Dutton kit car roadster

Dutton kit car roadster

Author
Discussion

A500leroy

Original Poster:

5,583 posts

125 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
What do I need to know?

Its got Ford power but thats all I know.

Will it need it SVA? Its currently on an old 1973 k plate.

ARHarh

4,274 posts

114 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
A500leroy said:
What do I need to know?

Its got Ford power but thats all I know.

Will it need it SVA? Its currently on an old 1973 k plate.
It won't need SVA if it is registered. Unless it was not registered correctly back in the day. But rules were very different back then.

smokey mow

1,106 posts

207 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
If it IS a Dutton and already correctly registered, then no IVA will be needed.

If it’s anything other than a Dutton passing itself of as something it isn’t by using a Dutton V5C then an IVA would be needed.

InitialDave

12,220 posts

126 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
smokey mow said:
If it IS a Dutton and already correctly registered, then no IVA will be needed.

If it’s anything other than a Dutton passing itself of as something it isn’t by using a Dutton V5C then an IVA would be needed.
Yes, there seemed to be a spate of this.

Do you have any photos of it? Most Duttons are fairly... distinctive in appearance, so it should be relatively easy to make a call on.

And what does the V5C specifically say it's registered as?

A500leroy

Original Poster:

5,583 posts

125 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
Got to go and view it so im just finding out what I need to know before I go as ive not really heard of them!

So it should say Dutton on the V5? Ill check.

Also whats a decent price for one of these?

InitialDave

12,220 posts

126 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
It should say Dutton on the V5C, and it should actually be a Dutton.

Element 1, back in the day, you could build a kit, and keep the registration paperwork as the crusty old Escort or whatever you based it on. When they tightened up the rules with things like SVA/IVA, there was an amnesty on existing kits to basically launder such registrations into being properly recorded as what they were. If you have an old kit whose identity wasn't "fixed" in this way, and the V5C still says its a Ford Escort, it may well be no issue, but if you're the one holding the bag when someone goes "hang on a minute, no it bloody isn't", you'll have a lot if fun and expense getting an old school kit through current testing to properly register it.

Element 2, because of the expense and hassle of doing the job properly, some people took to building their Seven style kit or similar, and rather than go through the full inspection etc, found a tired cheap Dutton that was already properly registered, bought it, put the registration on the car they've built, and disposed of the remains of the Dutton. To most people, this would now look like a "properly" registered kit car, but it's technically just a ringer.

Why Dutton specifically? Basically, because they were one of the most common kit brands, and so if you set out to find a cheap and ropey old kit to sacrifice for such an endeavour, it's quite likely you'd find a Dutton.

hidetheelephants

27,783 posts

200 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
1973 it will most likely be a B type or similar, they were Lotus 7-a-likes of a fairly bargain bucket nature and given the age you'll need to closely examine all of it to check for hidden sources of death. It will probably be Triumph Herald front suspension with trailing arms and a panhard rod at the back.

-Cappo-

19,900 posts

210 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
A long time ago, I’m talking 40-odd years, I helped a then-colleague build a Dutton, a Melos I think. We were both qualified mechanical engineers, so it was put together properly, but I don’t recall it being very nice to drive at all, beyond the initial “we built that” euphoria.

A500leroy

Original Poster:

5,583 posts

125 months

Monday 13th May
quotequote all
Thanks lads.