Registration in Tennessee

I transferred my registration from Florida to Tennessee. In Florida it was titled as a 1957 Porsche REPLICA, but in Tennessee my title came back as a 2008 Porsche. I don't know how that will affect any sales later.

Contact your local DMV and see what they say.  Hopefully they're smarter than mine was here in SC.

Have you asked Beck?

If at all possible, don't get it registered as a 1957 Porsche 365 imo. Not only is it not accurate but would make insurance more expensive and likely resale more difficult

Beck doesn’t have specifics for TN, each state is different, so it is tough for them to know all of them. The insurance cost of listing it as a 57 isn’t that different, than listing as a custom build.

I am mostly interested in getting the antique license plate tags. 

Yes not as a 1957 Porsche 356 - you want replica or tribute or even Beck SE in make.  Many states (VA) has a yearly personal property tax you pay based on Kelly Blue Book value (that could be $150k!).  Best to also register it as something exempt from current exhaust emissions and safety state laws.  Many states plug into the ODB port to do emissions - an air cooled engine won't have an ODB port. With a VW pan that is easier as you use the VW pans "VIN" for title so you get a '68 titled  replica with (near) no emission requirement plus it can qualify for antique tags - but as a 1968 vs 1957.  Most states (currently) exempt 25 (or in FL 30) year old vehicles.   Not sure with Beck's custom tube frame - assume it gets special construction or street rod titling? 

Keep in mind that it won't always be registered in TN - some titling designations can affect its resale to other states or countries.  I find it strange that new IMs destined for US can't go back to Canada and be registered (until they are many years old).  Don't ever tell an insurance company it's a kit car --- its a tribute or replica car!

Also remember that, since it's not on a VW pan, you can't license it as a customized VW.  Here in SC mine was registered as a 1957 Beck.  They do a "year it was meant to replicate" thing here.

Buy a car from Greg at Vintage Motorcars of CA with the bigger motor, A/C, and easy titling and registration in TN....plus you will get your car in under 6 months. It will be titled based on the year VW pan it is built on and it will be a quality build for sure. Not suggesting that the Beck is not a quality build but just suggesting you check out Vintage Motorcars build if you have not already done so. 

One if the things you should do Ben is see if there is a Cobra club in Tennessee. Those are all reproductions (mostly) and none of them are on modified VW pans so they will know the steps to get registered in TN. The steps will definitely be different than with a reproduction on a modified VW pan so unless someone here has actually done it they’re guessing at best. 

Thus link may help too: https://www.semasan.com/resour...by-car-all-50-states 

After you go to the site click on TN and read through the fifteen pages of information. 

Slogging through the SEMA site can be daunting.  The company that makes the Cobra replicas is Factory Five Racing and their customers are registering all the time in all 50 states and talk about their experiences on their popular forums, just like on here.   Here is a thread about registering their cars in Tennessee:

Click here.  

@Ben posted:

I am about to place an order with Beck and I am wondering if anyone has registered a Beck or Intermechanica in Tennessee?
I have seen at least one Speedster Replica in TN with Antique Tags. The car was registered as a 1957 Porsche 365. I know it can be done, but I don’t want to mess it up. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.
-Ben

@Ben?  Hi Ben, what ended up happening with you and your car?  I'm in Nashville, I've just started looking and I'm wondering the same.

@Ben  Head's up Ben!  Someone's looking for you.

Thanks Gordon.

I am still in line for our Beck build, but expect it to be completed by April/May of 2022.

I have done quite a bit of research on this and found that in the state of Tennessee, when you are registering a brand new replica car, or kit car; you are supposed to register it as replica of the  year make and model of what it most closely represents. So this means that it would be registered as a Special Edition/Beck Porsche 356 with the year being 1957.

Here's the verbiage on titling as a replica:

55-3-130. Title to replica model custom-built car.

Title to a custom-built car for which no certificate of title has ever been issued by the division may be titled as the make, model and year of the manufactured motor vehicle that the custom-built car most closely resembles; provided, however, that the car is intended to replicate the make, model and year of the manufactured vehicle; and provided further, that the title clearly identifies the custom-built car as a replica.

Once this step is completed, it is a lottery on whether or not you can get the antique tags. I have heard it depends on which representative you get when getting your tags.

I hope this helps. But would like to stay in touch as the story further develops.
Thanks,

-Ben

Thanks Ben,
You've put it into better understood words than what I was reading on the State's website.
I believe you when you say that some bureaucrat  gets to decide whether we get Antique tags or not

Wonder how emissions testing is handled in those Tenn counties requiring it?  A true '57 vehicle had NO emissions controls or ODB II ports.  Doubt any air cooled engine would pass a current year registration (except for maybe Subaru powered with original ECU and catalytic convertor).

That procedure in TN is very similar to Florida; a replica is supposed to be titled according to the year and model of the car you are replicating but when it's VW pan based you can get away with titling it with the VW VIN as a VW Bug. This is what's more advisable; Troy gave me that piece of advice when I moved my car here and I followed it. With a Beck, though, you shouldn't have too much trouble either; like Gord posted it will be a very similar case as with a Cobra replica; and you see quite a few of those titled and driving around.

@WOLFGANG posted:

Wonder how emissions testing is handled in those Tenn counties requiring it?  A true '57 vehicle had NO emissions controls or ODB II ports.  Doubt any air cooled engine would pass a current year registration (except for maybe Subaru powered with original ECU and catalytic convertor).

We don’t have emissions testing (any more) in Shelby county. But I think I read that replica cars and/custom built cars are not subject to emissions testing.  We are doing a SUBy build. So should be good to go regardless.