How old is it?

quattro

quattro

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My project is first finding a car and I have hit a small snag already!

For an obvious reason I am looking for a car which was manufactured in 1972 or before 8)

If I get a car which was first registered in early 1973, does anyone know how I can find out when it was made?

Would there be a clue in the chassis number, log book (V5) or whatever?

Thanks in anticipation

Richard
 
I got details for my car a few months ago from the Heritage Centre, took a few weeks to come throw. Unfortunately she was made at the start of September 1973. So missed out by 9 months for free road tax. :(
 
If your car was first registered in Jan 73 or early Feb,it stands a chance of being built in late 72. And if it was hanging about in a showroom for a bit,used as a demo,and registered in the first 3 months or so of 73, it still could be built in 72.
When I wanted to find out when my May 73 registered Daimler XJ6 was built,Back in about 1998,,I gave them a ring with the chassis no and they told me there and then it was a special order,and built in March 73 and was first registered as a company limo for the MD of Mars Confectionery UK.
Worth giving them a ring to see if you can squeeze the basic build date info out of them for free!!
 
I used to be on the phone to Richard at Gaydon every couple of weeks with the floods of Minis I had through the workshop. I can confirm this service is NO LONGER FREE. If you car is early 1973 its worth the fee, i.e. first couple of months, otherwise i wouldnt bother.
 
Even if the car turns out to have been built in 73 the certificate makes a nice addition to the paper work and looks good at shows. :)
 
What is all this emphasis about when the vehicle is made about? I am mystified by the concern. Yes, I also am interested in P6s. If you have a genuine P6 Parts Catalogue you should, if you can wend your way through it, find the answer to your problems. everything is in exploded view making maintenance simple. Perhaps I should correct myself. Mine is a P6b. The 1976 version that I was lucky enough to purchase shows so many variations of motor, carbs,body, etc that one could be easily confused. By the way, I am pleased to see that Pilkie is a regular contributor to this forum. When he visited NZ a year or two back, I was disappointed that due to circumstances, I was unable to meet him. He advised that when in Napier, he found a garage that serviced Triumph 2000 and 2500s. I found the garage and thought there must be more Triumphs locally than I thought . I have since found that that they are the same old ones which require regular ongoing maintenance.
 
I'm assuming that the emphasis on when the car was built is only really pertinent to people looking at 1973 cars, due to the wonderful DVLA. I believe the date of interest as far as the DVLA goes is 1st Jan 1973. Any car constructed before that date is eligible for a free tax disc, any after that date has to pay £185 currently to tax it for the year, so theoretically you could have a car registered after 1st Jan 1973, but built before Jan 1st, would have the same reg plate as a later '73 car, but be eligible for free road tax, as Pilkie was inferring above :)
 
Thanks to Mr Blair, he stopped the 25 year rolling exemption, last day in December 1972 = free tax. Own a P6 for 5 years that is a 1973 and spunk a grand!! I wonder how long it will be before they start messing with existing historic motors. Makes you sick considering what this government invests in that is of no interest to the great British working man.
 
Quite possibly, but the level of depression is directly proportional to the amount of emotional involvement you have with this fair land and how hard you graft each day.
 
I work very hard and have struggled for many years to bring up two children on my own.

Now that I have made just a few quid, I decided to go out and buy a nice car, not a new one, but a nice one.

I bought an Audi 2.7 Biturbo, A6 quattro.

And now because it was registered in 2001, (Late) I find that I will have to pay £455.00 a year to tax it, though I do get £15 discount :roll: because I have converted it to LPG.

So now that I want to return to my youth and buy an old P6, I am not going to pay out £185.00 a year to tax a car which will only come out in the sunshine.

I might drop a twin plenum lump in it 8) There's one on ebay with a £400 bid on it at the moment - the whole car including a manual gearbox
 
Eyes off that Twin Plenum :evil: I am highest bidder and fancy it for an early MGB GT :mrgreen: If you do end up winning it, please please get in touch, ill get you down learning curve quickly. Youll need new manifolds ... I am having them made as we speak and a template is being made so you could fit her immediately. Also my pal who is the exhaust specialist is a fantastic auto electrician and sinking the ecu into the passengers fibre glass foot rest under carpet and wiring in all electrics.
 
Chortle :LOL:

Hello bidder 8 8)

I just saw it on there, I am not bidding on it - I don't have anywhere to put it yet.

There was a vitesse engine on there, all painted up nicely, but it was collect only and on the west coast of wales. So not bothering with that either.

Going to look at a P6 today and another one on Tuesday.

I might get in touch whenever I feel the need to get a a twin plenum, but it won't be for a while yet.

There is a place in Sheffield who build a stainless exhaust system onto your car, and I am told will also make up a set of headers to fit. I will be checking that out soon too.

Happy bidding.
 
Been to see two cars today.

A monza red 3500S which starts on the button (Oh no it didn't, unless that means starts after 15 minutes of cranking the engine and then coughs and splutters for half a mile then stops altogether making me walk half a mile back to my car!), and 'very good conditon' (nope) and no rust or rot (oh yes there was, and plenty of it.) Shame because I do rather like the idea of getting a monza red 3500S again.

And another red one although not monza red, which was actually on the road and running well. Went for a drive in that one.

Right year, wrong gearbox (fixable), strange knocking from the front nearside which could have been the lower balljoint :shock: , and the engine just felt strangled as if it just wasn't quite running properly, again fixable. I might just make him an offer on that one 8) watch this space.

Fair bit if work to do on it but all fairly simple, like bad fitting panels (the gap between the bootlid and the rear wing was wide enough to park a bike!),

paintwork a bit motled,

pinked rather badly on acceleration althoguh he did say it had SD1 heads on it which ran well on unleaded (still had the P6 rocker covers on though - I didn't know they fitted the SD1 heads?),

rot around the sides of the bootlid where the watts linkage (rear trailing arm) bolts through,

that strangled feel of the engine :?:

and i'm sure many other little things.

Will go and have a think now
 
Dont you just despize sellers that lie through their teeth about a cars condition!!
If he is a member of the forum,I would be tempted to name and shame them!!
KEEP ON LOOKING!!
The car with your name on it is just around the corner! :)
 
Yep, all V8 rocker covers fit all V8 heads.

I'm not sure I like the sound of the rust down the boot sides. Having been caught very badly indeed buying a P6 I knew to have had sill work done and then - despite knowing all the places to look and being apparently "expert" at the game - buying a complete rot box that just produced more and more surprises just about everywhere! It even had perforation on the apron of the base unit below the windscreen! If I were to ever buy another P6 I would either want to see evidence of very low mileage and 100% dry garage storage, or I'd want to see a photographic record of a 100% base unit strip and rebuild - or buy a Californian NADA and start from scratch!

Chris
 
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