Importing classic MG TC 1947 from South Africa to uk
Discussion
Hi everyone
I'm looking for some advice and info on this please
I inherited a 1947 MG TC from my dad who passed away a few years ago. His passion and hobby was to rebuild these classic cars the first of which was a Morris 8, then an old fiat 500 Bianchini following on with a MG TD (1950) and finally the MG TC 1947 (with cycle wings)
I watched and helped(hindered) from a very young age as dad slowly put the last two together over a period of 25 years (he was a patient man)
Going on Sunday drives through town and annually making the trip to Cars In The Park at the Willem Prinsloo Museum. Dad also belonged to the MG Club in SA for many years.
The MGs where built up mostly from original parts with perhaps only a few nuts bolts and small items replaced with other new bits or taken from other cars. From what I remember, the TC started with chassis and the wheels, body parts and the rest was collected over years from swap clubs and other classic car enthusiasts around the contry
My car is currently stored on my brother in law's farm in Pretoria where its regularly started and driven to keep it maintained. I was over for my mom's birthday last week and took it for a drive. Its a lovely looking car and drives well.
My idea has always been to bring the car over when finances would allow it for me and my family to enjoy it over here in Hertfordshire
As mentioned, it is a build up car I only had it registered a couple of years ago in SA. It was a proper rigmarole to get it checked out at Pretoria Police Station dealing with stolen cars and car registration where they issued me a chassis number and had it engraved on the body work. After several trips between this police station and the Vehicle registration office on the other side of Pretoria I got the car cleared and registered. It was then also put (so to say) through its road worthy test which I now have and can legally drive the car on the road over there.
I have read another thread on here about someone who was asking the same question as me which gave me some answers but there's a few thing that I would like to check:
As a built up vehicle only registered a couple of years ago in SA, would it still be classified (in the eyes of the DVLA) as classic 1947 car of its age and receive the benefits of no road tax, no MOT and what else when imported?? And am I correct that it will have to be checked by DVLA here first before being considered road worthy?
Any other importing information anyone can provide would be helpful and I would like to say thank you in advance for your help and time
Dieter Pietersen
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I'm looking for some advice and info on this please
I inherited a 1947 MG TC from my dad who passed away a few years ago. His passion and hobby was to rebuild these classic cars the first of which was a Morris 8, then an old fiat 500 Bianchini following on with a MG TD (1950) and finally the MG TC 1947 (with cycle wings)
I watched and helped(hindered) from a very young age as dad slowly put the last two together over a period of 25 years (he was a patient man)
Going on Sunday drives through town and annually making the trip to Cars In The Park at the Willem Prinsloo Museum. Dad also belonged to the MG Club in SA for many years.
The MGs where built up mostly from original parts with perhaps only a few nuts bolts and small items replaced with other new bits or taken from other cars. From what I remember, the TC started with chassis and the wheels, body parts and the rest was collected over years from swap clubs and other classic car enthusiasts around the contry
My car is currently stored on my brother in law's farm in Pretoria where its regularly started and driven to keep it maintained. I was over for my mom's birthday last week and took it for a drive. Its a lovely looking car and drives well.
My idea has always been to bring the car over when finances would allow it for me and my family to enjoy it over here in Hertfordshire
As mentioned, it is a build up car I only had it registered a couple of years ago in SA. It was a proper rigmarole to get it checked out at Pretoria Police Station dealing with stolen cars and car registration where they issued me a chassis number and had it engraved on the body work. After several trips between this police station and the Vehicle registration office on the other side of Pretoria I got the car cleared and registered. It was then also put (so to say) through its road worthy test which I now have and can legally drive the car on the road over there.
I have read another thread on here about someone who was asking the same question as me which gave me some answers but there's a few thing that I would like to check:
As a built up vehicle only registered a couple of years ago in SA, would it still be classified (in the eyes of the DVLA) as classic 1947 car of its age and receive the benefits of no road tax, no MOT and what else when imported?? And am I correct that it will have to be checked by DVLA here first before being considered road worthy?
Any other importing information anyone can provide would be helpful and I would like to say thank you in advance for your help and time
Dieter Pietersen
Did you see this page at the DVLA? https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/applica...
Also this page on "radically altered vehicles". You Dad's isn't altered, but see the section "Keep the orginal number" and if you can show that it has enough original parts to score 8, ten you're sorted. I hope! https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/radically-...
An MG car club could be helpful too, especially in the originality question.
Hope that helps!
