5 ms·

> Let me describe to you the 900-kilogram car I'm building, with forged pistons and a turbo big enough to fit your head inside. It probably won't hold traction

> Let me describe to you the 900-kilogram car I'm building, with forged pistons and a turbo big enough to fit your head inside. It probably won't hold traction until third or fourth gear. Sarcasm is hard to pick up via a written media so i'm going to assume you're legit. Where is this thing even legal to drive??

function_seven 8y ago
What he described sounds like a lot of street legal cars in the US. As long as it has turn signals, windshield wipers, seat belts, and some other things on a short list, it's allowed on the road. Here's one example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom EDIT: And another: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_MX-5_(NA) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_MX-5_(NA)
- King-Aaron 8y ago
  Yeah not to mention guys like Saleen and Hennessey who make some downright ludicrous road cars. When you're talking about the power levels they make, the difference between 900kg and 1200kg is negligible :P https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennessey_Venom_GT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennessey_Venom_GT Edit, and a more serious note, this is the flip side of the kinds of things we're discussing though. Not all modified cars are built to equal safety considerations, and not all modified car stories end well. https://jalopnik.com/man-dies-after-crash-in-home-built-honda-civic-based-ka-1825681533 https://jalopnik.com/man-dies-after-crash-in-home-built-hond...
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
jacobush 8y ago
Lots of jurisdictions have general exemptions for self built cars or modified older cars.
King-Aaron 8y ago
> Where is this thing even legal to drive?? Racetracks, mainly. While I'm keeping the car registered, I'm sure the first time I have a problem with a police officer the car will receive a defect notice and won't be legal on the road any longer until it passes an engineering inspection. I'd need to be doing something pretty silly to get pulled over though, as it's all in a mx5 (miata) and it's a bit of a "sleeper" - i.e. it doesn't appear to be modified when looking from the outside. Interestingly enough though, the work I'm doing should be able to pass an engineer if required, but that's an investment I'll make when the defect arises. In Australia it's pretty commonplace to daily drive your race car until it gets defected, haha. It should be noted though, that in certain states in the United States, it appears (to an outsider) that some extremely powerful drag cars etc can be driven on the streets. Or, it's a similar scenario, in that they shouldn't be driven on the streets but are anyway...
- gambiting 8y ago
  What doesn't make any sense to me though that even if you avoid the police and any inspections, doing this to a car would 100% invalidate any insurance you have on it - making it an extraordinarily stupid idea to drive on any sort of public road, because if you get into an accident any insurance company will just refuse to pay out a single penny since the vehicle has been heavily modified past the factory specs - unless you declare all modifications to your insurer, which I am assuming you don't, since you also mention avoiding a full engineering inspection.
  - King-Aaron 8y ago
    I'm with Shannons and have all modifications declared. The engineering side of things is primarily for standard road/vehicle registration and checks that you're compliant with ADR (Australian Design Rules). i.e. my rollcage is CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motor Sport) compliant, however for it to be ADR compliant I would need it inspected by an engineer, while Shannons still happily covers it. But yeah my insurer knows everything right down to the brand of main bearings I bought.
    - 8y ago
dsfyu404ed 8y ago
>Where is this thing even legal to drive?? 'merica! Also parts of Europe if you're willing to jump through hoops, probably also street legal in less developed nations that don't regulate that sort of thing.

function_seven 8y ago

What he described sounds like a lot of street legal cars in the US. As long as it has turn signals, windshield wipers, seat belts, and some other things on a short list, it's allowed on the road. Here's one example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariel_Atom EDIT: And another: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_MX-5_(NA) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazda_MX-5_(NA)

King-Aaron 8y ago
Yeah not to mention guys like Saleen and Hennessey who make some downright ludicrous road cars. When you're talking about the power levels they make, the difference between 900kg and 1200kg is negligible :P https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennessey_Venom_GT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hennessey_Venom_GT Edit, and a more serious note, this is the flip side of the kinds of things we're discussing though. Not all modified cars are built to equal safety considerations, and not all modified car stories end well. https://jalopnik.com/man-dies-after-crash-in-home-built-honda-civic-based-ka-1825681533 https://jalopnik.com/man-dies-after-crash-in-home-built-hond...
deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

jacobush 8y ago

Lots of jurisdictions have general exemptions for self built cars or modified older cars.

King-Aaron 8y ago

> Where is this thing even legal to drive?? Racetracks, mainly. While I'm keeping the car registered, I'm sure the first time I have a problem with a police officer the car will receive a defect notice and won't be legal on the road any longer until it passes an engineering inspection. I'd need to be doing something pretty silly to get pulled over though, as it's all in a mx5 (miata) and it's a bit of a "sleeper" - i.e. it doesn't appear to be modified when looking from the outside. Interestingly enough though, the work I'm doing should be able to pass an engineer if required, but that's an investment I'll make when the defect arises. In Australia it's pretty commonplace to daily drive your race car until it gets defected, haha. It should be noted though, that in certain states in the United States, it appears (to an outsider) that some extremely powerful drag cars etc can be driven on the streets. Or, it's a similar scenario, in that they shouldn't be driven on the streets but are anyway...

gambiting 8y ago
What doesn't make any sense to me though that even if you avoid the police and any inspections, doing this to a car would 100% invalidate any insurance you have on it - making it an extraordinarily stupid idea to drive on any sort of public road, because if you get into an accident any insurance company will just refuse to pay out a single penny since the vehicle has been heavily modified past the factory specs - unless you declare all modifications to your insurer, which I am assuming you don't, since you also mention avoiding a full engineering inspection.
- King-Aaron 8y ago
  I'm with Shannons and have all modifications declared. The engineering side of things is primarily for standard road/vehicle registration and checks that you're compliant with ADR (Australian Design Rules). i.e. my rollcage is CAMS (Confederation of Australian Motor Sport) compliant, however for it to be ADR compliant I would need it inspected by an engineer, while Shannons still happily covers it. But yeah my insurer knows everything right down to the brand of main bearings I bought.
  - 8y ago

dsfyu404ed 8y ago

>Where is this thing even legal to drive?? 'merica! Also parts of Europe if you're willing to jump through hoops, probably also street legal in less developed nations that don't regulate that sort of thing.