[Healeys] Westminster diff

[Stephen Hutchings]

That's very interesting, and sad. I remember my Uncle in Rotorua 
completely rebuilding his Morris Oxford in the late sixties; the 
economics then being, a new car was so expensive that it was worth 
putting the time and money in to his old car.
I guess the classic owner has to be diligent about registration red 
tape......I can't imagine how you'd ever bring a Healey up to current 
standards, or what it would look like if you did!

Stephen, BJ8


>A good question Stephen, particularly considering that cars is New Zealand
>seem to last for ever as they do not need to use salt on the roads.
>The problem, as I understand, it is that the New Zealand government, in an
>effort to get rid of older cars that tend to linger in peoples driveways and
>back yards, instituted a system of "continuous registration". Under this
>system any car which is not continuously licensed for the road must be
>brought up to current safety standards before it can be re registered.
>There is a facility wherein a registration can be "put on hold" for a period
>of time, but this has to be renewed regularly to remain in force.
>The "Westy" had probably not been registered for several years and the cost
>of having it brought up to current standards and the associated engineers
>inspection would have made getting it back on the road prohibitively
>expensive.
>
>Michael Salter
>100 (1953) #174
>AHX12 (1953)
>Bugeye (1961)
>http://www.netbug.net/blogmichael/?p=432