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Beyond additional signatures, the SEMA Action Network (SAN) is also looking for additional members of Congress to cosponsor the RPM Act. To date, the House legislation has 92 sponsors, while the Senate bill has 15. Are your elected officials among them? Visit the following link to find out, which includes a tool to locate your lawmakers: go to semaSAN.com. Given the potential impact of this rulemaking on car clubs and automotive organizations nationwide, group leaders are needed to work with Congress in passing the bill. 

Seven Cities, Seven Days, Thousands of Unique Rides

The Hot Rod Power Tour is a spectacle unlike any other for fans of vehicular variety. In terms of sheer size and distance covered, “the world's largest road trip” lives up to its billing. Come along with the SEMA Action Network (SAN) on the event’s 22nd annual excursion. Grab a friend and stop by our prominent display at the flamed Hot Rod bus to fight for the future of auto racing. The SAN will be enlisting support for the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports (RPM) Act from attendees.

The Power Tour draws motor vehicle enthusiasts from across the country. Covering more than 1,500 total miles, this seven-day, seven-city tour begins near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and will make its way to Kansas City, Kansas, through both highways and winding back roads. The event will attract more than 4,500 collector cars and grab the attention of more than 75,000 spectators. All kinds of hot rods, classics, custom trucks and street machines will be along for the ride. Any vehicle year, make or model is accepted.

The dates and stops are as follows:

• June 11 – Lamar Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales, Louisiana

• June 12 – Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas

• June 13 – Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas

• June 14 – Traders Village in Grand Prairie, Texas

• June 15 – Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

• June 16 – Kansas Pavilion in Wichita, Kansas

• June 17 – Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas

The following link contains information on tour stops and other details: http://www.hotrod.com/events/power-tour/. We hope to see you on the road!

Click here for the complete list of Legislative Action Alerts.

• California Bill to Expand Vehicle Retirement Program Approved by Committee; Moves to Assembly Floor

• Michigan Bill to Facilitate Motorized Access to Forest Roads Moves to Senate Floor

• Vermont Bill to Increase Range of Fees and Taxes for Motor Vehicles Moves to Governor

• Amended California Bill to Exempt Pre-1981 Vehicles from Emissions Inspections Approved by Committee; Moves to Full Senate

• Maryland Bill to Revise Historic Vehicle Registration Requirements Signed Into Law

• New Hampshire Bill to Implement Road User Fee Dies

• California Bill to Expand Eligibility for Year of Manufacture License Plates Moves to Full Senate

• Arizona Bill to Raise Gas Taxes/Create Study to Tax Cars for Miles Traveled Dies as Legislature Adjourns

• Vermont Bill to Penalize Some Aftermarket Exhaust Systems Dies as Legislature Adjourns

• Collector Car Appreciation Day: July 8, 2016 — Post and share TV personality Courtney Hansen’s video PSA:

This 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC is Laurie Morgenthal’s dream car, since it has such personal “heart and soul beating in her.” She is still tinkering with the Mark VIII to improve the car’s performance.

Laurie Morgenthal recently reached out to her state legislators with a passionate plea about a scrappage proposal currently moving through the legislature. “As a fifth generation Californian, I understand and highly value the need to keep our air and our beautiful state clean,” Laurie wrote. “What I don't understand is why there seems to be so much proposed legislation that is so broad in scope that it sweeps a large group of automotive enthusiasts, many of whom drive their cars fewer than five thousand miles per year, into a category with potentially gross polluting and negligent vehicles.” Her prized 1997 Lincoln Mark VIII LSC provided much of the inspiration behind the letter. Parts scarcity continues to present a serious problem and is at the forefront of enthusiasts with vintage vehicles. “Cars like mine were produced from 1993-1998 with such strict tolerances by so few suppliers,” adds Morgenthal. “In fact, Ford was out of some Mark VIII parts as early as 2001! The main source for everything except regular maintenance items is often the junkyard. Without the ability to reuse parts, these beautiful, last of their kind, rear-wheel drive, V8 Lincoln luxury coupes stand no chance of being preserved and appreciated.”

From the first glance at a Mark VIII in November of 1992, Laurie was completely captivated by the big coupe's flowing curves. She feels the model’s designers got the shape absolutely right from every angle. “Against nearly every other car of the time in their class, they looked light years ahead. Plus, there ended up being so many firsts and notable elements for American production cars of the time,” she explains. For example, the luxury coupe’s cockpit interior features a center console angled towards the driver for ease of use. Morgenthal relays that many people still say that the Mark VIII is one of the most comfortable cars they have ever driven. The LSC also packs performance, courtesy of a 281 c.i. 4.6L Intech V8 that puts out an impressive 290 h.p. Despite the car’s Mustang Cobra-like powerplant, it can achieve around 30 MPG at cruising speed thanks to an onboard ride height control that automatically lowers the vehicle at speeds above 55 MPH.

Morgenthal is the President of the Lincoln Mark VIII Addicts, a club that she founded after attending the Fabulous Fords Forever show in 2013. “I discovered only one other like mine out of nearly four thousand cars at the event!” she exclaims. “At that point, I realized that we really needed to organize as parts become scarcer, especially since the 1997-1998 Mark VIIIs have parts specific to only those two years.” By the following April, sixteen Lincoln Mark VIII Addicts rolled into the same show, followed by eighteen last year (including several that traveled from Arizona). Club members are very diverse in age, with the youngest member being nineteen and the oldest in their eighties. “While a common interest in the Lincoln model brought us together, we have become great friends through solving problems, working on our cars together and attending all sorts of functions.” Find the group online using the following links: www.MK8Addicts.com and www.facebook.com/MK8Addicts.

Your service to our auto community means so much, Laurie! May the fight to save vintage vehicles in California bode well in this latest bout!