[Don]

Following comment , posted as written, from the Hemmings Weekly e-mail update:


Warm California...smog
Boy, does this one have the hobby in California in a tizzy. California A.B. No. 616 is in the Committee on Transportation right now, and “would require the department (of Consumer Affairs) to incorporate annual inspection of motor vehicles 15 or greater model years old into the motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program by July 1, 2008, and would require funds generated through additional inspection fees to be deposited into the High Polluter Repair or Removal Account. Because violations of the smog-check program are a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.”
Any time a legislature even thinks about emissions testing for collector cars, car owners think the trumpet of doom is sounding, but it's worth taking a look at the statute in question, CA Health and Safety Code 44012.5, that the bill would amend.

41011(7)(C) already states that, “any collector motor vehicle, as defined in Section 259 of the Vehicle Code, is exempt from those portions of the test required by subdivision (f) of Section 44012 if the collector motor vehicle meets all of the following criteria: (1) Submission of proof that the motor vehicle is insured as a collector motor vehicle, as shall be required by regulation of the bureau. (2) The motor vehicle is at least 35 model-years old. (3) The motor vehicle complies with the exhaust emissions standards for that motor vehicle's class and model-year as prescribed by the department, and the motor vehicle passes a functional inspection of the fuel cap and a visual inspection for liquid fuel leaks.” A.B. 616 will not affect this section.

Further, 44013(C) says, “Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the maximum emission standards and test procedures prescribed in subdivisions (a) and (b) for a motor vehicle class and model-year shall not be more stringent than the emission standards and test procedures under which that motor vehicle's class and model-year was certified.”

Yes, it's possible that annual emissions standards for cars over 15 years old could be enacted. But this is not aimed as a blow at the hobby, but rather at the disgusting, broken-down used-car market that thrives in California's metropolitan areas. Any reasonably well-maintained collector car should be able to pass emissions test for the year in which it was built; the hard part would actually be finding a shop with that equipment, but that's another matter.

Further reading:
Vehicle Code Section 5050-5052, Collector cars: “The Legislature finds and declares that constructive leisure pursuits by California citizens is most important. This article is intended to encourage responsible participation in the hobby of collecting, preserving, restoring, and maintaining motor vehicles of historic and special interest, which hobby contributes to the enjoyment of the citizen and the preservation of California's automotive memorabilia.”
Vehicle Code Section 259: “Collector motor vehicle” means a motor vehicle owned by a collector, as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 5051, and the motor vehicle is used primarily in shows, parades, charitable functions, and historical exhibitions for display, maintenance, and preservation, and is not used primarily for transportation.”
- By David B. Traver Adolphus