Heritage mini shell

[dublinandy1]

Hi All, i am currently in the planning stages of a mini Vtec project. I talked to P&L minis in the UK and they said they would build a heritage shell for me with a pre 84 V5 cert and chassis number. Is it possable then to get this taxed in iraland under classic insurance? has anyone here done this? This will be a show car and only out on the few sunny days a year we have so it will be used as a classic but if i drop a 1.8L Vtec into it i dont want to be paying over 800 a year tax for my second car as well as my daily driver....Getting the new shell would save me alot of headakes but ill go down the road of stripping a pre 84 mini if i have to and replace all the rusty bits if i have to...advice appreciated

[irlmin]

Hi ,
Its not that simple I am afraid , the 'new' heritage shell cannot be registered with a pre 84 reg number or vin . the leglislation here in Ireland dictates that the new shell will have to be registered as a new vehicle when completed , you can use used/ reconditioned components in the build also because you are using an engine / box from another manufacturer you may fall foul of 'type approval' regs when it comes to registering it . in basic terms the cars ID is indicated by the VIN number which is stamped on the shell or( monocoque which is the technical term ) or in the case of 'seperate chassis' models ie Land Rover Defender the VIN number is stamped on the chassis and any body can be fitted . I would also have a good look at your costings on this project and you will find that you will be spending considerably more than the finished vehicle is worth , also I am not sure if you have ever driven a Classic mini with an alternative power unit if not make sure you do before you spend the type of money needed to complete the project correctly, many are completly undriveable, with terrible 'torque steer' and poor handling , ( I personally feel a decent 1380 A+ with a 16V head and throttle bodies etc is a far more interesting car to drive BUT thatsonly my opinion ) . if you are still committed to doing this I would look to buy a finished car where someone has spent the money and now finds they want to move on you will get much better value this way ,Legally what the vendors in UK are proposing is illegal in Ireland and a very 'Grey area' in UK ( I can give you the regs if you need them ) also in Ireland you need a pre 81 vehicle to get 'Vintage' status as regards tax etc . Insurance also is a minefield and should you insure your 'build' as a 'Vintage' vehicle without full disclosure as to the mechanical 'spec' you will find some serious issues in the event of a claim .to sum -up I if you are intent on building the car there are 2 ways to legally do it, no1---- Use the Heritage shell and register it correctly here in Ireland as a new '132' reg car and of course pay VRT on the completed car . no 2 ---- find a decent Irish registered mini with a very good shell and proceed from there , I would be going with option 2 -- much less hassle . option 3 --- buy a completed and tried and tested car and put your own stamp on it as regards personalisation . I hope I have not been too critical but I have seen so many projects like this fail with huge finantial consequences for the owner . if you need any further info on registration / build etc feel free to contact me .
G

[Paulie]

Hi Andy,
Sent you a PM.
Paul.