I’m amazed to see that there’s a model of the Caterham 7, “the car that’s too fast to race”, that fits into this category.
Shows that small cars don’t have to be boring or slow.
Shows that small cars don’t have to be boring or slow.
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/ctd/d/san-mateo-1996-subaru...
What to tell the wife? Hmmm....
It's a shame. I'd own one in a minute set up for snow days.
https://helpspanish.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-278?language=e...
In Canada, the rule is just 15 years, which is why you’ll see more Keis here
Exactly.
I remember in the DMV regulations that there's a special dispensation for Kei cars that essentially defines Catalina. 'An island over xxx square miles in size' sort of thing.
It used to be big fun here (before they went to 1975 and earlier gasoline engined cars going to not being inspected) if you had a car that was incapable of passing even when new.
I'm actually quite surprised that they don't check date codes on tires and require new seat belts every so many years.
I met a guy at the La Jolla Concours d'Elegance who had imported an ('82?) Trabant. He had gotten it registered with the CA license plate "IRNCRTN". Apparently, Cal DMV saw that it was over twenty-five years old, gave him an exception and the plates, and then demanded that he have it smogged.
A two-stroke Trabant.
I believe he showed the DMV the bottle of oil that he poured into the gas tank after every fillup, and asked them if there was a smog check place willing to hook what is essentially an old lawnmower up to their million-dollar diagnostic apparatus. This seemed to work.
My understanding is that they can't test for NOx without rollers and the smog shops couldn't afford it.
In any case, you'd end up with cases where cars put together by show judges couldn't pass because it didn't match some book. A lot of cars used to have to have crazy gadgets that interfered with spark advance.
All for pass or not pass.
Truth is, I'll bet you could drop the whole system and not see a change in air quality at this point. Super-dirty early cars get a bye (aircooled VW) and late model are rarely modified or worn out. If you feel the need to test, do a good job and then simply charge for the amount of emissions that come out.
I have the feeling that the emissions industry has metastasized into a political power. Not unlike car dealerships.
regarding Kei cars/trucks, my working theory is that most of the objections are safety related. Lots of DOT standards that the rest of the world ignores. Oddly, motorcycles are perfectly legal.
That’s basically what happened in Ontario Canada. They dropped the program because it wasn’t providing any value. New cars would maintain good emissions control for 10 years and beyond that, salt does a good job of destroying cars anyway.
CO2 is a different story with pickups and SUVs. Ultimately, it’s how much you drive and how you drive, and that’s better addressed with gas taxes.
Of course, if you're building a kit car or rebuilding a salvaged car or any number of edge cases, BAR has to certify the vehicle, but for a "normal" car you can get away with almost anything. Bald tires, no seatbelts, windshield wipers falling off, glass smashed up all to hell, wheel bearing so shot it looks like you're driving a paint shaker.
Granted, it's illegal and you could get a ticket for it, but you'll see plenty of smashed up cars with no headlights or bumpers or whatever driving around on the roads in CA. It's just a matter of not running across a police officer who feels like spending the time to ticket you for blatantly illegal (lack of) equipment.
"Only if located on a natural island with an area in excess of 20,000 acres and that is within a county having a population in excess of 4,000,000"
The trick is to have your license in that state, too. Then the CHP can't prove that you're a California resident (at least not during a traffic stop) ;)
A lot of the vehicles you see on Catalina Island, for example, are sold under the LSV rule and also popular as things like campus vehicles.
Smart K is another non-Japanese kei car that's more powerful.
It’s one of those designs, like the 911, that are still an absolute beast even today.
It’s so simple and right for it’s intended purpose it just doesn’t age.
Or more precisely they’ve been able to evolve the basic concept to keep it competitive.