Classic cars banned?

Ridiculous... Suppose it's down to some bright idea from one of too many working with new laws and regulations.

Happy we're not a part of the EU, for sure! I voted yes in '94, but wouldn't dream of it today! Anyway, we have to follow some of the acts of EU, as an EFTA- country..

I wouldn't worry too much about it:-) Or perhaps I can't fit an electric fuel pump to the Marina as planned, as it has a mechanic one from the factory?:-)

Tommy

Something I posted on another forum already ...

First of all: Don't panic!

There is an ongoing discussion about these proposals here in Germany too, but centered around the annual test, instead of bi-annual as we have here in Germany currently.

Here is a translation what a German member of the EU parliament said on this topic in a recent magazine edition: "This early proposal is likely to see some changes when it comes to a first reading in the European parliament which will possibly happen early 2013. Than it will be passed to the Council of Ministers of the European Union, where all nations will need to agree on a common norm. When all changes have been incorporated the proposal will be passed back to the parliament for the second reading. It will not be before 2015 that these regulations may be coming into law."

As the annual test is basically the only problem car drivers here in Germany see with this proposal, I will give two or three comments on our current system, without referring to the EU proposal.
- Modifications: I do not know of a country where NO modifications are allowed. Belgium may be somewhat stricter than Germany, but modifications are allowed. But they need to be certified, either through a universal or specific (to the type of car) type approval, or by doing an individual approval - quite similar to the SVA in the UK, but just for the component. A lot can still be done, and tuning engines or fitting bigger brakes is quite common. The modified engine needs to be certified to fulfil the emissions requirements meeting the car's age as an example.
- classic cars: Here we have a legislation that states that any car of 30years of age or over, and in very good condition, can apply to be registered as a classic car. There are exemptions from low emission zones and a fixed rate tax. Again modifications are allowed, but they either need to have happened within the first 10 years of the car's life or be of the kind that would have been done at the time. So fitting 1970s spoilers to a Capri will not destroy the historic character of the car. Fitting a modern (as of now) engine to said Capri will not make it illegal (if tested and certified accordingly), but make it just like any other car in legal terms.
- A problem might occur for UK's kit cars, as these are illegal in most continental countries already. They are - apart from the UK - dated to the time of building the actual kit, which in almost all cases would not fulfil the legislations of the time of being built. But I am sure the UK will be able to have an exemption for this kind of car if the UK government wants so.

As a (classic-)car owner I can live with the above given points about modifications and a certain definition what states a classic. Having our (way to stringent) tests done twice as often, i.e. annual, would seem like a major pain to me. The latest reworking of our testing regulations made worn pedal rubbers, misaligned headlamps or oil forming drips on the drive-train an immediate fail - don't even think about having the slightest bit of play in any component or even rust on a panel that is welded on... I somewhat doubt that with the annual test we would also get the much more lenient criteria as in the UK or Netherlands.

Personally I think that there are more important things to take care of in the EU than homogenizing the test criteria...

Regards,

Alexander

The whole thing is a mares nest. There are two separate but related things going on in Eurpope and the UK at the moment. Most of us are aware of Pre 1960 cars becoming tax exempt in the UK as of November (Bad plan, personal opinion) and we now have the modified cars being targetted.

The whole lot is based on two things:

1/ The current MoT test in the UK requires two people to perform correctly. I assume that this is common throughout Europe? The intention is to make this a one man operation in the interests of efficiency. Hence the intention to introduce "shake platforms" for instance, to test suspension.

2/ The older testers who know and understand our old cars are retiring and the knowledge is being lost. The fact that it's all contained in the Handbook seems to be being ignored. By creating a "standard" for each car, it is supposed to make the job easy for these younger testers. This is to include allowable play on wheel bearings, ball joints, smoke emissions, electrical standards etc.

BUT........ Where is the information coming from? How will it be verified? My car is set up to a decent MGB+ spec, so has twin carbs as a starter. Is the tester going to know that it shouldn't? Can I tell him it's a "period" modification, or should I tell him to look at the "S" version of our car? The Girling Powerstop servo has been replaced with a Lockheed one. A new Powerstop simply wasn't available. It does the same job and was certainly used on some export models. The whole thing is potentially a complete nightmare.

I suspect that I'll be taking the car up to Aldridges over the next few years and having a chat with Roy (Who's only two years older than me) whilst he has the usual poke round and gives me sensible advice before issuing the ticket. Nothing much will change.

HOWEVER - if you're 18 and take your slammed-on-the floor Saxo wiv da alloys and rubber bands on an' da big wing on the back, you might just have a problem.

Chris.

Thanks Alexander and Chris for providing a well balanced assessment of the situation. I have seen the German MOT requirements and if applied in the UK they would overnight resolve much of the traffic congestion!

Let's hope common sense prevails and this doesn't result in the loss of a highly developed after market industry and make living in the EU less fun. It would be interesting to see if any proper risk assessment has taken place as to whether accidents can be attributed to vehicle modifications and if so which. I suspect it is another bit of ill informed or misinformed potential political interference.

Naturally, I am not against sensible regulation. Where I am currently living anything goes as far as vehicle mods are concerned and there are many accidents, but nearly all appear to be the fault of the driver who, as in the UK, is not subject to an annual MOT.

As you say, Alexander, the EU currently has bigger things to occupy its intellectual capabilities - this seems a bit like the old cliche of rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic.

Regards

David

Yup, wups.

Chris.

Loved the last sentence:

"The Commission is writing separately to all the newspapers concerned, none of which checked the facts with us before publication."

Alexander