In a recent episode of Roadkill Extras, host David Freiburger is at Westech Performance in Mira Loma, California when he’s rendered utterly dumbfounded at the presence of an AE86 wearing California Historic Vehicle license plates. Turns out, it’s a car we featured back 2009 and is owned by our friend Dennis David.
Dennis says he was merely there to get it dynoed when rhe film crew stopped by. The normally gregarious Freiburger seemingly doesn’t know what to make of the “…Corolla” but it’s not like Roadkill hasn’t had its share of J-tin. There was the V8-powered Datsun 240Z, some kind of bizarre Z-based game of Horse, and a boat-engined REPU. Hmm, maybe it’s best these guys continue thinking it’s just a plain ol’ Corolla.
Theirs also an RB engine somewhere at the 9 minute mark.
And a modified Corolla getting historic plates? I thought California was ridiculously anal about cars and what they are?
Except smog related things, California is remarkably laid back when it comes to cars. I hear that other states actually have things like safety inspections.
California isn’t as bad as some make it out to be. Historic plates are cool.
Hey, Freiburger is a jeep head muscle car lover and doesn’t really stray from that and thats not a bad thing.
Now Finnegan on the other hand is actually a fan of all cars, he rocked a Taco as a mini truck long before he got around to writing for Hot Rod. He would probably have loved this if he’d been around.
It’s not a bad thing at all! We just found the situation amusing an were happy to see a car we know on TV… er, YouTube.
Come on – Freiburger lives in SoCal and is confused with an old Corolla? Has he been living under a rock?
I think it’s more because of the “normal” vehicles that the shop works on. The ’56 Chevy (150?), the I’ll-say ’58-’60 ‘Vette, and other “traditional” hot rods are not where one would expect to find a Corolla.
I could use the Super Flow thing in a couple rooms at home, though! 🙂
Look ma! My car is on TV….er, YouTube!
Be careful with historic plates. Several years ago, during the usual California budget crisis, some county tax assessors looked up Historical plate vehicles, went to the latest Scottsdale auctions and sent out property tax bills. This was soon killed, but the temptation is still there.
Can you explain what that’s all about for us non-US readers please?
My guess is that tax assessors looked up auction results of some classic cars and realized that many of them go for major monies (Some Muscle Cars with certain trim and engine combinations go for 6 figures, and a few go for Millions because only less than 15 were made and the existing survivors number in the single digits. And look at certain J-Tin examples like the Toyota 2000GT.). Being tangible property, they tried to assess the auction value on the cars and levy a tax. Like I mentioned above, and common with general laymen, people put two things together and assume things. For example, just because you have a Plymouth Satellite rusting in your back yard doesn’t mean someone will pay $40 Grand for it.
Here in Illinois when you register a car with the DMV you have to declare a value so they can assess taxes on the car. I have a 1936 pontiac that I paid a $1000 for and that is what I declared as it’s value, so at the time they charged me the 8% tax and that was that. Several months later I got a nice little letter from the Illinois Secretary of State stating that the cars value was actually $36,000 and that I owed 8% tax on that value. Plus late fees of course. Suffice to say I had to take pictures of the car and go down to Springfield and show them it was indeed a $1000 car and not a high dollar street rod.
The temptation is ALWAYS there, ’cause you must be rich. I’ll let that go at that…
I think in PA, you just pay like, $50 for Classic or Antique plates, but there are restrictions on Antiques’ use, such as no night driving, unless returning from a parade, or club function, or somesuch.
No Inspections for Antiques.
That whole “Personal Property Tax” thing is garbage… NEXT, they’ll be assessing your furniture and appliances… (Oooohhh, you got a new freezer!”) You paid whatever taxes on the item(s) AFTER you had income tax taken out, to take them to your home, on which you pay property (real estate) tax.
Sometimes it’s good to be 20+ years behind the rest of the country.