TVR Owners in NZ
Discussion
Hey Simon,
Do you still own your Rover P5B saloon? You probably don't remember but we exchanged emails nearly four years ago via the Rover V8 mailing list. You mentioned at the time - 'I've always had a hankering for a TVR, currently I have a modified Rover. I'd like to have a look at your car, I've only ever looked into the windows of parked ones.' And now you look out of the window of a TVR all the time!
I thought your name rang a bell!
Do you still own your Rover P5B saloon? You probably don't remember but we exchanged emails nearly four years ago via the Rover V8 mailing list. You mentioned at the time - 'I've always had a hankering for a TVR, currently I have a modified Rover. I'd like to have a look at your car, I've only ever looked into the windows of parked ones.' And now you look out of the window of a TVR all the time!
I thought your name rang a bell!
Hi Jamie,
Yes, I still own the Rover, my brother is looking after it for me in Wellington (along with house, cat, etc.)
The LTSA were working on an exemption for dedicated motorsport cars. They would need a full cage, race seats and harnesses and this would enable them to be exempt from the frontal impact laws. The car would then need to be raced in a t least 2 events per year to retain this exemption. The person I spoke to said it would be in effect sometime this year, but I don't know if thats changed or not.
The SVA angle I was suggest would be if the vehicle was registered as a one-off. If you designed and built your own car, you can register it as what you like. I just don't know at which point a TVR ceases to be a TVR and becomes something else.
Yes, I still own the Rover, my brother is looking after it for me in Wellington (along with house, cat, etc.)
The LTSA were working on an exemption for dedicated motorsport cars. They would need a full cage, race seats and harnesses and this would enable them to be exempt from the frontal impact laws. The car would then need to be raced in a t least 2 events per year to retain this exemption. The person I spoke to said it would be in effect sometime this year, but I don't know if thats changed or not.
The SVA angle I was suggest would be if the vehicle was registered as a one-off. If you designed and built your own car, you can register it as what you like. I just don't know at which point a TVR ceases to be a TVR and becomes something else.
(re modifying a TVR to escape nz LTsa regulations )
I Just followed my own advice and went through lvvta site.
it's pretty clear, under 'what costitutes a modified vehicle" :'when the modified vehicle contains less than 405 of the original bodywork and less than 40% of the chassis rails and 50% of the crossmembers, or 40% of a spaceframe or floorpan.....'
So thanks for your input and/but the motorsport and via Japan options look increasingly attractive
I Just followed my own advice and went through lvvta site.
it's pretty clear, under 'what costitutes a modified vehicle" :'when the modified vehicle contains less than 405 of the original bodywork and less than 40% of the chassis rails and 50% of the crossmembers, or 40% of a spaceframe or floorpan.....'
So thanks for your input and/but the motorsport and via Japan options look increasingly attractive
Today I went to Acorn Models here in Auckland in the hope of finding a model Cerbera (I know,sad isn't it?)
But could only find a racing Tuscan (PAH!)
Does anyone know who does a model Cerbera to console me until I find my way around the LTSA??????
Yours hopefully (more visceral than cerebral)
But could only find a racing Tuscan (PAH!)
Does anyone know who does a model Cerbera to console me until I find my way around the LTSA??????
Yours hopefully (more visceral than cerebral)
Just got this from Neil Fraser:Roger
Rumours abound all the time in this area. I have checked with the LV cheif excecutive that talks to LTSA daily and in principle it has been agreed to lift the threshold from 200 units p.a. However it is on the list for a law change thru parliament and could take 2 years to be processed.
Did you realise the Chimera was a legal import with its hi-volume type approval ??
Regards
Neil
Rumours abound all the time in this area. I have checked with the LV cheif excecutive that talks to LTSA daily and in principle it has been agreed to lift the threshold from 200 units p.a. However it is on the list for a law change thru parliament and could take 2 years to be processed.
Did you realise the Chimera was a legal import with its hi-volume type approval ??
Regards
Neil
Roger A said:
Did you realise the Chimera was a legal import with its hi-volume type approval ??
Eh? I find that quite strange. ALL vehicles coming into NZ (that don't fall into the 200 or less total production for the manufacturer category) need to have passed off-set frontal-impact tests and the Chimaera most definitely has not. What the hell is Hi-Volume type approval? Chimaeras, whilst being the most popular TVRs are/were still produced in very small numbers - at their peak they probably didn't exceed 1000p.a
Perhaps Mr Fraser isn't quite up to date with the current regulations (which would be odd given that he is a compliance engineer!) or we have all been misled by the LTSA (which wouldn't surprise me!).
Roger A said:
Just got this from Neil Fraser:Roger
Rumours abound all the time in this area. I have checked with the LV cheif excecutive that talks to LTSA daily and in principle it has been agreed to lift the threshold from 200 units p.a. However it is on the list for a law change thru parliament and could take 2 years to be processed.
