h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi, I liked your article on the bug box thing as I'm quite a car nut.
I was hoping you might be able to provide me with some info!
After you've made one of these vehicles what do you need to do to register it for the road in thr US, are there any special tests or procredures that you have to go through. I'm asking as I'm doing some research for my project on vehicle testing here in the UK.

To register a kit or built car in the states, first thing to be aware of it titleing and tagging. If you use a donor car and keep the drivetrain and several other parts of the donor car in the new car, you can use the title of the donor. Many states have a safty inspection that you have to deal with. Best thing here is to get a copy of a safty inspector's handbook. The safty rules change for each year a car is produced. If you use the donor car's title, you have to make sure the car meets the safty standard of the year the donor car was produced. An alternative to avoiding safty is getting a hobby or antique plate for the car. A hobby plate is often used for new kits where the donor car title is invalid. You don't have to meet any safty inspections, same as an antique tag. However there are strict limits for driving these cars on the road. To and from shows, to and from repairs or parts purchaces, and sundays. If you can not get the donor title to work, you have to secure a new title. When you do this, the DMV gives you a plate with a vehivle id number on it to attach to the car. Of course the next item to deal with is insurance. Some states offer a no insurance option, but you would be best served to get insurance. If you can not find someone to offer you insurance on a kit car, pick of a copy of a kit car related magizene and search for a national company that specializes in insurance for kit cars.