Brutal decision from the DVLA

[rampantrot]

To be clear, the DVLA are not saying it's unroadworthy, but that it needs to be on a Q plate via IVA to be on the road. There's not a great deal of 1960 Mini parts left in this case bar the bodyshell, but there's a comparison to be made with the Cresta/XJR hybrid in this thread I think; different running gear and powertrain with modifications to the bodyshell to suit, no matter how minor - which I think the point scale struggles to take into account, given that "modified" is adding structures per the Mini build thread/drilling holes or near coachbuilding like the Cresta.

People sticking Hayabusa engines into Minis seem to be able to get away with retaining more of the original car, or can get around an IVA requirement by notifying of a change in capacity rather than complete conversion of powertrain, even if you are going to want to uprate brakes/suspension/steering etc. to cope even though their vehicles end up in similar end states comparred to a standard 19XX Mini. (As an aside, have a look at some of the vehicles in that thread and see where you'd draw the line - the Cresta is down as a 1960 Vauxhall).

I don't trust the builder's assertions that the DVLA "could not accept that a motor did not have recognisable cubic capacity. Thus they declared it a kit car", as they absolutely can register electric vehicles/not known/changed or rounded cc values, and the IVA process is not just for kit cars. At this point it's not much different to a modern Citroen Ami wearing a 1960 Mini mask, or those Discoveries ringed as rebodied old Land Rovers, and as such I'm not really sure what the point of keeping it linked to the 1960 Mini ID would be - MOT exemption maybe, but it's a toy that isn't likely to be driven around in an unroadworthy state.

I'm not sure what the point of electric power in a rattly old shell is anyway and the e-classics trade strikes me as pointless, but I'm sure it would be fun to try it once and I'm glad it's not ending up another Minilite'd Union Jack roofed Cooper replica, or still rotting forgotten somewhere.