Registration (NV)

NV does have ability to - check out form VP064.pdf for Specialty Constructed Vehicles

• Registered Replica Vehicles and Custom built vehicles
• Registered Classic Rods, Classic Vehicles, or Old Timer Vehicles driven no more than 5,000 miles per year.

https://www.dmv.org/nv-nevada/smog-check.php

Nice work Wolfgang.

Didn't help much.  Someone that has done it in Nevada would be most helpful.  The CO registration as Porsche 356 is troublesome - better if it said REPLICA at the end.  Assume it is registered as a 1974 with the VW VIN?  So, of course, 356's didn't exist past 1965.  Wonder if CO would correct the make/model on title? If you ever want to meet air cooled emissions then registering as a 2018 isn't going to work.  Who made the vehicle - assume JPS?  Wonder if registration error goes back that far? I suspect you'll need to pursue the Specialty Constructed Vehicle or the Replica Vehicle (which is only mentioned once). 

As others have mentioned in other threads - find local replica owners/clubs --- like Cobra or 34 Fords - and see if they can help.

wolfgang, thank you for the help. I'm not sure I can get the title changed, I'm working that angle. I agree, the registration as a Porsche, with a VW VIN is puzzling.

Tomorrow I have a DMV reg service going to hopefully get some concrete direction. I can get the vehicle inspected per the form link you posted, the question still remains, can I get it registered with the VIN discrepancy (and as you pointed out the air cooled emission as a 2018 MY).

Once I resolve I'll post here for any folks in the future who may be in the same boat in NV

Many states are changing to a new, "SEMA-Like" registration process which tries to better define what the car actually is or looks like (or in your case, trying to replicate).

Massachusetts has gone to what it appears your RMV friends in NV are trying to do, so let me tell you how it works here - it might make sense for you out there.

Replica Registration process in 5 easy steps:

1. Retire the donor’s (VW) VIN and get a new State-assigned VIN for the Replica.  This usually requires bringing the car to a State Police Salvage Vehicle office for inspection.  To do this, go to your RMV office and fill out an Application for Replacement of Vehicle Identification Number
   Once you get a new VIN assigned for your Replica, you'll probably need to get the car inspected (the State Police do this in Massachusetts) and get the new VIN affixed to your replica.  
2. Get an amended title for the car as a replica using the new state VIN. You will not get a Salvage title.  Instead, you will get a “Replica” title.  Title offices amend titles all the time, for instance, when you get a white car painted red you'll need to get an amended title showing the new color.  No big deal.  Amend the new title to show what the car now replicates, in your case a 1957 Porsche Speedster or 1957 Porsche 356 Cabriolet, whichever fits, with the new VIN.  Be specific and ask the Titling office for their help.

1. Change your registration to reflect the new MA VIN and title.  The new registration should state exactly the same info as on your new Title.  Often, the titling office can amend your registration, too, to reflect the new title

1. If this is a first-time replica registration in Massachusetts, go get it inspected at any state. Vehicle Inspection Station and get a rejection sticker.  Then;

1. If you already have a valid inspection sticker (Pass or Fail), call the Massachusetts “Motorist Assistance Center” (MAC) and schedule an inspection where they’ll do a safety/equipment inspection based on your Replica title and registration and waive your emissions testing for life.
   
   So that's how we do it here, and I suspect it will be very similar out there in NV land.    You might also google "Registering a replica auto in Nevada" or do some research on the SEMA site to see if they have any helpful tips .
   
   http://www.semasan.com/page.as...titling&g=semaga
   
   Good luck, and PM me if you have any specific questions.

Gordon, thank you for the recommendations, much appreciated!

This is why I don't buy cars that are not registered as a VW using the VW VIN.  Nightmare in progress for you now and then again when you go to sell it to the next owner.  Good luck.

Troy - Here, at least, it is just as bad if you buy a car "registered as a VW using the VW VIN."

It still does not physically look anything like the car that the VW VIN describes and THAT is what they're now looking for.  My white Speedster surely doesn't look a bit like a red '69 VW Sedan that the original VIN describes so that is why this state has changed their vehicle classifications to encompass all of the odd-ball cars out there (like ours) to make them legal and accurate as far as paperwork is concerned.

