Registration and Title

Vehicle registration is entirely a state, not federal, government matter. Your state of residence is the sole determining factor on how easy or difficult it will be to register and title a FFR Roadster. The Roadster tends to fall between the cracks of the regulatory system: it is not a classic car manufactured, say, 25 years ago, nor is it a “new” car that is federalized to meet current safety and emission guidelines.

Each state defines what category the FFR Roadster fits into, and the range runs from friendly (Florida) to hostile (Massachusetts). Your state will fall somewhere between these two extremes.

The Sunshine State has an enlightened view of replicas and build-it-yourself kit cars. In essence, the regulatory policy is that a replica should be subject to the laws that were in effect at the time when the original vehicle was manufactured. Therefore, a 2009 FFR Roadster built as a replica of the 1965 AC Cobra (see Legacy of the FFR Roadster) is treated as a 1965 car subject to the Florida state laws in effect in 1965. Since emission requirements began with the federal Clean Air Act of 1970, Florida imposes no inspection or limitation on the FFR Roadster. Florida even routinely issues an antique license plate for replicas!

Due to the friendly regulatory environment in Florida, the registration process takes about an hour:

1. fill out the state title registration form
2. show a Florida drivers license as proof of residency
3. provide the FFR MCO as proof of ownership
4. provide the original FFR invoice to set the tax basis for the Roadster, and pay the motor vehicle sales tax (7%)
5. show proof of insurance (usually a small card provided by the insurance company)

The title which reflects a 1965 AC Cobra is then mailed a few weeks later, but one can usually walk out with an antique plate the same day.

Florida, unlike some other states, does not require special safety equipment (defroster, reverse lights, padded dash, DOT-coded windshield, and so on) or an inspection.

Sadly, in contrast to Florida, it is not possible today (as of March 2009) to register the Roadster as described here on Mk3Build.com in Massachusetts. Unlike Florida, Massachusetts considers a newly built replica, regardless of the vehicle it is intended to represent, to be defined by the engine in the vehicle, subject to all requirements and restrictions on the date of the engine's manufacture. In effect, this means that crate engines, like the Ford Racing Boss 302 used in this build, if installed as is cannot be legally registered!

Massachusetts defines crate engines as “new” even when they reflect 1965-era technology, and a vehicle with one installed must be brought up to 2009 standards with catalytic converters and other equipment. Likewise, if a vintage engine is used, say a 1990 302 Mustang donor, all the equipment in the original 1990 Mustang configuration must be added to the Roadster, like EGR, catalytic converters, vapor canister, air pump and (probaby) the stock manifold.

In Massachusetts, since the year of the car is, in effect, defined by the engine, a 1965 replica can only be licensed as such with a vintage 1965 engine and matching engine IDs. It is therefore extremely difficult to qualify as a classic or antique car that is not subject to emission restrictions (that is, grandfathered) in Massachusetts unless a pre-1970 engine is installed first.

Massachusetts requires an annual vehicle inspection.

A SEMA law that more closely resembles the Florida law was passed by the Massachusetts legislature in 2008 but subsequently vetoed by the governor.