Does anyone have an opinion here - my BT73686 was built in 1959 but was titled until 1960 when it arrived and was sold in the U.S.
Is it a 1959 or 1960? Should I try to change the title?
Thanks!
Does anyone have an opinion here - my BT73686 was built in 1959 but was titled until 1960 when it arrived and was sold in the U.S.
Is it a 1959 or 1960? Should I try to change the title?
Thanks!
I have a HBN7L/10979 with the same issue the Heritage Cert says built in July 1960 but it is titled as 61. I have decided not to pursue the issue since there is a tag on the firewall that states "BMC 61"
If there was a square plastic plate attached to your Chassis Plate on the left side made from plastic and was black with white letters that read "BMC 61", then you have a car that was delivered new in the State of California. California law regarding new cars included the addition of an additional plate issued by the State to be mounted on the left side of the chassis plate on cars delivered new after 1959.
The most likely scenario is that its title year reflects the date it was registered by the first owner. The car *may* have been used as a demonstrator for a brief period, or maybe even sat dormant in storage if the selling dealer was somewhere that got high snowfall amounts in the winter__not the best time to sell a sportscar!
Now here's a really puzzling one: When I bought my Healey, it was titled in California as a 1957 and the chassis VIN & paperwork all matches. It was nearly a decade later when I requested a BMIHT certificate, and the date of manufacture are listed as May 14-15, 1958. How do you suppose a car gets titled before it's even built? I've since transferred the title in three (3) different states, as I've moved around the country (Louisiana, Ohio & currently Florida) but rather than open up that can of worms, I've never disputed the year of manufacture on the title; I still call it a '57 Healey!
Your car is what it says on the title. BMC worked on “models” and didn’t care about “years”, U.S. manufacturers worked on “models” and “years”, they ceated a new version of every model every year with minor changes. Back in the day BMC vehicles were manufactured and sent to dealers, and sat on the lot until sold. They were titled when sold. If a car was built in say June of 1959 and it was on the lot in September. GM, Ford and Chrysler would introduce the new model year vehicles in October and all the Healey’s siting on the dealer lot suddenly became 1960’s. So your car built in June of 1959 gets titled as a 1960. It really doesn’t matter it’s a BT7.
In the late1960’s with the introduction of safety and later emission standards, the Department Of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Administration all began to establish “standards” which had to be met by certain dates. Vehicle “years” are now determined by what standards they meet. Read the sticker on the driver’s door opening of your everyday driver.
The correct answer to your question is: Do not try to change the title because of the year on the title. Although the car was made in 1959, the distance from the UK to the US and when it was sent to the distributor could account for the time used prior to being received by the dealer. Most states prior to January 1, 1968 issued a title based on the year the car was sold and not the date of manufacture. Federal laws took effect January 1, 1968 changed that environment and all cars manufactured prior to September 1 reflect the model year of the new coming year....so if the car was made in August 10, 1968 it would be listed as a 1968 model year car. But if the same car was made September 10, 1968 it would be listed as a 1969 model year car.