any sitings, anywhere? i'm the original builder and i'm going nuts trying to find it!!!! tried dvla, ad in kitcar mag, checked status so know its still alive....i'm pretty much out of ideas. some detail-- black GRP and bare aluminium, no screen(when built), rear mounted spare. sold in 2005 to a chap in Aberdeen (came all the way to oxfordshire to buy it!!) and now showing 5 owners on reg check so could be anywhere. Can anybody help. All the best to everyone, Paul.

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Originally posted by paulix
any sitings, anywhere? i'm the original builder and i'm going nuts trying to find it!!!! tried dvla, ad in kitcar mag, checked status so know its still alive....i'm pretty much out of ideas. some detail-- black GRP and bare aluminium, no screen(when built), rear mounted spare. sold in 2005 to a chap in Aberdeen (came all the way to oxfordshire to buy it!!) and now showing 5 owners on reg check so could be anywhere. Can anybody help. All the best to everyone, Paul.

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little late now - but going to stoneleigh and having a sign + t shirt on + advert on car etc with the registration on may have provided some information.

Have you tried piston heads?
Other car forums?

Reality is for me, i only see this forum so adverts elsewhere wouldn't work.

This thread interests me, as I was under the impression that - for a fee - anyone could access DVLA info either direct from DVLA or via a third party, such as Experian.

However, you need a 'reasonable reason for requesting' before they release it - which largely seems to be 'someone parked in my private car park and now I want to send them a fine...'

Looks like your only real options are:
1. Keep trying to find it under your own steam.

2. Go down a fraudulent route to finding the info. I can imagine this isn't a sensible option - if it works and you get in contact with them the current owner is likely to be rather irritated if you have done so, will probably report you to the relevant authorities and trouble will ensue!

If you are really determined - what have you tried apart from asking DVLA and posting on here?

It is probably worth thinking of ways to focus the search:

Follow up any details of the person you sold it to, try and find out what the 'kit car friendly' garages are in that area - ring them all up, explain your plight, and see if anyone knows the car - and is happy to pass on your details.

Was the car distinctive is any ways when you sold it? People will probably remember a 'Caterham type' car - but will certainly remember it if it's bright blue/green/has a skull painted on the bonnet...?

Do you have any idea where the car went after you sold it? Are there local kit car clubs in that area - can you follow up with them?

Did the owner after you mention an interest in any other cars / bikes /etc? E.g. he said he also had an old Alfa - can you ask the question on an Alfa form?

Can you ask someone prolific on Twitter or similar to help? E.g. write a letter to one J Clarkson, he might just Tweet about it - and a lead may come up. (remember THIS news story?! http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/mar/12/english-boxer-curtis-woodhouse-twitter-troll)

Did the car have a specific and unusual donor - can you try pursuing through forums that cover that car?

Can you find out any non-person specific information from the DVLA - specifically the region or post-office where it was last taxed? Again - might help you focus your search?

Can you beg DVLA to act as an intermediary? There's no reason that they could not send on a letter on your behalf - there's no breach of DPA in that - but I can see they may have no interest in doing so. Try a nicely worded letter to the CEO http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/about/Director_pen_picture.aspx

Equally - can you ask an MP to help you out - they may act as an intermediary - there is a 'historic vehicles' cross party group, you may pique someones interest http://www.historicvehicles.org.uk/hvg3.php

Have you tried Facebook? If you have an inkling where the vehicle is then write to the local paper - see if they'll run an article appealing for help?

Thinking it through - getting more info out of DVLA is probably your best bet - then go about some systematic detective work using any angle you can think of. The ones i've suggested are just ideas - but they may just yield something.

From looking at direct.gov.uk - it's obvious that DVLA can disclose SOME info about a car once you've told them the VRM. They tell you when it next needs taxing for example... They are a public body, so it should be possible to request information under the Freedom of Information Act. You need to refine your knowledge of where the car is to improve your chances of finding it through your detective work. You also need to work out what is reasonable to try and get out of them without stepping into 'personally identifiable' info - as this is where the Data Protection Act cuts things off for you...

E.g. DVLA disclosing that I own the car and live at 1 High Street, Norwich NR1 2PQ is obviously not going to happen.

However "the car is owned by someone living in Norfolk" is not information that identifies the person and, realistically, cannot be combined with other publicly available information to identify the person either. BUT it does make it more realistic to ring round every single MOT station in the county to get your next lead, or contact every kit car club, or start asking friends to ask friends, to ask friends....

Does anyone you know, or anyone on here have access to an MOT database? Not sure exactly what details the database would contain but it might be possible to identify the garage which carried out the last MOT and maybe enable you to concentrate your search in a specific area?.........

Phil

Just a curious question for you, why are you so desperate to locate the car? If the current owner is on here or see's this, he may be suspicious as to why you are looking for him/her. If I saw a internet post with someone "claiming" to be either the builder or previous owner of my car I would immediately become suspicious, and certainly want to know why they are looking for me before I ever gave any clue as to where I live or infact where my potentially high value car and lots of tools are stored.

