VEHICLE AUTHENTICATING

(For notes on registering a car for the first time, click here)

DA7C DVLA approved vehicle authenticator Phil Whitter comments on authenticating Austin Sevens

I will not authenticate a car from photographs and therefore will want to see the vehicle and you will need to take the required photos of it if none exist.

If you are a Club member then I will do my best to help you at minimum cost but sometimes there will be expenditure involved which is unavoidable. It may be to cover the cost of travel to inspect the vehicle or you may need to purchase an authenticated copy of a vehicle registration from a county council archive.

When I inspect a vehicle I need to see one which has all the main components which match the year of the chassis number.  If there are insufficient components on your car to justify either retaining its number plate or gaining an age related plate then I will explain why I am unable to give authentication to that vehicle.

 If you do not have documentation clearly linking your car with its number plate i.e an old-style registration document or an authenticated copy of a Registration Authority's archives linking the Austin Seven chassis number to the registration number, then the DVLA will not agree to letting you have the number. A pair of rusting number plates will not suffice!

To minimise problems in submissions to the DVLA, I like to help as much as possible in completing the necessary paperwork so that if the case is a good one you stand a good chance of being successful. Registering an Austin Seven is not a DIY job and will fail without the involvement of a registered Club Authenticator.

 As I only have knowledge about Austin Sevens and dating them, I do not get involved in any other vehicles.

Phil Whitter

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