Got my Heritage Certificate today

[Sarastro]

The Heritage Certificate for Ruby Red Car arrived today. Turns out that Ruby RC was originally leaf green, with green trim and a black top. A handsome setup, indeed; worth remembering if I ever have to repaint her. She was built 9 Oct 59 and shipped to San Francisco two weeks later, so she's even more of a Californian than I am.

I'm fascinated by the fact that factory records are still available long after the company died. It's nice to have this--it confirms that she is really special, even though I knew that.

 

[drooartz]

Very neat stuff indeed. Ruby Red and Tunebug are close relatives. He was built 20 November, 59.

 

[fmichaels]

i'm about to do the same although i don't have matching tub/engine anymore.

 

[jlaird]

Must do that, I keep forgeting.

 

[Bruce_B]

Good information. What's the cost of that nowadays?

 

[dklawson]

What's the address for that now? I used to have the BMH site bookmarked but I don't anymore.

 

[drooartz]

https://www.heritage-motor-centre.co.uk/archive/certificate_index.html

Current fees look to be about $68 (after conversion). Well worth it, IMHO.

 

[Atrus]

I'd be interested in picking one of these up for mine, but I'm also curious - are there any services in the US that would track it's time here for the past 40 years?

I'd be curious to see where the car's been, how many owners, etc. I highly doubt Carfax would show anything at all.

 

[drooartz]

With US car registrations being a totally state affair, I'd be surprised if you could find out much information without having actual old registrations or other documents in hand. Many DMVs don't keep info after a few years, so you'd be pretty much out of luck in most cases for our old cars.

I happened to get some old registrations with the Tunebug going back to the early 60s. I'm pretty sure they are for the original owner.

 

[Garrett]

In the past I had to bond for a title on a BMW in colorado, part of this process was a history report of the vehicle. It cost 2.50 and about two weeks but gave the entire history of the car in the state of colorado including owners names. I don't know how other states work but it could be something to look into. I'm currently working the history out on the Sprite I just bought and tried to do this and wasn't allowed to for just the purposes of knowing. So you may have make up a bit of a story to get the paperwork to mail in.

 

[Atrus]

Hmmmm, have to look into this in the future. I plan on "finishing" off the garage this summer (right now it's uninsulated studs on a single 15amp circuit). Planned on getting the Heritage certificate and making a copy to hang up out there. A nice US history would be cool as well. I think I can trace it back two owners to 1986 or so from the documentation I received with the car.

 

[Speedy_Pete]

I got a heritage certificate just after I got my Sprite, interesting to note that it was also shipped to SF. Does anyone know if there was a main dealer in that area, and whether there are any records remaining to show who got which car?

 

[paulsherman]

I purchased my Bugeye in late November 1959 in Tacoma WA. Iris Blue, wide ww tires, radio,heater and whatever else was available as options at that time. I would like to get some idea of what that VIN # may have been, so I can go to British Heritage and get a certificate. I sold it in 1962 in Santa Maria, CA. My wife decided to have twins. Gone forever to my knowledge.
Steve, Drew and Speedy Pete. What are your VIN #s? Anyone else have a car produced around that time?
Thank you

 

[drooartz]

Tunebug is AN5L27843, built Nov 20, 1959, shipped to the US a few weeks later.

Someone here with a reference book handy (I'm at work right now) can get you the range of VINs for a particular year. It will be almost impossible to get a Heritage Certificate for your old car without the VIN or at least the engine number, however. I don't think they do generic searches on a range of VINs, but I could certainly be wrong.

 

[jlaird]

Vin # is the given. They have to have it.

 

[paulsherman]

Jack:
I am trying to get near the VIN #. I don't remember it, and in the state of Washington,they don't keep old records. If I get close, maybe British Heritage can get me closer. I could re-create that car if I had the exact (or close) VIN#

 

[Sarastro]

For what it's worth, mine is AN5L 24852, built Oct. 59. However the heritage certificates are for a particular car, so it doesn't seem to make much sense to get one, unless you have the precise VIN.

Interesting that my SN is closer to Jack's 59 than Drew's 60, although mine is also a 1960 model. It seems that the SNs might not have been precisely sequential.

 

[paulsherman]

My original car was purchased (and built)in late 1959, but I first registered it in the state of WA. as a 1960. That is why there is a diff. in model years as opposed to VIN #.

 

[drooartz]

Serial numbers were sequential, but cars at that time were often titled in the year they were sold, not the year they were built. Our current notion of a model year wasn't quite the same then. Sprites didn't really have model years, all Bugeyes were just Sprites. The British also made changes pretty much at any time, and newly designed parts were phased in as the supply of old parts ran out.

My car could technically be called a 1959 car, but since it didn't ship out until December of '59, it wouldn't have even reached the USA until 1960. I will celebrate its 50th birthday in 1959, since that's the official build date.

 

[GB1]

Very interesting post.

I have been tracing an MMM around and they go off the reg# that stays with vehicle.

Interesting how this works, seems that it may be easier than a newer vehicle.

I know who whom the original livery was made to and most of the owners.

Patrick