Good grief: Is there nothing Congress thinks needs their expert attention. All serious antiques/classics have their own registry and hands on experts.

Senator Pushes for Federal Historic Vehicle Registry

By Steph Willems on September 23, 2016 

 
 
 

Is your car truly rare or unique? Does it represent a small but significant piece of American history? (We’re not talking about a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 380SL once owned by Gary Busey.)

If so, your ride could one day be immortalized — in a bureaucratic sense. Yesterday, Michigan Senator Gary Peters (D) introduced a bill that, if passed, would create a federal registry for historic vehicles.

Peters’ bill (the National Historic Vehicle Register Act) would allow the Department of Interior to treat some cars, trucks and motorcycles in the same manner as historically significant ships, bridges and roads. Those are already cataloged in the department’s Historic American Engineering Record.

“Few engineering innovations have had the same impact on American society as the automobile, and it is important for us to preserve the stories of vehicles that have played a critical role in American history,” Peters said in a statement.

Peters, a life-long motorcycle enthusiast who recently engaged Michigan residents during a five-day state tour, has the backing of the Historic Vehicle Association and American Motorcyclist Association.

Any vehicle significant enough to find its way onto the register would have its records archived in the Library of Congress. It’s a high bar to meet. According to Peters’ bill, “Vehicles must be connected to a significant person or event in American history, or have a unique design or rarity, to be eligible for the register. Each vehicle’s record will include a narrative describing the vehicle and its historical significance, a photographic record, and line drawings or engineering drawings of the historic vehicle.”