GETTING IT ON THE ROAD

The most painful bit, especially as when you approach this point the car is ready to go and begging to be driven! And in my case as the process dragged on it meant having to cancel all the trackdays that I had pre-booked.

The SVA could only be booked once the kit had been delivered (29th May 2002) and on average the lead times for tests were running at 8-10 weeks! I was booked in for Tuesday 13th August 2002 at Gillingham (selected because they are familiar with Sevens - that's where Caterham themselves go), though unfortunately the appointment was missed when James Whiting's van broke down en route! Although only 90 minutes late they would not test it, even though they knew what had happened and had no other car waiting.

Paul Harvey very kindly gave up his slot 2 days later on Thursday 15th August, avoiding a further 8 week wait for another appointment, and the car sailed through. I went down to see James and Ruth that afternoon to pick up all the paperwork.

The next day I took what I thought were all the correct documents - V55 form, the Statement of Newness, invoices, insurance certificate, retention certificate for the NJA509 plate, and of course a cheque for the licence and first registration fees - to Oxford DVLA expecting to walk away with a tax disc. Unfortunately this was not to be so, as Oxford are one of the DVLA Local Offices who have a policy of inspecting all kit cars to verify the identity of its components themselves. This decision is down to each local office.

There was further confusion with the V55/4 form that Caterham supplied as apparently it is also used for imported vehicles. However, I understand that it is indeed the correct form to use if you are registering the car as new.

So after a fairly sweary exchange with the man behind the window, an appointment was made for 9am on Tuesday 20th August at Bicester - meaning trackday cancellation number 3 (Brands Hatch that very day).

As the DVLA had made it clear to me that I was not to drive the car even to the inspection (another differing of opinion between offices), I arranged for Classic Vehicle Collections to pick the car up from James and meet me at the test centre at the appointed time. Mr DVLA was late, but friendly and seemed happy enough as he filled in the Build-Up form. When I asked him why this inspection was even necessary given all the supporting documentation and the passed SVA test, he told me that Caterham used to be in the habit of issuing Statements of Newness for vehicles that blatantly weren't - though he did qualify that by adding that they hadn't done it in years. Even so, they had been caught out before, so still make a point of checking all kit cars and especially Caterhams!

After the inspection the car was brought home for the first time to await arrival of the prized tax disc in the post. The inspector told me that he was returning to the office that afternoon and that hopefully it would get processed straight away, or failing that the following day (Wednesday). By Friday I still had not received anything in the post so rang DVLA Oxford at 9.30am to ask what was going on, only to be told that my application hadn't been looked at yet as the lady who does all the kit cars was away that week! Surely once all the paperwork was together anyone should be able to tick the boxes and process it? Apparently not

Needless to say, I wasn't terribly happy and asked them to call me back to let me know when it was going to be completed - my strong preference being immediately! By lunchtime I still hadn't received a call so rang back and asked to speak to the Manager. By this time it seems it had been done, so I went straight in to collect it rather than then subject myself to the mercy of the post! A week later than expected, but I'm now road-legal! Gasp

NICK'S TIPS FOR A STRESS-FREE FIREBLADE REGISTRATION

Avoid having a hard and fast required on-road date. This can be a long and unpredictable process - being flexible will keep the blood pressure down!

Make sure you speak to James Whiting for how to get the car through its SVA. He is familiar with what they look for and has the kit to adapt the car as necessary. If James is not taking it through the test for you himself, make sure you follow his instructions!

If practical use Gillingham for the test as they know the car. Using a different SVA centre may prove a false economy if they fail it first time

Check whether your local DVLA office carries out the final inspection, and make allowances for the time and potential transport costs involved. A wait of 10 days for an inspection is not unknown, only after which will the licence application be processed - which itself can take days. In addition to Oxford, I believe Brighton and Stanmore carry out these inspections, but Reading has certainly registered a new FireBlade without. Luck of the draw I suppose

Remember the DVLA aren't in as big a rush as you are