Thanks to the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act” that is now approved by NHTSA, small companies are able to sell turn-key street-legal replicas in the US alongside the already available kit cars. In a world where prices of sought-after classics have gone past six-digit figures, these kinds of replicas could be a more affordable ticket to a similar experience for automotive enthusiasts
The new rule proposed by Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) and the Congress, makes an exemption for low-volume vehicle manufacturers with only a few requirements. Each company will be able to produce or import up to 325 replicas per year in order to apply. The design must be based on a vehicle that is over 25 years old, a rule that includes countless classics and exotics.
All replicas will have to comply with the current emission regulations, meaning they will need to be fitted with a modern engine or feature a zero-emission powertrain. However, they won’t have the same safety standards as mass-produced cars, which was the main issue until today.
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This is great news for low-volume manufacturers – like Factory Five and Superfrormance – who will be able to legally offer street-legal vehicles assembled by the factory. More importantly, they won’t have to deal with the incredibly high R&D regulation-related costs that only big players in the automotive industry can afford.
The act is also good news for petrolheads who will eventually gain access to a large variety of replicas in the US market. Currently, most vehicles like that are sold in the form of kit cars, requiring quite a lot of work for their assembly. While these will still be available, buyers will now have the option to buy readymade turn-key versions of the same cars.
SEMA says that the verification process of street-legal replicas will take months since the vehicles will need to be registered with NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), and CARB (California Air Resource Board). However, we are sure it won’t be long before we see more cool-looking vehicles roaming around the streets in the US.
H/T to Road And Track
