Once you get over the fact that you will be driving a car with no doors and will be looking up at Miata drivers in traffic,
the biggest hurdle you will face as a Se7en owner is registering the car. My Westfield was originally registered in California as a '95 Westfield (it was constructed in '95 and sold new in '96) and although I can't speak to California's registration process, here in Washington state that was not the best result. Consequently I had to jump through some
hoops to legally get the car on the road. Along the way I learned some valuable information that I hope will help
others who are preparing to go through this same process.
All cars brought into Washington from out of state are required to visit the State Patrol Vehicle Inspection Station
(SPVIS). The purpose of this visit is to ensure that the VIN number is valid and that you are not bringing a stolen car into the state. Yet even though my car was road registered in California, the state of Washington felt that as a kit car, it required more than a simple VIN check. They decided to make me go through the same process as someone who had just built a car and was registering it for the first time. The initial conversation went something like this:
Me: The car has been legally registered in California for the last 5 years, why are you treating it differently than any other car that comes into the state?
Them (it's always Them): That's a good point. Hey Harry, what do you think?
Them # 2 (A.K.A. Harry): This ain't Kal-i-forn-eye-ay.
Them: Harry's right. This ain't Kal-i-forn-eye-ay. (evidently Harry is smart that way) I think you need to see The Specialist. Call this number on Monday and make an appointment.
Somehow hearing a government employee referred to as The Specialist made me rather uncomfortable. I kept having visions of being asked to bend over, grab my knees, and whistle the theme to Deliverance. Despite my apprehension, I called as instructed and made an appointment with The Specialist. When I arrived with the car, the conversation went something like this:
Me: Here is all the paperwork, bill of sale, and registration information dating back to the day the car was first sold by the distributor in 1996.
The Specialist: It doesn't matter. This is a kit car. I need to check the books for the car that this is replicating to make sure you aren't missing bumpers or other things like that.
He spent the next few minutes leafing through the Lotus section of some bad, generic car book -- the kind you always find for sale on the bargain table of your local book seller.
The Specialist: I don't see a Lotus Super 7 in the book. That car was never made.
Me: It's right there. (I point to the correct listing) Lotus 7.The Super 7 is just a variant.
The Specialist: But it doesn't say Super 7. It says 7.
Me: Think of it like a Honda Civic Si versus a Honda Civic. Same basic car, but one offers a little more performance.
The Specialist: There's no photo of the car in the book. I think it's a race car. Replicas of race cars are not
legal for road use. Is that a race car?
Me: No. It is a street car, as was the Lotus 7.
The Specialist: It looks like a race car to me. I can't register a replica of a race car.
Me: It's not a race car. I can bring you period road tests and other books that show the Lotus 7 was sold to the public as a street car.
The Specialist: I think it's a race car. I can't register a race car. This will take a while. Go wait over there.
After 15 minutes, I went back to the window.
The Specialist: (sensing my presence, but not looking up) This will take a while. Go wait over there.
Me: Sorry (of course I wanted to say something else, but I also wanted him to pass the car, so I stopped while I was still only a little behind.10 minutes later, the Specialist approached me with paper work.)
The Specialist: I think it is a race car, but the law is changing next month, so you won't need to go through this process at that time.
Me: What do you mean?
The Specialist: A new law goes into effect next month that states if a car is already registered in another state -- even if it is a kit car -- then you are automatically eligible for registration in Washington state. You won't need to prove that the car is a copy of a street car.
Me: So you mean as of next month, you will have to okay a car in this situation?
The Specialist: Yes. So I am going to sign off on this -- even though I think it is a race car.
Me: Um, thanks.
This guy was making me jump through hoops for the hell of it. He knew that I could simply wait a couple of weeks and avoid this whole process, but instead he chose to waste 30 minutes of my time and make me sweat it out. Argh!! Anyway, the moral of the story is to bring a lot of documentation with you to prove that the car is a copy of a street car, not a race car. You should also bring documentation that proves the year of the engine since that will come into play when you go through the emissions check process. Speaking of which...
