Who has made a Clio Cup Race Car road legal?

[nightSpirit]

I've heard that someone has done this previously but can't seem to find a thread on it anywhere...anyone point me in the right direction? I have a cunning plan and want to make sure it's possible.

 

[General Dave]

I've heard that someone has done this previously but can't seem to find a thread on it anywhere...anyone point me in the right direction? I have a cunning plan and want to make sure it's possible.

Kind of an unhelpful answer as I've got no real specific details..

I used to know a guy that bought a LHD Clio Cup car 197/200 shell, converted it to RHD, Put a meg 225 engine in it and road registered it. But I've not seen him for absolutely years.

 

[R3k1355]

Are they un-registered on the road?

 

[nightSpirit]

Not unhelpful Hopefully someone can chip in...I'm sure I read somewhere that a few people have done it. I'm in the process of buying a V6 Trophy, it has no VIN and has only ever been a race car. From what I can gather, I need to apply for a vin, then get it road ready (that's the bit that I want to know about!), IVA, mot and off we go.

Would suck if I can only ever trailer it around for track days.

 

[Pacman.]

The people who own BAC Mono used to do it.

 

[nightSpirit]

The people who own BAC Mono used to do it.

What? To Clio Race cars?

 

[JB21]

Q plate maybe?

 

[-Rob]

I'd thought it would get road legal status if it was fit for the road, but you'd end up on a Q plate.

 

[nightSpirit]

Just wondering if it can be done without destroying what the car is.

 

[Matt W]

The sequential box would be a nightmare in traffic...

 

[nightSpirit]

The sequential box would be a nightmare in traffic...

Nah, I had my Radical in traffic and that's about as extreme as any car can be ever The Clio has software rev matching on the downshift and rev cut upshifts..should be a riot on the M25 haha.

 

[Matt W]

Nah, I had my Radical in traffic and that's about as extreme as any car can be ever :smiley: The Clio has software rev matching on the downshift and rev cut upshifts..should be a riot on the M25 haha.

You legend

 

[nightSpirit]

You legend

Or idiot

 

[Steven103]

“Clio Cup Race Car” really undersells this thread.

PICS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Jamie86]

From what i know they don't have a vin number so that would be a big issue?

 

[PAUL JA]

From what i know they don't have a vin number so that would be a big issue?

That's what I was thinking ?

I've seen a couple converted to rally cars, so I'm guessing these would be road registered and legal !

Could it be that that the converted race car has attracted the ID of another Clio ?

 

[Knuckles]

Hero.

I feel like pablo might know. If I could remember his proper user name

 

[Advikaz]

The sadev box would be a financial arsehole for the road

 

[massiveCoRbyn]

Are you off the Meg forum by any chance?

Getting a VIN shouldn't be an issue. If it's the Clio, adding lights etc is easy enough. Big question is if it would need an IVA, but the DVSA could probably advise on that. The things that may concern me with an IVA are noise, emissions and stupid stuff like sharp edges.

I suspect a lot of the Clio race cars that get road registered mysteriously gain the ID of an existing road car that "disappears". It isn't legit, but it circumvents the IVA issue and means you just have to MOT it.

 

[bloke]

no need for lights and sharp edges don't come into it either, only corrosion and damage.

 

[nightSpirit]

Pics will follow...need to go see and pay for the thing first
Yes mister wang it is me from the Meg forum..I used to be on here with my old 172 Cup track car and through various investigations found that some had converted the Clio Cup racers for the road, so thought I'd ask.

 

[nightSpirit]

You also read my thoughts on 'acquiring' a vin...car would still need road legal bits adding for MOT but it would solve some issues. You'd have to tell the dvla though that the dci clio you own had an engine conversion and other things!!

 

[Paprika123]

Might be some useful info here

https://www.cliosport.net/threads/newbie-with-a-clio-cup-race-car.540049/

 

[nightSpirit]

Might be some useful info here

https://www.cliosport.net/threads/newbie-with-a-clio-cup-race-car.540049/

Hah, I'm not reading 33 pages of guff! Is there a bullet pointed summary somewhere of what he did to make it road legal?

