Need some advice on Ca. Registration

[meat]

Originally posted by Ron61
I have a question regarding the above statement about trying to register a car built by SAI or Kirkhams or any other licensed specialty car manafacturer. In the link given, the statement is that they would not fall under SB-100 if I read it correctly. Yet if you buy a non complete car and finish it then why wouldn't it be legal to register it under SB-100. I can understand the Shelby Series 1 as that is only sold as a turn key car from my understanding. But I thought the Cobras were usually sold as rolling chassis and then you can have them do whatever amount of work you want them to do on it. So what is the difference there than hiring a person from here or any other state such as DV in Ohio to put your car together so long as you have all the necessary receipts to show the DMV what you have invested in the car ?

According to the DMV investigators that I have worked with, if it has axles, and it was made by a manufacturer, then it is a vehicle under the law, and must meet the DOT safety bits (5 MPH bumpers, properly sized rear lights, back up lights that provide illumination for a certain number of feet, side impact protection, collapsible steering column, retractable 3-point seat belts, mirrors that are a certain number of inches, air bags for both driver and passenger, headlights that are a certain number of inches off the ground, all the smog equipment for the current year of the car when it's first registered, ODBII stuff, etc.

Shelby American / Venture is an automobile manufacturer. The cars they produce must meet all of the safety and smog regs for the year the car is manufactured.

That includes crash testing to show how the required crumple zones work.

Kit cars - like the kind produced by Kirkham, ERA, FFR, EM, Unique ... well, pretty much everyone that is a part of the kit car industry and isn't trying to shut it down, like late-comer Shelby - are exactly that: kits. If your kit car is built by a third party (not you or an automobile manufacturer, or their affiliates) that's okay, in the eyes of the California DMV.

Your pal,
Meat.