Cranston man is at a loss after he spent tens of thousands of dollars on a replica of an antique car that can’t be legally driven in Rhode Island due to a vague law enacted one decade ago. Chris Landolfi purchased a replica of a 1932 Ford Roadster in 2020 through a consignment dealership in Minnesota. “I saw it online, I spoke to the salesman, told him where I lived. He said it was registered and inspected in Kansas, so we made the arrangements to purchase it,” Landolfi said. © Provided by WJAR ProvidenceNBC 10 I-Team: Red tape prevents Rhode Island man from legally driving antique replica Caption: NBC 10's Tamara Sacharczyk reports that a Cranston man can't drive his antique replica because the Division of Motor Vehicles refuses to register it. Little did he know at the time the laws in Kansas are very different than the laws in Rhode Island. The car was built in 2019 to duplicate the original 1932 version, which means no fenders. Fenders wouldn’t be an issue if the car was built in 1932, but since it wasn’t, the state of Rhode Island refuses to register it. “If it was titled a ‘32, I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you,” Landolfi said. Landolfi said the Division of Motor Vehicles didn’t tell him fenders would be an issue until he paid the state sales tax and made $10,000 worth of other safety changes, including adding windshield wipers and an emergency brake. About $60,000 later, he learned his new car would have to remain in park. “I explained to the chief inspector that a ‘32 Ford originally never came with fenders,” Landolfi said. “He had me do some research, I sent him an email on it, he said he would make a decision that was a year ago and I haven’t heard anything back.” © Provided by WJAR ProvidenceNBC 10 I-Team: Red tape prevents Rhode Island man from legally driving antique replica According to a state law in Rhode Island, all vehicles in Rhode Island must have fenders, but the I-Team discovered that vague law has some gray areas. Peter Sacchetti is the owner of Sacchetti Classic Auto Insurance in Warwick. “This is the first time in 30 years that I’ve come across this issue,” he said. Sacchetti insures Chris's car along with dozens of antiques across the state, about two dozen of which don’t have fenders yet can legally be driven in Rhode Island. The I-Team took the issue to the Division of Motor Vehicles. “The law requires all cars to have fenders,” spokesman Paul Grimaldi said. © Provided by WJAR ProvidenceNBC 10 I-Team: Red tape prevents Rhode Island man from legally driving antique replica When asked why there are currently cars on the roads without fenders, Grimaldi responded, “That depends on whether the car qualifies as an antique. If it’s a 1925 Ford that didn’t come with fenders at the beginning, it wouldn’t be required to have fenders now.” However, that isn’t specified anywhere in the language of the law, which reads: “No person shall operate any motor vehicle on any public highway of this state unless the vehicle is equipped with fenders covering the front wheels of the motor vehicle, or operate any passenger motor vehicle on any public highway equipped with tires which extend beyond the fenders or body of the vehicle unless it is also equipped with flaps or suitable guards to reduce spray or splash to the rear and sides. Violations of this section are subject to fines enumerated in 31-41.1-4.” We asked Grimaldi whether that law needs to change. “The language in laws is not always all inclusive and sometimes it takes issues to crop up for legislators and agencies to understand that oh, there’s something that’s not clear,” he said. Under the state’s interpretation of the law, that also means if Landolfi purchased the same exact car it wouldn’t need fenders, as long as it was built decades earlier. “I don’t understand how they can use that law when if this car was titled a ‘32, I would be able to register it with open wheels,” Landolfi said. Grimaldi calls it a matter of safety. “It’s pretty simple that you don’t want rocks and gravel and pieces of metal being kicked up from your tires and either hitting the driver or passenger in an open vehicle or smashing somebody else’s windshield,” he said. © Provided by WJAR ProvidenceNBC 10 I-Team: Red tape prevents Rhode Island man from legally driving antique replica For Landolfi, it's unnecessary red tape that could force him to put this prized possession back on the market. “I really don’t know what choice I have other than to put the car back up for sale, I mean that’s really where I’m at," he said. Fenders would cost an additional $10,000. “It wouldn’t be worth my money and my investment to do that because I can’t turn around and sell this for 70 (thousand dollars),” Landolfi said. Because the Minnesota dealership reportedly never warned him registration could be an issue, Landolfi hopes his story can help other antique car lovers in Rhode Island avoid similar mistakes. “I really don’t think that they did any of that research,” he said. “All they did say to me was that it was registered and inspected in the state of Kansas. Obviously, Kansas has different rules than Rhode Island does.” I contacted the dealership, which denied they never warned him about potential registration issues, then backtracked and said they couldn’t possibly know the laws in all 50 states. Meanwhile, the direct salesman told me his attorney advised him not to comment. I just read this on the 'net. Left me speechless!
He talks about an original 32 Ford came without fenders, we all know that is just wrong!! The guy sounds like a gold chainer that got caught up trying to register a kit car.
“I explained to the chief inspector that a ‘32 Ford originally never came with fenders,” Landolfi said. Sounds like nobody knows what they're talking about.
