Retro Car Legislature, legal reproductions of classics (E30M3?)

[mr2peak]

Small car manufacturers, like Factory 5 with their Cobra replica cars, are now allowed to build complete cars that don't have to meet major manufacturer safety standards.

This also opens the American market to small car manufacturers around the world! It's a huge strike against an Autonomous-Only car future!

I'm not usually one to link to Fox news, but this is a good article that explains the new transportation bill.

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/12/08/transportation-bill-unlocks-new-american-car-industry/?intcmp=hpff

[nando]

That's cool I guess. Sucks the production numbers are so small, but it's better than what we had before!

I'm guessing a "brand new" M3 would cost a fortune. Not sure I buy that the only crate engine you can get is a GM V8.. I'm pretty sure Ford also sells crate engines (ecotec turbo 4cyl for sure). That actually sounds like something BMW could do, although the market is pretty small - maybe there's a bigger "export" market where they won't be limited to 325 cars.

[djjerme]

This could be a boon for some of the kit car manufactures. I got nothing but love for Factory Five - those guys put up! The owner is super supportive of Motorsports and his cars are designed to take the abuse of the track (as well as look good.)

This is a strange move by the Gub-ment - seems almost to contradict everything they have ever done in relation to the auto industry.

[Kershaw]

This stipulation, along with the production limit, was included in part to assuage concerns from the major automakers that they might have to compete against countless startups building modern cars that didn’t have to play by the same rules as they do.

This sounds like a bill to kill electric vehicle start ups camouflaged as something good. That said, there's no reason any modern car shouldn't have modern safety standards. However, this does sound like it's going to create more hoops for small start ups to jump through, which means less start ups, more failed start ups, and less competition for the big manufacturers. I think Tesla scared them. They don't want another.

[mr2peak]

Actually it's the opposite of scaring away the little guys. It's giving small manufacturers a way to produce road-legal vehicles without going the "kit car" route.

As long as the car is based on a previously released 25+ year old car and the design is approved, and they use a smog-legal engine package (a la the GM E-Rod V8 ) it's good to go.

It's the perfect segway for a company to produce electric versions of classic cars. No smog restrictions.

Or, re-engineered classics that can drive themselves... Tons of opportunity.

[Kershaw]

That would be cool.

[M-technik-3]

Think the fact that Factory Five is using modern drivetrains in their current models is a driving factor plus the number of kit builds coming in like the crossbow idea.

[Steveb68]

Nothing to get excited about here. These will just be more stupid expensive toys for rich boys, like http://www.brandnewmusclecar.com/ Also, while these "reproductions" don't have to meet safety standards, they do have to meet current emissions standards, so forget big blocks and carbs (and S14's and S38's and even S52's).

[mr2peak]

Yes they do have to meet emissions standards. And the GM E-Rod V8 is the only currently licensed engine package (that I am aware of). But I'm sure that will change. S14's? How about an F20C instead.

As for "toys for rich boys", wait. Depreciation hits almost everything eventually. Those FF Cobras will be a lot less special with 350+ cars per year coming out.