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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Dan Surra |
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Surra introduces ‘show car’ registration bill
HARRISBURG, Jan. 14 – Custom-car and show-car enthusiasts in Pennsylvania would see the burden of Pennsylvania’s new, enhanced vehicle inspection requirements reduced for them under legislation introduced today by state Rep. Dan Surra, D-Elk/Clearfield.
Surra’s legislation (H.B. 2163) would waive many of the enhanced inspection requirements put in place last year for custom cars and rebuilt cars that are used primarily for exhibition.
“Enhanced inspections can add hundreds of dollars to the cost of rebuilding and maintaining custom and show cars, even though in many cases these enhanced inspections are unnecessary for cars that are rarely driven and used primarily for exhibition,” Surra said. “A special class of inspection for these cars makes sense, one that ensures show cars and street rods are safe when they are on the road but that doesn’t require an inspection procedure that is costly and unnecessary.”
In 2007, new inspection requirements went into effect in Pennsylvania for reconstructed, specially constructed and modified vehicles. These cars are now required to pass an enhanced vehicle inspection procedure, which is performed by only about 300 specialty inspectors across the state. The special inspections cost more than regular automobile inspections -- in some cases several hundred dollars more -- and must be repeated every time a significant change is made to a modified car.
Surra said the enhanced inspections are appropriate for some modified vehicles -- those that are rebuilt and put back on the road for regular use after a crash, theft or flood damage, for example – but he does not believe the enhanced inspection is necessary for collectibles, street rods and other custom-built cars.
Surra’s legislation would create a special “show car” inspection classification that would apply to modified or custom-built cars that are driven less than 5,000 miles a year and are used primarily for transportation to and from repair facilities, parades, car shows and similar events. Owners could obtain special registration for these vehicles, which would exempt them from the enhanced inspection requirements. Instead, these cars would have to undergo the 23-point safety inspection currently recommended by the National Street Rod Association. NSRA offers these inspections free at hundreds of car shows across the country.
“My bill would ensure these street rods and other show cars are safe for the limited time they are on the road while allowing many people afford a hobby that is very popular in Pennsylvania,” Surra said. “Custom car enthusiasts don’t need the added expense of unnecessary inspections.”