DDK - Die Deutschen Klassiker

My 356 doesn't know where it's come from. Of course, originally it came from Zuffenhausen but when and from where it arrived on our fair shores is the question. Not really a problem until you try and get the vehicle registered, then find out that Mrs DVLA wants your NOVA document. No, it's not a Chevy Nova or even a Vauxhall Nova, it is the 'notice of vehicle arrival' and I didn't have one. This is a HMRC thing because there might be VAT to be paid on said importation. So I spent an evening trawling through HMRC websites to try and find a way out of this dilemma and ultimately did find a small paragraph on procedures when a vehicle was procured as a restoration project without heritage. Contacting the correct HMRC office to obtain a blank NOVA form took three tries and it took 10 days for the form to arrive. It was an eight page deal which I duly completed enclosing covering explanatory letter and a wad of all the invoices that I had accumulated during the re-build and restoration of the car. And I waited, and yesterday an official governmenty brown envelope popped through the mail box, and, joy of joys importation confirmed, albeit from nowhere stated, no VAT to pay, and I should think not being a 1962 European origin vehicle, and the letter stated that I can proceed with my registration application to the DVLA. Phew, so just one small step left and I can officially be on the road.

Great leap forward !

Hope that the UK registration process goes smoothly.

Do you have 'official' proof of the age of the car ?

Very pleased for you, must have been a worry!

Roy

Yes it has been a worry, thoughts of possibly turning the car into a track day machine are now thankfully passed. I had absolutely no knowledge of this NOVA procedure, especially as the last vehicle I imported from the States came into the country as smooth as you like. It was a 914 I bought in Santa Ana and I flew it back on Virgin straight into Gatwick. I got a Customs and Excise form 386, gave this to the freight clearance agent and, if I recall, a couple hundred pounds and 24hrs later I was driving my 914. Simples.
Anyway, I just hope the registration goes smoothly, and I have requested the registration number 'A356' well I think it's the least they can do after all my problems!

Congratulations on a major step forward, sounds like a lot of time and patience was needed to achieve it.

there's a woman who has the reg number 356A, 356B or 356C (forget which) on her new aston martin db11 - saw her at a petrol station near me.
told her she needed the car to go with the plate, and apparently she's always wanted one. she brought the db11 as a toy car in the meantime.. its alright for some!

best of luck with the DVLA - sounds like you're making progress

Just to add something that lt.wt. mentioned, I was able to get an official Certificate of Authenticity from Porsche Cars GB just on the strength of the chassis number and Porsche Club GB provided a similar document both indicating period of the year of manufacture - 1962, and I do believe having these papers were advantageous in gaining official approvals.

Congrats

To continue . . . the DVLA instead of giving me a wonderful Christmas present of a V5 and official registration for my little 356, they have instead given me a profound kick in the balls. The DVLA have said NON.
The letter of rejection I received back from the gnomes of Swansea was a little hard to understand. It was obviously of a fairly standardised format and included phrases such as "if the vehicle manufacturer is no longer in existence". I would like to think that even the most automotively disinterested person might just have some clue that Porsche cars are possibly still churning out the odd car or two. And although having a copy of the Porsche Cars GB certificate of authenticity which clearly states the chassis number and specifies model 356B November 1962, they write "you have not provided sufficient evidence of your vehicle's date of manufacture". They continue to say such information can be obtained from recognised owners clubs (should the manufacturer be no longer in existence). I was surprised to read this especially as I had enclosed a letter from Porsche Club GB's Steve Kevlin stating the 356 was a 1962 model.
At the time, yesterday, I was somewhat annoyed, but 24 hours on I am full of resolve and shall be booking a flight to Stuttgart and when I get to Zuffenhausen I shall seek out the bloke that built my car and bring him back to Swansea and have him punch this Welsh rejection letter writing jobsworth in the face and keep doing so until he gives me a V5.
I'm not done yet.

Graham,

Your way could work, and I for one would pay to see that ! But may I suggest another polite letter reintroducing your evidence. I can vouch for that working.


Best

Sanjay

Do you have the Kardex?

Hi Graham,

Its no surprise that the DVLA have messed up once more. I went through this process earlier in the year, and after obtaining my shiny new MOT, I filled out the V55/5 and gathered together the paperwork to send off. Then waited, expecting about 2-4 weeks to go by before I had my V5.

Nothing happened, and I made several attempts to contact them. No email addresses are available for an actual person, and trying to use the phone just led me into automated calling hell. There are no options to adequately describe the process of registering a car built in Germany in the '60s, then repatriated to the UK from the USA by merely pressing buttons!

I eventually used the form on the website to contact someone, giving all my details, and after 5 weeks I did get an email reply, stating that they could find no record of my application, and had therefore lost ALL my documents! Would I mind starting the process again, and resubmitting everything? The astute among you will have realised that this could be somewhat tricky. Now, they state on the V55/5 that they don't accept copies, but I had kept copies both electronically and paper. At least this time I had an email address of a real person to use, so I began to plead my case, and after about half a dozen emails back and forth, they said that they would accept my electronic copies, as mine still hadn't turned up. I eventually got to speak to an actual person! A number was duly issued, and the next day I made some plates up, took the train to Gatwick and picked my car up from Garry (VisualFX), so all ended well. Sometimes I think that our poor understaffed Civil Servants enjoy a laugh at our expense.

Now, I had 2 Certificates of Authenticity, because of a small spelling mistake on the first one. PCGB sorted it out, and issued another correct one promptly, but I noticed that both had printed on the bottom that they weren't to be used for dating purposes! Is yours like that?

When I sent off my CofA, I carefully trimmed that part stating that it should not be used for dating off the bottom of my first document with the spelling mistake, thinking that it might just help my case. Not that I would recommend anyone else doing that of course!

PCGB will sell you a Letter of Origin for £65
This is supposed to be the proof of year of manufacture to be used for registration purposes.
As they have already issued you with a COA it should hopefully be straightforward to apply
for one. As with the CoA there is a form to be filled out.

Hope that helps.

Andy

Kardex, I have only read of these in the 356 Registry magazine when some real darling of a car comes to a Barratt & Jackson auction or similar and together with the cars' history a Kardex is included. But how do you go about getting one. I would genuinely go out to Zuffenhausen to get one if I had to. I was there this year for the factory tour so I know my way around. Do tell me more.

DaveP on here is your man. Kardex@bell.net is where I got my kardex for my 356A.