Install fenders , then take them off. fab up some motorcycle fenders . I did it dozens of times for friends of mine when they would build a custom bike / chopper / bobber etc. I would have a “ turn signal kit”. Zip tied and taped to the bike . One it passed its safety inspection I would pull it off . One time off one bike and into another in the parking lot of the mechanic doing the inspection ! Buddy just laughed and said “ I saw nothing “ and turned around and walked back into the shop . seems the owner of the car had a friend at the paper and is making a big deal out of something he didn’t know about . up here cars need fenders and the tires need to inside the fender to pass safety inspection . but you see a bunch of fenderless rides and dumb 4X4 trucks with huge off set wheels , cops don’t really care after the fact to pull you over for this stuff . They do have there “safety blitzes” every few years for a couple weeks and it goes away again . Anyways , buddy needs to suck it up and install fenders or sell the car .
Surely the dealer is not responsible for supplying registration info for another state. I don't see what they did wrong. Well, that's bullshit....... Mr. Landolfi needs to man up and stop trying to shift the blame. How is the dealership in any way responsible for registration requirements in Rhode Island??? The rules and regulations are not kept secret. They are available for anyone to peruse. Maybe he should have checked this out himself....... He should have a look at our system in Australia. It really pays to know the requirements before you start a build or buy down here.
How about the fender can be no longer than the body? All stock 32’s fenders go past the body. Trying to tell an inspector the 32’s didn’t have fenders is idiotic. If I would have been the inspector I’d tell him to take it back to Kansas and transfer it to your name and live there to. It’s a replica! The guy buying any vintage car should know the laws for his state. I can understand the wiper being not there but no emergency brake would not be acceptable. I’m sure Kansas has the law also but the builder/owner snuck that thru…
The doofus deserves what he got. Lying about original equipment he knows nothing about is only going to harm the rest of us.
Well apparently he already paid $10K for emergency brakes and windshield wipers. Those fenders might be $10K from the same shop. He probably shouldn't wear those gold chains when he goes looking for estimates!
It seems like he's not the only one in RI that doesn't know diddly about fenders.... the guy from the state said that '26 Fords didn't have them! But, as others have pointed out, he's obviously a gold chainer that has no clue about what the hell he bought, what a '32 Ford was equipped with, or that laws vary from state to state. However, I guess in his defense, his Tesla (or Range Rover, Lexus, or whatever gold chainers are driving now days) is legal in all states, so why wouldn't his Deuce be? LOL On the bright side... it's doubtful we'll have to worry about him joining the HAMB and asking stupid questions!!! It would be toooo bad (wink wink) if he took a major bath on this deal!
Seems like I read on here about a state in your corner of the country that would title almost any car and not even care if you lived in their state (Vermont, maybe?). I put cycle fenders on a truck I built a few years ago because they were required for an Iowa "Specially Constructed Vehicle" title. Mysteriously, they fell off about a week after I got my plates and have I never been hassled because of it. Gary
The vehicle was built in 2019. It had to comply with new vehicle requirements. Buyer is responsible for checking to see if it is road legal in the state he wants to register & plate it. Jim
Well the doof has a 2019 Assembled reproduction, he doesn't have an actual 32 Ford and no doubt the 32 Fords he was interested in on the net were all fenderless. Still what legit rod shop builds a completed hot rod without a park brake when they are required in all 50 states and just about everywhere else? Well damn, lookie right there next to the stick shift in a pretty close to original 32 Ford Roadster, That little stick is the park/emergency brake handle. 10K for a adding an emergency brake and windshield wiper and?? He must be paying a pretty high shop rate to someone. 10K for fenders? If you buy steel fenders and have them painted along with buying running boards that might be the case. Not all that expensive to put cycle fenders on all 4 corners per an early 50's New England hot rod and call it good though. Bad case of a gold chainer thinking that rules shouldn't apply to him me thinks.
If he thinks he's pissed now, wait until the insurance company doesn't pay when it gets "stolen" or "catches fire".
Ignorance of the law is no excuse, that’s what the system will tell you at all levels. While you can maybe buck the system and possibly win, at what expense and is it really worth it? My truck for example, did not come with seatbelts, backup lights or windshield washer , I installed these items simply to ease my way through inspection. These are still on the truck, as contrary as I may be, it’s just not worth the hassle.
The thing is if a fellow had a shop procure fenders for a 32 it could get expensive quickly. Metal fenders if original will surely need prep work and then paint to match the body. Even if reproduction fenders are used they will probably need some metal work to achieve a proper fit. Add the price of fender supports in the front and also labor the tab steadily increases. The same with fiberglass replicas. they would need a like amount of prep work as well. Given todays shop rates if a fellow has to shop all that work out I am thinking it could get to 10 grand or very near that. The original poster does not seem to be a hands on fellow by his general demeanor?
Who cares? It's not a "H.A.M.B.-friendly" vehicle. Look at it. Since when do we give a shit about 2019 models?
The simple fact is the guy screwed up and wants to blame everyone but himself. It’s nice when an idiot screws up and gets caught. And it’s even nicer it’s not me this time. Other than the earliest days of the automobile in America all cars had fenders of some kind of fenders from the factory. They kept the mud and horse shit off of the passengers.
Who builds a car without a handbrake, and what place would let you register it like that anyway? 44 gallon drum, 30 minutes with the angle grinder, some black spray paint, and a few strap iron brackets. Then they "fall off" mysteriously. I can fit a set for $9,999. Cash only. No cheques.
What exactly is unbelievable here? When would it ever been possible to use ignorance of the law as an excuse?
Find an original "32 frame to go under it with stamped numbers. Hey presto..... it's a "32. Well, at least in the eyes of the authorities....... Although, reading the requirements outlined in the article, Rhode Island may still want fenders on it.
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