I recently took my Chesil based speedster to Avonmouth for a SVA test which I had been told by Swansea and VOSA I must have. You must pay an initial registration fee of £50 and a further £135ish for the actual test.
When filling out the application form the original beetle vin number was deemed to be unacceptable and I was told to get a new one. When asked how that was done they simply said 'just make one up'!
Then it went from bad to worse.
I added 'CHES' in front of the VW vin and it was accepted but when I showed at Avonmouth the car was immediately failed because it did not have this fairytale Vin number stamped on it.
The frustration then really began to take hold when I was told that the Nardi steering wheel would fail the test because of the gaps in the spokes in which 'you could catch your jewellry'. I managed to fill an A4 sheet with many other 'infringments' before leaving in total .
Has anybody out there beaten this insane system. The donor VW is a 1968 with original log book and confirmation of date of manufacture from VW-GB.
I think there is a list of things on this site about it and If I remember right some parts where flying round to help people get it though the test so as soon as it has passed you could undo it all..
I think the SVA test on the old classic style cars is almost pointless. It's again office bods in a meeting dreaming up new ways to look important. The system is the system and with all systems there are ways round it..
keep in there.. It will pass. Ask the others on here to help out. I understand with modern cars there has to be a tougher system in place but in doing this it has collected up the kit cars as well.. Most hardly see any road use.. like 1500 miles year at best and are driven by people who built them so they are way more careful say against a Jap import with zillions of HP's under the bonnet.. for £1500
I'd recommend joining the speedsters club (in addition to DDK of course!)
A club member in Brighton got his car through SVA only a couple of weeks ago at the second attempt, failing only on a couple of silly items at the first.
Of course to do this he had to fit a temporary steering wheel, side repeaters, remove the soft top & frame, raise the seatbelt mounts with special brackets, etc. etc.
There is indeed an "SVA pass kit" of parts being passed from builder to builder.
I have the SVA kit which consisted of various bits of rubber and lucky charms/rabbits feet to hang around your car. I think the SVA and this new test prove that when you let pen-pushers and do gooders get away with it, they will very quickly kill the British Kit-Car industry.
I have heard that some have managed to get around it. You could PM me?
No you aren't imagining things, the cow did blink!
I do not have my documents at the moment but as far as I can remember I put the car down as being built by others although I have fitted some of the interior and other mainly superficial bits.
all the mechanicals, paint and electrical work has been done by others.
I don't think this item is particularily relevant as they seem to have a very negative view of all replicas/kits and will find a multitude of snags in spite of your best efforts.
I may have some more positive news soon on this whole charade.
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