End of hot rodding and modifying in the uk ?

ACE are stating that it is not a proposal but you will see that the FBHVC are referring to it as just that. Given that the document that is being referred to is titled "Proposal for a REGULATION OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC", I'm taking a punt and siding with the FBHVC on this one. I hope I'm not proved to be wrong!

Here's the document in question:

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/doc/roadworthiness-package/com(2012)380.pdf

 

I myself am taking full advantage of the current mood of hysteria to take this opportunity to put on REM's "it's the end of the world as we know it", paint myself white and hide under a table to deflect the blast. It really is great fun!!!
Paul

 

As one of your famous Statemen once said NEVER NEVER give up. Try and band together over there. They are always trying to jerk our chain but if they see a stong sign of strength they will go away and try and take on some other weak entity. Good Luck Man

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbeItR8NTks

 

Yup - definitely says proposal.

Also says -
"Roadworthiness testing is a sovereign activity and should therefore be done by the Member States or by entrusted bodies under their supervision."

Ultimately the whole thing is drafted with reference to modern cars and looking forward not backwards - testing of air bags, ABS etc. to specifications released by the manufacturers.

Good luck getting those from British Leyland for a Morris Marina let alone Ford for my Model T...

Gut feeling? They're not remotely interested in us (no testing for pre-60's looks like 'please go away so we don't have to fit you in to the proposal' to me) and are trying to sweep us under the carpet with some woolly 'historic interest' banner in the hope we'll disappear. If the FBHVC can do they're bit to define (in the words of Vroomfondel - or not) a total absence of solid facts, all will be good and licky...

 

a question from a Yank.

what would this do for someone who wanted to ship their car to the EU and say "drive" around abit?

 

This is what you get from folks why like to pass laws to protect us from ourselves.
Or the folks who call themselves Progressive.
Get out and VOTE this November!
Also join SEMA and get the latest on what your goverment is doing to pass laws in your state to stop our hobby.
Some folks are working real hard to eliminate our older cars.
Look at what the Crusher Program was all about.
Yes carbon exchange.

 

Its about Freedom and we could be next.
Some folks here in the States are working on a World Government

 

Seconded.

Interesting, I was chatting with a mate who's just returned to the UK after 15 years in NZ, we started discussing the very same.

 

Difficult to say as I don't know how it currently works! Maybe somebody out there has done it in the past so they can shed some light.

 

yes!

 

You guys have to stick together, maybe some help from some big names. Jeff Beck has a bunch of hot rods over there, Maybe him & some of his hotrod buddies can help?

 

Join SEAM "Its FREE" and keep up on what the folks here are trying to do to us.
Get out and Vote in November

 

Government...The real root of all evil. This is not just a UK problem, we ALL have to band together worldwide because government is getting out of control everywhere because the citizens of the world have become complacent and lazy. And have let the "few" gain too much power. We are one the verge of either a revolution or another civil war here in the states I think and it doesn't look much better for you guys over there.

 

We all need to get off of our A** and look at who we are voting for.
I for one will and have worked the phone banks.
Yes its a pain to get off the couch and drive to some center when I could be home.

 

nowt!!....just do it your car is registered correctly to it's home country then no probs with this legislation..

Money...the after market is worth £billion and the "improving/modifiying" classic industry around the same.. are they gona wipe out that industry, how about the guy whos just bought an Eagle E Type (a brand new XKE with with uprated engine, drive train, suspension performance etc that oddly has tax free/mot free registration) and costs around $200000, he's gona be well chuffed his car is now undrivable and effectivly worthless. Or the multi million pound classic ferrari road racer that's evolved over the last 40 years..."sorry sir but you need to return it to bone stock and wipe out it's value!"...not gona happen
and as has been said the level and compexity of the knowledge required to check all cars for modification just does not exist. Go back to basics in the 20-50s and many manufacturers made rolling chassis (rolls royce, bentley, alvis, lagonda Alfa romeo etc) that then had coach built bodies fitted by specialist companies (hooper, pinin farina, mulliner etc) so are they modified...and who is to say they are or aren't as records just dont exist.
The policing of this..who by?..VOSA, the police, the local MOT man...well as they are all currently subject to govt cuts and the fucked economy they just dont have the resources. 99.9% of the population dont have a clue about the age of our cars..add a bonnet and steels to my A and it's a stocker to them!

 

Joining SEMA and working with them is not the magic answer either,.... A few years ago I worked with my Representative from one political party to bring up the SEMA legislation in the State House (Which passed with only one no vote) and My Senator (From the opposing party) was ready to pick it up in the Senate. Piece of cake right?

But our Secretary of State at the time Got on the band wagon saying the SEMA Bill would circumvent manufacturing laws (apparently she never looked up the criteria of what defines a manufacturer) ,.. So it never made it onto the Senate Floor. Up to this point I had no help from SEMA other than them "cheering me on",... So I called SEMA and was given a bunch of lip service about how happy they were we got the legislation to that point,.. and how they would "help out" and make some calls because they had clout........ NOTHING !!!!!

So the bill died a natural death between the House and the Senate.......

Fast Forward five years,... I have been working with my new State Representative to bring up the bill again,... I get a green flag from him, Give him all my information with the "model legislation" Called SEMA for more details and ask them to contact my Representative who is waiting for the call, They were all excited......... NOTHING !!!!!,.... I called SEMA back , They tell me it was a miscommunication and somebody dropped the ball,.. They promise me they will be in contact with my Representative in the next 48 hours.... Well it's been two months and NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!,......

So,.... If SEMA keeps throwing the ball in the weeds this bad, especially when somebody else (who's not on there payroll) is doing all the legwork, What the heck is the Legislative Group really doing ?,....... Or is it just another way to collect more revenue for SEMA?

