How to register your Caterham in California

[Ronbo]

It's good to see the State has finally gotten it's act together with respect to the few kits that are out here. It would be nice to see a few more Sevens around. Speaking of kits, I did see a well-prepared Cobra kit while I was out in the canyon with the Seven the other day.

[venom7]

MAKE YOURSELF KNOW IN SoCal.

 

 Figure if all you 7 drivers had nothing to do this weekend....make yourself known. Don't let the Esprits take up all the parking spaces. I won't be there but I'm gearing up for Laguna Seca, August 15th-18th, vintage races. If your there drop by site 556, on the hill oposite the corkscrew. I won't be bringing the Seven but we'll be around.

http://homepage.mac.com/venom7/Menu4.html

 

LESS THEN A WEEK  - TO THE DAY OF CLYDE

 

ARE YOU READY TO GO TO LA JOLLA ?

   (Just another chance to drive our cars, and have some fun) !!!

 

Club Lotus L.A. welcomes CLYDE SHEPHERD of

 

LOTUS CARS, U.S.A. , to Southern California

 

Date:     Saturday, 3 August, 2002

 

 

 

Time:     12:00 PM

Place:    Symbolic Motor Cars, La Jolla, CA.

              http://www.symbolicmotors.com/framesets/page2.html

              (on the left, click MAPS & DIRECTIONS)

 

             Harry Osborne, of Symbolic Motor Cars, has generously invited us

             all down to, not only tour their beautiful showroom, but their excellent

             Restoration Shop, as well.    (It is reputed to be one of the best in the

             country).   After lunch, (Thank you Symbolic), there will be, car talk, 

             looking, touching (very carefully), And doing all of the things that real

             car guys do, at a place like this, (in between the cars, I guess that we

             will have a chance to talk to Clyde too), at about 2:00 PM,  Harry will

             lead all (who want to go) to the much renowned Symbolic Restoration

             Shop, for a "Special" tour - Only for us.  this will take about an hour &

             a half.

        

             We will then have around 2 hours free time to walk around La Jolla,

             and go to some of the other GREAT car places there. 

             BE WARNED  If you bring your Lady, this is a serious shopping

             zone.

 

             We then have Dinner reservations at The Spot, (at 5:45), A

             nearby (relatively inexpensive) Steak House, for steaks, and libations.

 

             Clyde says that he is very excited, and looks forward to meeting

             all of the Club members in Southern California, that he has just talked

             to on the phone, or over the Internet.

 

            This will be one of the greatest events that we have ever had.

 

            Do not miss this one !!!   I'm so excited, I think

         that my pleasure reservoir, just overflowed

 

            Please R.S.V.P. to Marc Forby, or myself (so we can have enough

            food).

 

Gordonie        gordonie@earthlink.net     marcforby@hotmail.com  

 

 

Edited by - venom7 on 2 Aug 2002 05:06:43

[magnusfeuer]

I passed my smog referee inspection!

 

After ten days of waiting for my smog excempt certificate, I called the smog appointment office and asked if they could send me another copy. At the end they agreed to fax their copy to the smog inspection station. I got an appointement the very next business day.

Of course, when I came home that night, the certificate was waiting for me in the mail. Oh well.

 

Today I took the Caterham over to the smog guys and handed over the paperwork (including the CHP VIN check forms) and said: "Specially constructed vehicle." They asked me which year I wanted my 2001 Zetec engine to be registered as.

"1965 please."

"Ok."

The wonders of bureaucracy!

 

The car was driven over to the shop at another side of the door and had its engine revved up and down for thirty minutes.

 

After that they came out and gave me some filled out forms with the smog result. Although I didn't had to meet any emission standards, it would have passed anyway. Seems like I got the ECU hooked up right after all.

Total cost: $0.

 

Tomorrow I'll drop by DMV and try to persuade them to give me a set of license plates.

 

An ugly question has entered my mind, though. Where the hell do I put the front license plate without ruining the looks of the car?

 

That's it!

 

Drop me an email if you have any questions.

 

/Magnus F.

magnus.feuer@wirelesscar.com

 

[Ronbo]

Congratulations! That's great news about getting through the smog inspection. Regarding the front plate, I have mine hanging on my garage wall. I've been driving for 9 years like this and have never been challenged by police. I realize that it is required by law, but it seems lightly enforced.

[Smokin Joe]

Ronbo,

Involved building a whole new frame! a little wider and a bit taller, certainly stronger! not much weight diff total weight with fluids 1350lbs. however the height with the hood scoop accomodates a standard k&N filter on top of the carb on high rise manifold. anticipate finishing the car by end of October. Finally decided on Chrysler Inca Gold as the color, gorgeous with carbon fiber! The V6 is a 60 degree 3.4 liter with big valve heads, t5 tranny, and 3.4:1 10 bolt rear end all of which is cheap and plentiful. With this combo I can hit 60 in 2nd easily and cruise in 5th @ 70 for 2200 rpm. with close to 300lbft of torque from 2000 rpm no need to rev - instant steam!

