Motoring enthusiasts and the ACT government hope an expansion to a registration scheme for historic, veteran and vintage cars will free more of the vehicles from their owners' garages and give them more flexibility for Sunday drives.
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The new registration scheme will allow the owners of the vehicles to drive them up to 60 days a year in addition to organised club runs, all while paying a significantly reduced $59 registration fee.
But the motoring clubs hope another change to the scheme which will allow motorists to keep their number plates or have custom number plates, instead of having to install historic plates, does not result in drivers taking advantage of the concessional registration by driving more than the allowed number of days.
Transport Minister Chris Steel said the government hoped the more flexible scheme would allow motoring enthusiasts to drive their cars and enjoy a part of Canberra's heritage.
"We know that these aren't a daily drive. THey're often used on the weekend to go on a Sunday drive with friends and family. We want to encourage more of these vehicles to be registered here in the ACT and to get out on ACT roads. Often classic car owners will own multiple cars, which will sit in the garage unused," Mr Steel said.
Mr Steel said the new scheme would allow motorcycles to be registered as historic vehicles for the first time, while modified vehicles would also be able to access the concessional registration with the 60-day usage limit.
"This scheme has been in place in other jurisdictions for some time and we have heard anecdotally that some of these vehicles are registered interstate. We'd like to see people register their vehicles here in the ACT so that they're properly insured and can go about driving on ACT," he said.
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Mr Steel also announced the vehicles would no longer require heritage plates.
"We know that motoring enthusiasts want to keep the number plates that they're using, which is often attached to the heritage of the vehicle. And so we'll enable them to have whatever ACT plates they would like," he said.
It was welcome news to a fellow ACT minister, Mick Gentleman, who said he would be transferring his 1948 Holden FX - number plate: 48-215 - and his MGA sports car to the new scheme.
The Council of ACT Motor Clubs administers the scheme on behalf of its 75 affiliated clubs and about 4000 members. Canberra has one of the highest per capita ownership rates of older and collectible vehicles in the country.
The council signed a memorandum of understanding with the territory government to deliver scheme in December 2022.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
