Where implemented, NMVTIS has already produced results, including time and cost savings for state motor vehicle titling agencies, reductions in consumer wait time, decreases in motor vehicle thefts, improved recovery rate of stolen vehicles, increased ability to identify cloned vehicles prior to title issuance, and improved investigative abilities. Results produced to date include:
• South Dakota and New Hampshire saving time and money by no longer requiring the clerk to manually update a state record with returned title information since such updates are automatically included in NMVTIS.
• Arizona realizing a reduction in customer wait time and the ability to identify problems upfront due to online, accurate data.
• Virginia seeing a 17 percent decrease in motor vehicle thefts.
• Arizona experiencing a 99 percent recovery rate on vehicles identified as stolen.
• Arizona, Florida, and Virginia identifying cloned vehicles by working together, prior to issuing new titles.
• Florida cracking a car theft ring responsible for cloning more than 250 cars valued at $8 million.
• All participating states recapturing brands lost by non-participating states.
• Indiana experiencing a reduction in lawsuits by consumers who were given clear titles with missing brands.
• New Hampshire’s Motor Vehicle Supervisor stating that the amount of funds spent to implement NMVTIS “represents a small fee considering the savings on insurance fraud, cloning vehicles, stolen vehicles, odometer fraud, and preventing washed brands for consumer protection–all thanks to NMVTIS!”
(Source: American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators)

Credit: Peter Bourassa for Boston.com

According to an aritcle written by Peter Bourassa for Boston.com – A Concours d’Elegance is generally a show at which cars are judged and awarded based on how well they conform to pre-determined standards. A race track is generally a noisy, often dusty venue at which cars are tested to their limits and are constantly changing for myriad reasons. They are not similar car experiences. However, race cars are often invited to Concours events to add noise and color.

KTR European Motorsports, a premier vintage auto racing support facility located in Ayer, brought two cars to the Amelia Island Concours d’Elegance today: a 1953 Kurtis 500 roadster and a flame red 1959 Bocar Stiletto racer. Both are frequently used by their owner, Dudley Cunningham, and since they’re part of an exhibit and won’t be judged, they require little preparation for the trip.

Bob Carnes was a fighter pilot who built fiberglass reinforced chassis for his kit cars. His Stiletto resembles a jet plane and the fiberglass body is bonded to the purpose-built tube frame. Equipped with a supercharged Chevy 283 V-8 and four-speed transmission, this car was competitive in the hands of brave drivers. Dudley Cunningham, its current owner and driver, and Chris Cassidy, who prepared the car at KTR, have assiduously maintained the originality of this important vehicle.

Following the 1953 Corvette’s lead, the Devon, Bocar, and Kellison companies all introduced “kit” cars that allowed enthusiasts with an engineering bent to build their own cars with running gear often found in salvage yards. As better quality running gear became available, the cars were upgraded by their owners and as a result, no two were the same.

The 1953 Kurtis 500 originated from two manufacturers. The chassis was designed and built by Frank Kurtis that year, but the body was designed by Dick Jones in Colorado and wasn’t completed until 1959. By then it was equipped with a 283-cubic-inch Chevy Corvette V-8 and a four speed transmission. The Kurtis is reminiscent of the early Ferrari Barchetta, also of the early fifties.

It’s part of the “Forgotten Fiberglass” exhibit of early kit and small manufacturer cars, one of many rare cars on Amelia Island.

THE DETROIT NEWS – Last year’s “cash for clunkers” incentives program stoked demand for cars and trucks without pulling sales forward, according to a study by the Maritz Automotive Research Group.
“Our findings not only provide strong evidence that many more vehicles were sold as a direct result of the incentive program than were previously estimated, but they also largely debunk the myth that ‘cash for clunkers’ mortgaged future car and truck sales,” said Dave Fish,

vice president, Maritz Automotive Research Group. “In fact, the program resulted in sales of vehicles to people who don’t normally buy them.” Toledo, Ohio-based Maritz surveyed nearly 36,000 consumers who bought a new car or truck between July and August 2009, when the Car Allowance Rebate System was in effect. It concluded that the “cash for clunkers” program generated 542,000 incremental new car or truck sales, meaning that those buyers and lessees would not have been in the market without the lure of the incentive program.

