Have you been in contact with Coventry Motor Museum to see if thay can help?
Its not one of those nice early ones where the engine number and chassis number were the same is it? Or Maybe it 'might' have been. I do know of one early car imported that the owner couldn't find the chassis number anywhere. Took it for registration and the nice man at the VLO took the view that all early cars had the same chassis and enigne numbers.
On my Hillman-Coatalen I've found the chassis number stamped on the top curve of the crossmember that supports the gearbox. So that will get me of having a Q plate. These cars were only made in this form from 1907 to 1909 and even with the date cast into the engine blocks DVLA were saying nope it will be a Q plate !!
Andy
Sole private member of the Hillman-Coatalen Owners Club The Corporate Member is Coventry Motor Museum.
That's where air-cooled Volkswagens score. You can contact their museum in Germany and get a certificate specifying the exact day your car was built (my 1302 was born 28 Feb 1971) and and whom it was delivered to. There is also plenty of information for dating engines. All 3 of my engines, inc the original one (obviously) are from, or based on 1971 cases.
Oh, and I also got caught out with the £25 fine when I forgot to renew the SORN.
If the VIN has been removed with the plates, then be careful there isn't another car driving about with your ID... It is known for such ID swapping to exist (just look how many MK1 850 Minis are now registered as Cooper S'?!?).
Maybe you can find the chassis stamped into somewhere. Or if you know the chassis number, you can "find" one ;-)
All good stuff this, thanks. I'd wager a bit that there IS a car out there driving around with 1955 Minx plates, and quite probably the ally VIN plate pop-rivetted on also. On the subject of chassis no. locations there was an extensive thread (here?) some time ago and the concensus then was that in the 50s/60s it wasn't customary to punch it into the chassis. Apparently 'ringing' wasn't as fashionable then!
Ok then, I have eight resto vehicles behind my house. How much tax & insurance is that? Or would you rather these restorable vehicles were all scrapped because someone can't afford to tax them?
Unfortunately, it is quite common with numberplate dealers to "ring" cars in order to get the numberplates from projects. buy one roadworthy Austin A35, then harvest the VIN from lots of un-mot'able projects, do some quick swaps... :-(
You've only got to look on eBay to find "Austin A35 logbook and VIN plate, transferrable reg, blah blah blah"... etc in the listings...
Having said that, I'm sure there's a 1955 Minx in unrestorable condition (complete with VIN plates) out there somewhere...
Declare them scrap. Then when and if you have restored them re-register get a new number or the old one back.
-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!
I know the feeling. Down our street there was a car like that for months, outside a house belonging to known drug users. We phoned the police. They took no action. Ditto my next-but-one neighbour's son, whose friend left an untaxed car outside his house. The police weren't interested - even though the youth had a police record, was wanted, and the "No escape from road tax" ads were running. But you and I, first day, we'd be fined. Difference is, being honest citizens, we'd pay it. It's all about hitting easy targets.
Everything is at the officers discretion. It's what's nice about dealing with a cop who is a person and not an office clerk with a photo from a camera. He may have initially just wanted you to belt up and be on your way, so quite possibly your attitude got you the ticket.
Also you had seen the cop going the other way and he knew you had seen him - should have belted up straight away. Then the cop could have possibly given you the benefit of the doubt "I didn't think you were wearing a seat belt but you clearly have it on NOW, sir" - pretty close to the words that I heard on a traffic police TV program this year. If someone responds positively they will help with a gentle if sarcastic reminder, give them an attitude and it's a ticket or court.
I met one cop who was a police motorcycle instructor. He had a story that while out with a force for a couple of months keeping up with the job he found someone on the M4 doing 125mph at 2am. He followed for a bit and then put his blue lights on. The bike he was following pulled over immediately. He let him off. Why? 1. He didn't want the paper work. 2: The instant reaction meant it hadn't been radioed in so there was no record. 3: He had the right attitude.
Some years ago I was coming up the M1 at about 95mph on a bike at about midnight. I'd been going some time and had seen a pair of lights in my mirror gradually gaining on me. I backed off to 90mph. A big Range Rover pulled up alongside, the cop in the passenger side was holding up 7 fingers and thumbs! I made a show of peering over my tank bag and backed it off to 70mph. He gave me a thumbs up and they pulled away at around 80mph. At 95mph they were about flat out and could have been about to scramble a fast car. As I had backed off to allow them to catch up they were able to give me a little pointer and set me back on the straight and narrow. If I had gone racing off to lose those lights there would have been a fast patrol car somewhere up the road.
-- Peter Hill Spamtrap reply domain as per NNTP-Posting-Host in header Can of worms - what every fisherman wants. Can of worms - what every PC owner gets!
Yes you do. There is also a SORN declaration form I've seen at the VRO - I'm wondering whether it would be a good idea to fill them out for all of my cars which have been off-road since before SORN was introduced. It might be a matter of counting up the chassis' stacked against the wall :^) Cheers, Bill.
-- Rarebits4classics .......just what you've been looking for
PO Box 1232 Calne Wiltshire SN11 8WA United Kingdom
Andy - I hope getting back to the spirit of this NG - could you please tell us more about the Hillman-Coatelen? I see a tortuous link from Hillman to Sunbeam via the Rootes Group but where on earth did Louis Coatelen get involved with Hillman in pre WW1 days? I can only remember Hillmans in the immediate post WW2 period as being the most awfully boring saloons in the world - the Minx comes to mind....
Good and bad views on this. Yes, depends on the Officer. Have been pulled a couple of times where there was clearly no danger, just gently suggesting that I might proceed more carefully.
Some ten years ago I was "done" for an offence for which I was entirely guilty. My fault, and that's it. But when it went to Court I was horrified to hear the police evidence - way beyond what actually happened and exaggerated beyond belief.
I still like to think that the Police are decent people (unlike the Met in the sixties and various Regional Crime Squads ever since) and you can always ask them to tell you the time. But then I probably believe in the Yellow Brick Road.
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