Wish we could post piccies!

Regards,

Joe

[dino ferrana]

Magnus place you number plate in your passenger footwell with some number plate tape on it. Make sure the tape is dirty and the plate scratched.

 

You can now safely claim that it has just fallen off!

[magnusfeuer]

Done!

 

I got my car insured about two months ago and have been driving around since then, making California highways a bit less secure.

 

Last week I realised that my temporary operating permit was about to expire, so I finally hauled myself + car to a licensed shop to get my brake and light inspection done.

 

Brakes where done in a whiff, but the lights were a bitch to adjust since the lenses did not have the little glass protusions that you dock the light adjusting tool with. That in combination with the infamous bad batch of lights that are almost impossible to tighten, led to that I learned a few new american swear words by just observing the light adjuster guy doing his work.

 

With the brake and light certificate in my hand, I today entered the DMV. 20 minutes later I came out with my license plates and registration. The title will arrive in the mail during the next couple of weeks.

 

I am now street legal!

 

I may try to write down the entire process in a word document and distribute to those who buys a kit here.

 

The problem with where to attach the front license plate remains. I may go for photoshopping a exact copy of it and contact cementing a laminated printout on the nose cone just in front of the Caterham logo.

 

Is this good or bad?

 

This weekend I am off with Brad Underdahl to blat the mountains north of San Diego. I'll take pictures!

 

/Magnus F.

 

PS.

If you want to see the world through my eyes when I am driving, a close resemblance can be found at:

http://www.ghostridermovie.net/movies/GhostTrailer.mov (Slow server!)

The movie is shot in my old hometown of Stockholm, Sweden (mostly at the highway Essingeleden).

 

[Ronbo]

Must feel good to be street legal! Regarding the license plate, that is a problem. I suppose the nose cone is really the only spot, but what a cosmetic nightmare. Only alternative would be tie-wrapping to the grill, but that would of course cut off the supply of air to the radiator. If you do fasten to the nose cone, perhaps you could try an adhesive like rubber cement vs. contact cement. Rubber cement is easily removed when you want without damaging the fiberglass, which couldn't be done with contact cement.

 

Have fun in the twisties!

[magnusfeuer]

Yep,

 

It's either on the nose cone or on one of the cycle wings. I will play around with different positions this weekend. Rubber cement will be the way to go.

 

/Magnus F.

[Smokin Joe]

Magnus fortunately we have no front plate requirement here in the other LA, I was thinking.....Is it a possible to take the standard square plate and mount it low on the frontlip of the nosecone slanted steeply back towards the grill like a mini spoiler. The small amount of area blocked should be covered by the scoop effect forcing air into the nose. of course you would lose a little ground clearance but not much.

Just a thought......congrats on getting her on the road

 

 

[magnusfeuer]

Joe,

 

I have done a very unscientific survey of the cars that drives around in the LA area. It seems like at least 20% of them have "lost" their front plates. I intend to be in that group until Mr Policeman says something else.

 

Problem solved. (For now.)

 

/Magnus F.

[Ronbo]

The police here won't typically stop you for failing to have a front plate. If you get stopped for something else, you may get written up for it. As I stated previously, I've been driving my 7 for about 9 years without a front plate and have not had a problem.

[yankeedoodoo]

Magnus, I'm going with your solution. 😬 See you on the road one of these days. Are you going to the British car day in Bonsall (east of Oceanside) on Oct, 6 from 10-2PM?

[Nick M]

Thread Hijack Alert !!!

 

I'm trying to bring a car over to the US from the UK as a temporary personal import for 12 months (to avoid having to modify it so it could be formally imported and registered in the US) but I'm having real trouble trying to find anyone to insure it.

 

I've tried some of the classic / collectors / kit car insurers and they won't touch it unless it's registered in the US.

 

Now, I *know* people bring their cars to the US for short periods of time but does anyone have any idea, or leads, on how they might actually get them insured ??

 

Any assistance much appreciated.

[Ronbo]

Nick,

 

Why wouldn't your UK insurance company provide coverage for you? I know some people here that have shipped cars to other countries and haven't had to change insurance companies.

 

You mention the collector car insurers won't give you coverage. The problem with the more mainstream auto insurance companies here is that they would have *no clue* as to what a Caterham is. Their first question would be "Caterham, hmmm... Who makes that?" Good luck!

