Red indicators should be allowed in an ‘as built’ state of the vehicles; to change lights for aftermarket amber ones changes the character and visual appeal of a historic vintage vehicle detracting from the owners’ and the general public’s enjoyment of these wonderfully preserved classic vehicles.

US DOT should be allowed in place of E marks; the US DOT certification system is just as rigorous as the E mark system and is found on all lights, tyres, seat belts, and other safety devices on our American cars and trucks.

If wide whitewall tyres are no longer available with E marks we will have to use van tyres to get the correct tyre height to keep the proportions right (and the gearing and speedometer accurate). This negatively changes the character and visual appeal of a historic vintage vehicle detracting from the owners’ and the general public’s enjoyment of these wonderfully preserved classic vehicles. You just gotta have whitewalls on your Cadillac and white lettered tyres on your muscle car!

If we don’t watch it we will have to replace rear light lenses with E marked ones – try finding these for your sixties and seventies Cadillac, Lincoln, Chevrolet, Chrysler, Chevelle, Mustang or GMC pick up truck.

The use of 12 inch by 6 inch licence plates should continue to be permissible. The whole of the front and rear end of American cars are built round a recessed 12 x 6 inch number plate opening. To try and fit anything else in there negatively changes the character and visual appeal of a historic vintage vehicle detracting from the owners’ and the general public’s enjoyment of these wonderfully preserved classic vehicles. Have you seen some of the German American cars with long licence plates trying to fit in a 12 x 6 opening – all bent over at the ends – truly awful and dangerous for pedestrians too.

Please act now and fill out the form this weekend.

Please let’s all line up behind the same requirement – the 30 years. If we are united we stand a better chance of success because the industry and owners will respond back with a clear ‘leave it alone, focus on catching the 26% of cars out there without a valid NCT and if you have to do something make it a rolling 30 years age cut-off please’.

Please be nice and polite, don’t rant about Irish Water/ The Government in general/ injustice etc.  The way to successfully get through consultants is to be formal and polite, state your case in well written English and back it up with facts.  There are plenty of facts in the attachments.  Please take the time to read them. The slides from Martin attached pretty much walk you through what best to say for each question.

Otherwise in 3 years’ time you will have to deal with the consequences of not stopping it now. Changing something is much harder than stopping an introduction of something new. I remember the campaign in the UK to get 12 x 6 inch number plates accepted for American vehicles – that was just a size issue (the colour and font had to remain) and that took 3 years from some very diligent people!

If you have a local club distribution list please send it to all your members – I have some old addresses in this list  – please check all your guys have got it.

Finally (!!) if you know anyone who is not a classic car owner/ enthusiast but simply likes seeing them around, or goes to shows, or uses them for charity work, or promotional events as an off the road photographic prop, or has a business connected with vintage cars, please pass this on to them and ask them to fill out the consultation form.