Ex TVR Employees Question
Discussion
Hi Folks, I was wondering if anyone from the factory on here could shed any light on the comments on my type approval certificate??? It mentions a Richard Bullock and is signed with a starlike "K". Does anyone know who these people are/were?
I have traced six of the previous owners but unsure of the first three.
I have traced six of the previous owners but unsure of the first three.
It's an old "Subsequent Minister's Approval Certificate" from the UK Low Volume Type Approval scheme. It all looks to be in order, with the government's authenticating stamp on the bottom right hand side of the paper. It will be unique to the vehicle whose VIN appears on it. That vehicle will have been one of the 500 per year of its type that we were allowed to produce in that year.
The VIN quoted "SDLDXXXXX" is the VIN of the vehicle to which it relates. When TVR first got their UK Low Volume Type Approval on that vehicle "type", they would have done all the relevant tests and then the Vehicle Certification Agency would have carried out a "Whole Vehicle Inspection" on another example of that "type" to make sure it was all the same as the ones that had been tested. Once satisfied, they would issue a "Primary Minister's Approval Certificate".
The UK Low Volume Scheme allowed up to 500 examples of any one "type" per year to be produced. Every time TVR built one, they would issue a certificate like the one shown, with that actual vehicle's VIN on it. In effect, this was TVR's declaration that the vehicle whose VIN appears on the certificate, was built exactly the same as the one that was "type" approved. These were called "Subsequent Minister's Approval Certificates" (SUBMACs). Each one would be posted to the Vehicle Certification agency, who would stamp it with their official hole punch stamp (bottom right) and add one to their register of vehicles produced in that year (so they could keep a tally of the 500 allocation). They'd then post it back to TVR, who would use it to register the car with.
As for who Richard Bullock was, that's a complete mystery! I don't remember anyone of that name working there at the time. Of coure, he may have been a customer (or a dealer), I guess?
The VIN quoted "SDLDXXXXX" is the VIN of the vehicle to which it relates. When TVR first got their UK Low Volume Type Approval on that vehicle "type", they would have done all the relevant tests and then the Vehicle Certification Agency would have carried out a "Whole Vehicle Inspection" on another example of that "type" to make sure it was all the same as the ones that had been tested. Once satisfied, they would issue a "Primary Minister's Approval Certificate".
The UK Low Volume Scheme allowed up to 500 examples of any one "type" per year to be produced. Every time TVR built one, they would issue a certificate like the one shown, with that actual vehicle's VIN on it. In effect, this was TVR's declaration that the vehicle whose VIN appears on the certificate, was built exactly the same as the one that was "type" approved. These were called "Subsequent Minister's Approval Certificates" (SUBMACs). Each one would be posted to the Vehicle Certification agency, who would stamp it with their official hole punch stamp (bottom right) and add one to their register of vehicles produced in that year (so they could keep a tally of the 500 allocation). They'd then post it back to TVR, who would use it to register the car with.
As for who Richard Bullock was, that's a complete mystery! I don't remember anyone of that name working there at the time. Of coure, he may have been a customer (or a dealer), I guess?
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