Did you realise the Chimera was a legal import with its hi-volume type approval ??
Regards
Neil
Hi guys, I am looking at emmigrating later this year, and always planned to bring my '99 Chim 450 with me, but after reading through these posts began to get a bit down-hearted until this! Roger, what does this mean? Does this mean I may be able to bring my P&J with me?
the-gofer said:
Just got this from Neil Fraser:Roger
Rumours abound all the time in this area. I have checked with the LV cheif excecutive that talks to LTSA daily and in principle it has been agreed to lift the threshold from 200 units p.a. However it is on the list for a law change thru parliament and could take 2 years to be processed.
Did you realise the Chimera was a legal import with its hi-volume type approval ??
Regards
Neil
Hi guys, I am looking at emmigrating later this year, and always planned to bring my '99 Chim 450 with me, but after reading through these posts began to get a bit down-hearted until this! Roger, what does this mean? Does this mean I may be able to bring my P&J with me?
I assume that hi volume type approval may be EEC Type Approval which as a high volume manufacturer, TVR have to comply to. However, EEC Type Approval does not demand frontal impact compliance of the type that LTSA require.
As it stands if you ask the LTSA they will say a resounding "NO" but will tell you that they are trying to get the threshold changed for Low Volume regulations, which gives TVR owners more chance. Whats the betting that when the reg change eventually gets through parliament that they also change LV approval to require frontal impact testing, or an airbag or something!
Roger, did you get any feedback from Neil?
I want to pick his brains at some point. I have an idea about how to get a TVR on the road. It's a bit drastic but not beyond the realms of possibility.
I want to know if you scratch-build a chassis and then mate it with components taken from a single manufacturer (body, engine, interior etc) would it be classed as a scratch-built car? If the answer is yes, would this still cover a 100% identical replica of a chassis made by a known factory or would it have to incorporate individual elements in the design?
It's not as big a task as you may think, swapping components from one chassis to another.
I want to pick his brains at some point. I have an idea about how to get a TVR on the road. It's a bit drastic but not beyond the realms of possibility.
I want to know if you scratch-build a chassis and then mate it with components taken from a single manufacturer (body, engine, interior etc) would it be classed as a scratch-built car? If the answer is yes, would this still cover a 100% identical replica of a chassis made by a known factory or would it have to incorporate individual elements in the design?
It's not as big a task as you may think, swapping components from one chassis to another.
Nothing yet sorry,Jamie. He may be away as he's been quick with replies up until now.You can e-mail him through his website (www.fraser.co.nz)
Did you see the definition I posted earlier with percentages of new bits necessary.
If -as was hinted at in an earlier posting of yours- you belive in Sod's law, they'll relax the LTSA laws the moment you've engineered your way around them!
Have we given up on the 2-races-a year option?
Did you see the definition I posted earlier with percentages of new bits necessary.
If -as was hinted at in an earlier posting of yours- you belive in Sod's law, they'll relax the LTSA laws the moment you've engineered your way around them!
Have we given up on the 2-races-a year option?
I haven't heard whether the race-option has been put in force yet. If it's like any other LTSA law-changes it'll take a couple of years to go through after they've made up their minds!
My main reason for thinking about the chassis change is that I know where I can purchase a nearly new Tuscan for a very cheap price because it's not registered in NZ.
I know that you have to change 60% of the chassis AND bodywork in order for a production vehicle to be classed as a scratch-built but surely replacing the chassis completely with something constructed locally would have to have the same effect - a replica TVR if you like. It's a very grey-area and I'd love to know what someone like Neil thinks about it.
My main reason for thinking about the chassis change is that I know where I can purchase a nearly new Tuscan for a very cheap price because it's not registered in NZ.
I know that you have to change 60% of the chassis AND bodywork in order for a production vehicle to be classed as a scratch-built but surely replacing the chassis completely with something constructed locally would have to have the same effect - a replica TVR if you like. It's a very grey-area and I'd love to know what someone like Neil thinks about it.
i got back to neil fraser about his comment re Chimaeras and their high volume status. he attributed the comment to Tony Johnson at the low volume thingamy. he is very pleasant and helpful and has suggested i ring a Mr Parnell at ltsa in Wellington and that on my trip to UK in August i contact the homologation engineer at TVR. You guys have been down this road already?-i'm getting myself a fraser 7 as a consolation so it's time to buy some very small shoes.
Cerbie update... there IS a 4.5LW cerbie in Swordfish Blue down in chch and there's also a Yellow early 4.2/4.5 I've seen parked in Akl on one or two occasions... but both times seen it with no plates on.... so maybe it's one that's not regd and is just driven when the driver's feeling lucky? I know that there are several people in NZ who do few miles in their exotics that don't bother to reg/wof/insure them and only take them out when the roads are empty... the fines aren't too much, you just gotta make sure ya don't have a bash either because even if you are insured they won't cover ya
but some people doit this way
but some people doit this way
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