Maybe a true Rod & Custom Legislative Group should be formed to handle these issues if SEMA is just going to sit on it's hands when others do all the work..... Wake up people,... The politicians are catering to the environmentalists,.... We need to get proactive !

 

Dang, good luck guys.

 

It may say 'proposal' on it, but this looks a technicality and as outlined by ACE and will go through to law unless objected to. It seems to me sitting back is a bit soft. Car modifiers ought to get some bloody fire going, try uniting, and fight back more like bikers do (we have had thousands of bikes block Brussels and Paris up for instance and have a long-established pan-euro group uniting national ones, and have fought off similar proposals before). Whereas the default attitude always seems to be wait & see.

Hopefully there's some MP or MEP who will question it, and maybe it's possible the UK will kick back some of it (?), dunno.

As I understand it the normal consultation process would take into account statements from outside, i.e. industry and such, but this will not, it needs an objection.

As for money it kind of smells of big fat car manufacturers from here? Would suit them just fine. Lucky for us that politicians can't be bought or anything though eh...

 

give em hell

 

ditto

I fear for the worst though. Y'all messed up giving up your guns over there. Once they have your guns, you're screwed.

 

We are heading in the same direction in the US I am afraid. Just look at the new E15 Ethanol legistion that is getting pushed through by the EPA. One piece of legistaion and at time and your beloved hot rods going to be just an undriveable trophy. Better learn how to hop up a Prius or Volt.

Don't be so sure your guns are safe either. Just look at UN Arms Trade Treaty. Pay attention and get out and vote November. It's a slippery slope.

 

What i marked in red: here in Italy is the norm for ANY veichle.
Anyone modifying a car goes against the law, unless its a bolt on piece of crap made specifically for that make/model/year.
Being DOT approved (or Euro equivalent) doesnt mean shit, again, be it a new, or an old car.
I have an old euro Ford on hydraulics, previously on bags. I had to hide the install so that if im asked to open the trunk i dont get the car inpounded.
There is no way to legally register such a thing, or actually there is, as an homebuilt car, but at that point betwen engineers and equivalent of DVLA bills i could buy a Lambo and call it a day.
And theres no guarantee they'll pass your backyard mods either.
Our MOT testers have to "close an eye" when they pass our cars, and they can get in trouble for it. And if you catch the wrong cop on a bad day you can say good by to the car you built in the last 5 years with sweat blood and tears.......so honestly, from where i stand, cant get no worse that it is.

Guys with American cars get away with it as nobody really know them, so if you say its stock they have to believe it. our domestic old cars, as much as i love them are a big risk.
Sorry if this feels a bit O/T, i know ive said it in the past too, i just need to say it loud sometimes.

 

I'm right in saying that Italy currently run a 25 year historic cut-off aren't I? So you do actually stand to lose even further if this were to kick in.

 

Yep, historic cars are 25 years old and down. Not all cars are eligeable thou.
For example, a 1990 Sierra Cosworth will be considered a veichle of historic intrest, but a 1990 Renault Clio will not.
Also, the national historic car association (ASI) doesnt classify as historic anything that has been modifyed. They have a couple of differnt categories thou, i know their gold plaque means 100% original, but if a car has for exaple added turn signals that werent on the original model its sorta of a lesser value and doesnt get the gold plaque, even if its a 10 point resto or preserved original with only that add on.
Diffrent color body or diffrent color interior is a big no no also.
I guess you get the point
We have Driver clubs that allow us to have lower insurance and other "old car benefits", but its all very "dodgey" and always uncertain, and it seems every region has diffrent legislation and bullshit like that.
Theonly clear thing is what we CANT do, nobody knows what we CAN....nothin i say.

 

So the ASI is an appointed body by the Sovereign state?

 

I think they are if i understand what you mean.
What i do know is theyve always been there, and theyve always been this way.
Bunch of restorer nazis with government ties.

 

Damn, I hate this shit. Seems like it's big money after more money. Fight'em boys! We may need your help down the road.

 

I would like to see some sort of annual safety inspection like we used to have in Colorado. They were per ea. state but should be all 50. There are just too many crap rods out there with extremely poor workmanship that I would never allow my kids to ride in. Mind you, only a safety inspection to insure it's put together in a safe way that does not put passengers or anyone at undue risk.

We used to be sure tires were not worn out, all lights worked, glass in good shape, brakes and other systems were working/maintained properly. Not to do anything about preventing mods, only the overall build quality and workmanship should be built to a safe and road-worthy level.

 

For years I have felt like Chicken Little to some degree because I have been predicting that some day our hot rods, customs, and antique cars will be pretty much impossible to legally drive on the roads. There are just so many "good reasons" the people who make laws can find why they are a problem, such as:

They have outdated engine designs and inadequate pollution control systems which contribute to polluting the atmosphere.

Almost none of them have modern safety devices like airbags, crumple zones, anitlock brakes, etc. They are not as safe to drive and the occupants are not as protected as being in a newer car.

They generally get worse gas milage than the new ones coming off the assembly lines, which leads to using up more resources and more pollution.

Aside from being fun to drive they really serve no practical purpose such as being used for daily transportation.

Now, those are their views, not mine, but they make the laws we all have to live by. I agree with one part of the document the OP posted where it said they think the end of our cars will not come with just one law but a bunch of little laws over time. Probably what will also enter into it will be the insurance industry refusing to provide coverage or coverage that is so expensive we can't afford it.

I won't probably be around to see the day when we can't use our cars, but unfortunately my Sons probably will.

Don