Seven of every 10 vintage-registered cars inspected in the last three years fell short of the required standards, raising the question whether the scheme is being abused to save vehicle owners hundreds of euros in licence fees.
By law, owners of vintage vehicles, which bear a black registration plate with silver characters, are exempt from paying the annual circulation fee, which starts at €117 for cars with small engine capacities. Instead, they pay just €8 a year for their licence.
However, the few inspections being carried out on the thousands of vehicles registered as ‘vintage’ result in a 70% failure rate.
70% of the vehicles disqualified because they did not conform to official guidelines
Transport Malta’s policy guidelines say the scheme applies to genuine vehicles of at least 30 years of age kept “in a state which is as close as possible to its original state as produced by the manufacturer and which respects the spirit of classic and vintage vehicle preservation”.
The Sunday Times of Malta has been alerted to the presence of a significant number of cars on the road with black plates that look anything but vintage in preservation. Rusty body parts and flaky paint abound, as well as poor interiors and unauthorised modifications like tow bars, alloy wheels and iron bull bars.
Yet, the official eligibility criteria is very strict: even presenting a dirty car would be enough to have the application for ‘vintage’ registration rejected.
A total of 11,457 vehicles have been listed under the scheme since it was launched in 2003.
Asked about enforcement, a Transport Malta spokesman said the Vintage Vehicle Classification Committee carried out about 25 inspections per month and disqualified 70 per cent of vehicles because they did not conform to official guidelines.
The owners would then have to go through the application process again and have their vehicle undergo another inspection.
Transport Malta did not say if it planned to beef up enforcement efforts but confirmed that some of these controls were being made in the wake of reports about vehicles bearing black plates which were “shabby, dirty or seemed to have some inconformity”.
By law, certified vintage vehicles can only be driven for private use, and not for hire, reward or financial gain. They must undergo the same vehicle roadworthiness test as any other car.
Commenting on a photo of an Isuzu Gemini with rusty body parts, the spokesman acknowledged that it did not seem to “tick all the right boxes” for a vintage car.
Vintage quality
To be certified as vintage, cars must be 30 years old from the year of manufacture, as close as possible to the original state, kept clean, in a good state of repair and in a condition similar to the period.
Out-of-period modifications and other changes should be avoided. Roof-racks and tow-hooks are not normally allowed as these indicate that the car is possibly being used for commercial purposes.
The exception here is military vehicles. Body should reflect the period: metallic blue is not allowed on a 1920s Morris, for example. The interior must look as close to standard as possible: no customisation such as bucket seats, dark tinted windows and holes in the dashboard for new instrumentation, except for minor reversible fittings.
The engine must be of the same series as fitted by the manufacturer. Wheels too have to reflect the period: modern alloys and low-profile tyres are not allowed.