An Interesting Find
Discussion
A second Wedge in Houston. The owner passed away and the heirs don't know the details but the story is the original owner bought the car from the factory, drove it around the UK for while (I gather a couple of months) and then shipped it home to Texas.
The Seller on the original Texas title is TVR Engineering LTD Lancashire England, the model year is a 1985, the car was titled in Texas in June 1988 with 32,458 miles on the clock. So what is the story behind the unexplained 2 years and 30k miles???
Did the factory sell used LHD cars or would they have kept one on hand (and rack up some miles) before selling it as used/demo? Or could you buy one and drive it for 2 years in the UK on a factory title - seems unlikely.
BTW - It does not have the big US bumpers, rather the Euro style with a black rubber insert, turn and running lights below the bumper and no driving/fog lights. Everything looks like it was made as a LHD except the mirror controls are on the left side (my '86 has them on the right side) of the binnacle. Red with a magnolia interior.
I'm hoping for a more interesting story.
Thanks Grady
The Seller on the original Texas title is TVR Engineering LTD Lancashire England, the model year is a 1985, the car was titled in Texas in June 1988 with 32,458 miles on the clock. So what is the story behind the unexplained 2 years and 30k miles???
Did the factory sell used LHD cars or would they have kept one on hand (and rack up some miles) before selling it as used/demo? Or could you buy one and drive it for 2 years in the UK on a factory title - seems unlikely.
BTW - It does not have the big US bumpers, rather the Euro style with a black rubber insert, turn and running lights below the bumper and no driving/fog lights. Everything looks like it was made as a LHD except the mirror controls are on the left side (my '86 has them on the right side) of the binnacle. Red with a magnolia interior.
I'm hoping for a more interesting story.
Thanks GradyI think you'd need someone who actually worked at TVR to state categorically whether they had a LHD demonstrator that could have been around for a while before being sold; it would seem unlikely though.
The way it works here is that when a car is first 'registered' with our wondrous DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency - although it'd have been the DVLC (Centre) back then) it acquires a form (I suppose your 'title') which states the Registered Keeper (not necessarily the legal owner). Once sold, the document (nowadays known officially as a V5 but colloquially as 'the logbook' from the days when it really was a book that stayed with the car for life) is amended to show the new Registered Keeper, the previous Keeper and the number of Keepers since first registration (which, confusingly, may not be the date it was built OR first sold).
It nay be that upon import to the USA, the Manufacturer and not the UK Registered Keeper has been entered on the Texas record, thus showing TVR as the first holder of title. Or it may be that it was an ex-demo car and the guy didn't bother to notify DVLC when he bought it (common practice back then to avoid parking fines and the like) so his name didn't appear on the UK records.
Or there may be other options...
The way it works here is that when a car is first 'registered' with our wondrous DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency - although it'd have been the DVLC (Centre) back then) it acquires a form (I suppose your 'title') which states the Registered Keeper (not necessarily the legal owner). Once sold, the document (nowadays known officially as a V5 but colloquially as 'the logbook' from the days when it really was a book that stayed with the car for life) is amended to show the new Registered Keeper, the previous Keeper and the number of Keepers since first registration (which, confusingly, may not be the date it was built OR first sold).
It nay be that upon import to the USA, the Manufacturer and not the UK Registered Keeper has been entered on the Texas record, thus showing TVR as the first holder of title. Or it may be that it was an ex-demo car and the guy didn't bother to notify DVLC when he bought it (common practice back then to avoid parking fines and the like) so his name didn't appear on the UK records.
Or there may be other options...
Actualy he was some kind of civil engineer.
I think he bought it in April 1988 as that is the date of the first lien and then titled it in June 1988. That would tie the "drove it around the UK for a couple of month" (which may have been a month plus shipping time) part together.
He could have gotten the loan on a bill of sale and no local title if he was a good bank customer.
I think he bought it in April 1988 as that is the date of the first lien and then titled it in June 1988. That would tie the "drove it around the UK for a couple of month" (which may have been a month plus shipping time) part together.
He could have gotten the loan on a bill of sale and no local title if he was a good bank customer.
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