Experts previously estimated that incremental sales generated by the program ranged between 125,000 and 346,000 vehicles. According to Maritz’ survey, half of all trade-ins were more than 10 years old and had more than 100,000 miles. It said older vehicles such as these only averaged 15.8 miles per gallon and were replaced with vehicles averaging 24.9 miles per gallon, citing data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The Maritz study concluded that the program didn’t pull sales forward. Although sales dipped in September when the program ended, partly due to depleted dealer inventory, the annual selling rate from October to December was higher than in the months preceding the “cash for clunkers” program.

Previous studies have shown the “cash for clunkers” program created tens of thousands of jobs.
According to a NHTSA report, the program created or saved nearly 60,000 jobs. The Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research has said 40,200 new jobs were created, including about 11,000 in Michigan and Ohio alone.

Hurricane Katrina  had major long term implications for a large segment of the population, economy and politics of the entire United States.  By August 31, 2005, 80% of New Orleans was flooded, with some parts under 15 feet of water.  Included in the flood were new and used vehicles, some of which were dried, cleaned up and sold to unsuspecting purchasers.  Hundreds of thousands of vehicles damaged by the hurricane were sold across the country as used cars that have been cosmetically altered to appear almost new. 

The response to the onslaught of flood vehicles from Katrina has been the re-introduction of the Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act .  The Passenger Vehicle Loss Disclosure Act (S 164), introduced in January 2009, is designed to improve consumer access to passenger vehicle loss data held by insurers.  This bill directs the Secretary of Transportation to require all insurers and self-insurers of motor vehicles to disclose to the public, in a commercially reasonable, electronically accessible manner, for each passenger motor vehicle declared or determined to be a total loss: (1) the vehicle identification number and odometer reading; (2) the date of and primary reason for the total loss determination; and (3) whether the airbags deployed.

Title-related car fraud costs consumers up to an estimated $11.3 billion each year.  There are many who believe that this type of bill could empower consumers with vehicle disposition information, aid law enforcement and ultimately protect the environment.  If you purchased a vehicle in the past 5 years, how do you guarantee its history?

Salvage Direct, the pioneer of online salvage vehicle, watercraft, motorcycle, powersport and commercial auctions, announces its new, state-of-the-art Enhanced Processing Center near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. SD New Britain is Salvage Direct’s sixth facility in Pennsylvania, 80thworldwide and the first of its 2010 expansion plan.

Every facility in the Salvage Direct logistics network recently upgraded the processing and preservation capabilities to include a more in-depth, value-driven service with an emphasis on engine and transmission performance. The Enhanced Processing Program will expose more detailed information to salvage auction bidders and increase the number of units in inventory that run and move.

“We’re excited about the Enhanced Processing Program,” said Bob Joyce, Founder of Salvage Direct. “This initiative takes vehicle information to the next level. Our runs/drives initiatives will now contain additional power and drive train information complete with a new, multi-media presentation. Buyers benefit from complete disclosure and suppliers will experience even better recovery on their invested assets.”

The SD New Britain facility is situated on a 21-acre parcel, which includes 20 acres of secure outdoor storage space and a 25,000-square-feet indoor processing and warehousing facility. It is conveniently located between the Philadelphia and Allentown, PA markets.
Salvage Direct was founded in 1998 as the first online auction in the total-loss salvage industry. The company’s pioneer spirit has lead to growth among buyers and sellers alike. Today, the company auctions cars, trucks, motorcycles, boats, power sports, recreational and commercial vehicles on behalf of its insurance company, finance company, and rental fleet partners. It leads the industry with catastrophic-loss management services and superior customer service.

Whatever the cause of loss, insurance and rental car companies select Salvage Direct because of its experience, fast-selling cycle times, titling proficiency, worldwide buyers and simple auction site. For additional information regarding Salvage Direct, please visit the Company’s website at www.salvagedirect.com .