[Michael Peterson]

Nick:

 

I would keep all the insurance isssues on your side of the pond. U.S. insurance companies will not touch a foreign registered car. The laws vary from State to State, but...... not likely.

 

My Seven is straight UK spec, unmodified, but the hoops you must jump through to get it by the Feds are many. Plates are little problem once it's in.

 

The local plod will have a hard time making tickets stick with a UK plate Could be loads of fun. Where will you be? Email if you need local support.

 

Cheers!

 

Michael

 

No officer, the wheel is on the RIGHT side.

Red Super Sprint De Dion Soon!

[Nick M]

Hmmm, thanks chaps.

 

The problem I have with insurance companies in the UK is that they wont' continue to cover the car while it's in the US. Europe, no problem, but they don't like the idea of it being in the US for 12 months.

 

I'm going to speak to the AAA and see what they have to say, although I'm assuming they're more of a commercial organisation so may not be that interested.

 

Michael, when you say your car is straight UK spec, how did you manage to blag that ? Is it because of how old it is or the fact that it's fitted with all the relevant parts ?? Part of the problem I expect to face is that my car has no windscreen, just an aeroscreen.

 

Incidentally, I suppose I should confess that the car is actually a Westield , but I'd been following the thread about registering a Caterham in California and thought I might be able to pick up some useful pointers.

 

I'll go back to my UK insurance company and have another go but I'm not expecting much.

 

Thanks again.

[Nick M]

Incidentally, I'm going to be in Phoenix (Glendale). I think there's a couple of people from the USA se7ens list based in this area but if there's anyone else locally then it would be nice to meet up with them - even if I didn't get my car over here I might still be able to get my fix of all things se7en !! 😬

[Michael Peterson]

Nick:

 

Since its only [W]estfield you could always sell it and pick one up here (check Ebay under Lotus 😳) though it would likely be expensive.

 

Mountains and red rock up toward Sedona *thumbup* were made for Se7ens! Fantastic drive!

 

1997 Cross flow, burning leaded fule(100 0ctane), right hand drive, full title and plate

 

Just the way it should be. 😬 You don't have two years to wade through the paper work. Just call it latteral thinking.

 

How long will your insurance cover you for........ Then get an extension, or tell them you are going back after a very short stay in the UK and want to do it again.

 

Cheers!

 

Michael

 

Full of blag Yank

[Nick M]

Michael, sadly selling isn't an option - it's just been through a rather expensive upgrade and there's no way I would get anything like the money it's really worth. Besides, I just couldn't !! 😬

 

The roads up past Sedona were really what made me *definitely* want to bring the car over - that and wanting to humble some of the big V8 behemoths at the local drag strip !! 😬

 

The problem with the insurance in the UK is that a) we're selling our house in the UK so I won't have a proper UK address. The car's going to be stored at a friends house in all likelyhood. They also need to know where the car is going to be kept on a regular basis otherwise they can cancel the insurance policy if it's not being kept where they were told it is, i.e. the risk profile is different for the location, or it's being used for, say, commuting rather than just weekend fun. My biggest concern would be how I'd deal with a claim on insurance if, heaven forbid, I were to have an accident over here, particularly one involving an injury to someone. The idea of being sued for millions of dollars isn't, strangely enough, a very appealing one !!

[magnusfeuer]

Yankeedoodoo,

 

As usual, I had no clue about the British Car day in Bonsal. Of course I will come. I still have about 2 kg of bugs on my windshield after our last 300 mile blat day. Should probably wash them off before I show up.

 

Do you have a web page for the event?

 

/Magnus F.

 

[magnusfeuer]

Nick,

 

We brought over a Swiss registered smart here and got a temporary California registration for it. We then got it insured here. My office manager will mail me the name of the insurance company.

 

I have no clue about Arizona DMV rules, but in California you would be able to reg it as a specially constructed vehicle like the rest of us have done here. There are no rules (as far as I know) stating that the vehicle must have been built in the US. As long as you have your invoices and statement of origin, you should be fine. Maybe reg it in California and drive it in Arizona?

 

/Magnus F.

 

[Nick M]

Thanks Magnus - would be much appreciated

 

I've just spoken to a company called Progressive and they're prepared to insure the car over here (albeit at a cost ) when it's a temporary personal import. I'll see if I need to temporary AZ plates as this might mean I can then go to another insurance company and say it's registered here and save a few quid.

 

So, it's looking a damn sight better than it was at 9.00am this morning !! 😬

 

Thanks everyone for your help

[yankeedoodoo]

Re insurance: My 7 is insured by GEICO at a low cost. Allstate also insures a lot of cars in the USA. I suggest doing a websearch for their sites.

[yankeedoodoo]

Magnus, I'll give a call on monday with more info about Bonsall.