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Found this on AutoBlog, maybe they’ll make another MGTDr again.
BillBill in Congress would legally allow for low-volume replica cars
Regular Autoblog readers may be more inclined to flip to Discovery’s Velocity channel than they would to C-SPAN, but this particular bill being presented in Congress may pique your interest in our federal legislature more than anything since Schoolhouse Rock.Proposed legislation in the House of Representatives would create a new category of regulations for low-volume automakers ??? specifically those building replicas of classic automobiles. Current regulations, which hold small-scale manufacturers to the same standards as mass producers, mean that these low-volume automakers are forced to sell their products as kits, but the new category would allow them to offer turn-key vehicles, with no further assembly required on the part of the buyer.
House Resolution 2675 ??? dubbed the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015” ??? is a bipartisan bill being presented by Congressmen Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Gene Green (D-TX). If voted into law, it would mandate that smaller-scale automakers (producing no more than 500 vehicles per year) would still be required to comply with modern standards set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency, but those standards would be set separately for lower volumes. These vehicles, as pointed out by the SEMA in the statement below, are “primarily used in exhibitions, parades and occasional transportation.”
“The bill introduced by Reps. Mullin and Green will allow US companies to produce turn-key replicas of older vehicles that are virtually impossible to build under today’s restrictive one-size-fits-all regulatory framework,” said SEMA chief Chris Kersting. “This program will create skilled-labor jobs in the auto industry and help meet consumer demand for these classics of the past.”
Show full PR textU.S CONGRESS INTRODUCES BILL TO ALLOW LIMITED PRODUCTION OF TURN-KEY REPLICA CARSWashington, DC (June 10, 2015) ??? Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) have introduced bipartisan legislation that would enable low volume car manufacturers to produce turn-key replica vehicles for customers nationwide. Replica vehicles resemble classic cars produced at least 25 years ago. Supported by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015” (H.R. 2675) would allow companies to construct up to 500 such cars a year subject to federal regulatory oversight.
The U.S. currently has just one system for regulating automobiles. It was established in the 1960s and designed for companies that mass-produce millions of vehicles. H.R. 2675 creates a separate regulatory framework for small businesses producing modest numbers of cars.
“The bill introduced by Reps. Mullin and Green will allow U.S. companies to produce turn-key replicas of older vehicles that are virtually impossible to build under today’s restrictive one-size-fits-all regulatory framework,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. “This program will create skilled-labor jobs in the auto industry and help meet consumer demand for these classics of the past.”
H.R. 2675 directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a separate regulatory structure to facilitate the production of replica cars. Manufacturers would be required to register with NHTSA and EPA and submit annual reports on the vehicles they produce. The vehicles would meet current model year emissions standards and manufacturers would be permitted to install clean engines from other EPA-certified vehicles to help achieve that requirement.
H.R. 2675 recognizes the unique circumstances associated with limited production replica vehicles, which are primarily used in exhibitions, parades and occasional transportation. It also provides an opportunity to promote domestic manufacturing and create jobs in the specialty auto sector.
“This bill seeks a reasonable regulatory approach,” said Kersting. “It also helps preserve our American automotive heritage.”
SEMA will be working with Congressional leaders to promote this important bill. For more information on H.R. 2675, please contact Stuart Gosswein or Eric Snyder at 202.783.6007 or stuartg@sema.org, erics@sema.org.
Bad Bill
Write your congressmen!
This would be a major win for the manufacturers supporting our hobby!
Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Could hold back the takeover by autonomous robot cars by a few years at least.
edsnova2015-06-14 22:14:06
OK…now that I’ve read it…I still say you need to write your congressmen…but to OBJECT!!! This bill will do nothing to enhance our hobby! And it could very well kill large portions of it.
The troubling part is even in the news article that Bill posted:Manufacturers would be required to register with NHTSA and EPA and submit annual reports on the vehicles they produce. The vehicles would meet current model year emissions standards and manufacturers would be permitted to install clean engines from other EPA-certified vehicles to help achieve that requirement.If that makes it into law, a replica built in 2015 would have to pass 2015 federal emissions standards. I don’t think I have to tell you…a VW air-cooled engine won’t make it. Nor would that Pinto or Chevette engine!And there is more trouble in the bill. The proposed law would require replica manufacturer to prove they have an agreement with the original car maker (the car the replica copies) to produce the replica, or evidence that copyright, trade mark, or trade dress rights have been abandoned for at least three years.I wonder what MG or Porsche or Ferrari will do with that?Google HR 2675 to read the full draft.Paul Mossberg
Former Owner of a 1981 Classic Roadsters Ltd. Duchess (VW)
2005 Intermeccanica RoadsterIf you own a TDr and are not in the Registry, please go to https://tdreplica.com/forums/topic/mg-td-replica-registry/ and register (you need to copy and paste the link)
Paul,
Thanks for pointing out things I missed in the Bill. I wonder could manufacturers sell their cars both as a kit and as completed cars? Seems like kits would be OK to escape all the requirements of the Bill, and for the rich guys that wanted a car ready made, they would be available at a price.BillBad Bill
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