Hello from Suffolk

I was first interested in the Scamp some 25 years ago when i was looking at kit cars. Hasn't time flown by with working abroad and moving here and there.

My initial interest in kitcars led me to totally rebuild a Reliant Scimitar. As time went on i was surprised how innovative this company were and ended up owning a 1964 Rebel, a Rialto Saloon, Rialto Hatch, Rialto Estate and two 1955 Regal 2s (aluminium bodied). The engine and gearbox are lovely on three wheelers but i can't stand working on them anymore. Also got two Triumph Heralds and a Landrover.

I've decided to start on a Scamp ideally a mk2 - i just always liked the box shape but the mk3 probably makes a better motor on the road. I'm really after a small utility vehicle - as well as always liking basics i've got two lurchers so they have to be accommodated as well.

Been looking at mini prices for a possible donor but all seem quite pricey these days.

I'm starting to get into the kitcar scene again so i thought i'd start with this forum and i'll get the mag again to get upto date on kits available. I was sorry to learn of the tragic demise of the Anderson Cub - Jimini still going strong.

Perhaps folk can help with advice at this stage
a] where does one look for kit cars (i've seen the mk1 on ebay currently)
b] does the owner's club have some for sale or are most folk building from scratch in which case does anyone have any advice for donor hunting
c] i've got lots to learn again - i was amazed how someone had a Tax Free Scamp. I remember that to continue the registration one had to use almost all mechanical parts from the donor and the chassis - a Scamp with a separate chassis doesn't comply. Yet someone's managed it.
c] anyone in Suffolk? perhaps we could meet up sometime. M drawback is that i look after my mother with Alzheimers so i doubt if i can go to Events which is a shame.

Hi JJ

Welcome to the forum and the lunitic world of Scamps
Ebay is still the best place to see what is available.
Prices vary, depends if you want a do'er upper or ready to go
Club members do sell theirs on sometimes, normally by word of mouth generally to other club members or published in the Sales and Wants.

Where abouts in Suffok do you live, I have 1 bro in Ipswich and a daughter and ex in Reydon.

Happy hunting
Rob

Mk3rob wrote:
...
Where abouts in Suffolk do you live, I have 1 bro in Ipswich and a daughter and ex in Reydon.
Rob

BSE = nr Bury St.Edmunds (Walsham-le-Willows)

Welcome aboard, JJ!

As Rob suggests, it's worth keeping an eye on e-Bay. This link may help.

However, it will be essential that any Scamp you buy is already registered as such, or at least as a rebuild. There's still a number of unfinished kits out there, which now can never be road legal so avoid these like the plague. Even if they come with a V5 from the donor car.

Different rules applied at different times. Originally, if all the Mini bits came from a single donor, its registration was retained, otherwise a new one was allocated. Then the 'Q' plate was invented for anything whose age wouldn't otherwise match its registration letter, e.g. rebuilds, imports, ex-military vehicles. Now, under the SVA scheme, cars have to comply with today's safety standards before they can be registered. The Scamp doesn't - too many pedestrian-unfriendly corners!

Rum Tum Tugger wrote:
a] However, it will be essential that any Scamp you buy is already registered as such, or at least as a rebuild. There's still a number of unfinished kits out there, which now can never be road legal so avoid these like the plague. Even if they come with a V5 from the donor car.

Different rules applied at different times. Originally, if all the Mini bits came from a single donor, its registration was retained, otherwise a new one was allocated. Then the 'Q' plate was invented for anything whose age wouldn't otherwise match its registration letter, e.g. rebuilds, imports, ex-military vehicles.
b] Now, under the SVA scheme, cars have to comply with today's safety standards before they can be registered. The Scamp doesn't - too many pedestrian-unfriendly corners!

a] gulp
b] in other words one is limited to buying a ready built one! I'll have to do some more research obviously. But other kit cars still seem to be constructed - so i can opnly gather it's problems with Scamps. I've got the Suffolk SS100 folk in Bury so i might pop in and see them.

Hi, and welcome to the mad house.

It is not simply the facr that just the Scamp as a kit car will not pass the SVA or IVA or IVF or what ever they are calling it now. There were a number of manufacturers that just shut up shop when the SVA came into effect as the work involved in getting the vehicle compliant just wasn't worht the investment.

You would have t oread the current inspection regulations to decide if it was worth trying to get a Scamp newly registered. I seem to think it was mentioned somewhere on here about the Scamp Motor Co. considering building an SVA compliant car.

SUMB wrote:...It is not simply the fact that just the Scamp as a kit car will not pass the SVA or IVA or IVF or what ever they are calling it now. There were a number of manufacturers that just shut up shop when the SVA came into effect as the work involved in getting the vehicle compliant just wasn't worth the investment...

Just reading through the link below an SVA test is like a 3 hour MOT. Much open to the interpretation of the tester... like the nasty MOT tester who'll fail a car on anything.

http://www.crendon-cars.co.uk/sva.html

Some of the items like an anti theft device - can be a battery isolation switch. Radio anti suppression... bit steep if you don't want a radio (plain damn hell on fibreglass motor) - same goes for some of the other things. The dilemma is does one spend all that cash on a kit to then find that your failed on one of the 'grey' areas.

I don't know about anyone else but i take my cars to an MOT tester who is fair - these i've found tend to only be the 'testing station' category garage i.e. they don't work on cars (or may do but it's not their core business).

Hi Jesse,

I think you're referring to my recently purchased MK2 Scamp which is tax free. The reason it is classed as a Historic Vehicle is the original Mini donor was registered in 1971 and converted into a Scamp in the early 90's. Under the rules in force at the time it was allowed to retain it's original 1971 registration which, in turn, meant it meet the requirements when the rolling 25 year Historic Vehicle tax class was introduced in 1995. Unfortunately in 1998 the Gubmint changed the criteria from '25 years or over' to 'built before 1st Jan 1973'. Quite annoying that as one of our daily drivers would qualify in a couple of years and most of our other cars would be 'Historic' too. The rules today are very much tighter and it would be prohibitively expensive to get a brand new Scamp through an IVA. The test fee alone is nearly £500 and it would not be possible to keep the original registration.

Your best bet if you want a Scamp is to buy an existing correctly registered one. Unfortunately due to the above the most important part of buying a Scamp these days is the registration. Ideally the V5C needs to show the Make as Scamp and most importantly have a Special Note stating 'Rebuilt - Assembled from parts some or all of which were not new'. That shows it's a kit car. Also any history that comes with it is useful as it helps prove to anyone that queries the registration that it's been a kit car for some time. Don't worry about it 'being ready built' all it'll mean is you can be fairly certain of having most of the bits you need probably in the right places! Even though my MK2 is taxed and tested there is plenty that needs doing to it. Unregistered Scamps come up on Ebay fairly regularly and are only useful for rebodying an existing registered one or for use on private land only.

HTH, Charlie

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