You may not have yet heard about this rule change, but if you’re the type of enthusiast who likes to drive – and more importantly, buy – a really unique ride, the change applies directly to you. Thanks in great part to lobbying by SEMA, the Specialty Equipment Market Association, producers of specialty cars that build 325 or fewer cars per year will now have a significantly streamlined federal regulatory process that recognizes their limited production volume. Full disclosure, I write for Performance Racing Industry, the motorsport-component element of SEMA, which represents the $50 billion American automotive aftermarket.
The regulatory streamlining approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is a potential boon, or a least a headache remedy, for specialty builders who turn out everything from jewel-quality street rods to Cobra replicas and more recently, built-up replicas of 1960s pony cars made entirely from aftermarket reproduction parts. So if you’ve got the means to commission a one-of-one treat like this built-from-scratch, deeply channeled Deuce roadster, the process of obtaining one is about to get considerably easier.
Jim Donnelly On Wheels 