quote:
Originally posted by Trevor Legate
Why can't a Lightweight be registered in the States? I know of at least one, including the one I almost (should have) purchased in Florida.
Yeah I got loadsa pics thanks.....
Trevor, some states are easier than other, but as a general rule the markIV is seen by the government as a car coming from a bona-fide car manufacturer (AC/Autokraft), as such, it must meet all emissions and safety requirements for the year of manufacture (5MPH bumpers, air bags if from the 90s' or newer, etc) The MKIVs met the requirements for their specific years but the light-weight, not having 5MPH bumpers would not.
However, when there is a will there is a way! In some states, it might be possible to register a light-weight as a kit car of if the car can be imported with a title from the 60s' or early 70s' it should be ok!
Some states like Utah or Florida ask very little, some other like California ask for the "World"
Incidently, California is mainly concerned about emissions, so if one wanted to bring a 1993 for example, one would have to install a 1993 or newer Mustang motor/geartbox with all the required pollution control that came with that year mustang, including wiring, engine warning lights etc. plus a mountain of paperwork and it would have to be inspected every 2 years!
When I had my MKIV, I tried to re-register it under California SB-100 rule to avoid smog requirements. SB-100 is a California law that was sponsored by a local Hot-Rodder politician. It says that a Kit-Car can be registered according to it's looks or the date of the engine manufacture, for example a Cobra looks like a 1965 car so 1965 it is, or the engine is from 1966 so the car is 1966. The problem is that they will allow the first 500 cars per year to be registered that way. When I tried that with my markIV they said that AC/Autokraft was a bona-fide manufacturer and that the car did not qualify! Incidently, I think it is the main reason for the relatively low MarkIV resale value, this is also why Shelby chose to import rolling chassis and not finished cars (althought the rules were a lot more relaxed in the 60s').
Emmanuel
