Hello everyone,
First post here. I have recently been doing a ton of research into the 818C and am extremely excited about the prospect of building one. However, I have some concerns that I was hoping to discuss with you all.

Let's start with my reasoning for choosing the 818C as opposed to an R/S, or a different kit altogether.
Ever since I learned about the idea of a kit car, I've wanted to build one. However, I was always held back by one simple fact - a kit car isn't a good car to take on a trip. I live in Madison, WI, and do most of my performance driving in the Chicago area, and I'm usually there overnight. As a result, the car I take needs to be in a truck with a trailer (I don't really have room for this, and the extra cost isn't appealing), or it needs to be able to survive the inevitable rain.
The 818C promises to give me that second option - a light, fast, mid-engine kit car that is just practical enough to pull of that kind of trip. I'd still have my WRX as my daily driver and winter car, and the 818C for weekends and racing.

As a side note, would a soft-top 818S also give me the ability to realistically drive this thing through a rainstorm? If so, I could definitely consider that over the 818C - A little cheaper and easy to pull the top off. The following concerns still stand, but insight on this would be appreciated too!

So, I've been researching the 818C. I've made spreadsheets with all of the expected costs, super detailed tool and supply lists, etc. In terms of money and my ability to build it, I think that I'm in good shape. So what's holding me back?

  1. Inspection, titling, and registration: This is the big one. I've been poring over the Wisconsin legislation surrounding the requirements for this, and it doesn't look good. It's hard to read through and really understand exactly what is required, but I have the following list of concerns:

    • Trans 305.27, Stat 347.475: Airbags - They talk about removing or disabling, but it isn't clear how many/which airbags are required for a home built vehicle
    • Trans 305.18: Bumpers - "Every homemade or reconstructed motor vehicle registered after January 1, 1975, shall be equipped with front and rear bumpers which provide damage protection that is equivalent to that provided by the bumpers of vehicles manufactured for sale in the year the homemade or reconstructed vehicle is first registered." I have no idea if the 818C qualifies here.
    • Trans 305.29: Steering - It says that the power steering unit shall be in proper working condition. If I understand correctly, the standard 818 build involves removing the power steering entirely. I don't see any information in the assembly guide about if there are any extra steps or modifications needed to keep the power steering, and I also can't tell if removing it is allowed under this section.
    • Trans 305.33: Windshield defroster-defogger - Looks like I need a defogger. How hard is it to add this to an 818C?
    • Trans 305.35: Windsheld Wipers - Looks like I have to have a windshield washer system. I don't see any option for this in the assembly guide, so I'm guessing I'd have to invent something.
    • Stat 347.39: Mufflers - It says that "No person shall operate on a highway any motor vehicle subject to registration unless such motor vehicle is equipped with an adequate muffler in constant operation and properly maintained to prevent any excessive or unusual noise or annoying smoke." This is ambiguous - what constitutes an "adequate" muffler? It looks like the 818 doesn't come with one, so I'd need to have one fitted, but I don't know how beefy it needs to be.
    • Trans 305.20: Exhaust/Air pollution control systems - Will the 818 pass emissions tests without modification? I know that it has the one cat pipe from the donor car, is that enough?

    Overall, it seems like if I built a kit car in 2017, it would subject to the same safety standards as an ordinary factory built 2017 vehicle.
    I'm probably missing some other things here too. I did see two threads that looked promising (DMV Vehicle Registration Information Thread and Registration (Wisconsin as an example)), but they didn't really get me very far - there's not much actual concrete info. I'm not confident that I will be able to contact the DMV and really get in touch with anyone that can definitely confirm that I'll be able to actually drive the thing. I spent a long while searching, and couldn't find any confirmation that anyone has ever registered an 818 in Wisconsin. I'd be absolutely crushed if I spent all that time, effort, and money for nothing.

  2. Crash safety: I'm curious if anyone has any sort of data surrounding the safety of these cars in a crash. My understanding is that you only get one airbag (the one in the steering wheel - that is active, right?). How well is this vehicle going to keep me safe if I get into a fender bender? A highway crash at 70 mph? A crash on the race track? Is it easy to add a passenger airbag?
  3. Consistency/Quality control: While scanning around this forum, I found this post regarding some body fitment issues. It looks like a lot of folks have had issues with body panels not fitting well together, especially with the hard top. Is this a low percentage thing that we're just hearing from those affected, or is it really common? If I had to do a bunch of my own body modifications just to get the kit to fit together, I would be disappointed since I have no experience with that and would likely not get it perfect.


Any thoughts on these concerns would be greatly, greatly appreciated. Specifically, if anyone has successfully registered an 818 in Wisconsin, that would be invaluable.
This is my dream project, but right now it doesn't look like it's really possible and I doubt the state inspection/titling laws are going to be any more lenient in the future...

And finally, if I were to buy a pre-built, already titled car from a different state, would it be easier to get it registered than one that currently has no title at all?

Thanks in advance for any help!