Just my thoughts!

If your looking because your worried the car has A fault and want to recall it as the manufacturer to fix it id hope d v l a would contact the owner

thanks all, tried asking dvla with letter first then official v888 form to pass on my contact info, on both occasions they gave me the data protection act answer, i did provide plenty of evidence to verify who i was, so don't really understand why they couldn't do this as no breech of act would have taken place, guess they couldn't be bothered. should have made my reason for tracing car clearer from the begining to you all so here goes... i am indeed the original builder of the car, built over a two and half year period, chassis,pannel work,fair bit of the grp,paint job and every other bracket and fitting that wasn't from the donor, i made. Not too much of a big deal for a lot of the good folk here but fairly monumental for me at the time! SADLY the car had to be sold to add to house deposit fund... the 7 bug never really left me though.. Roll forward several years, i now have two small children and a house that need my attention most of the time, hence no real prospect of throwing myself at another build for some time yet. And for me it has to be the build it from scratch route. As for worrying the current owner, i can see now how my search might look a bit iffy, But my only intention is to have my details SECURELY STAPLED TO THE REG DOCUMENT (sorry) , then should they reach a time to sell they could phone me... job done.. I would if i'm honest love to see the car again just to say hello(weird) and you never know the owner might like to see build album..... sorry to waffle on but there you have it.... thanks again for all the suggestions....i'll let you know how i get on...cheerio for now, Paul.......

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Originally posted by paulix
thanks all, tried asking dvla with letter first then official v888 form to pass on my contact info, on both occasions they gave me the data protection act answer, i did provide plenty of evidence to verify who i was, so don't really understand why they couldn't do this as no breech of act would have taken place, guess they couldn't be bothered. should have made my reason for tracing car clearer from the begining to you all so here goes... i am indeed the original builder of the car, built over a two and half year period, chassis,pannel work,fair bit of the grp,paint job and every other bracket and fitting that wasn't from the donor, i made. Not too much of a big deal for a lot of the good folk here but fairly monumental for me at the time! SADLY the car had to be sold to add to house deposit fund... the 7 bug never really left me though.. Roll forward several years, i now have two small children and a house that need my attention most of the time, hence no real prospect of throwing myself at another build for some time yet. And for me it has to be the build it from scratch route. As for worrying the current owner, i can see now how my search might look a bit iffy, But my only intention is to have my details SECURELY STAPLED TO THE REG DOCUMENT (sorry) , then should they reach a time to sell they could phone me... job done.. I would if i'm honest love to see the car again just to say hello(weird) and you never know the owner might like to see build album..... sorry to waffle on but there you have it.... thanks again for all the suggestions....i'll let you know how i get on...cheerio for now, Paul.......

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I can see it, quite clearly, as i sold my Lotus 2+2 about 25 years ago, to help finance a bigger and better house
i regret selling it big time, and would have it back if i could, !

as for selling my locost, to fund what ever, I dont bloody think so, i would rather sell a kidney, (possibly wifes!)

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Originally posted by steve m
I can see it, quite clearly, as i sold my Lotus 2+2 about 25 years ago, to help finance a bigger and better house
i regret selling it big time, and would have it back if i could, !

as for selling my locost, to fund what ever, I dont bloody think so, i would rather sell a kidney, (possibly wifes!)

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Try a different tack. A new, sucinct letter to the dvla identifying yourself as the builder of the car (with no reference to any previous correspondece).
Identify yourself as the car's manufacturer and advise there is an issue with the exhaust support bolt which may corrode and fail when the car has covered in excess of 100,000 miles and may cause a safety risk to road users. Say you are able to supply but not fit a modified part.
Ask the DVLA to pass your details onto the current owner of Q52 JUD so they are aware of the risk and the recall notice.

Any kitcar owner who receives a letter like this forwarded by the DVLA will twig whats going on and would want to pick up the phone.

great idea but...they dug up my first hand written enquiry and used it as part of the reply to my second request using the form,(the content was the same, i just thought they might actually read it if i used their official form, they didn't!) so i'm guessing they back reference any request, so they'd get me straight away! If it was my first attempt it may well have worked. The other thing is i've always been a straight down the line kind of chap, bit corny but my word is my bond and a handshake still means lot, you know the kind of thing, naive in the world we live in today but what the hell. It does mean things generally take longer and i get shafted quite a bit, such is life.. Sorry getting to serious... also i know i'd get caught... Thanks for the idea though and thanks again to everyone else, i'm not going to give up and all your replies are food for thought, Cheers for now Paul.

I wonder if a 'friendly' garage would be able to look on the computer and tell you where the last MOT was issued. You hopefully then would know the area the car is in.

Not read the whole thread and this may not work:

https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history-vehicle

mot-history?? If you have a "copy" of the old V5 or MOT cert this might help, not sure but you might get the last garage that did the MOT, and then phone them up..

Dan