Factory built cars????????
Some companies, of which I will not name, are incorrectly using this mantle.
A factory built car, or (Production) car, which these companies are really depicting themselves as, would be by nature and law, structured as Limited production, import/export auto manufacturers, as HDR is set up, and as say Panoz is set up.
To that end, the SVM or (small volume manufacturer), has to offer & manufacture TOTALLY complete cars. Contrary to most popular beliefs, many of a given SVM's cars do not have to comply with current D.O.T regs. The D.O.T regs are now based on a sliding scale, a given manufacturer must comply with said regs depending on said manufacturers production numbers at any given time, then only some regs apply. Recently some additional legislation was passed to give SVM's some breathing room on the 5mph bumper regs, you now have 5 yrs to comply after a given model reachs a certain production amount annually.
VIN #'s: A real SVM has to have state approved & recognized VIN's, these will be stated on the companies MSO and bill of sale, surely NOT stated as (Parts)! However w/ VIN's, this is where it can get tricky when it comes to getting your Limited Production REPLICA bodied cars licensed in some states, i.e C.A. An SVM usually has to VIN their cars as CURRENT YEAR, i.e 2003/04 and so on. At that point getting your cars licensed in some states can be difficult at best, most of the problems with this actually arrise because the DMV people are completely unaware of certain laws and or proceedures, hard to imagin huh? . There is a way to get this done, however I will keep that hard won tid bit of information to myself for now.
Warranty? We are required to offer a publically stated and written factory backed warranty, we have opted to also offer a written money back gaurantee with that. (Plug Plug!
This answer is of course the short version, but I think it outlines the query well enough to show that said companies are using creative marketing, elevating themselves to John Q at large in an attempt to somehow creatively separate themselves for status sake from the ordinary "KIT CAR" segment of the industry. I say put less imagination into marketing and more into making your product far superior and the status will come naturally, but thats just me.
Rick Ellis
HDR