 

[Pacman.]

Tour de force used to do it. I think they converted a couple to road spec.

 

[nightSpirit]

Thank you. I've mailed them now!
Mark

 

[Brendan2234]

You also read my thoughts on 'acquiring' a vin...car would still need road legal bits adding for MOT but it would solve some issues. You'd have to tell the dvla though that the dci clio you own had an engine conversion and other things!!

If I was doing it I'd want to at least maintain a shred of plausibility and insure it as a 1*2. There's half a dozen being broken in the classifieds at any one time, most people weigh the shells in once they're stripped.

It's not even remotely legal, but that's the way I'd do it and I'd have no problem if I knew the history of the original car. It's people buying VIN plates and V5s to put stolen cars back on the road that I hate. Making a mental road weapon out of an ex race car should be encouraged:tongueclosed:

 

[nightSpirit]

If I was doing it I'd want to at least maintain a shred of plausibility and insure it as a 1*2. There's half a dozen being broken in the classifieds at any one time, most people weigh the shells in once they're stripped.

It's not even remotely legal, but that's the way I'd do it and I'd have no problem if I knew the history of the original car. It's people buying VIN plates and V5s to put stolen cars back on the road that I hate. Making a mental road weapon out of an ex race car should be encouraged:tongueclosed:

The car would 100% be road worthy but it might not conform to the radius etc requirements, which let's face it...a lot of road cars turned to track cars would fail on and then some no doubt.

I'll explore the options but does anyone know the actual cost of getting a vin, iva test etc?

 

[ddouble]

The only legal way to do it is to put it through an IVA as they have no VIN and no type approval. I recall tried and failed to do it with a grey cup racer a few years back. There were all sorts of tiny issues.

If you nab the ID off another car and get caught, the car will be seized. Any insurance would also never be valid if you get caught/have an incident - ok ifs for a competition rally car, not ok if its for a road car.
And lets face it, a race car on the road stands out like a sore thumb.

The V6 trophy is going to be much harder due to emissions & noise.
I long pondered it with my old Trophy car, but drive one for 10 seconds and you realise they would be horrendous on the road and not suitable at all. The suspension is rose jointed, ridiculously low and hard. Its an unbelievably bumpy ride on a smooth track!

They have no indicators, hand brake, horn, headlights, speedo.... the list goes on.... they are very easy to boil the water if its sat idle/moving slowly, so even if you do manage to IVA it (after spending massive of money!!) it would overheat and boil the water when its up to temperature and not moving fast. You would also spend a fair amount of time kangaroo'ing around at low speed with the gearbox and sweating away as they get unbelievably warm (no aircon).
Once you get to where you are going, they dont even have locks so you would have to stay with the car lol.

They also not built to the same standard as road cars and not even water tight, when it rained at Goodwood, the footwell of my Trophy filled up with water!

They are only good for circuits.....unless you modify it so much that it is no longer a trophy racer.

I came to the conclusion that you would be better off just buying a road car if you want to drive on the road.

 

[nightSpirit]

The only legal way to do it is to put it through an IVA as they have no VIN and no type approval. I recall tried and failed to do it with a grey cup racer a few years back. There were all sorts of tiny issues.

If you nab the ID off another car and get caught, the car will be seized. Any insurance would also never be valid if you get caught/have an incident - ok ifs for a competition rally car, not ok if its for a road car.
And lets face it, a race car on the road stands out like a sore thumb.

The V6 trophy is going to be much harder due to emissions & noise.
I long pondered it with my old Trophy car, but drive one for 10 seconds and you realise they would be horrendous on the road and not suitable at all. The suspension is rose jointed, ridiculously low and hard. Its an unbelievably bumpy ride on a smooth track!

