After the 9th trip to DMV and 6 phone calls (to Carson City, Reno and local DMV), I have learned the following:
1. The DMV in Reno and Carson City have their stuff together and understand the law;
2. The Las Vegas DMV has been instructed to
interpret the replica law differently than the
actual law, i.e., a replica is NOT just a body made after 1968 that resembles a car made before 1968, but it is a vehicle that "replicates" (meaning an EXACTLY DUPLICATES!) a pre-1968 vehicle, including the body, frame and motor! This means that if a replica has a motor that does not replicate a '65, '66 or '67 Cobra motor, the DMV will not approve it as a replica!
3. This law and interpretation was supposedly created so Shelby could get his cars licensed as
replicas
, according to local DMV;
4. The original law said 100 vehicles per year, but according to LVDMV, the policy is 100 total period, and no more will be issued. The DMV guy said they made a mistake in the law...I said then it is the law until they change it, right? He said no, since they had issued a policy and rule interpretation that trumped the law (?!?)...and there would only be 100 total replica registrations.
I am right now waiting for the the Las Vegas DMV Deputy Administrator of Emission Testing to return my call to see what he has to say, then on to his supervisor, the Administrator of DMV Las Vegas, then on to either Reno DMV for an end run around the red tape or a conversation with Jenny Lewis, the Director of DMV Nevada. This is more fun than a poke in the a$$ with a hot poker.
And consider this: I have a VIN-check form from
DMV that says my car was built in 2001 and resembles a 1966 Cobra, but that is not enough for the DMV to determine that it qualifies under the law as a replica (From the law, NRS445B.759; "Replica vehicle" means any passenger car or light-duty motor vehicle which: (1) Has a body manufactured after 1968 which is made to resemble a vehicle of a model manufactured before 1968...").
Any lawyers out there interested in doing a little pro bono work in filing a Writ of Mandamus to direct them to observe the law?
More to follow.