REPORT: NHTSA attempting to stop GM Heritage Collection selloff at Barrett-Jackson
Word 'round the auctionhouse campfire is that the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration is attempting to put the kybosh on a planned sale of many General Motors Heritage Collection vehicles this weekend. NHTSA is apparently calling for the halt because it fears that many of the vehicles slated for sale at Barrett-Jackson's Palm Beach auction are not road legal, yet new owners may attempt to drive them on public roads anyway.
Oddly, in both the past and at present, both GM and BJ have been very forthcoming that many of these collectible vehicles are not road-legal, selling them with disclaimers that they have salvage or display titles and that they cannot be registered. That apparently isn't sufficient for NHTSA, which likely fears that some successful bidders will attempt to plate vehicles which may or may not have all of the required safety equipment to be roadworthy.
According to Sports Car Market (via Inside Line), both parties are actively pursuing a resolution, but according to Il's report, it may not happen fast enough – about 100 GM Heritage Collection cars (click here for a list) are scheduled to go under the hammer beginning today and running through this weekend.
UPDATE: We've just received this statement from Barrett-Jackson's PR agency – "The Acting Administrator of NHTSA, Ron Medford, has communicated to Barrett-Jackson that previous issues concerning the sales of the GM Collection have been resolved and all sales can go forward."
[Source: Inside Line]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
JF 2:07PM (4/10/2009)
To the NHTSA: STFU and GTFO. People serious about buying these cars will know whether they're street legal or not.
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Jared 11:57PM (4/12/2009)
If you take the time to look through the list they are selling... you'll wish more were street legal. I'm just curious what's up with the scooters and the 100+hp golf cart... haha
Level 2:09PM (4/10/2009)
Talk about the National Highway Transportation and Safety Administration putting their noises in where its irrelevant....Does the NHTSA have anything else better to do? Its a freaking auction and to top it off it's and auction where they sell countless of kit cars but OMFG if GM were to sell some Heritage collectibles....
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Chris 2:10PM (4/10/2009)
They are allowed to sell them again, they announced it about 30 minutes ago.
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Franz 2:11PM (4/10/2009)
This makes no sense to me. Purpose built race cars are sold all the time, and they're not legal for street use either. It's the responsibility of the NHTSA, the DMV and those responsible to ensure that these cars (if proven to be not road legal) don't get registered. I don't see how they should be able to prevent the sale.
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Keef 1:49PM (4/15/2009)
Wow, this is blatant attacking by the government. There's no reason at all to step into perfectly legal activities and just harass GM and BJ like this. They're overstepping their bounds, again.
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bdan 2:22PM (4/10/2009)
sounds like the NHTSA has been hanging out with the RIAA a little too much.
honestly, i hope i end up on some fancy board/administration someday so i can disband it.
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Taglane 2:38PM (4/10/2009)
um.... Obviously if they say it's NOT STREET LEGAL, the buyers will NOT DRIVE IT ON THE MUTHAF****N STREET. If they do, then that's their problem.
The Gummint just has to find ways to piss people off...
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vic 2:43PM (4/10/2009)
NHTSA acting as arm of the administration, wants to hold these heritage cars as assets until the administration, as owner of GM, can collect the income from the auction.
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Aloysius Vampa 2:52PM (4/10/2009)
Oh snap.
Frank 3:24PM (4/10/2009)
That or whoever the Savior appointed to the this post is VERY enthusiastic about his new government job.
Mike 4:19PM (4/10/2009)
"until the administration, as owner of GM"
Uhhh, ya, you'll never see the feds owning a car manufacturer... especially GM. That's like chewing a used piece of gum you scraped off the road. Leave it there, just don't touch it. Nobody wants it, for a reason.
Rev 6:48PM (4/10/2009)
The "savior." With such a wide contrast with Bush, I guess that will do. From backwoods idiot to savior? Could be worse!
Just sounds funny hearing conservatives that aren't very good with sarcasm compliment our President all the time...
christensen 9:09AM (4/11/2009)
Rev, its the difference between shrill and a slightly more subtle sarcasm. You must be listening to Hil too much.
Stuka 3:22PM (4/10/2009)
What another brilliant waste of tax payer money...
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Enok 4:02PM (4/10/2009)
I don't which is more absurd:
1. Trying to stop this auction because the cars aren't street legal.
2. Buying cars that aren't street legal.
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Mike 4:16PM (4/10/2009)
easy answer, #1 is more absurd. There are a ton of non street legal cars bought and auctioned every day. They are called RACE cars. Collectors have LeMans and F1 cars of past, it's no different than these. It's a collector car.
NHTSA... shove it.
Rman91Bird 4:31PM (4/10/2009)
This is stupid!!! There are plenty of cars sold at auction that are not street legal. They make it seem like this is the first time anyone has ever sold a car that is not street legal!!! If the NHTSA is so concered that people will drive cars like this one the road why don't they tell Ford to stop making the FR500CJ and tell Dodge to stop making the DragPackage Challenger!!!! They should take their P H D and shove it up their A S S!!!
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whofan 4:53PM (4/10/2009)
"Them Communist bastards"
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Tony 5:11PM (4/10/2009)
You guys do not get it. This is a publicity stunt by Barrett Jackson's to drum up interest and place an aura of taboo on the sale, hopefully driving the prices way up. Form what I have seen of the auction so far, prices are way down from previous years especially for the muscle cars.
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