Emissions are the bane of the kit car world. There are loopholes that allow you to run an older motor in these cars, but the information about these loopholes is well hidden and consequently people are often led down rat holes that don't accomplish anything except get them to change their voter registration affiliation from one of the two big parties to the Anarchists, or at the very least, the Libertarians. Below is what I have learned about Washington state's loopholes:
For explanatory purposes, I will assume that you are trying to register a newly assembled 2001 Westfield fitted with a 1967 Ford crossflow engine. Once the car is completed and you have made your appointment with The Specialist, re-read the transcript above and then go to the SPVIS at the appointed time knowing that you will need a Bombay Sapphire Gibson -- very dry of course -- or a pint of Murphy's Irish Cream Stout when it is all over. Assuming that The Specialist decides to bless your vehicle as road worthy, he will have the discretion to register it as either a current year model of the kit manufacturer (e.g. 2001 Westfield) or as the year and make of the engine (e.g. 1967 Ford). Try your
hardest to get the inspector to do the latter since this will make your life easier going forward.
It is my understanding that because Washington state does not smog test vehicles more than 25 years old, you will not need to pass an emissions test if the car is registered with a model year prior to that cut off date. NOTE: this is my only my understanding, so don't have your attorney contact me if it turns out that I am wrong. If, however, the car is registered as a newer car, but with an older motor, then you will need to pass a smog test every two years. The unwritten rule states that the car must meet emission requirements for the year of the engine unless the engine is a pre-1968 unit. If that is the case (as with my car and also the example above) then it must meet the 1968 smog requirements. The logic is that it must pass a smog test since the vehicle is newer (e.g. 2001), and 1968 regs are chosen since those are the first year in the books and consequently the most lenient.
The smog inspection station, however, doesn't deal with loop holes, so they will test the car based on the model year, not the engine year. Therefore in the example above, the car is tested as a 2001 model. Obviously a 1967 Ford crossflow will not pass the modern standards and you will fail at the smog station. No, let me revise that...you will fail miserably at the smog station. If you do make the 1968 numbers (<900 for HC, <6.0% for CO), then all is not lost.
Call the local office of the Department of Ecology and ask to speak with the Emissions Inspector on duty. Assuming you are very nice on the phone, he in turn will call the smog inspection station and instruct them to pass your car, provided that the numbers you read to him during your phone call are accurate. Simply go back to the smog inspection station so they can reprint your report with the coveted words "Certificate of Approval" emblazoned in the upper right-hand corner. Then take that certificate and the other document issued by the SPVIS to your nearest Licensing office and write them a big check to receive your plates and registration. QED (relatively speaking)
the biggest hurdle you will face as a Se7en owner is registering the car. My Westfield was originally registered in California as a '95 Westfield (it was constructed in '95 and sold new in '96) and although I can't speak to California's registration process, here in Washington state that was not the best result. Consequently I had to jump through some
hoops to legally get the car on the road. Along the way I learned some valuable information that I hope will help
others who are preparing to go through this same process.
All cars brought into Washington from out of state are required to visit the State Patrol Vehicle Inspection Station
(SPVIS). The purpose of this visit is to ensure that the VIN number is valid and that you are not bringing a stolen car into the state. Yet even though my car was road registered in California, the state of Washington felt that as a kit car, it required more than a simple VIN check. They decided to make me go through the same process as someone who had just built a car and was registering it for the first time. The initial conversation went something like this:
Me: The car has been legally registered in California for the last 5 years, why are you treating it differently than any other car that comes into the state?
Them (it's always Them): That's a good point. Hey Harry, what do you think?
Them # 2 (A.K.A. Harry): This ain't Kal-i-forn-eye-ay.
Them: Harry's right. This ain't Kal-i-forn-eye-ay. (evidently Harry is smart that way) I think you need to see The Specialist. Call this number on Monday and make an appointment.
Somehow hearing a government employee referred to as The Specialist made me rather uncomfortable. I kept having visions of being asked to bend over, grab my knees, and whistle the theme to Deliverance. Despite my apprehension, I called as instructed and made an appointment with The Specialist. When I arrived with the car, the conversation went something like this:
Me: Here is all the paperwork, bill of sale, and registration information dating back to the day the car was first sold by the distributor in 1996.
The Specialist: It doesn't matter. This is a kit car. I need to check the books for the car that this is replicating to make sure you aren't missing bumpers or other things like that.
He spent the next few minutes leafing through the Lotus section of some bad, generic car book -- the kind you always find for sale on the bargain table of your local book seller.
The Specialist: I don't see a Lotus Super 7 in the book. That car was never made.
Me: It's right there. (I point to the correct listing) Lotus 7.The Super 7 is just a variant.
The Specialist: But it doesn't say Super 7. It says 7.