It's a whole 'nuther thing if you have a new build (like an IM or Beck) built on a custom frame and the car then has a new-builder's VIN for a more recent year, but is defined as a replica of something much earlier.  Some states accept that at face value but many are now going to much more stringent hurdles to jump over before you're blessed with an emissions waiver for the year of car that you're replicating.  

None of this is getting any easier...

My CMC, is registered & titled in CA. via the SB100 process.  It utilizes the VW VIN, as stamped on the chassis it was built on.

When I bought the car used, I registered  the car in our names.  I had no problems what so ever.  I would suspect the future owner,  if there is one, as long as they reside in CA. to have the same DMV experience.  All CA wants is "their" money. Our 4 cars total $900 per year in registration fees.

Sorry to hear that is the case in Massachusetts Gordon.  I don't know it for a fact, but I don't think it is the case in most states, possibly "many" but not most. 

I suspect that once someone has jumped through all the hoops to get a Special Construction title in their state they won't have a problem transferring that title to someone in the same state.  However, I suspect it's going to be a nightmare for a new owner in another state.

@Vegas356 If it isn't too late, I would suggest starting over.  This time, don't bring the Colorado title to the DMV.  Just tell them it's a home built and you want to get it titled for use in Arizona.

Art posted:

My CMC, is registered & titled in CA. via the SB100 process.  It utilizes the VW VIN, as stamped on the chassis it was built on.

When I bought the car used, I registered  the car in our names.  I had no problems what so ever.  I would suspect the future owner,  if there is one, as long as they reside in CA. to have the same DMV experience.  All CA wants is "their" money. Our 4 cars total $900 per year in registration fees.

 

Art.  You're good to go in California when it's time to sell, but any out of state buyer will be facing potential problems getting it titled in their state.

What state was it titled in when you bought it and how was it titled? 

If it's "home built" doesn't DMV want to see receipts for all parts and bill of sales for engine and pan?  Yet to register mine - as once registered it has to have insurance and valid plates on it.  I have the original FL Title in my deceased father-in-laws name (luckily I'm now in FL)  plus I have the FL CMC Certificate of Origin for the fiberglass body.  I also have the extra rivet on matching number plates from under hood and the windshield frame.

Troy, thanks for that idea.

After a DMV visit today, I'm hoping to have some better clarity. One thing I know for sure is that most of the DMV folks are not familiar with this process. 

WOLFGANG posted:

If it's "home built" doesn't DMV want to see receipts for all parts and bill of sales for engine and pan?  Yet to register mine - as once registered it has to have insurance and valid plates on it.  I have the original FL Title in my deceased father-in-laws name (luckily I'm now in FL)  plus I have the FL CMC Certificate of Origin for the fiberglass body.  I also have the extra rivet on matching number plates from under hood and the windshield frame.

I think that is the big problem that many new owners will encounter with getting a Special Construction title, but it probably depends on the state.  I don't know the process for every state.  I just know that most new owners who walk in to a DMV with a title that says VW and a matching VW VIN walk right out with their registration and in many states they don't even want to see the car.  New owners of pan based cars, who walk in with a Special Construction title (from another state), may be required to provide documentation that they may not have and may be difficult to acquire.   Beck and IM owners can typically get what they need from the company, but all the others are a crap shoot.

Troy;

The 2 lines on the door jamb tag read:

YR / MK / MDL: 1957 SPCNS SPEEDSTER

ENG YR / MK / SIZE: 1973 / VOLKS / 1.6L

It was registered, titled in CA. with, SPCNS when I bought it.

The pink slip is in the safe depost box @the bank.

The cur registration, says:  body model typ: CV

The Make and yr, says:  SPCNS, 'Year 2013" , the Yr. Model is blank.  the VIN. is the VW chassis number.

Troy,  did my post answer your questions?  It seems that the car registration could have different interpretations?  I can get to the bank in a few days. I'd like to see the pink slip and it's terms used.  The door jamb, SPCNS tag is pretty clear about being a VW chassis, as I read it.

vegas356 posted:

Troy, thanks for that idea.

After a DMV visit today, I'm hoping to have some better clarity. One thing I know for sure is that most of the DMV folks are not familiar with this process. 

You can say that again. They certainly had no clue in rural upstate NY........

