NHTSA finalizes rule making 25-y.o. turnkey replicas legal at last
Customers who don't want to build kits can finally buy the whole car
At the end of 2015, Congress signed the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act into law. The bill included a provision opening the way for low-volume vehicle manufacturers (LVVM) to produce a small quantity of turnkey replica vehicles every year. So instead of having to buy a Cobra from Kirkland or a Daytona Coupe from Factory Five (pictured), then sourcing engines yourself, you could drive complete and fully functioning replicas off the lot.
Then came more than six years of political limbo, with the Specialty Equipment Manufacturer's Association (SEMA) holding the torch looking for a way out. Exiting limbo required SEMA to bring a lawsuit against the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the agency responsible for creating the regulations necessary to enact the law, and threatening more legal action. Finally, NHTSA has done the necessary work, the LVVM law is official, and small shops can make turnkey replicas of vehicles sold at least 25 years ago.
Almost. First, the businesses that wish to do so much register with NHTSA, the Environmental Protection Agency, and California's Air Resources Board. NHTSA has to approve the specific vehicle being made to ensure it fits the law's definition of replica. The EPA and CARB need to see that the engine packages for the replicas meet current emissions standards. SEMA says this could take "several months." Other than the engine, the law allows for period-correct details from 25 years ago or more, like a lack of airbags and three-point seatbelts.
And after that, as the SEMA press release said, it's "Replica car companies, start your sales." Some of the companies that were waiting for this in 2015 have since left the field, like the Checker Motors Cars' Checker Cab project, and the guy hoping to make new versions of the Lamborghini Countach. Others have held on, like DeLorean Motor Company. This final rulemaking is how we'll get the new battery-electric DeLorean debuting at Pebble Beach this summer.
Each company can produce 325 examples of a replica annually, submitting paperwork to NHTSA, the EPA, and CARB that keeps track of production. Kit cars are still legal, too, but those who wish to pay professionals to finish the job on-site can finally do so.
SOURCE: autoblog