John
Also this page on "radically altered vehicles". You Dad's isn't altered, but see the section "Keep the orginal number" and if you can show that it has enough original parts to score 8, ten you're sorted. I hope! https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/radically-...
An MG car club could be helpful too, especially in the originality question.
Hope that helps!
John
Currently, where the car is, what's it registered as? If it's "properly" registered as a 1947, then I'd imagine it should be fine.
If not, perhaps you may be best to go down the "reconstructed classic" avenue, with the assistance of the MG club for assuring provenance: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/reconstruc...
If not, perhaps you may be best to go down the "reconstructed classic" avenue, with the assistance of the MG club for assuring provenance: https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/reconstruc...
We've been here before with SA cars trying to be imported to UK.
As mentioned above, the exact wording of its current RSA registration , date etc is what will determine whether it will be classed as a VHI here in the UK.
I suspect not, if its classifed in RSA as 'built up' and has had a non-original MG VIN number stamped onto it to gain RSA registration.
As mentioned above, the exact wording of its current RSA registration , date etc is what will determine whether it will be classed as a VHI here in the UK.
I suspect not, if its classifed in RSA as 'built up' and has had a non-original MG VIN number stamped onto it to gain RSA registration.
Aeropilot: I checked the reg document and it is stated as built-up.
Is that it for me with regards to getting the car re-registered over here as a classic?
I think very few vehicles of this age will honestly make it through a annual modern day MOT test. I will however follow earlier post advice and get in touch with an MG club.
Don't know if there is scope for getting it re-registered in SA as original. Sorry (but not too sorry) to say that the small brown envelope goes a long way over there 😬.
Im still open to any other ideas out there and thanks again for the responces thus far.
Dieter
Is that it for me with regards to getting the car re-registered over here as a classic?
I think very few vehicles of this age will honestly make it through a annual modern day MOT test. I will however follow earlier post advice and get in touch with an MG club.
Don't know if there is scope for getting it re-registered in SA as original. Sorry (but not too sorry) to say that the small brown envelope goes a long way over there 😬.
Im still open to any other ideas out there and thanks again for the responces thus far.
Dieter
Dieterperiperi said:
Aeropilot: I checked the reg document and it is stated as built-up.
Is that it for me with regards to getting the car re-registered over here as a classic?
There's no 100% answer on it, but from what I've seen with other classic's from SA that are registered as 'Built Up' then I would say it's very likely that's it I'm afraid as far as getting registered in UK as a VHI, as DVLA use the data from where it was last registered on import. Is that it for me with regards to getting the car re-registered over here as a classic?
Ironically, had you not bothered to go through the hassle of getting it registered in SA, then you would have been in a better position for getting it registered in UK, as once imported you could have gone through the MG UK club and got it inspected as being original chassis, and body, components etc., and gone through the DVLA reconstructed classic route, which given what you say, it would very likely have been accepted as VHI by DVLA.
Edited by aeropilot on Monday 15th October 15:18
Dieterperiperi said:
I think very few vehicles of this age will honestly make it through a annual modern day MOT test.
The test makes plenty of allowances for age, and doesn't impose modern standards. You might need to find a tester that understands old stuff, though, but the FBHVC publish a "classic-friendly" list of test stations.You definitely need to get talking a V765-list MG club, though. They should be able to steer you through getting it registered under the "Reconstructed Classic" scheme.
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/reconstruc...
If the SA paperwork makes things harder, then it would be a terrible shame if it went missing.
TooMany2cvs said:
You definitely need to get talking a V765-list MG club, though. They should be able to steer you through getting it registered under the "Reconstructed Classic" scheme.
https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/reconstruc...
If the SA paperwork makes things harder, then it would be a terrible shame if it went missing.
As I said, I don't think the DVLA reconstructed classic route is an option any longer because of the SA registration category. https://www.gov.uk/vehicle-registration/reconstruc...
If the SA paperwork makes things harder, then it would be a terrible shame if it went missing.
It would have been had it not been through the SA process.
InitialDave said:
Can they prove it has if you decide it hasn't?
I think that will depend on how the new allocated SA VIN number has been done or applied to the chassis, as that would have to be err <cough>.......removed prior to inspection by a UK MG club to verify it being a genuine MG TD chassis etc...if you risked importing it, and trying register it as reconstructed classic. Maybe they might also want to evidence of it being put together in UK as well?It's a risk to import and find there's no chance, as the other poster on here a few months back found out with a SA 'built up' registered MGA that had hit a brick wall with DVLA/UK clubs.
Edited by aeropilot on Monday 15th October 15:20
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