other major components from the original vehicle from the following lists.

For cars or light vans:

suspension (front and back)
steering assembly
axles (both)
transmission
engine
For motorbikes:

forks
wheels
engine
gear box

Get a Q registration number
DVLA will give your vehicle a ‘Q’ prefix registration number if you don’t meet the conditions for keeping the original registration number.

"

05-12-15, 02:41 PM	#2
Mellis46 Aero Advocate Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Lancashire Posts: 1,448	Probably nothing as sinister as crash damage - the "unofficial" document probably pre-dates the centralisation of records into the DVLA away from local authorities in the 70's. The DVLA may have only become aware of it much later ( if it stayed with the original owner for example, or lay unused perhaps). Sounds like it was eventually re-registered in the 90s, generating that spurious first registration date....?

05-12-15, 02:57 PM	#3
SorenR Grown up member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Vesterlyng/Föllenslev, Denmark Posts: 563	Ok... Well, it turns out the car was "rebuilt on original frame" in the late 90's... Is there a limit to how much of the car that can be replaced before you classify it as a "new" car? Could that be the issue?

05-12-15, 03:11 PM	#4
Mellis46 Aero Advocate Classic Audi Club Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Lancashire Posts: 1,448	Sounds like it may well have been parked up and then restored... From gov.uk: " Keep a vehicle’s original registration number A rebuilt vehicle can keep its original registration number if you can prove you’ve used: the original unmodified chassis or bodyshell (car or light van) a new chassis or monocoque bodyshell of the same specification as the original (car or light van) the original unmodified frame (motorbike) a new frame of the same specification as the original (motorbike) You must also have 2 other major components from the original vehicle from the following lists. For cars or light vans: suspension (front and back) steering assembly axles (both) transmission engine For motorbikes: forks wheels engine gear box Get a Q registration number DVLA will give your vehicle a ‘Q’ prefix registration number if you don’t meet the conditions for keeping the original registration number. "