When you are passionate about your profession, looking back and observing a part of its past is truly exciting. Buses, and automotive in general, have a long and very rich history, in which one can get lost admiring models and ways of doing things that have remained in the past. This is what happens to us when we review the history of some of our oldest models, such as the Cometa or the Arosa, which in 2019 celebrates 50 years since it first saw the light of day.
We talk about historic buses for obvious reasons, but there are several questions that perhaps the most enthusiastic about automotive history have asked themselves at some point. At what point can a vehicle be officially considered “historic”? How many years must pass for it to cross the border from old or antique to become part of history, with the value that implies? What condition must a vehicle be in for us to say that it is an important piece of our past?
All these questions and their implications are not left to individual judgment, but are collected in what is known as the Historic Vehicle Regulations. Let’s see what it establishes to shed light on the questions raised.
1988: the year users saw their demands met
We have to go back to 1988 to witness the birth of regulation around historic vehicles.
That year, the Commission of Education and Culture of the Congress of Deputies approved, on November 16, a non-binding proposal in which, among other things, and we quote the BOE: “the Government was urged to, on the one hand, facilitate the circulation of historic vehicles, under the conditions and with the limitations that were advisable, and, on the other hand, to protect and safeguard automobiles of historic interest, in accordance with the provisions of the Law on Spanish Historical Heritage”.
Thus, the foundations were laid for a solid regulation that addressed the demands of users who found the existing regulation on historic vehicles insufficient.
Requirements for a bus to be considered historic
In that same regulation and its subsequent revisions, the conditions for a vehicle, including buses, to be considered historic are set out:
- It was manufactured or first registered at least thirty years ago.
- Its specific type has ceased to be produced.
- It is in its original state and has not undergone any fundamental changes to its technical characteristics or main components, such as the engine, brakes, steering, suspension, or bodywork.
On the other hand, “vehicles included in the General Inventory of Movable Property of the Spanish Historical Heritage or declared assets of cultural interest” are considered historic, as well as those “that have special interest due to having belonged to a relevant personality or having participated in an event of historical significance“.
Similarly, a collector’s vehicle will be historic, i.e., those that, due to “their characteristics, uniqueness, evident scarcity, or other very outstanding special circumstance, deserve to be covered by the regime of historic vehicles”.
Curiosities in the traffic regulations for historic buses
Given the age of historic vehicles, the following question is inevitable: can they be driven with at least relative normality?
The truth is that yes, as long as they meet certain conditions. Of course, these vehicles must have a circulation permit, technical inspection card, license plates (one normal and one for historic vehicles), and, where applicable, a historic vehicle sticker.
The traffic regulations include exceptional cases that respond to the possible characteristics of these vehicles. For example, if they do not have the lighting and optical signaling systems required by current legislation, they will not be able to circulate between sunset and sunrise, nor in special circumstances where the use of these systems is necessary.
Historic vehicles that are not capable of exceeding a speed of 40 kilometers/hour must travel on the shoulder or the right outer edge of the roadway. They may only overtake and turn left if doing so does not force other drivers to abruptly change the direction or speed of their vehicles. Furthermore, they must reach a minimum speed of 60 kilometers/hour to be able to circulate on highways or motorways, and circulation may be prohibited, on certain dates and roads, for those that cannot exceed a speed of 80 kilometers/hour.
The value of our history
It is not just about nostalgia and the pleasure of reliving the past. Historic vehicles in general, and in our case, especially buses, are part of what we have been and the path that has led us to what we are today. It is essential to have a regulation that values their symbolic and representative character of an era and an industry so important to our culture.
If, like us, you are passionate about the history of buses, don’t lose track of us, because in the coming months we will continue to explore it. Will you join us?
