Car enthusiasts and industry can now have their say on how to
best preserve iconic classic cars like the DMC Delorean, MkII
Jaguar and James Bond's Aston Martin DB5 for decades to come.
Today (Thursday 9 May), the Government is launching a Call for
Evidence to gather views on how classic and historic cars can be
preserved for future generations and boost jobs in the £18
billion classic car sector.
Since the 1980s, policies on how classic cars are registered
after being restored and upgraded have largely remained the same,
and do not account for improving historic vehicles with modern
technology.
The Call for Evidence from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing
Agency (DVLA) will ask drivers, classic car enthusiasts and the
industry to share their proposals to help historic vehicles into
the 21st century, while prioritising road safety and
retaining accurate vehicle records.
Changes could make it easier to register vehicles to fully
recognise their value while protecting prospective buyers, modify
classic cars to improve their performance, and retrofit them with
electric powertrains.
With iconic James Bond's iconic Aston Martin DB5, Inspector
Morse's MkII Jaguar and the Belfast-built DMC Delorean from “Back
to the Future” firmly embedded in popular culture, today's Call
for Evidence is an opportunity for classic car enthusiasts and
the motoring industry to have their say on how these and other
motoring icons can remain an example of British excellence in the
UK and around the world.
Better preserving classic cars can also help drive tourism to
iconic classic car shows such as Goodwood Revival. With the
classic car industry employing around 113,000 skilled people and
worth £18 billion a year, the Call for Evidence will help support
jobs in the heritage car industry and help grow the economy.
Transport Secretary said:
“The way we restore and protect classic cars has not kept up with
the times and evolving technologies, which is why we are calling
for industry and enthusiasts to have their say on how to best
protect these British classics for decades to come.
“Alongside our record £8.3 billion increase to resurface local
roads and the 30-point Plan for Drivers, today's Call for
Evidence is the latest part of the Government's plan to back
drivers, support skilled jobs, and grow the economy.”
The Call for Evidence is the latest measure to back drivers
across the country, following £8.3 billion to resurface
roads across England, the biggest ever funding boost to local
roads maintenance as we tackle potholes and improve local roads.
The Government is also delivering for motorists through the
Plan for Drivers,
including ensuring traffic schemes like Low Traffic
Neighbourhoods and 20mph speed limits have buy-in from local
people, consulting on measures to stop councils treating drivers
as ‘cash cows' and accelerating the rollout of electric vehicle
chargepoints for those choosing to switch.
Drivers will also be able to enjoy smoother journeys following
the introduction of new measures to crack down
on disruptive street works, with utility companies that allow
works to overrun facing increased fines, which could generate up
to £100 million extra to improve local roads.
Julie Lennard, DVLA Chief Executive Officer,
said:
“As evolving technologies continue to improve the way classic,
historic and rebuilt vehicles can be modified and restored, we
want to ensure that we keep the policies and registration
processes for these vehicles up to date.
“This is one of the many ways we are looking to make things
easier and simpler for our customers and we want to encourage
enthusiasts and those individuals and organisations with a keen
interest and expertise to share their views with us.”
