Blackbird sprint eligibility

[neilg]

Chaps, this has been probably covered before somewhere but can someone clariry the rules regarding Catalytic convertors on my year 2000 manufactured carburetted honda blackbird seven.

Basically i'd like to have a go at a few rounds next year but it seems to me , and i could be wrong, that my car is a bit of a bugger due to the fact that it was made in 2000 and therefore needs a cat. With carbs this is not possible is it?

Do i therefore have to have the car made fuel injection ( a right palava i should think!!) or is it the car is basically one that can't ( for sensible money) be eligible.Cheers in advance. Neil

[Shaun_E]

How do you pass an MOT?

If the engine is older than the car (and you can prove it) then your MOT emissions are tested to the age of the engine. I have no idea whether that exemption will also be allowed by the MSA. I guess the exact wording won't be known until the 2009 Blue Book is published. The proposed regulations were published in one of this years Motorsport Now magazines but I don't recall if there was any exemption for cars with pre-2000 engines. I suspect this is a situation that hasn't been catered for.

 

Yellow SL #32 - member of Drowned Rat Racing

[Manxseven]

Neil,

 

What year is your Chassis ? Reason I ask is;

 

The MSA state that for production saloons and sports cars (and including modified production saloons and sports cars) manufactured after 31st Dec 1999 need a CAT to be fitted as from 1-Jan-2009.

 

So say yours was manufactured before 31st Dec 1999. ❗

 

Simon

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Caterham BEC here

 

Edited by - Manxseven on 5 Nov 2008 20:58:12

 

Edited by - Manxseven on 5 Nov 2008 21:02:06

[neilg]

Hi Shaun, yep my guess is my engine is older than the car, i think my engine is a 98-99 model. When i come to MOT's the computer at the station just comes up with N/A and they only have to do a visible smoke test. It's abit of a grey area to be honest and i think relies on a bit of discretion on behalf of the tester. Where all this leaves me with the MSA i've no idea and i suspect is a situation they haven't catered for.

Anyone else any ideas.

[neilg]

Simon, my chassis is a "y" on the tenth digit of the chassis number and therefore is a year 2000 i think.

[Manxseven]

Neil,

 

Amended my post above.

 

I wouldn't thought the scrutineer will know a 'Y' mean 2000, so bluff it 😳

 

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Caterham BEC here

[neilg]

Well i'm all for a bit of bluffery and i would really like to have ago at a bit of sprinting so i'll have to see how it all goes. Trouble is of course now that i've mentioned it on here i'm a wee bit exposed already. 😬 😬

My Blackbird was one of the pre-production models that had carb engines fitted before Caterham themselves built the five or so models ( on fuel injection) that they marketed. It's abit of an oddball.

My oddball car here!!

Cheers chaps.

[Mike Molloy]

I am in the same boat as Neil. ☹️

My 'bird is also a "Y" (2000) chassis, and therefore requires a cat.

However, although the engine is EFi it is a pre-cat model, and I don't think one has ever been fitted. Certainly I only get the "visible smoke test" come MOT time.

 

How will the scrutineer determine "date of manufacture"?

Is it stated somewhere on the registration doc?

My numberplate dates me as 1984!

 

 

[BYKer Will]

Nelly / Mike

 

I suspect your log book will just say the date of first registration and make no mention of manufacture date whatever that is.

 

 

If registration of a kit car took place sometime in 2000 is it not very possible the car was "manufactured" over say a previous 9 month period partly in 1999 and partly in 2000. If so what is the actual date of "manufacture"? Is it the date the build started or when it finished ?.

 

Also just because a car has a chassis from a certain year is it not possible it was manufactured previously and for whatever reason has had a new chassis at some point.

 

Sounds like a right muddle to me. I think I would go with the argument that your cars are pre 2000 especially as you both have 1980's reg plates.

 

If you both do it I might join you for a few rounds as long as I don't need a cat!

 

Will

 

[Offspring]

Neil,

 

Perhaps you could try contacting Rosey Moffatt, the archivist at Caterham Cars. She should be able to provide the original invoice date and possibly the producion date of the chassis.

 

I believe she only works part time, so it might take a couple of days for her to get back to you.

 

Alistair

 

 

[martin b]

Sorry to throw a spanner in the works, or just make sure you go through scrutineering before me coz I have a 2000 car with a 99 chassis, marked with an X, which I am hoping will mean I don't need a cat either.

Seems bl**dy ridiculous to have a cat on a bird, they were never fitted as part of the standard spec.

 

Martin

[BYKer Will]

Hi Martin

 

Your car is the perfect example in that I assume it was built during 1999 and possibly partly in 2000 and then registered in 2000.

 

I would argue it was therefore manufactured in 1999 but wot do I know.

 

Did the blackbirds have to go through the sva in 2000 and if so did caterham fit temporary cats for the day as i think was the case with the fireblades?

 

Certainly seems weird that a cat is not needed on a bird for an mot but is for the msa and less than 20 minutes of sprinting time over a year. Perhaps labour are in charge of the MSA as well.

 

Will

 

 

 

[Jude]

My Bird which is on a 2001 chassis was SVA'd in September 2001with the standard 6" Caterham exhaust. As I understand it, this was the case with all the Blackbirds built at Blackbird Motorsport and I'm not aware of temporary cats being fitted for the SVA.

 

Geoff

[neilg]

Can of worms then chaps. So we still don't know what's what then...hmmm i suppose it'll come out in the wash somewhere. So what are all the bike engined cars planning to do, none of which i presume had a cat on at anytime in their conception / build or since.