Art posted:

Troy,  did my post answer your questions?  It seems that the car registration could have different interpretations?  I can get to the bank in a few days. I'd like to see the pink slip and it's terms used.  The door jamb, SPCNS tag is pretty clear about being a VW chassis, as I read it.

If was just curious if it was already an SB100 car in California and you confirmed that it was, so it was a piece of cake for you to register it in your name in California.  If it wasn't, you would have had to provide lots of documentation and have inspections that you may not have been able to provide.  It could have also resulted in a lot of unexpected expense.

You are correct, If you sell it in California the new owner won't have any problems, but it could be a nightmare for a buyer from other states.

Hi Troy,

Please let me know of the problems you encountered with CA DMV when you tried to register one of your cars as Special Construction. 

Hi Jim.  I've never had a problem, because I would never buy a car that wasn't already registered as a VW, but you already know that.

Tell me how a guy who wants to buy an old CMC that has no build documentation goes about getting the required documentation?  Is it a simple process?

I always wondered what happens to the Certificate of Origin (COO) that CMC provided with purchase.  It has a number that matches the gold tag some rivet on car .  There isn't a serial number anywhere in the fiberglass body.  The COO look just like a FL vehicle title and even has the buyers info on it.  I wonder if FL could provide one to someone that lost one down the road - they would need the # or original buyers name I'd think.

Hi Troy,

I don't know how CA DMV would register any car with missing documents, but, just as you stated above, you already knew that.  I assume there is a process in place for any owner to replace missing docs, whether it be missing title, COO, smog certificate, etc., or attesting to their existence and subsequent loss through a sworn statement to a notary.  Perhaps someone with more DMV registration experience will chime in.

I know the process I went through in 2013 when I registered my 2013 SAS, which had been registered in TN.  It did take me 2 DMV trips and one BAR trip for smog, but, to me, it's worth it to be legally registered.

I was curious about your vehement opposition to the SB100 process in California, and wondered if that opposition was personal or business-oriented.  To a casual reader, it sounds like you tried the SB100 method and found it unsatisfactory.

Nope, just that the potential for encountering major issues is high and plenty of people have posted about the nightmares they have experienced.

Just so it's clear, I have never gone through the SB100 process.

CO from  CMC was nothing more than a formality they were useless unless you happen to somehow have a turnkey car which then most days would honor same as when a dealer receives a vehicle from the factory and also comes with a CO and not the title....

The DMV asked to copy all documents and said they would research a path to registration.

I am also pursing getting the car retitled in CO as a '74 VW, it was titled that way before the CO title. 

Wolfgang asked: "I always wondered what happens to the Certificate of Origin (COO) that CMC provided with purchase.  It has a number that matches the gold tag some rivet on car .  There isn't a serial number anywhere in the fiberglass body.  The COO look just like a FL vehicle title and even has the buyers info on it.  I wonder if FL could provide one to someone that lost one down the road - they would need the # or original buyers name I'd think."

Well, Greg.....I have mine, too.  In fact, since my life, at the time of the CMC purchase, was one of organizing chaos around me, I kept everything from back then.  What I found during my run-arounds with "Auto Resolution" (Bankrupt CMC incarnate) was the COO issued by CMC was internal to CMC only - State of Florida doesn't know did'ly about it.  BUT!  If you kept both the COO, the doorjamb emblem AND your original invoice and maybe a copy of your check (I paid with an AMEX card to get flyer points) then you have a bullet-proof paper trail of your body purchase, good in any state.

I have actually lost the bill of sale for the donor car along the way, but it is titled to me at my current address so I'm told by the head of the Mass. Titling office that I'm OK - we shall see.

To expand a bit on what I've learned from several offices I've been dealing with at the Mass. RMV (and especially from the head of the titling office, who seems to be the most helpful thus far), What they're trying to do is:

1.  Make the documentation (VIN, Title and Registration) accurately show what the car is, and especially looks like, since we now have third-party people monitoring the car inspection process for any issues or inaccuracies - They don't recommend, they just reject and then you fight with other real RMV offices to arrive at a consensus.  Having a VIN for a VW sedan when the car being monitored is definitely NOT a VW sedan won't cut it.