They have no indicators, hand brake, horn, headlights, speedo.... the list goes on.... they are very easy to boil the water if its sat idle/moving slowly, so even if you do manage to IVA it (after spending massive of money!!) it would overheat and boil the water when its up to temperature and not moving fast. You would also spend a fair amount of time kangaroo'ing around at low speed with the gearbox and sweating away as they get unbelievably warm (no aircon).
Once you get to where you are going, they dont even have locks so you would have to stay with the car lol.

They also not built to the same standard as road cars and not even water tight, when it rained at Goodwood, the footwell of my Trophy filled up with water!

They are only good for circuits.....unless you modify it so much that it is no longer a trophy racer.

I came to the conclusion that you would be better off just buying a road car if you want to drive on the road.

Thank you for that thorough reply. I can bet there are a lot of issues! I guess I can see what the car has and work out the path of least resistance. I can't understand why (in theory) you can't just buy a 182 shell and then...in an attempt to make a road legal V6 Trophy, just transfer all the parts from a race car to that shell. Problem solved, sort of. If you could do that, how on earth would you prove that you hadn't just acquired a vin from a registered car?

 

[ddouble]

You could do that with a cup racer, but thats not strictly possible with a trophy racer as a 182 shell is very different to a v6 trophy shell.
The cup racers have a bolt in roll cage, in a v6 trophy everything hangs off the roll cage, a bit more like a WRC car.
The cage is welded in and integral to a v6 trophy shell ie you wouldnt be able to use the roll cage, which in turn is going to give you massive issues.
The trophy shell also has some major structural modifications (check out the huge cross beam in the front). I am not sure that a 182 shell would be man enough for the job.
No one in their right mind is going to bother moving it all over to a legal shell, they will just move the ID to the trophy shell.......and hence make it a hooky car.

 

[nightSpirit]

You could do that with a cup racer, but thats not strictly possible with a trophy racer as a 182 shell is very different to a v6 trophy shell.
The cup racers have a bolt in roll cage, in a v6 trophy everything hangs off the roll cage, a bit more like a WRC car.
The cage is welded in and integral to a v6 trophy shell ie you wouldnt be able to use the roll cage, which in turn is going to give you massive issues.
The trophy shell also has some major structural modifications (check out the huge cross beam in the front). I am not sure that a 182 shell would be man enough for the job.
No one in their right mind is going to bother moving it all over to a legal shell, they will just move the ID to the trophy shell.......and hence make it a hooky car.

Yup...still have an issue with the cat for emmissions on a hooky car. I can't see the cage causing an issue but other things yes! Might just get the thing and then work out how to drive it on the road. Awesome bit of kit though. Do you still have one? Specialist Cars of Maldon sold a road legal v6 trophy (white car) about 6 months back. Wonder how the owner got that legal as it looks factory standard.

 

[ddouble]

They are indeed awesome! No I sold mine a few months back.

What I meant is you can't take the cage out.

The one at specialist cars had a Reg plate but was a ringed ID from a 1995 clio RL. Not legal in the slightest. It was hugely changed from factory, converted to RHD, different suspension.

 

[nightSpirit]

They are indeed awesome! No I sold mine a few months back.

What I meant is you can't take the cage out.

The one at specialist cars had a Reg plate but was a ringed ID from a 1995 clio RL. Not legal in the slightest. It was hugely changed from factory, converted to RHD, different suspension.

That's the one, didn't realise it was done dodgy. Interesting...so at least I have options it seems

 

[ddouble]

Which trophy are you thinking of buying? There's only a handful in the UK, so we there's probably some info on it in the trophy register on v6clio.net

 

[Usr117063]

 

[BuCkLeY...]

i wish i had that gearbox in that video haha

 

[Pacman.]

Buy a Cup Car and then a cheap road car and then swap all the bits over would be easier wouldn’t it ?

 

[Pacman.]

Don’t rally cars have to be road registered ?

 

[nightSpirit]

That video is awesome. Same box that's in the Trophy. The car isn't in the UK! I was chatting to the owner and it has a secondary aftermarket ecu installed that sits alongside the Magnetti Morrelli unit as they couldn't get the interface to tune it. So that means it's easier to fit a cat