Modded cars - why the hell not?

[Neeek]

I feel there is a gross injustice in this country in regards to modified vehicles and I feel like venting my spleen a little. Let’s take the three countries most similar to Australia – the UK, NZ and the USA.

To kick off with the UK, the government there think it’s perfectly alright to shove a big engine into a small car. For example, a lot of people know of an old Ford Popular with a stroked Clevo stuffed under the bonnet. It runs silly quarter mile times, and it’s completely street legal. This is car that originally had about 3.5bhp, yet with the proper application of skill and care, it’s a-ok to drive one from Yorkshire to Cornwall. It’ll cost a lot in petrol, but that’s not necessarily a problem. They have similar rules and regs about it being roadworthy and you don’t need an engineer’s plate for it – as long as it passes the roadworthy test, go for it.

Similar in NZ, I believe. Anyone seen those crazy rat rods? And what about the Focus that was converted to a V8 and RWD? All perfectly legal – if it passes the test to make sure it’s safe they’ll give you a set of plates. Splendid.

And then the US. Same as the other two – if the car is capable of being driven on the road in safety, why the hell not? There are some crazy rigs out there that would never in a million years be legal in this country.

Maybe I’ve got it wrong and there’s more to it than that. But frankly, I don’t see the problem with ANY car being on the road provided it’s safe. That means that seatbelts work, all the lights work, the brakes work… effectively, passing a roadworthy test which if I’m not mistaken, includes a test on the road rather than just looking for bald patches on the tyres. Should someone declare the car unfit for use because it’s dangerous, then take it off the road. Simple as that. It’s a rule I would happily subscribe to.

It seems that the laws in this country are a tad harsh and probably mismanaged. Those same rules state quite clearly that my car may well be illegal to drive on account of the fact that I’m not running a vacuum hose where I should. Can you tell I have an issue with this one in particular? The rest of the car presents no safety issue whatsoever and is in fact almost identical to one made 5 years prior, although that one doesn’t need the vacuum hose because it’s older. OK, so I’m getting my wires crossed on emissions and safety, but you see my point. The rules don’t really make much sense. They have been devised by people who don’t seem to know a huge amount about cars, much less what modifications may be required.

Another example I heard recently was that due to the power/weight ratio argument, it may not be possible to legally put a 351 Cleveland into a Mk1 Capri because that’s not what Capris came with back in the day. But you can have a 302 sir, no problem. What’s to stop Mr Petrolhead working the hell out of a 302 so that it knocks out an honest 600bhp – far more than a stock 351 – and being able to drive his car legally, all because it’s a 302 and not a 351?

It’s all a bit much, really. Why can’t we in Australia have the freedom to modify our cars the way we want, provided they’re safe and pose no more of a threat to society than if they were stock? It's perfectly fine in some other countries, yet illegal here - I struggle to see the difference, other than geography. I have a solution, and I’m sure I’m not alone. It goes something like this:

Anyone anywhere at any time is allowed to modify their car. The only requirements are that they tell their insurance company (it will be null and void in the event of a claim), they get their car tested for roadworthiness after any modifications that may affect safety, for better or worse, have been made. If at said test the tester sees that the car has had half the chassis removed, only then should it be referred to an engineer. And let’s face it, that means that for one reason or another, it’s not safe.

I want to see the same kind of freedom for those of us with cars from the ‘60s onwards that those with a 1932 Model A enjoy. And of course, be able to drive them when we want so that we can enjoy the fruits of our labours. Is that so much to ask?

Perhaps I’m preaching to the converted, but I’d be interested in people’s opinions on the subject.