2.  If the existing VIN (from the donor) does not represent what the car is replicating, then issue a new, replica-specific VIN and reflect that on all paperwork so that the paper trail matches.

3.  Make sure specialty cars, Hot/Street Rods, Replica cars, modified cars are put through a safety inspection to make sure they won't hurt someone. They also include Sliders - I had to look that one up - It is a new Tractor Trailer tractor with a rebuilt older, less smog-free engine installed and emission tested at the level/Age of the old engine to avoid emission regs and supposedly get better fuel mileage at the cost of (legal, for now) higher emissions - One of Trumps' friends is the USA's largest producer of "Sliders".

4.  The issue for later, frame-based cars is pretty simple in Mass., too:  You cannot add the emissions of a "special interest" car (read that newly manufactured) to the state without removing a previously registered, polluting car.  Simply put, you must find an older, registered, polluting car, destroy it and apply its' salvage title emissions waiver to your new car (That's what Prarit, "TheTango" on here did).  That way, the state gets a net-zero change to emissions on a car-by-car basis for your specialty car.  

Honestly, I can look at that both ways, and in both directions it is bogus, but it's the state, so What'cha gonna do?  I tried the argument of "Why doesn't everybody have to destroy their old car when they get a new one - That's what you're making US do!"   That, so far, has fallen on deaf ears unless I/we can get the state laws changed.  So far, unlikely, but we're not done yet.  It's just about as ridiculous as issuing only 500 specialty car permits per year in a huge state like California, right?

Oh, and I almost forgot:

5.  The state is trying to make certain that no stolen parts were used in the build of your Specialty car.  You won't need invoices for everything like chrome fan shrouds or Lug Nuts, but you should have proof-of-ownership (dated Bill of sale, invoice to you, etc) for major parts like the donor car/chassis, the new body, Engine, transaxle, etc.  (yes, I kept all that - good thing K never saw all that!)

I don't know what happens if you're buying a car that was completed by someone else in the past, either in this state or elsewhere, but I'll ask that question as part of my fact-finding mission next week and add it to my written process.  I'll be making a personal visit to the "Sanctum-Sanctorum" of the Massachusetts RMV in Beautiful, seaside, Quincy Mass.  I'll be taking extra Energy Bars - it might be a long visit.

Good job, Gordon!  The more knowledge we all have, the better choices we can make.

Here's an interesting statistic: California registers over 35 million vehicles of all types, shapes, sizes, and uses/year.  Small wonder that the average DMV clerk has never used the SB100 or Specialty Construction method of registration for our replicas.  Same for managers of individual offices--most have not personally used the process.

DMV employees don’t always know every process, especially those they seldom do. Recently I did a VIN verification for a friend and because I don’t do that many I used the official DMV VIN verification manual. In plain english and in large enough print to clearly read there was no need to make note of how many wheels were on the vehicle unless it was a vehicle designed for off-road use or a vehicle with less than four wheels. Guess what? That’s right, the DMV clerk rejected his VIN verification because I didn’t list how many wheels were on the vehicle. Because she rejected it he was going to have to do the whole process all over. While he was in line texting me I highlighted the page number and instructions from the DMV manual and sent it back to him so he could show her. She rejected DMV’s instructions and substituted her own interpretation. Luckily the manager came over and told him to go get the vehicle and bring it back so he could do the VIN verification even though it was after the time they usually do them. 

Can’t win with government agencies sometimes. 

It's pretty much the same here on the East Coast, Bob....And I realized that from past experiences with the RMV here.  So THAT is why I'm trying to document a process that works, here, so that those who train Mass. RMV people can have something to use as training materials that accurately reflect what works within their system and is a process that people outside of the RMV bureaucracy can follow with success.

I have the basic steps down.  Now, all I can do is follow my written process and see if it really works, then pick up the pieces when it goes astray and try a slightly different approach til it all works.  I have the time to do this.  If I were working.....Maybe not so much.  

What the hell.......It's an Adventure!!

And the problem with this is every single state has it's own process. I applaud what MA and other states are doing with regard to current year titling, what the car represents, and finally followed by what YEAR it represents like 2018 Cobra 1965. 

Currently, and it has been since forever, it's a quagmire.

This information will be a big help for those who are on this list.  Unfortunately, there seem to be so many who don't find this list until after they have purchased their car.