A new law proposed in Minnesota is an attack on car culture so severe that it’s one step away from banning classic cars.
Those of us with classic, vintage, and collector cars don’t drive these vehicles daily. We have reduced registration requirements and cheaper insurance with the understanding that these cars aren’t commuting us to work every weekday. It’s understandable. And I’ve never really seen someone break this rule and drive their 1960s Pontiac GTO to a colonoscopy appointment or leave work in their Jaguar E-Type. But for some reason, Minnesota House File 3865 wants to strictly define when classic cars can be driven.
And it’s basically never.
Minnesota HF 3865 could damage the state’s car culture, but why are they doing it?
If HF 3865 passed, vintage cars, classic cars, collector vehicles, street rods, military vehicles, and classic motorcycles would only be allowed on public roads during daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday. That means nothing in the evening or during the week.
You could no longer have a late-night car meetup at the top of a garage, cruise the canyons during a weekday, or go to evening car shows. Doing these things would count as against the law.
I guess it leaves me wondering: Who hurt you? Did someone with a C2 Corvette dump you?
Proponents of HF 3865 explain that they are simply trying to clarify what constitutes a classic or collector vehicle and what owners are allowed to do with them. This protects the intent of the state’s collector vehicle registration and ensures it’s not being “abused” by drivers that want to… Go on too many canyon drives?
While I understand the concept of defining what’s allowed within a limited vehicle registration, I am unclear why Minnesota wants it to be so limited. Why do they want no classic cars on the road the entire week? Why can’t there be car shows at night? I guess I’m unclear how this improves anything. All this will do is cancel weekday car meets and bar retired people from taking relaxing cruises on a Wednesday morning. Were people complaining about this? What harm was it doing?
The extreme restrictions feel like an attempt to redefine car culture, or may even deter people from owning a classic car to begin with. The idea of buying an entire car just to be restricted from driving it all week long seems crazy.
And unfortunately, it’s not just Minnesota residents who have to deal with restrictions and backlash for owning a classic car. California has been pushing hard for stricter emissions policies, which means vehicles passing smog tests and other strict requirements that many classic cars would fail. This would essentially make some classic cars undrivable in California, a state known for its rich car culture. Jay Leno, who owns over 150 cars, has fought back with “Leno’s Law,” which argues that vehicles from certain years shouldn’t need to pass a modern smog test.
Again, who hurt these people? These vehicles are barely on the road as is. Why are you so obsessed with them? In all likelihood, it probably comes down to money. Minnesota wants to charge people full registration and fees if they drive their classic car more than the “acceptable” number of miles. Maybe if they only allow you to drive during very restrictive times, you’ll be forced to pay for regular registration just to bring your car out at night for a meet. And California wants money off of its smog tests.
Hagerty recently did a study on which states are classic car-friendly and found that other states are after your hard-earned money as well. You know, the money that’s supposed to go into your car, not into politicians’ pockets. In Massachusetts, you are charged a 5.5% tax based on what you paid for the car, but the state determines the car’s value itself, often much higher than its market value. Missouri limits you to 1,000 miles of driving a year. South Dakota has a 4.5% sales tax and an excise tax of 4%, making it one of the most tax-heavy states for registering a car. Maine requires that you have a daily driver if you want to get antique plates for your classic car. Many states have a “weekend, holidays, and special occasions” restriction for those antique plates.
Can’t say all of this is surprising. But let’s hope HF 3865 faces some opposition or car culture is in crisis.
