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Fwd: From The Times of London

To: British-Cars@autox.team.net
Subject: Fwd: From The Times of London
From: Trmgafun@aol.com
Date: Sun, 13 Jun 1999 08:37:16 EDT
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Originally posted by: b-evans@ix.netcom.com

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From: b-evans@ix.netcom.com
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Date: Sat, 12 Jun 1999 19:32:11 -0700
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To: spridgets@autox.team.net, healeys@autox.team.net
Subject: From The Times of London
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  Vintage cars face scrapheap
  under new EU motor laws

      by Stephen Bevan, Transport Correspondent


 BRITAIN'S classic car lovers could be forced to scrap
 thousands of their most cherished historic vehicles under
 European legislation originally designed to deal with the
 problem of abandonded cars.

 The draconian rules, drawn up because of the 600,000
 vehicles abandoned throughout the European Union each year,
 have already been approved by the European parliament and
 could be in place by the end of the year.

 Britain is the world's most important classic car market and is
 home to more than 300,000 such vehicles. Under the
 legislation, local authorities would acquire sweeping powers to
 redefine disused vehicles as waste, meaning they could be
 removed - even from private property - and sent to recycling
 centres. It also allows for strict controls on the storage and
 treatment of vehicles that are no longer roadworthy, even if
 they are vintage vehicles awaiting restoration. Again,
 environmental health inspectors would be empowered to
 remove such vehicles from private property.

 Members of the European parliament realised that the law
 could affect historic cars, many of which are kept off-road by
 private owners, or which are stored as broken-down parts.
 They tabled an amendment to exempt them, but it was
 removed, apparently at the insistence of the German green
 parties.

 British motoring organisations say the legislation, which the
 government will be under pressure to implement, could
 threaten up to 50,000 cars. Edmund King, executive director
 of the RAC's research arm, said: "Our fear is that inspectors
 could descend on people's homes, take away an old car they
 are lovingly restoring and turn it into a lump of scrap metal."

 Vintage cars in roadworthy condition or any kept in formal
 collections, such as that of Lord Montague of Beaulieu,
 founder of the National Motor Museum in Hampshire, would
 not be under threat - but the majority of vintage cars are in the
 hands of private individuals. They include many people from
 the music world, such as Nick Mason, Pink Floyd's drummer,
 Chris Rea and Jay Kay, singer with Jamiroquai.

 Last week Kay, who owns a 1964 Aston Martin DB5, a 1973
 BMW 3.0 CSL Batmobile and 11 other vehicles, said he was
 shocked. Stirling Moss, the motor racing legend who also
 collects historic cars, said: "There's a lot of junk around, but
 some of these cars are irreplaceable. They are part of our
 cultural heritage." Jackie Marriott, organiser of today's London
 to Brighton classic car rally, said the legislation threatened the
 future of the event.

 Caroline Jackson, Tory MEP for Wiltshire North and Bath,
 who supported the amendment, said: "The European
 commission seems to be dancing to the greens' tune."

 The battle to save the cars is, however, not over yet. The
 RAC and the UK Motor Sports Association have asked
 Michael Meacher, the environment minister, to put pressure
 on his European colleagues.

 Peter Jorgensen, a spokesman for Ritt Bjerregaard, the
 environment commissioner, said: "This is typical of the
 anti-Brussels stories that are always appearing in Britain."

 A car marketed to families with young children has a worse
 record in crash safety tests than any other vehicle tested, say
 US researchers. The Pontiac Trans Sport, the American
 version of the Vauxhall Sintra, was rated as poor during tests
 by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

 About 43,000 Sintras have been sold in Europe since 1997.
 Vauxhall says the Sintra has been withdrawn from sale in
 Europe, but it is promoted on the company's Internet site
 without any warning about its test performances. A Vauxhall
 spokesman said: "The Pontiac Trans Sport and the Sintra
 fulfilled the legal requirements."


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