Me: Think of it like a Honda Civic Si versus a Honda Civic. Same basic car, but one offers a little more performance.
The Specialist: There's no photo of the car in the book. I think it's a race car. Replicas of race cars are not
legal for road use. Is that a race car?
Me: No. It is a street car, as was the Lotus 7.
The Specialist: It looks like a race car to me. I can't register a replica of a race car.
Me: It's not a race car. I can bring you period road tests and other books that show the Lotus 7 was sold to the public as a street car.
The Specialist: I think it's a race car. I can't register a race car. This will take a while. Go wait over there.
After 15 minutes, I went back to the window.
The Specialist: (sensing my presence, but not looking up) This will take a while. Go wait over there.
Me: Sorry (of course I wanted to say something else, but I also wanted him to pass the car, so I stopped while I was still only a little behind.10 minutes later, the Specialist approached me with paper work.)
The Specialist: I think it is a race car, but the law is changing next month, so you won't need to go through this process at that time.
Me: What do you mean?
The Specialist: A new law goes into effect next month that states if a car is already registered in another state -- even if it is a kit car -- then you are automatically eligible for registration in Washington state. You won't need to prove that the car is a copy of a street car.
Me: So you mean as of next month, you will have to okay a car in this situation?
The Specialist: Yes. So I am going to sign off on this -- even though I think it is a race car.
Me: Um, thanks.
This guy was making me jump through hoops for the hell of it. He knew that I could simply wait a couple of weeks and avoid this whole process, but instead he chose to waste 30 minutes of my time and make me sweat it out. Argh!! Anyway, the moral of the story is to bring a lot of documentation with you to prove that the car is a copy of a street car, not a race car. You should also bring documentation that proves the year of the engine since that will come into play when you go through the emissions check process. Speaking of which...
Emissions are the bane of the kit car world. There are loopholes that allow you to run an older motor in these cars, but the information about these loopholes is well hidden and consequently people are often led down rat holes that don't accomplish anything except get them to change their voter registration affiliation from one of the two big parties to the Anarchists, or at the very least, the Libertarians. Below is what I have learned about Washington state's loopholes:
For explanatory purposes, I will assume that you are trying to register a newly assembled 2001 Westfield fitted with a 1967 Ford crossflow engine. Once the car is completed and you have made your appointment with The Specialist, re-read the transcript above and then go to the SPVIS at the appointed time knowing that you will need a Bombay Sapphire Gibson -- very dry of course -- or a pint of Murphy's Irish Cream Stout when it is all over. Assuming that The Specialist decides to bless your vehicle as road worthy, he will have the discretion to register it as either a current year model of the kit manufacturer (e.g. 2001 Westfield) or as the year and make of the engine (e.g. 1967 Ford). Try your
hardest to get the inspector to do the latter since this will make your life easier going forward.
It is my understanding that because Washington state does not smog test vehicles more than 25 years old, you will not need to pass an emissions test if the car is registered with a model year prior to that cut off date. NOTE: this is my only my understanding, so don't have your attorney contact me if it turns out that I am wrong. If, however, the car is registered as a newer car, but with an older motor, then you will need to pass a smog test every two years. The unwritten rule states that the car must meet emission requirements for the year of the engine unless the engine is a pre-1968 unit. If that is the case (as with my car and also the example above) then it must meet the 1968 smog requirements. The logic is that it must pass a smog test since the vehicle is newer (e.g. 2001), and 1968 regs are chosen since those are the first year in the books and consequently the most lenient.
The smog inspection station, however, doesn't deal with loop holes, so they will test the car based on the model year, not the engine year. Therefore in the example above, the car is tested as a 2001 model. Obviously a 1967 Ford crossflow will not pass the modern standards and you will fail at the smog station. No, let me revise that...you will fail miserably at the smog station. If you do make the 1968 numbers (<900 for HC, <6.0% for CO), then all is not lost.
Call the local office of the Department of Ecology and ask to speak with the Emissions Inspector on duty. Assuming you are very nice on the phone, he in turn will call the smog inspection station and instruct them to pass your car, provided that the numbers you read to him during your phone call are accurate. Simply go back to the smog inspection station so they can reprint your report with the coveted words "Certificate of Approval" emblazoned in the upper right-hand corner. Then take that certificate and the other document issued by the SPVIS to your nearest Licensing office and write them a big check to receive your plates and registration. QED (relatively speaking)
