trying to find original owner

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oldcar

Original Poster:

2 posts

3 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
We are the 5th owners of a 1935 Daimler which was originally registered in Aberdeenshire in 1935 and trying to find who the original owner of the car was.
I can't apply for a v888 because the DVLA need a 5pound payment but only by cheque or postal order (both of these methods were discontinued in Australia about 2 years ago.) (the car was brought over to Australia in the 1960's) We applied to the Kithead Trust but they only have the details that the car was registered in 1935 no owner details.
Any advice about how to find who the original owner was would be greatly appreciated.

tapkaJohnD

1,993 posts

211 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
I'm in the UK and wouldn't be in the same position about paying the DVLA's fee, but I'd be most interested in how successful such requests have been. I own a classic car, of a marque that is far from unique but which is as far as I know, the last that has been modified for racing. I have been trying to find out more about its history, but doubt that the DVLA, officious and bound by Data Protection Laws, would be willing to reveal previous owners merely to reveal about a car's history, however historic. The explanatory leaflet for the V888 contains 26 sections all about legal reasons for requesting data, but only one for "your own personal data Subject Access Request".

If anyone has succeeded in extracting historical data I would be most interested to know, and I'm sure that the oldcar will be too!
John

PS Meanwhile, oldcar, surely the DVLA has a bank account? Surely you could pay by bank transfer, or online banking? Go to their "contact the DVLA" webpage at https://www.gov.uk/contact-the-dvla/y and click on "Something else". I've been down that route, but cannot complete it on your behalf. Good luck! J.

akirk

5,618 posts

121 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
It used to be a standard exercise to contact the DVLA and pay your £5 for the car's history including all owners and their addresses...

since GDPR they no longer do it - so that option now no longer exists.

Moulder

1,527 posts

219 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
I am doing similar for a vintage scooter, process was...

Phone Vintage Motor Scooter Club
Provide first two digits of the registration number
They provide the records office contact details for that area
Contact records office, pay £15, they post a certified copy of their records if they have any

ARHarh

4,280 posts

114 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
Would the records from 1935 be on the computer?

I very much doubt it as the brown log book was hand written in those days, and as far as I know records were kept by local councils. The DVLA was not established until 1968.

You may be lucky and the original owner still had the car in 1968.

andrewcliffe

1,114 posts

231 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
Does this help?

https://www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/sites/default/file...

It maybe that there is an archive in Scotland which may have the details you require.

CanAm

10,057 posts

279 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
akirk said:
It used to be a standard exercise to contact the DVLA and pay your £5 for the car's history including all owners and their addresses...

since GDPR they no longer do it - so that option now no longer exists.
GDPR applies to living persons (probably....the Data Protection Act did) and an owner of a car registered in 1935 would be deemed deceased, so they can't hide behind GDPR. They will of course, so not worth the effort. (IANAL)

leefee

634 posts

136 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
Do you have anythinh to go on ? What is or was the reg number ?

akirk

5,618 posts

121 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
CanAm said:
akirk said:
It used to be a standard exercise to contact the DVLA and pay your £5 for the car's history including all owners and their addresses...

since GDPR they no longer do it - so that option now no longer exists.
GDPR applies to living persons (probably....the Data Protection Act did) and an owner of a car registered in 1935 would be deemed deceased, so they can't hide behind GDPR. They will of course, so not worth the effort. (IANAL)
As you say - logic and the DVLA don't mix wink
They now just refuse any application for anything with a person's name...

akirk

5,618 posts

121 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
you can get information from the DVLA API - but it is limited to simply telling you the dates of owner change / number of previous keepers / mot details / number plate changes / etc. - nothing included on addresses...

B'stard Child

29,256 posts

253 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
akirk said:
you can get information from the DVLA API - but it is limited to simply telling you the dates of owner change / number of previous keepers / mot details / number plate changes / etc. - nothing included on addresses...
Thats very interesting to know - is it still a fiver?

akirk

5,618 posts

121 months

Monday 2nd September
quotequote all
B'stard Child said:
akirk said:
you can get information from the DVLA API - but it is limited to simply telling you the dates of owner change / number of previous keepers / mot details / number plate changes / etc. - nothing included on addresses...
Thats very interesting to know - is it still a fiver?
not that simple...
https://ukvehicledata.co.uk/pricing

example of costs

oldcar

Original Poster:

