California lawmakers reject Leno’s Law making it harder to own and preserve classic cars

Leno’s Law, a bill proposed to preserve classic cars in California, pioneered by avid enthusiast Jay Leno, has been rejected amid smog pollution fears.

Classic cars are already facing being lost to time as a new age of electric vehicles threatens the extinction of ICE engineering.

Jay Leno is working tirelessly to preserve these iconic cars of ages gone by.

But, the California government has thrown a bitter speed bump under his efforts, rejecting the classic car bill known as Leno’s Law.

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Leno’s Law gets denied by California government

Despite having hundreds of the fastest cars ever made in his garage, such as the new Ford Mustang GTD and a McLaren W1, Jay Leno’s heart is owned by the 20th century.

In fact, his soft spot for classic cars is epitomized by his choice of the ‘best car of all time’, which hails from 1928.

But in a bid to protect these timeless pieces, Jay Leno has fallen short, and his proposed new law has been ruled against.

‘Leno’s Law,’ as it was slated, intended to waive the requirement for the bi-annual smog tests for vehicles made between 1990 and 1975.

Currently, every car made after 1975 needs to be tested for smog pollution, but Leno believed this should ve extended to cars after 1990.

Leno’s argument was that anyone willing to maintain a 35-year-old car isn’t plowing this through the city on a daily basis and would rather be championing it as an art expo or a garage ornament.

“I am deeply disappointed that once again, the California state legislature did not prioritize California’s Classic car culture and the enthusiasts who were relying on this measure to pass,” said Republican Senator Shannon Grove.

“Leno’s Law would have simply allowed for a few additional classic car model years to receive a full smog exemption—a much-needed update on an antiquated law.

“Sadly, today, California said no to helping preserve these rolling pieces of history and let down classic car clubs across the state, from low riders to hot rods, and every American classic in between.

“Leno’s Law was not just about the cars; it was about the enthusiasts behind the wheel.”

Which classic cars will be affected?

For Jay Leno, especially, one of his most beloved cars falls into this category, with his 70k-mile 1987 Lamborghini Countach still needing to oblige by smog regulations.

Other classic cars such as DeLorean DMC-12, Ferrari Testarossa, Porsche 911 Turbo, Nissan Skyline GT-R, and Mercedes-Benz G-Class will be affected.

But mainly, this will target hot rod makers, who tend to use old-school engines, rather than the newer and cleaner modern-day combustion catalysts.

It’s clear that California is pushing for a cleaner environment, as air pollution in the state is some of the worst in the country.

Sadly, these classic cars contradict the work done by EVs to clean the carbon wheelprint of our favourite vintage vehicles.

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