Weird Q Plate Cerb on eBay

[ukkid35]

Looks very nice, despite being red. Don't understand the Q plate thing though, how does that work?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/322111498233

[V40Vinnie]

The advert says its is stolen recovered or crashed and then re-registered as a 'Kit Car'
'When nearly new it seems the car was stolen recovered or damaged (not to sure)
and for some reason was re-registered as a kit car (the rules were different back then, no sva's)
The car wont need any checks or an Sva test.
So on the registration documet its states Quatum 4.2 v8.
Also correct chassis numbers matching with tvr engine numbers. All done by DVLA.'


Also Registered as a Quantum not a TVR

[ianwayne]

They used to make Quantum kit cars up the road from me, literally, 2 miles away. Moved the production to the West Country. Early ones were based on XR2 running gear. God knows why it would be registered as one of those!

I can only presume the chassis number was ground off. It it wasn't, it may be possible to appeal to DVLA for the original reg.

[FarmyardPants]

Wow you're right that does look nice. If it's as shiny and clean underneath it could be a bargain (esp if turned back into a TVR )

[Kie s2]

Stamped over log book , it would probably say , parts from unknown origin ..... So you can't prove where parts of the car are originally from ....

[aide]

There is no such thing as a stolen Cerbera.

How could anyone steal a Cerbera when we all know owners park them in the living room overnight and never let them out of sight!

I drive mine down the aisles of Tesco

[Byker28i]

So it's had a few mods and bodywork
Front lights are after market as are the back lights
Seats aren't original? Black and red interior not my choice, but it looks in very good condition

But it looks as though it's a very nice car.

[Speed 3]

Probably also marked down in price because it comes with a small g**ger child to look after as well

Odd story on the reg, looks like a decent condition bargain otherwise, wonder if you can put a private plate on a Q ?

[Twinkam]

Hi. Newbie here (be gentle etc etc).
Looking to buy a Cerbera at present so fairly aware of what's currently up for sale.
This very same car was on Gumtree last week for £8500... hmmm...
http://cars.trovit.co.uk/listing/tvr-cerbera-21000...
I also have a very good friend who is a national authority on dealing with DVLA; getting hot rods, kit cars and specials through SVA and registered, and sorting registration issues with re-bodied historic rally cars etc. I had a lengthy chat with him last night:
Simple fact; once a 'Q', always a 'Q'. It cannot be changed for a 'personalised' plate or an age related plate or any other plate. It designates a car which is made of parts from more than one donor and whose age cannot be determined...ie 'Q'uestionable. This without doubt devalues the car, any car.
His opinion is that no car is 'accidentally' registered as something else, such is the detail required on the forms that this would have been quite deliberate and planned. Why would you want to register a TVR as anything other than a TVR? It has more value as a TVR. Someone, way back (it's been SORNed for seven years) wanted to re-register this Cerb but could not do so as a TVR. Possible reasons include CAT A or B write off... or stolen... Either way , they would not have wanted to provide official identity (VIN) or to say that it was all made from one car of a determinate age. So the owner had (or got hold of) a Quantum log book (a sufficiently random marque, I would suggest!) and registered this 'unidentifiable' car as a Quantum 'kit car'. The fact that is clearly not a Fiesta based fibreglass monocoque would have been of no interest to DVLA. If they want verification that a car exists, they generally ask a club secretary who holds a register of owners etc. They themselves don't make an inspection.
More worryingly, DVLA would have absolutely no interest in righting the wrong and issuing a pukka TVR V5 now. In fact, worst case scenario, it could open a can of worms that 'could' lead to ownership being 'lost' ... and for that reason I was advised to run away and not glance back!
Shame because it looks a nice car at a good price, but you know what they say about something which seems too good to be true...

[Speed 3]

So hypothetically if you bought a very tired or CAT D car and transferred "all" the parts from this one bar a couple of bolts, would that make the "revived" car legit in the DVLA's eyes ? What represents the VIN home - I would normally presume the chassis (or whole monocoque in the case or a modern car) but you can get replacement chassis for TVR's.....

Other than that, I guess the only option is a track car or export to somewhere outside the EU that doesn't ask many questions.

Edited by Speed 3 on Wednesday 18th May 12:23

[Byker28i]

Twinkam said:

Hi. Newbie here (be gentle etc etc).
Looking to buy a Cerbera at present so fairly aware of what's currently up for sale.
This very same car was on Gumtree last week for £8500... hmmm...
http://cars.trovit.co.uk/listing/tvr-cerbera-21000...

Here they claim it's a 1997 car, ebay they claim a 1998
Registered date on the plate is 1988

Along with the rebuilt front end, Something not right...

[Twinkam]

Speed 3 said:

So hypothetically if you bought a very tired or CAT D car and transferred "all" the parts from this one bar a couple of bolts, would that make the "revived" car legit in the DVLA's eyes ? What represents the VIN home - I would normally presume the chassis (or whole monocoque in the case or a modern car) but you can get replacement chassis for TVR's.....

Edited by Speed 3 on Wednesday 18th May 12:23

Two different things here; what a car gets registered as when it's first built, and what happens when it has a change of chassis/moncoque.
I'm not up on the details of all the regs myself but I understand that when building a kit car or special, there's a points system; the 'chassis scores 'x', the engine 'y', rear axle 'z' etc etc. If you accumulate enough points with parts on which you can prove the required provenance, you get an age related plate relating to the main donor vehicle. Otherwise it's a 'Q' plate for you.
If you re-shelled a Mini or Midget, it would continue to be what it was before. I don't know whether Heritage shells come with a new VIN, but the make and model clearly remain what they were, including on the V5. So a new chassis on this 'TVR', even direct from the TVR factory and with TVR stamped all over it, would just be a replacement chassis, so it would continue to be what it's registered as, ie a Quantum.

[Twinkam]

Byker28i said:

Here they claim it's a 1997 car, ebay they claim a 1998
Registered date on the plate is 1988

Along with the rebuilt front end, Something not right...

As high as Billingsgate on mid-summer's day, Byker...