2 posts

3 months

Friday 6th September
quotequote all
Thanks everyone for the information its much appreciated. I contacted Jaguar as they brought out Daimler and have all the old records, but they refused my request due to GDPR rules.. it was 1935 so you would think it wouldn't apply. but I will keep trying and follow up some of your leads. We think the car has a connection to a duke/royalty so it would be fabulous to find it that was true. thanks again

akirk

5,618 posts

121 months

Friday 6th September
quotequote all
oldcar said:
Thanks everyone for the information its much appreciated. I contacted Jaguar as they brought out Daimler and have all the old records, but they refused my request due to GDPR rules.. it was 1935 so you would think it wouldn't apply. but I will keep trying and follow up some of your leads. We think the car has a connection to a duke/royalty so it would be fabulous to find it that was true. thanks again
did you try Jaguar or their archives?
https://www.jaguarheritage.com/archive-services/

I am not familiar with how the collection runs now it is at Gaydon- but when it was at Brown's Lane you used to be able to look through records yourself - and it may well be that in researching your car's history you find / see other information... There shouldn't be a GDPR reason to not see it esp. as the original owners are probably dead by now - but easier to go and be friendly to the archivist and see what you can find...

CanAm

10,057 posts

279 months

Friday 6th September
quotequote all
akirk said:
oldcar said:
Thanks everyone for the information its much appreciated. I contacted Jaguar as they brought out Daimler and have all the old records, but they refused my request due to GDPR rules.. it was 1935 so you would think it wouldn't apply. but I will keep trying and follow up some of your leads. We think the car has a connection to a duke/royalty so it would be fabulous to find it that was true. thanks again
did you try Jaguar or their archives?
https://www.jaguarheritage.com/archive-services/

I am not familiar with how the collection runs now it is at Gaydon- but when it was at Brown's Lane you used to be able to look through records yourself - and it may well be that in researching your car's history you find / see other information... There shouldn't be a GDPR reason to not see it esp. as the original owners are probably dead by now - but easier to go and be friendly to the archivist and see what you can find...
I'm researching my family tree. Individual's records in the 1939 Register (the nearest thing we have to an uptodate Census) are locked, unless they are deceased or over 100 years old.

As this is held by GovUK, I assume this must comply with GDPR, so why should the DVLA be any different?

akirk

5,618 posts

121 months

Friday 6th September
quotequote all
CanAm said:
akirk said:
oldcar said:
Thanks everyone for the information its much appreciated. I contacted Jaguar as they brought out Daimler and have all the old records, but they refused my request due to GDPR rules.. it was 1935 so you would think it wouldn't apply. but I will keep trying and follow up some of your leads. We think the car has a connection to a duke/royalty so it would be fabulous to find it that was true. thanks again
did you try Jaguar or their archives?
https://www.jaguarheritage.com/archive-services/

I am not familiar with how the collection runs now it is at Gaydon- but when it was at Brown's Lane you used to be able to look through records yourself - and it may well be that in researching your car's history you find / see other information... There shouldn't be a GDPR reason to not see it esp. as the original owners are probably dead by now - but easier to go and be friendly to the archivist and see what you can find...
I'm researching my family tree. Individual's records in the 1939 Register (the nearest thing we have to an uptodate Census) are locked, unless they are deceased or over 100 years old.

As this is held by GovUK, I assume this must comply with GDPR, so why should the DVLA be any different?
?
Firstly - was talking about Jaguar's archives - not DVLA wink
Secondly - no it isn't a 100% correct application of GDPR - it is a fudged compromise on the basis of not wanting to deal with how GDPR applies to each individual record...

GDPR is far more open and flexible than most would tell you - those who wrote the laws did a good job of balancing privacy and the need to use data - the consequential surge in people telling you 'no because of GDPR' is a result of people not understanding the law and its nuances - not the law itself restricting them...

TarquinMX5

2,062 posts

87 months

Friday 6th September
quotequote all
akirk said:
?
Firstly - was talking about Jaguar's archives - not DVLA wink
Secondly - no it isn't a 100% correct application of GDPR - it is a fudged compromise on the basis of not wanting to deal with how GDPR applies to each individual record...

GDPR is far more open and flexible than most would tell you - those who wrote the laws did a good job of balancing privacy and the need to use data - the consequential surge in people telling you 'no because of GDPR' is a result of people not understanding the law and its nuances - not the law itself restricting them...
Quite so, however, my view is that many people quote 'GDPR / Data Protection' as a simple excuse for not doing anything, ie it's easier to not bother rather than work with it, for example garages throwing away service histories and quoting GDPR. Likewise, councils generally quote 'biodiversity - rewilding' as an excuse for doing nothing, hence the sorry looking state of many of our towns with weeds everywhere (some so tall they now obscure roadsigns such as chevrons on roundabouts), uncut grass obscuring visibility etc. etc.

Apologies for taking off-topic.