Not necessarily. There are many vehicles that, due to their characteristics, were not registered or did not require registration, either in Spain or in the country of origin. Each case must be studied individually. But that does not exclude it from the cataloging process.
Of course. It is common practice in vehicles of this type. It is common to find an old moped that does not have a license plate or retains the old one issued by the City Council. As long as the conditions of age, conservation and originality are met and the interested party can prove ownership of the vehicle, there should be no problem.
Our work begins at the moment you want to classify your vehicle as historic. We are in charge of preparing and processing all the prior technical documentation that must be delivered to the MOT for inspection and subsequent registration in traffic as a historic vehicle.
Our work covers the management, preparation and processing before the public administration of the complete cataloging file of your vehicle until it passes through the MOT.
Of course. Royal Decree 1247/1995 establishes that the so-called historical vehicles, which meet certain requirements of age and uniqueness, cannot, precisely for this reason, simply be subject to the common regulations and require a special regime that safeguards their representative and symbolic character of a certain era of automobile production and the important significance that it had in the culture of our times.
In no case is cataloging as a historic vehicle limited to a unit registered in Spain. Therefore, a foreign vehicle may be considered historic if it meets the same requirements established by the Royal Decree, regardless of its origin.
Yes, these are included in Royal Decree 1247/1995 and are basically the same as the vehicle with an ordinary license plate. The limitations are subject to the capabilities and technical characteristics of the vehicle itself.
No, you will keep your original Spanish license plate and they will also give you another one for a historic vehicle. If the vehicle has its original registration plate, it must also carry a badge consisting of a complementary circular plate 12 centimeters in diameter on which, with characters 1 centimeter thick and 8 centimeters high, matte black on a background reflective yellow, the inscription VH appears, following the current manufacturing standards for license plates.
In the case of vehicles coming from abroad, they may keep and display the original as an ornament.
We will not always be able to provide the same documentation. This will vary greatly depending on the type of vehicle, its age, the number of owners it has had, etc. Therefore, we recommend that you provide us with all the documentation that you have in your possession that may provide information about:
-The age of the vehicle.
-The state of conservation of the vehicle. (Photographs)
-The characteristics of the vehicle.
-The ownership of the vehicle.
Once this information has been collated, we will be able to make a first assessment of the viability of the process, always subject to the subsequent favorable inspection of our technicians.
According to Royal Decree 1247/1995, in its article 1, a historic vehicle is:
- Those that meet all of the following conditions:
a) That it was manufactured or registered for the first time at least thirty years ago.
b) Its specific type has stopped being produced.
c) It is in its original condition and has not been subjected to any fundamental changes in terms of its technical characteristics or main components, such as the engine, brakes, steering, suspension or bodywork.
In any case, for a vehicle to be classified as historic due to its age, its constituent parts must have been manufactured during the normal production period of the type or variant in question and its spare parts, with the exception of the elements consumables replaced by reproductions or equivalences made after the normal production period, which must be unequivocally identified. If there have been modifications to the structure or components, the consideration of a historic vehicle will be determined at the time of cataloging.
- Vehicles included in the General Inventory of Movable Property of the Spanish Historical Heritage or declared assets of cultural interest and those that are of special interest because they belonged to some relevant personality or intervened in some event of historical significance, if this is clear from the reports. relevant accreditations and advice.
- The so-called collector vehicles, understood as those that, due to their characteristics, uniqueness, manifest scarcity or other very outstanding special circumstance, deserve to be included in the regime of historical vehicles.
Vehicles intended for sports events (rally, motocross, etc.) will be admitted as long as they comply with the provisions of article 1 and the sectoral agreements of RD1247/1995, but the limitations on circulation will read: “Competition vehicle . Not suitable for driving on public roads. Its circulation is restricted to the routes and under the conditions expressly authorized by the competent traffic authority.”
The replicas will not have different treatment from the rest of the vehicles, so only those that have the minimum regulatory age may be classified as historical vehicles. The laboratory report must refer in all cases to its status as a replica and the date on which it was carried out.
Once the vehicle is classified as historic, no alterations are allowed, except those that, exceptionally, are expressly authorized by Resolution of the competent body, upon request of the interested party and favorable report from a historic vehicle laboratory. Among these exceptional admissible reforms would be those that are necessary for the continuity of the vehicle's operation and do not negatively and substantially affect its authenticity, such as:
– Total or partial replacement of the frame or self-supporting structure, when the replaced part is the one with the vehicle identification number recorded (CR 1.1).
– Retrocut due to absence, deterioration, disappearance, or modification (CR 1.2).
– Return of the vehicle to its original condition.
As an exception to the above, authorization will not be necessary to change the destination of the vehicle once it has been catalogued.
If the vehicle has renovations prior to cataloging, they may only be admitted if they were carried out at the time, have a minimum age of 30 years and are considered typical or customary renovations at that time.
As an exception to the above, the following modifications or reforms may also be admitted without meeting the aforementioned requirements, and must be, when appropriate, suitably legalized:
– Reforms intended to restore a vehicle to its original state.
– Subsequent modifications to consumable elements (such as tires, bodies in commercial vehicles, lighting) that do not substantially modify the technical characteristics of its main components or that would have been necessary for the continuity of the operation of the vehicle and that do not affect negatively and substantially to its authenticity. They will be replaced by reproductions or equivalents that must be perfectly identified in the laboratory report.
– Incorporation of external lighting, signaling and rear-view elements to improve road safety, as long as they are compatible with the aesthetics of the time, such as flashing and braking lights, retro-reflectors or exterior mirrors. These elements must be perfectly identified in the laboratory report.
According to Royal Decree 1247/1995, for a vehicle to be classified as historic, it must have remained in its original state and not have been subjected to any fundamental change in terms of its technical characteristics or main components, such as the engine, brakes, steering, suspension or bodywork.
In any case, for a vehicle to be classified as historic due to its age, its constituent parts must have been manufactured during the normal production period of the type or variant in question and its spare parts, with the exception of the elements consumables replaced by reproductions or equivalences made after the normal production period, which must be unequivocally identified. If there have been modifications to the structure or components, the consideration of a historic vehicle will be determined at the time of cataloging.
Therefore, a vehicle that has undergone any modification that may be considered a reform according to Royal Decree 866/2010, that is not within what we can consider as a spare part and that distances it from its originality (from its appearance and characteristics from when it was manufactured) will a priori be a problem to classify it as a historical vehicle. However, there are exceptions. Read the answer to the question: Can I classify a refurbished vehicle as historic?
